Oklahoma Sooners

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

2012 record: 10-3

2012 conference record: 8-1 (tied for first, Big 12)

Returning starters: Offense: 7; defense: 4; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners

RB Damien Williams, FB Trey Millard, WR Jalen Saunders, WR Sterling Shepard, C Gabe Ikard, DE/DT Chuka Ndulue, LB Corey Nelson, CB Aaron Colvin

Key losses

QB Landry Jones, WR Justin Brown, WR Kenny Stills, OT Lane Johnson, DE David King, CB Demontre Hurst, FS Tony Jefferson, SS Javon Harris

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Damien Williams* (946 yards)
Passing: Landry Jones (4,267yards)
Receiving: Kenny Stills (959 yards)
Tackles: Tony Jefferson (119)
Sacks: Chuka Ndulue* (5)
Interceptions: Javon Harris (6)

Spring answers

1. Playmakers abound: The Sooners might have lost leading receivers Kenny Stills and Justin Brown, but there’s plenty of firepower back to support whoever wins the starting quarterback job. Jalen Saunders was actually Oklahoma’s most efficient receiver the second half of last season and seems primed to take over as the go-to target. The Sooners also have several talented up-and-coming receivers who had good springs, led by slot extraordinaire Sterling Shepard. The backfield is even deeper, with leading rushers Damien Williams and Brennan Clay back, to go along with Trey Millard, one of the top all-around fullbacks in the country.

2. Cortez will flank Colvin: The secondary was decimated by graduation and Tony Jefferson’s early entry into the NFL draft. One of those voids was cornerback, where Demontre Hurst had started the previous years. That void at least, however, appears to have been filled. Arizona transfer Cortez Johnson seized the job from the first day of spring drills, and has given the Sooners every indication to believe they’ll have a big, physical corner to pair with All-American candidate Aaron Colvin in the fall.

3. The linebackers will play: In a desperate move to slow down the high-powered passing attacks of the Big 12, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops pulled his linebackers off the field. The plan backfired, as opposing offenses ran at will over the linebacker-less Sooners. This spring, Stoops has renewed his commitment to the linebacker, which, ironically, could be the strength of the defense. Corey Nelson, Frank Shannon and Aaron Franklin are all athletic and capable of generating negative plays, something Oklahoma’s defense sorely lacked last season.

Fall questions

1. Who the QB will be in October: Bob Stoops said he would wait until the fall before naming a starter, and so far, he’s made good on his word. Junior Blake Bell took a lead in the competition during the spring, as expected. But sophomore Kendal Thompson and redshirt freshman Trevor Knight, who both got equal reps as Bell, played well at times, too. It’s hard to see Bell not starting the first game. But if he struggles against a tough September schedule, it’s not unthinkable one of the younger QBs would be given a shot.

2. How the new offense will fare: Looking to utilize the skill sets of their mobile quarterbacks, the Sooners will be running a very different offense from the one Sam Bradford and Landry Jones both operated. Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel kept most of these new plays - including loads of read option -- in his hip pocket during the spring game. But it will be interesting to see how the Sooners -- and just as important, opposing defenses -- adjust to this new era of offense in Norman.

3. Defensive line play: The Sooners went into spring ball with just three defensive tackles on the roster, and little experience at defensive end. The unit showed strides during the spring, with Chuka Ndulue making a smooth transition from end to tackle, and tackle Jordan Phillips coming up big in the spring game. But that was the spring. The defensive line will have to continue to grow rapidly in the fall for the Sooners to have any hope of improving from last year defensively.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Safety Ahmad Thomas and receiver Dannon Cavil recognized an opportunity at Oklahoma. With wideout Kenny Stills and safety Tony Jefferson declaring for the 2013 NFL draft following their junior seasons, a starting spot and playing time opened up for the Sooners at both positions.

The lone freshman early enrollees who have fully participated in spring football, Cavil and Thomas are already making an impression on their teammates and coaches. It started with their smooth transition into the program during winter workouts.

“He's handled the workouts,” head coach Bob Stoops said of Cavil shortly before spring football began. “That's when you can really tell if a guy is ready for it, and he's gone through all the workouts like he's a junior.”

Thomas was the same way.

“He handled winter workouts like someone who’s been around for a couple of years,” nickelback Julian Wilson said. “He didn’t handle them like a freshman.”

The duo continued to impress this spring by displaying playmaking ability that could earn them on role on the Sooners’ offense and defense this fall. Thomas is a hard hitter who is displaying terrific instincts at safety. The departures of Jefferson and Javon Harris, OU’s starters last season, leaves a hole in the secondary and Thomas is making a case to slide into that gap.

“I’ve never seen a freshman like him,” cornerback Cortez Johnson said. “He’ll play a big part in our defense, most likely this year.”

Senior safety Gabe Lynn is taking on a mentoring role with Thomas but has already noticed his natural ability. Thomas' instincts have impressed along with his hunger to learn.

“He has good instincts,” Lynn said. “You really can’t tell he just came in, it fits right in. Ahmad wants to learn more so it’s very easy to help him, he’s asking questions all the time.”

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NORMAN, Okla. -- As Oklahoma’s defense undergoes a transformation this spring, new defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery reiterated the point to junior defensive end Rashod Favors. His words provided a summary of the change in mindset for the Sooners' defensive line this spring.

“I need you to come off the football and knock the line of scrimmage back,” Montgomery told Favors during practice in a "Mic'd Up" video posted at SoonerSports.com. “You’re reading. We’re not playing last year’s defense, you gotta be aggressive.”

Clearly, change is in the air.

Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has expressed the desire for the Sooners defense to play more aggressively during the second year of his second stint as defensive coordinator in Norman, Okla. And that change is desperately needed after a season in which the Sooners finished No. 70 nationally in sacks per game (1.7), No. 112 nationally in tackles for loss per game (4.3) and No. 80 in turnover margin (minus-0.3).

Last season, the Sooners' defensive line played a two-gap scheme, removing the aggressiveness from their front four while looking to funnel plays to their secondary with safeties Tony Jefferson (119 tackles) and Javon Harris (86 tackles) roaming the defensive backfield and finishing first and second on the team in tackles.

“When you do what we did a year ago, you’re asking guys to take up two gaps and all you’re doing is being a plugger,” Montgomery said. “Your production is going to be down. You’re going to muddy things up, and linebackers come clean it up. That’s what that is made to do.”

This spring, the Sooners' defensive line is adapting to a one-gap scheme, which will allow its defensive linemen to play more aggressively and (hopefully) become more disruptive in opponents’ backfields.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Asked about his individual goals heading into the 2013 season, Oklahoma safety Gabe Lynn answered without hesitation.

“Be a leader to my teammates and make as many plays as I can,” said the fifth-year senior from Jenks, Okla.

Make no mistake, Lynn will have plenty of eyes on him. From Mike Stoops to his defensive teammates to Sooners fans, every step Lynn takes will be noted this fall. As one of three senior starters on the defense, Lynn will need to emerge as a vocal leader and calm presence at free safety.

“I’ve been around here long enough, so it’s definitely something I have to be,” Lynn said of taking on a leadership role on defense alongside fellow seniors Corey Nelson and Aaron Colvin. “I have to be more vocal since I’m in the middle now.”

Adding to the attention is his move to free safety, a position that requires vocal leadership and was vacated when Tony Jefferson, OU’s leading tackler in 2012, left early for the NFL. After playing cornerback and nickelback during his first four years at OU, Lynn might have finally found a home.

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Colleague Travis Haney took a look at the 10 teams who will lose the most talent in the country from 2012 to 2013.

There's only one Big 12 team on his list, and it's the 2012 preseason favorite: Oklahoma, which is sitting at No. 3 on a list you probably don't want to see your team on.

Landry Jones is the biggest name gone, but Haney says this might be Bob Stoops' biggest rebuild project ever in more than a decade in Norman.

The team's three most talented players -- Jones, receiver Kenny Stills and safety Tony Jefferson -- are the biggest losses, but don't overlook guys like tackle Lane Johnson and defensive linemen David King and Jamarkus McFarland. Defensive backs Demontre Hurst and Javon Harris won't be easy to replace, either.

Oklahoma was fortunate to keep cornerback Aaron Colvin and do-everything offensive Swiss army knife Trey Millard, who I'd expect to get a whole lot more touches next season. He was criminally underused in the Sooners' offense this past season. Just ask Texas if Millard should get more touches.

Oklahoma's offensive renaissance should be interesting. There won't be major changes, but Stoops is always going to build around what his personnel does best, and next season, likely with Blake Bell at the helm, you can expect the quarterback running game to be featured. It's still likely going to be a pass-first offense, but with Millard and Bell, next season's team might be a little more physical between the tackles.

I'd agree with Haney in that the top of the Big 12 looks really weak for 2013, which may provide opportunity for the Sooners to make a Big 12 title run, despite all the losses.

This week, ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. examined several of the Sooners entering April’s NFL draft on a conference call with reporters.

Perhaps most interesting was Kiper’s evaluation of quarterback Landry Jones.

"You see some of his decision-making, some of his inconsistency in terms of accuracy throwing the football,” Kiper said. “He's just kind of leveled off. He maybe played some better football earlier in his career than he did late at times.

“I'd say right now third to fifth round area, third or fourth round area."

Jones came back to school for his senior season in large part to bolster his draft stock. But if NFL teams view Jones the way Kiper does, that obviously won’t be the case.

Kiper, however, is high on other OU draft hopefuls. He sees offensive tackle Lane Johnson and safety Tony Jefferson going somewhere in the second round.

“He's gained a lot of momentum and will continue to gain a lot of momentum as he moves through the process,” Kiper said of Johnson, who was recruited to Norman originally as a tight end. Johnson actually played quarterback in junior college. “There's not a lot of guys that can be hole-fillers at that position after the top group."

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We're grading each Big 12 team's season right now, and we'll move on to the next team on the list: The Oklahoma Sooners.

OFFENSE: The year got off to a rocky start out in El Paso, with the Sooners needing late touchdowns from Brannon Green and Damien Williams to break away from a near upset to the Miners. After another ugly game against Kansas State full of costly turnovers, the Sooners hit their stride. It all started with 41 points on the road against Texas Tech in a stadium the Sooners historically struggled in, but a 63-point outburst in the Red River Rivalry had Oklahoma fans thinking big again. Landry Jones was still continually unappreciated, but he helped win shootouts down the stretch against Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, and carried the Sooners in a tough game against TCU. The streakiness hit a bad spot in the Cotton Bowl loss to Texas A&M, which costs them in my grade. The running game was OK, but not outstanding outside of some long runs from Williams, but credit Jones for developing chemistry with a whole new unit of receivers. This was a gutsy finish from the offensive line, too, which dealt with a ton of injuries this year. Lane Johnson, Gabe Ikard and Ty Darlington all played well down the stretch. GRADE: A-

DEFENSE: The memories of 500-yard outings from Tavon Austin and Johnny Manziel are fresh in their minds, but this defense wasn't as awful as some believed. The linebackers were quiet this year in Mike Stoops' well-publicized scheme that stressed gap responsibility and freed up Tony Jefferson to make well over 100 tackles and leave for the NFL. Before Nov. 10, Oklahoma had given up more than 24 points just one time, and that team (Notre Dame) played for the national title. The end of the season wasn't as rosy, and the Sooners gave up 34, 49, 48 and 41 points. It was a bad finish, but Oklahoma did fix its problems stopping the deep ball from last year. That's something, and it helped Oklahoma win eight consecutive Big 12 games, which is no small feat. GRADE: B

OVERALL: Bob Stoops has gone a postseason crusade making it clear mediocrity isn't enough, but this really is a tough balance. Oklahoma's won 10 games in three consecutive seasons after a disappointing eight-win campaign in 2009, and won at least a share of a Big 12 title in two of the last three seasons. Oklahoma hasn't been to the BCS since the 2010 season, but they've won a whole bunch of games, just not enough to come anywhere close to the national championship game, which Stoops set as a standard early in his coaching tenure in Norman. Oklahoma's season ended ugly, but all three losses were to teams in the top 11 this year, and A&M might have been the hottest team in the country to close the year. This was an unsatisfying year in Norman, but how unsatisfied can you really be with a share of the Big 12 title? GRADE: B+

More Big 12 report cards:

 

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma