Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma has one of the deepest interior offensive line groups in the country. Center Ben Habern and guard/center Gabe Ikard have earned all-conference honors during their careers, guard Tyler Evans has quietly been an anchor along the offensive front and guard Adam Shead was a difference maker last season as a redshirt freshman.

The competition for reps along the interior could be one of the most interesting battles of the spring. Fortunately for the competitors, OU tends to rotate its offensive linemen, allowing multiple players to get playing time even if they don’t start the game.

Shead is returning from a knee injury which forced him to miss the home stretch of the season but seems poised to become a key clog of the offense.

“He’s a really talented offensive lineman,” Ikard said. “He plays with a great base and a lot of power. It’s one of those things where he’s going to be on the field, he’s got the talent.”

Redshirt freshman Nila Kasitati is another young guard to keep an eye on.

“He’s probably got the best build of any of us,” Ikard said. “Naturally thick, a real powerful kid. He’s going to be good. He’s talented enough, he’ll see some time.”

Alief Taylor (Houston, texas) defensive end Torrodney Prevot became the third athlete this year to earn an invitation to "The Opening" after putting on a show at the Houston NFSC.

Lane Johnson has returned to a familiar position. No, he’s not going to be taking snaps from center at 6-foot-6, 296 pounds.

Johnson, a former junior college quarterback, has slid back to the left tackle position after spending the 2011 season as Oklahoma’s starting right tackle.

“It’s been a smooth transition,” Johnson said. “Last spring I started at left tackle behind Donald [Stephenson] and had a pretty good spring. Going into two-a-days, I thought I was going to be the backup left tackle (and) when Daryl [Williams] got hurt I had to fill in and I finished out the rest of the year. So it’s a smooth transition.”

Johnson has played several positions including quarterback, defensive end and tight end before finally settling at tackle. He’s generally regarded as one of the best athletes on the team, regardless of size.

Guard Gabe Ikard doesn’t expect any struggles as Johnson moves to what could be considered his “natural” position.

“He’s the most athletic lineman in the country, so I’d say it’s natural,” Ikard said.

Bob Stoops spent most of his pre-spring media session addressing his team's own issues, but touched on recent Big 12 expansion later in the news conference.

Missouri and Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC during the fall, and the Big 12 subsequently expanded back to 10 members with the addition of West Virginia from the Big East and TCU from the Mountain West.

"When you look at what these guys have done, we are bringing in two ranked teams at the end of the year and the two that left I don't know that they were. I can't remember," Stoops told reporters on Monday. "All I know is these guys are excellent teams. They are coached well and have great athletes."

Does that qualify as a veiled shot? It's debatable, but Stoops seems to subscribe to yours truly's opinion: The Big 12 won't miss Texas A&M and Missouri on the field all that much.

Yes, last year's ranking is hardly the best measure, but BCS bowl success in the modern era seems fair. West Virginia (3-0) and TCU (1-1) offer a whole lot more than Texas A&M (0-1) or Missouri (0-0), and have, simply put, spent more Saturdays winning.

Intentional or not, Stoops likely stirred things up around the league on Monday.

For the first time in his tenure at Oklahoma, coach Bob Stoops is welcoming back a quarterback entering his fourth straight season as a starter.

What kind of advantage does having somebody with Landry Jones’ experience quarterbacking the Sooners as they begin spring drills this week?

"I believe it's a great advantage,” Stoops said during a press conference to kick off spring practice Monday. “The leadership, the poise, being able to hopefully avoid the really poor plays that put you in bad position with turnovers. And then hopefully there’s increased precision and execution. That’s what you really get with a more mature and experience quarterback.”

Jones struggled some late last season after losing top target Ryan Broyles to a knee injury. But by coming back for his senior season, he also has a chance to become the winningest quarterback in OU history.

"He makes a great impact,” Stoops said. “He's a tremendous leader and a very talented quarterback in everything he does -- not just throwing the football. With another year under his belt and time to work here in the spring and summer with these receivers, I'm excited about the possibilities.”

Other news and notes from Stoops’ press conference:

• On his first day at practice as defensive coordinator, Mike Stoops will be without three key starters. Defensive tackle Casey Walker (shoulder), safety Aaron Colvin (shoulder) and middle linebacker Tom Wort (back) will sit out the spring recovering from injuries sustained last season. Wort could still return late in spring drills.

The Sooners will also be without center Ben Habern (neck) and running back Dominique Whaley (ankle).

• Two players that were expected to miss spring will actually be available. Wideout Jaz Reynolds (kidney) and fullback Aaron Ripkowski (back), who both suffered serious injuries in the loss at Oklahoma State, have both been cleared for spring drills.

“Jaz has been cleared for probably the last three weeks and has really gotten back to full strength and looks good,” Stoops said. “He’s cleared to go. And in all likelihood, we’re set to have a procedure at the end of spring that will sideline him just for probably three weeks.”

• Stoops said that Lane Johnson, who started at right tackle last season, will start the spring at left tackle as the Sooners work to replace Donald Stephenson. Sophomores Daryl Williams and Tyrus Thompson will man the right side.

Stoops also noted that mammoth redshirt freshman Derek Farniok has made strides during the winter and has a chance to become part of the rotation.

“Derek Farniok, a young guy, had a huge winter,” Stoops said. “He's a totally different guy than the guy that walked in here. It's exiting to see how hard he's worked, how well he's running. He's the biggest of all of them. The other guys are all doing well.”

• Stoops confirmed that Florida State tried to schedule Oklahoma for a third straight season, with both programs needing to fill holes because of conference realignment. But Stoops said FSU wanted the Sooners to come back to Talahassee for a second straight year.

“I know it was brought up about Florida State, but they didn’t seem to want to come here,” Stoops said. “We might have entertained it if they wanted to come here first game.”

Oklahoma will be the fourth Big 12 team (TCU, Texas, Texas Tech) to open spring camp when practice begins later Monday.

Here's a closer look and an idea of what to watch for.

Schedule: Oklahoma kicks off the first of its NCAA-allowed 15 practices Monday, leading up to the spring game on April 14. Practices are closed to fans and media.

What's new: The Sooners made the biggest Big 12 offseason acquisition when they brought back Mike Stoops as co-defensive coordinator. He dropped the "co-" after longtime coordinator Brent Venables took the DC job at Clemson after 13 years on Bob Stoops' staff in Norman. The Sooners will miss his presence, but hopes are high that Stoops can revitalize an Oklahoma defense that paved the way for the Sooners' last national title back in 2000, coordinated by none other than Stoops. He was fired by Arizona in the middle of the 2011 season, his eighth at Arizona.

New faces: Stoops is obvious, but Oklahoma is also welcoming six freshman or junior college transfers this spring to get practice time in before the 2012 season. Tight end Taylor McNamara and 2011 signee Trey Metoyer highlight the group. McNamara was the nation's No. 2 tight end and Metoyer was the nation's No. 8 receiver and No. 51 overall prospect in the 2011 class. He enrolled in military school after failing to qualify last fall, and could help boost a receiving corps in need of reinforcements. Junior college transfers Kass (pronounced "KAHss") Everett, Brannon Green and Chaz Nelson join 2011 signee Jordan Wade on campus this spring, too. Tight ends McNamara and Green should have some impact. Oklahoma returns no tight ends from its 2011 team, thanks to injuries and player exits.

Big shoes to fill: Kenny Stills. Ryan Broyles tore his ACL late last season, and the Sooners' receivers disappointed in the absence of the FBS all-time leader for receptions. The offense was punchless in an embarrassing blowout loss to Oklahoma State with the Big 12 title on the line. Especially without Jaz Reynolds (kidney) this spring, Stills need to prove he can be a reliable, top-tier receiver for Oklahoma's Big 12 title dreams to come true in 2012.

On the move: Safety Tony Jefferson. How will Jefferson be used in Stoops' defensive scheme? It's a big question for the Sooners. Jefferson's one of the team's most talented players, but he moved around a lot in 2011, seeing time at nickel back and moving to traditional safety after Javon Harris had some high-profile struggles in the loss to Baylor. Jefferson can play and excel at both spots. What the rest of OU's defense looks like depends on where he plays.

Question marks: What does OU's running back spot look like? Dominique Whaley is still rehabbing after breaking his ankle midseason, an injury that birthed the Belldozer formation. Backup quarterback Blake Bell rushed for 13 touchdowns in the second half of the season, but look for Oklahoma to try and find a way to run between the tackles more traditionally this spring. Who can be the man? Brennan Clay, Roy Finch and Danzel Williams are the only healthy scholarship running backs for the Sooners. Will we see fullback Trey Millard get some run, too?

All eyes on: The defense. Quarterback Landry Jones actually played well in a loss to Baylor, but Oklahoma's defense was clearly the weak link in losses to Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma State that turned a year with national title aspirations into an average 10-3 season that finished in the Insight Bowl. The defense played well in the bowl win over Iowa, but Iowa's offense is nothing like what awaits the Sooners in the always-dangerous Big 12. Mike Stoops' work is cut out for him.

Oklahoma has its eyes on playing in the postseason.

The Sooners could play their way into the NCAA tournament with an improbable undefeated run through the Big 12 tournament. Or OU could earn an NIT berth with a solid showing at the Big 12 tourney, most likely needing to win at least two games for a chance.

Regardless, the Sooners enter the tourney with some momentum, having split their last four games after losing six straight games to begin February. OU has beaten Oklahoma State and Texas A&M in the past two weeks and will face the Aggies for the third time this season on Wednesday in Kansas City. If the Sooners win they would play top-seeded Kansas on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT.

Here are the keys to the Sooners winning at least one game during the Big 12 tournament, thus giving themselves hope of an NIT birth:

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