Oklahoma Sooners

SoonerNation's Bob Przybylo talks with wide receiver Jordan Smallwood of Jenks (Okla.) about committing to OU.

Jake Trotter talks with junior Oklahoma linebacker Tom Wort about the challenges of replacing Travis Lewis on defense, and bouncing back from a disappointing 2011 season.

Redshirt freshman defensive back Bennett Okotcha has left the Sooners football team, a spokesperson confirmed to SoonerNation on Tuesday morning.

Okotcha was rated the No. 50 cornerback in the country according to ESPN coming out of Coppell (Texas) High School. Okotcha originally committed to Notre Dame, but switched to the Sooners days before signing day.

After redshirting last year, Okotcha began to turn heads during the winter workouts. Teammate Kameel Jackson even tweeted that Okotcha was going to be “the next Ed Reed.” Okotcha, however, suffered a shoulder injury and sat out in the spring. This preseason, he failed to climb up the depth chart.

David Pollack gives his overrated and underrated team in the AP top 5 and his under the radar Heisman candidate.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Finding ways to get Roy Finch the ball is one of the focuses of fall camp for Oklahoma. The Sooners running back had 1,124 all-purpose yards and averaged 7.2 yards per touch -- best among the OU running backs -- in 2011.

But playing time could be hard to come by in the backfield with Dominique Whaley returning from injury alongside Brennan Clay and several talented newcomers. So OU is looking to find a role for the 5-foot-7 dynamo.

“He’s an explosive playmaker,” offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said. “We’re trying to find ways to get him in space. He’s got the ability to play multiple positions but I think his natural one is probably tailback.”

Finch has been practicing at slot receiver as OU looks for ways to use the junior’s talent.

“He’s doing well, he’s athletic and can catch,” receivers coach Jay Norvell said.

But the key for Finch, who is used to catching passes out of the backfield, is learning the nuances of the position and the routes required in OU’s offensive attack.

“So much of the passing game is everyone being where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there,” Norvell said. “If it is supposed to be 12 yards, it’s got to be 12 yards all the time. You don’t have any timing if guys don’t run the right depths. He’s learning how to play, learning how to be consistent at some deeper routes. He’s getting a lot of repetitions and he’s learning from that.”

Regardless, expect Finch to carve himself a role in the Sooners attack. He’s just too talented to leave on the sideline.

“He’s still a very good running back, he’s one of our better players,” Norvell said. “We’re just trying to expand his role a little bit. That helps our flexibility of being able to play without taking guys off the field.”

NORMAN, Okla. -- There’s very little doubt that Geneo Grissom is one of the most talented players on Oklahoma’s roster.

Yet the sophomore has some learning to do to make an impact. Grissom moved from defensive end to tight end this summer and he’s impressing enough that he’s in a three-man battle at tight end alongside Brannon Green and Taylor McNamara.

“It’s a three-man rotation now, next week we will be narrowing it down,” tight ends coach Bruce Kittle said. “I feel pretty good about the progress they’ve made but again, none of them have played a down. What we see in practice is one thing and what we see under pressure on fourth-and-one against Texas could be another deal.”

Head coach Bob Stoops told reporters on Friday that Grissom was currently in the lead to start the season opener at UTEP.

“He has been awesome; we have really been pleased with him,” Stoops said about Grissom. “In the summer, when you are not able to coach them, it is a little rough. But, he is a talented guy. He does all of it the best, meaning they are all doing well, but with his little more experience and athleticism. Playing defensive end, you have got to be fairly tough, so he is used to running into other defensive ends. He has just really taken to it, and it has really looked good. Every day it has gotten better and better. He is about 255 pounds, 6-foot-4. He is what you look for. He is catching the ball well, so it has been a real positive.”

Regardless, for Grissom to make an impact this season, he’ll have to pick up his new position quickly.

“He’s a very athletic guy,” Kittle said. “He hasn’t played offense for a really long time. But when he gets it, he really gets it. He’s a real strong, explosive player but as far as the pass game piece, he didn’t know a post from an out route. That has been a high learning curve for him. If we can get him there, he has a chance to really help us.”

Grissom could become a difference-maker at tight end for OU if his production begins to match his potential. Regardless, the move to tight end could be the best thing for Grissom’s career in crimson and cream.

In all the land, there’s only one person who voted Oklahoma No. 1 in his/her Associated Press preseason Top 25 ballot. That man is Kyle Meinke of AnnArbor.com.

SoonerNation asked Meinke why he believes the Sooners are the No. 1 team in college football, and who else he considered for the top spot:

SoonerNation: What about Oklahoma makes them your No. 1?

Kyle Meinke: I should preface all of this by saying I abhor drafting preseason polls. I understand why they exist, and the talking points they create, and I'll read every one of them with interest. But when it comes down to doing my own, I know about as much about these teams as the next guy. No games have been played. We're all going off paper -- returning starters, stars, coaching, schedules, etc. -- and football, obviously, is not played on paper.

Having said that, on paper, I love Oklahoma. For me, it starts with returning starters and the Sooners have 15 or so of them. In the past three years, almost two-thirds of teams with that many guys back won more games the following year.

And it's not just how many, but who. I love Landry Jones at quarterback. He's struggled down the stretch in the past, but the dude's a fourth-year starter in a winnable Big 12. I like that a lot.

I also like how, outside of offensive line, Oklahoma doesn't have a ton of question marks right now. It's a well-balanced team, which is important when you're talking about giving out that No. 1 spot. Imbalanced teams -- no matter how good the strength may be -- typically don't run the table.

Finally, I love how the schedule shakes out for Oklahoma. Kansas State is home, Notre Dame is home, Baylor is home. Among its first nine games, the most difficult might be playing Texas in Dallas, and OU will be favored in that one as well. It's easy to see the Sooners going 9-0 before that season-ending stretch against West Virginia, Oklahoma State and TCU. And by then, I think any issues they have up front offensively will have been addressed.

SN: Was there anyone else you considered for No. 1? Why ultimately OU and not them?

KM: USC was my No. 2 team, and I did give serious consideration to naming them No. 1. In the end, I went with Oklahoma for the reasons I already gave. As for USC, I think it'll be tremendous (I have 'em No. 2, after all), but I think its schedule is slightly tougher, with an early trip to Stanford, as well as a top-five team in Oregon later in the year. Also, I'd take Bob Stoops over Lane Kiffin any day. Stoops has experience with top-five teams, with national-championship runs, etc. And Kiffin does not.

SN: What factors did you look at when putting your ballot together?

KM: I always start with evaluating current talent, which means my poll is not necessarily a projection of where a team will finish. I'm looking at returning starters, offensive and defensive balance, coaching, etc.

But for a preseason poll, when you're really splitting hairs between excellent teams such as Oklahoma or USC or Alabama or whomever, I do project a little bit as a tie breaker. For example, I like Oklahoma's schedule and think it has the clearest path to 9-0 of any team in my top five. I also think it is the best team in a very winnable Big 12.

SN: What would it take for you to drop the Sooners from your No. 1?

KM: If they struggle against UTEP or Florida A&M, and USC wins at Stanford, I'd have to give the Trojans a long look. Likewise, if Alabama beats Michigan in its opener and then Arkansas in Week 3 -- a pair of top-10 teams -- I'd give them a long look. But again, I think Oklahoma is the best team and I likely would keep them No. 1 if they take care of business as they should.

SN: What feedback have you received about your pick?

KM: Some have questioned it. Judging from Twitter, I think I've made a bunch of new friends from Stillwater. But unless you're an extreme outlier -- such as the guy who cast his No. 1 vote for Michigan, which finished eighth -- I don't really understand criticism of preseason polls. They're guesses. Educated ones, but still, it's just guesswork based on things that matter in games, but don't decide them.

Even if Oklahoma loses to UTEP, no sweat. I knock them down and we move on. By the end of the season, we'll have reached some consensus (hopefully). But this is a preseason poll. Games haven't been played. For all I know, Eastern Michigan will finish 12-0.

Although, Oklahoma probably has a better shot of going 0-12. Lord, I hope that doesn't happen. I don't think my email box can take it.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Sterling Shepard has been the most impressive true freshman who arrived in the summer for Oklahoma. He hass impressed with his seamless transition into the demands of being a Sooner.

Yet Shepard isn’t the only freshman who has been solid.

Fellow freshman wideout Durron Neal is making a case to play his way out of a redshirt season as well.

“He’s learning, he has good days and he has other days where he’s not so good,” receivers coach Jay Norvell said. “He’s practicing well, he’s practicing hard. He’s very strong and competitive so we’re excited about Durron.”

No decision has been made regarding Neal’s redshirt status but he has impressed with his physical ability. It would be the ultimate example of the major change of OU’s depth at receiver in a matter of months if Neal ends up redshirting this season because he has shown the talent to be able to help this season.

NORMAN, Okla. -- It’s easy to consider Brennan Clay “the forgotten man”.

The other members of the Cali Trio -- Kenny Stills and Tony Jefferson -- are being talked about as team leaders and critical to Oklahoma’s hopes for success in 2012. The same isn’t being said about Clay. And when the Sooners' running back situation is discussed, Clay often goes overlooked even though he began 2011 as the starter and is arguably the most complete running back on the roster.

It's safe to say Clay is hoping to finally stay healthy and make his mark on OU’s program as a junior.

“Brennan is pushing himself to prove to everybody he can be that guy,” running backs coach Cale Gundy said. “Brennan is one of those guys where you know what you’re going to get. He’s kind of like (former OU tailback) Chris Brown to us coaches.

“They are different style of players but you know what you’re going to get. You know exactly what they are going to do, they’re not going to bust, they’re going to play hard, they’re going to play physical. You can count on guys like that.”

Clay believes it is as simple as remaining on the field after missing portions of his freshman and sophomore seasons due to various injuries.

“I’ve been injured, I haven’t been 100 percent,” Clay said. “Now, I feel more than 100 percent, I feel 110.”

It’s clear Clay has the traits to be a coaches best friend. He’s assignment-sound, trustworthy and competes hard so don’t be surprised if he makes a significant contribution this fall.