Top 3 position battles to watch in the Big 12
Top 3 Position Battles
Sure, the Big 12 had some marquee names move on after last year and will need to reload in some areas for 2015. But history has shown us that for every Robert Griffin III, there is a Nick Florence. For every Sam Bradford, there is a Landry Jones. And for every Sonny Cumbie, there is a Graham Harrell. You get the idea.
It's the way the Big 12 rolls: one all-world talent leaves, another all-world talent steps in. Wash, rinse, repeat.
So who will battle to fill the shoes of the lost stars in the Big 12 this season?
Here are the biggest position battles and who has the inside track to conference stardom.
TCU's second line of defense
TCU is getting all sorts of preseason publicity with top-five rankings and predicted conference championships, but this past spring was not a shiny-happy-people time for head coach Gary Patterson's charges. He grumbled at the way the defense played during spring ball, with an all-new linebacking core representing the biggest stumbling block. After losing a couple of masterful seniors in linebackers Paul Dawson and Marcus Mallet, the Horned Frogs will have to rely on a lot of youth for 2015.
Entering the fall, redshirt freshman Ty Summers and junior Sammy Douglas appeared to be the most likely starters in the Frogs' two-backer scheme. Summers is a former dual-threat high school quarterback who oozes athleticism, and Douglas is the most experienced returnee, though he only totaled 17 tackles last season. But highly touted frosh Mike Freeze will be in the mix as well. Freeze enrolled early and went through spring drills while displaying all the markings of a future All-American. Redshirt sophomore Paul Whitmill is also a candidate for a starting role after playing in 12 games last year and having a solid spring.
Four things to look for:
1. This will be a fluid situation, so the starting nods could change week-in, week-out.
2. Playing time won't be a problem - all four will see plenty of it in the rotation.
3. All this youth and inexperience will put pressure on the offense to carry the load for TCU.
4. The greenhorns will be sure to keep coach Patterson's vocal cords in ribbons, as usual.
The next record-setting Baylor quarterback
Art Briles has followed the Texas Tech formula of taking a departed All-American candidate at quarterback and simply inserting the next pocket fireballer who racks up the same gaudy numbers, from Griffin to Florence to Bryce Petty. And yes, we all saw Art Briles' brilliant April Fools' Day tweet announcing 6-foot-7, 410-pound LaQuan McGowan would be the new starting QB.
But Seth Russell will actually start the season at the controls, and why not? In his single start last season, the Garland, Texas product threw for 438 yards and five touchdowns - playing only the first half versus Northwestern State. His 4.5 speed in the 40 differentiates him from the pack. But former four-star recruit Chris Johnson is a big body with a cannon of an arm who still wants his chance to be tested in meaningful parts of games.
However, it's possible neither Russell or Johnson is the quarterback of the future. That moniker could belong to incoming freshman phenom Jarrett Stidham, who will arrive in Waco as the most lauded prep quarterback in program history. Stidham originally committed to Texas Tech, and coach Kliff Kingsbury said Stidham could "change the program." But Stidham decommitted and enrolled at BU in January. His talent level is undeniable and his starting assignment is just a matter of time.
From Week 1 to Week 12, stay tuned.
Who will hold the reins of the Sooner schooner?
Trevor Knight, all things being equal, should be the No. 1 guy at Oklahoma. He could even be lauded as an All-American candidate, as he's shown flashes of brilliance over the last two years. But the Sooner starter has also had some really shaky moments, particularly in the Russell Athletic Bowl, where he was just 13-for-37 with three interceptions in a 40-6 whitewashing at the hands of Clemson. He missed three games due to injury last November as well, yet he was still the top cat behind center during spring ball.
Knight may have lost his comfortable seat with the arrival of Baker Mayfield, the former conference Offensive Freshman of the Year at Texas Tech in 2013. Mayfield's been through the Big 12 wars and threw for 2,315 yards as a precocious first-year man in Lubbock. He brings a level of confidence that seemed to be missing on the field in last year's roller coaster 8-5 season. Will the Baker overtake the Knight in the fall? Don't be shocked if it happens.
One name that seems to have been forgotten in the shuffle, however, is Cody Thomas, who started the three games Knight missed. Sure, Thomas spent much of his time on the field merely handing off to Samaje Perine (who gained 791 yards in those three games), but his experience can't be denied.