Big 12 Off Season Thread 2014

[GoSooners]

The Big 12's Top 15 Players of 2014. They left off a couple of players that I think could make a splash this season. I have a feeling Davis Webb from Texas Tech will make his way on to the list by year's end. I'm a little surprised not to see any OSU players on the list. No players from ISU or WV either...







The Big 12's top 15 players in 2014



David Ubben

FOX Sports Southwest

Baylor Bears quarterback Bryce Petty




The annual exodus of talent always makes preseason best player lists tougher to piece together than postseason lists.
How do you factor in injuries without overvaluing them? Preseason lists, after all, should take each player's entire career under consideration, whereas postseason lists should only consider the newly completed year.
So who are the Big 12's top 15 players entering the 2014 season? As always, putting this list into order and cutting certain guys off the list was brutal, but here's how the conference's best talent shakes out.
Disagree? Send me your thoughts and arguments for injustice on Twitter and I may tackle them in a Mailbag later on.



1. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor: Petty is the Big 12's only real Heisman candidate to begin the season, and for good reason. The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year will be a second-year starter at QB and likely first-round pick next year after throwing 32 touchdown passes and running for 14 more while tossing just three interceptions in 2013.
2. Tyler Lockett, WR/KR, Kansas State: He's the Big 12's most dangerous player with the ball in his hands and makes his quarterback, Jake Waters, look very good very often. Lockett led the Big 12 in receiving yards per game in 2013, and averaged better than 140 yards a game in the final four games of the season, catching seven scores over that span. He's also the league's best kick returner. Bill Snyder is currently searching for ways to clone more Lockett boys.
3. Ryan Mueller, DE, Kansas State: Mueller slowed a bit down in the season's final month, but won the Big 12's Defensive Lineman of the Year trophy after making 18.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 2013. K-State's defense has been gutted, but Mueller provides a cornerstone along the defensive line. Is there a reason why nobody's called him "The Guerilla Ginger" yet? I'm hereby constructing that bandwagon. Hop on, everybody.
4. Antwan Goodley, WR, Baylor: "Receiver trapped in a running back's body" is an apt description of the 5-10, 225-pound Goodley, the Big 12's leading returning receiver who led the league with 13 touchdown grabs last season. I talked with at least three Big 12 defensive coordinators who were flabbergasted at his progression from 2012, when he had just 17 catches for 171 yards and was an afterthought in Baylor's offense to quickly becoming one of its most valuable assets.
5. Eric Striker, LB, Oklahoma: Striker is a pest for offensive lines, who better figure out where he is on every snap next season, lest they face the same fate as AJ McCarron in the Sugar Bowl. Three of his 6.5 sacks last season came against the Crimson Tide, but Striker managed at least one tackle for loss in six consecutive Big 12 games as a sophomore in 2013. He's also campaigning for captain status on the Big 12 All-Name Team.

6. Cedric Reed, DE, Texas: Reed's exploits are well known in Big 12 circles, but he wowed Charlie Strong and his staff this spring. That could point to a breakout season on a national level for Reed, who was overshadowed last season by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Jeffcoat. His 2013 season might have been the quietest 16.5 tackle-for-loss, 10-sack season ever.

7. Charles Tapper, DE, Oklahoma: Eight of Tapper's nine tackles for loss last season came in Big 12 play. Not many guys earn All-Big 12 first-team designation as a first-year starter along the line of scrimmage. Tapper did. Striker's a great name for a linebacker, but Tapper should just be glad he's not an MMA fighter. That'd be the worst name-occupation combo since Kansas quarterback Kale Pick.
8. Malcom Brown, DT, Texas: With Calvin Barnett gone, Brown gets my vote as the Big 12's best hole-plugging pocket collapser. Brown earned quality reps as a freshman in 2012 and could blossom into a bona fide star this season alongside Reed on the Big 12's best defensive line.
9. B.J. Finney, OL, Kansas State: It's a tight race, but for now, Finney gets my vote as the Big 12's best offensive lineman. The fourth-year starter has been a huge part of K-State's strength in the running game over the past few years. He's also--and stop me if you've heard this in the Little Apple before--a former walk-on. Bill Snyder, you fabulous gray wizard.
10. Ben Heeney, LB, Kansas: Some guys seem like their magnetized to ball carriers, and nobody in the Big 12 personifies that more than Heeney. He's made 199 tackles over the past two seasons, and picked off three passes with 11.5 tackles for loss last season, despite missing two games with injury. No matter what happens this year, nobody's coming close to topping Heeney's beard game. You could misplace a small child in that thing.
11. Le'Raven Clark, OL, Texas Tech: The former freshman All-American was immune to the sophomore slump and turned in a solid 2013 for one of the Big 12's best passing offenses. Kliff Kingsbury has plenty to be concerned about with his second team in Lubbock, but left tackle is nowhere to be found on that list, thanks to Clark.
12. Johnathan Gray, RB, Texas: Gray's been sidelined all offseason after tearing his Achilles tendon against WVU, but he sounds like he may be ready to return to the field early in the 2014 season. Malcolm Brown is a stud, too, but Gray is Texas' most balanced back and conjures up images of Ricky Williams. He was on pace to be the Longhorns' first back over 1,000 yards since Jamaal Charles before the injury. He averaged almost five yards a carry for an offense that struggled to pass the ball for much of the season.
13. Devonte Fields, DE, TCU: I went back and forth about whether or not Fields should be included here after a disastrous 2013 season railroaded by suspension and injury. Fields has had his share of off-field issues, but you can't deny talent, and reviews from TCU's staff have been nothing but glowing this offseason. Fields has a lot to prove despite winning the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year trophy back in 2012, and doing so probably means ignoring every 2015 mock draft with his name in the first round. There are plenty.

14. Spencer Drango, OL, Baylor: Drango's absence after a back injury was part of why Baylor's offense slowed late in 2013. He's a huge talent at left tackle who was overshadowed a bit last season by NFL-bound Cyril Richardson. I wouldn't be shocked to see him garner some Outland Trophy buzz this season. He must break you.
15. Sam Carter, S, TCU: The Frogs' secondary lost first-round pick Jason Verrett and safety Elisha Olabode, but Carter's the Big 12's best returning safety and one of the league's hardest hitters. The 6-1, 215-pounder has prototypical size for his position and picked off five passes last season, returning one for a touchdown. He also made 7.5 tackles for loss and had four sacks.

 

[GoSooners]

The Big 12 athletic directors think the 10 team round robin format will be an advantage for the Big 12 going into the playoffs. I'm just not seeing it. History has proven otherwise. In 2011 OSU was unbeaten and ranked second before losing in Ames. Then the next game they beat OU by 34. But they were still narrowly edged out by Alabama despite beating Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas and Texas Tech on the road.. In 2012 KSU was unbeaten before going into it's fifth conference road game in late November but lost to Baylor, which reeled off 13 wins in a row after that before losing at OSU. All doomed by one loss. I still think the only way a Big 12 team makes it is they either go undefeated or 2 of the Big 5 conferences has winners with 2 losses. Which doesn't happen very often.






Big 12 believes playoff will be favorable

May, 30, 2014 May 30
11:02
AM ET

By Jake Trotter | ESPN.com

IRVING, Texas -- The last time the Big 12 appeared in a national championship game, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was in the locker room and Garrett Gilbert was on the field. And before that January night in 2010 was over, Nick Saban was hoisting the first of his three Alabama BCS trophies.

But as college football transitions into the playoff era, the Big 12 discussed a return to the postseason limelight at its annual spring meetings, buoyed by a wave of momentum from the most recent bowl season, an aggressive nonconference scheduling strategy and the only round-robin format among the Power Five conferences.

[+] Enlarge Bo Rader/MCT/ZUMA Press/Icon SMIK-State AD John Currie is among many in the Big 12 who believe a full round-robin schedule will help the conference in the new playoff format.


“I think we’re positioned extraordinarily well,” Kansas State athletic director John Currie said. “The full round-robin competition leaves no question about strength of schedule. ... When [the playoff committee is] comparing one of the schools in our league and our schedule versus a school from one of the other conferences, there’s not going to be anybody we didn’t play. Everyone will have played K-State. Everyone will have played Oklahoma. Everyone will have played Texas. There won’t be anyone in our league that didn’t play Alabama or didn’t play USC or didn’t play Clemson, like will be the case in the other leagues.

“I think that will be an extraordinary strength.”

It remains to be seen just how the committee will pool teams together for the four-team playoff this season.

But while the other Power Five leagues spent their spring meetings discussing the merits of scheduling FCS opponents while also instituting nonconference scheduling requirements, the Big 12 was touting its scheduling, in and out of conference.

“We really believe the way teams will be evaluated for participation in the playoff will include the strength-of-schedule component,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said. “Certain people may define that differently. But everything we’ve heard. ... those that schedule competitively, that’ll position us the right way.”

On top of the nine-game conference schedule -- the ACC, Big Ten and SEC will play just eight conference games this season -- the Big 12 has teams playing several marquee nonconference opponents in 2014.

Oklahoma State opens with defending national champion Florida State. The same day, West Virginia will meet Saban’s Crimson Tide. Texas will face UCLA in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 13. Kansas State will take on reigning SEC champ Auburn on Sept. 18. Oklahoma-Tennessee, Iowa State-Iowa, Texas Tech-Arkansas, TCU-Minnesota and Kansas-Duke are also all on the slate in 2014.

“We’re going to play all comers,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said.

That includes the conference schedule, too.

While Baylor will have to travel to both Oklahoma and Texas this season, Alabama will avoid Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina on its schedule this fall. USC doesn’t have to play Oregon during the regular season. Wisconsin’s path to a Big Ten championship game doesn’t include Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State or Penn State.

“When I was in the Pac-12, there were times you’d look up and go, ‘Geez, I’m glad don’t have Team X on my schedule this year,' " said first-year Texas athletic director Steve Patterson, who was at Arizona State last year.

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema made waves earlier this week when he suggested the SEC would get a minimum of two teams in the playoff every year.

Bowlsby fired back at that assertion.

“I think it will probably come as a surprise to the selection committee that [the SEC] will automatically have two teams in,” he said. “You look at any other of the high-visibility conferences, the selection committee will have to look very carefully at who they played. Whether it’s eight or nine games, they may not have played three teams who were in the upper half of the [opposite] division. So one 7-1 record doesn’t look the same as another 7-1 record.

“ There aren't any weeks off. We think our path to the playoff is a really good path to the playoff.
” -- Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby​

“The selection committee will be more than sophisticated to look at who they play and how they did against the people they actually played.”

The round-robin format previously had doomed the Big 12 from getting a team in the BCS National Championship Game.

In 2011, Oklahoma State was unbeaten and ranked second in the BCS standings before losing on the road in double overtime at Iowa State in its fifth conference road game. Even though the Cowboys had already defeated Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri and Texas Tech on the road -- and would hammer then-No. 14 Oklahoma by 34 points after losing to the Cyclones -- they were narrowly edged out by Alabama for the national title game spot.

In 2012, Kansas State was also undefeated going into its fifth conference road game in late November, but lost at Baylor, which would go on to reel off 13 wins in a row before falling at Oklahoma State in 2013.

Conversely, five of the six teams that have played for the past three national titles got late-season reprieves in the forms of Georgia Southern ('11 Alabama), Western Kentucky ('11 LSU), Western Carolina ('12 Alabama), Idaho ('13 Florida State) and Florida Atlantic ('13 Auburn).

“They seem to need a break to rest and relax,” Patterson said.

Currie added the contrast would work in the Big 12’s favor in the playoff format.

“The playoff is [going to be] particularly advantageous to the Big 12,” he said. “Losing your fourth or fifth road game in the conference late in November versus winning your fourth nonconference game against a far lower-tiered opponent, as has been the practice in some leagues -- how do those things balance out? Which is a truer test of your program?

“We’ve had three years in a row where a Big 12 team was undefeated going into the last couple weeks of the season and lost on the road in either their fourth or fifth road game of the year. Those are all teams that would have been deserving of being in that mix. To me, this is a great opportunity for the Big 12 to be better represented in that top four, and have a much stronger chance of being in that group because of the qualitative factors of assessing scheduled stacked up against each other.”

It’s been a while since the Big 12 was a postseason factor. In 2008, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech were all ranked in the top five in late November, with the Sooners emerging to advance to the national championship game. The Longhorns played for the title the following year.

With its scheduling format, Big 12 leaders believe they’ll soon be playing for the championship again.

“There aren’t any weeks off,” Bowlsby said of his league. “We think our path to the playoff is a really good path to the playoff.”

 

[GoSooners]

Okie State freshman RB Devon Thomas is in big trouble. Arrested on complaint of armed robbery and intent to kill. But the good news is he should be the best player on the prison team. Can he still redshirt in 5-10 years?

Devon Thomas arrested for armed robbery
	Posted: Today 6:27 AM Devon Thomas arrested for armed robbery Looking for some more details, just saw this on Twitter.

 

[GoSooners]

Here's a pretty cool photo of Bill Snyder's KSU coaching staff back in the 80's. Talk about a coach who has produced a few millionaires from his coaching family tree. You see Bob Stoops and Mike Stoops. Jim Leavitt is also in this picture. And who is that relatively svelte coach on the very left back row? Why that's none other than Mark Mangino. Back in the days when he could still fit through a turnpike toll booth...

 

[groundhog11]

whats everyones prediction on the order of finish in conference?

 

[groundhog11]

trickett was hitting golf balls over the weekend, so it looks like his shoulder is ready to go.

 

[GoSooners]

whats everyones prediction on the order of finish in conference?

I'm still getting info together on the conference. Probably in the next month or so I'll have the conference preview together on my website...

 

[GoSooners]

trickett was hitting golf balls over the weekend, so it looks like his shoulder is ready to go.

I've been kind of surprised to see so many WV fans that are down on Trickett. I guess when a team doesn't meet expectations the QB is the first to blame. But their problems go beyond Trickett.

 

[GoSooners]

Mike Mitchell transfers to Texas Tech. Big surprise to me. Texas A&M was in the running from the very beginning for this kid, but he chose Ohio State instead. Now he transfers to be closer to his sick dad. But instead of Texas A&M or Baylor, who was also in the running, he chooses TT, which is farther away from home than either of those two schools. Plus TT isn't exactly known for defense, and have had very few defensive players drafted by the NFL over the years. Strange selection. Plus I thought the NCAA required it be within 100 miles in order to approve the immediate play transfer when the NCAA waiver is sought on these kinds of grounds for his transfer. Anyway, whatever Kliff Kingsbury is doing to get these kids, he's doing it well. He must be serving these kids the same kind of kool-aid as that Freeze guy at Ole Miss, because Five star recruits don't come around everyday. Especially to a school that is a couple hundred miles from nowhere...




[h=1]Ex-Ohio State LB Mike Mitchell's Transfer to Texas Tech Huge for Kliff Kingsbury[/h][h=4] By Tyler Donohue , Featured Columnist May 30, 2014[/h]

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Less than a year after arriving at Ohio State as a heralded freshman, Mike Mitchell is heading home. According to 247Sports.com reporter Taylor Hamm, the Plano, Texas, product has decided to transfer to Texas Tech:
The 6'3", 222-pound linebacker left the Buckeyes' football program in February to seek opportunities elsewhere after the spring semester.
At the time, Eleven Warriors writer Kyle Rowland reported that his father's health played a factor in the decision.
After weighing multiple options in the Lone Star State, Mitchell is the newest Red Raider.
His choice caps off a stunning turn of events for a recruit whom many expected to make an immediate impact in Columbus. Rated No. 5 nationally among outside linebackers and No. 58 overall as a prospect at Prestonwood Christian Academy, Mitchell was a marquee member of Urban Meyer's 2013 class.
He registered 337 total tackles and 22 sacks during his junior and senior high school seasons, securing scholarship offers from more than 20 teams.
Mitchell committed to Ohio State over Oregon and Texas A&M in front of a national television audience at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
On Friday, with far less fanfare, he officially moved on from the Buckeyes following a redshirt season.

Credit: 247Sports
Mitchell pledged to the Buckeyes on national TV in January 2013.

Texas Tech offers Mitchell an opportunity to push the reboot button on his collegiate career, just a few hours away from his hometown. Luke Zimmerman of Land-Grant Holy Land suggests that he also considered Baylor and Texas A&M (again).
Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury adds to a growing collection of impressive incoming defenders.
It remains to be seen whether Mitchell will be receive a waiver and be ruled eligible for the 2014 season, but standard transfer rules require players to sit for a full season before returning to game action.
[h=4]What are your expectations for LB Mike Mitchell at Texas Tech?[/h] He will start immediately when eligible and live up to past recruiting hype. He will emerge as a starter after spending some time on the sideline. He will serve as a quality reserve on the depth chart. Submit Vote vote to see results

• [h=4]What are your expectations for LB Mike Mitchell at Texas Tech?[/h]
• [h=4]He will start immediately when eligible and live up to past recruiting hype.[/h]69.9%
  
  
  
• [h=4]He will emerge as a starter after spending some time on the sideline.[/h]23.0%
  
  
  
• [h=4]He will serve as a quality reserve on the depth chart.[/h]7.1%
  
  
  Total votes: 2,274

Texas Tech has already assembled a solid 2015 recruiting class, which is currently rated 26th nationally in 247Sports' composite team rankings. Much-needed defensive help anchors the group.
The class includes 4-star Hawaii defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko and highly productive in-state linebacker D'Vonta Hinton, who tallied 329 tackles during the past two seasons.
With Mitchell's commitment and a few key pledges between now and national signing day, there's serious potential for a major influx of defensive talent in Lubbock.
Texas Tech surrendered 30 points per game in 2013, ranking 88th nationally in that category.

 

[GoSooners]

Big 12 Returning Starters Good interesting article on the number of starters coming back in the Big 12. Of course you can't take everything literally here since a good backup is better than a bad starter. But experience does count for something. It does change my outlook a little about Texas and TCU. I think both could and probably will be better than advertised in 2014. I didn't realize Texas was bringing back that much experience. Of course that can be taken as a negative considering their history from last year. But that was under Mack Brown. Baylor and OSU could potentially take the biggest falls. Because of their talent they will both be dangerous, but they could fall short in a few games because of lack of experience and depth. OU is still a fairly young team. But the one thing going for them is they also have some good experience mixed in at most of the levels. Which is usually a good mix when it comes to college football, and your not making any drastic changes to the team.




Stat crunch: Big 12 returning experience

May, 22, 2014 May 22
1:30
PM ET

By Max Olson | ESPN.com

We’ve broken down the Big 12’s returning talent in a variety of ways this spring, but here’s one more factor worth considering: experience.

There’s no perfect way to capture how experienced a team is or estimate how that will affect its fortunes in 2014. But a deep dive into the raw data revealed some intriguing takeaways about which Big 12 squads might be loaded and which ones are reloading.

We’ve scanned the post-spring rosters for every Big 12 team and added up the total number of career starts for each and every returning player.

The unvarnished answer: Texas leads the Big 12 in returning starts, not only as a team, but also in career starts on offense and on defense.

Here are the results, sorted by offense, defense and the combined total along with how each unit ranks in the Big 12:

STARTING LINEUP

A closer look at how many career starts each Big 12 team has among the returning players on its respective rosters.

Team	Offense (Rank)	Defense (Rank)	Total Starts
Texas	172 (1st)	184 (1st)	356
TCU	110 (9)	170 (2)	280
Oklahoma	147 (3)	131 (3)	278
West Virginia	123 (6)	130 (4)	253
Kansas	115 (8)	126 (5)	241
Texas Tech	140 (4)	85 (6)	225
Kansas State	138 (5)	75 (7)	213
Iowa State	151 (2)	60 (10)	211
Baylor	117 (7)	64 (8)	181
Oklahoma State	80 (10)	63 (9)	143

Here’s the caveat: Texas was No. 1 in the Big 12 in career starts last year, too.

The Longhorns had a combined 627 career starts on their roster by the end of 2013 and still went 8-5. The jury is still out on whether that team overachieved or underachieved, but having more experience than everyone else didn’t save Mack Brown’s job.

That Texas is tops in these categories shouldn’t be much of a surprise. From 2010-12, Brown put 46 true freshmen on the field. Many of them became starters early on, and UT brings back 31 players with starting experience this fall.

Surprised to see Oklahoma State at the bottom of the charts? Don’t be. Though OSU is making a lot of folks’ preseason top-25 lists, the Cowboys are very young.

This was the second-most-experienced team in the league last season with 592 career starts by the end of 2013. Between graduating seniors and some spring departures, OSU lost a total of 449 career starts this offseason.

THE BIG 12'S STARTING LINE

The active leaders in career starts among Big 12 players:

Name	School	Starts
C BJ Finney	KSU	39
C Dominic Espinosa	Texas	39
CB Quandre Diggs	Texas	36
C Tom Farniok	ISU	35
OG Tyler Evans	OU	29
WR Tyler Lockett	KSU	29
OG Adam Shead	OU	28
CB Kevin White	TCU	27

Only five Oklahoma State defenders with starting experience return. Lineman Daniel Koenig is the only offensive player with double-digit career starts. Keep that in mind if this ends up being a rebuilding year for the Cowboys.

You’ll notice Baylor is also near the bottom of the Big 12 in terms of returning starting experience. Not a big shock there, since last year’s conference champs have to replace more than a dozen starters.

Baylor’s coaches would argue those numbers are misleading, though, and they might be right. For Bryce Petty, being a fifth-year player is probably more valuable than having 13 career starts. And some of its better defenders -- Shawn Oakman, Andrew Billings, Orion Stewart -- played major minutes in 2013 but weren’t credited with starts.

TCU’s defense ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 in returning starts with 170. Its offense lost only 85 total starts this offseason, second-fewest in the league behind Texas Tech (82). Might that be a recipe for a comeback season?

Oklahoma, the consensus league favorite for 2014, ranks third in the Big 12 in all three total start categories. The Sooners bring back 29 players with starting experience.

One more observation: For the teams at the bottom of last year’s Big 12 standings, these experience numbers provide some encouragement.

Iowa State’s offense ranks No. 2 in the conference in total career starts. Kansas has 18 players on offense with starting experience. West Virginia has 31 players who’ve started games.

Again, how much these numbers play a factor this fall is impossible to say. But they do at least give us a baseline measurement of how experience each Big 12 roster possesses, and an indication of which ones might need big production from young players to fight for the title belt.

 

[GoSooners]

Phil Steele's projected All Big 12 teams...Not much argument here, although I would move a couple OU players down and a couple more up. 3rd team OU WR Sterling Shepherd will probably be one or two by the end of the season, as long as Knight stays healthy.





Phil Steele's 2014 Preseason All-Big 12 Team

OFFENSE
	1st TEAM	2nd TEAM	3rd TEAM	4th TEAM
QB	Bryce Petty, Baylor	Jake Waters, Kansas St	Trevor Knight, Oklahoma	Davis Webb, Texas Tech
RB	Malcolm Brown, Texas	Johnathan Gray, Texas	Keith Ford, Oklahoma	Aaron Green, TCU
RB	Shock Linwood, Baylor	Desmond Roland, Oklahoma St	Rushel Shell, West Virginia	Aaron Wimberly, Iowa St
WR	Antwan Goodley, Baylor	Nick Harwell, Kansas	Bradley Marquez, Texas Tech	(AP) Trevone Boykin, TCU
WR	Tyler Lockett, Kansas St	Jaxon Shipley, Texas	Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma	Jhajuan Seales, Oklahoma St
WR	Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech	Levi Norwood, Baylor	Quenton Bundrage, Iowa St	Mario Alford, West Virginia
TE	EJ Bibbs, Iowa St	Jimmay Mundine, Kansas	Taylor McNamara, Oklahoma	Blake Bell, Oklahoma
C	BJ Finney, Kansas St	Dominic Espinosa, Texas	Tom Farniok, Iowa St	Joey Hunt, TCU
OG	Cody Whitehair, Kansas St	Adam Shead, Oklahoma	Mark Glowinski, West Virginia	Chris Grisbhy, Oklahoma St
OG	Quinton Spain, West Virginia	Ngalu Fusimalohi, Kansas	Desmine Hilliard, Baylor	Alfredo Morales, Texas Tech
OT	Le’Raven Clark, Texas Tech	Daryl Williams, Oklahoma	Rashad Fortenberry, Texas Tech	(OG) Kent Perkins, Texas
OT	Spencer Drango, Baylor	Daniel Koenig, Oklahoma St	Tyrus Thompson, Oklahoma	Troy Baker, Baylor
DEFENSE
	1st TEAM	2nd TEAM	3rd TEAM	4th TEAM
DL	Cedric Reed, Texas	Charles Tapper, Oklahoma	Andrew Billings, Baylor	Chuka Ndulue, Oklahoma
DL	Chucky Hunter, TCU	Malcom Brown, Texas	Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma	Terrell Clinkscales, Kansas St
DL	Devonte Fields, TCU	James Castleman, Oklahoma St	Desmond Jackson, Texas	Travis Britz, Kansas St
DL	Ryan Mueller, Kansas St	Shawn Oakman, Baylor	Jamal Palmer, Baylor	Cory Morrissey, Iowa St
LB	Bryce Hager, Baylor	Paul Dawson, TCU	Michael Reynolds, Kansas	Pete Robertson, Texas Tech
LB	Frank Shannon, Oklahoma	Nick Kwiatkoski, West Virginia	Jonathan Truman, Kansas St	Sam Eguavoen, Texas Tech
LB	Ben Heeney, Kansas	Steve Edmond, Texas	Dominique Alexander, Oklahoma	Ryan Simmons, Oklahoma St
LB	Eric Striker, Oklahoma	Jordan Hicks, Texas	Geneo Grissom, Oklahoma	Brandon Golson, West Virginia
CB	Quandre Diggs, Texas	Dexter McDonald, Kansas	Randall Evans, Kansas St	Daryl Worley, West Virginia
CB	Zack Sanchez, Oklahoma	Kevin White, TCU	Duke Thomas, Texas	Kevin Peterson, Oklahoma St
S	Sam Carter, TCU	Karl Joseph, West Virginia	Dante Barnett, Kansas St	Quentin Hayes, Oklahoma
S	Chris Hackett, TCU	Isaiah Johnson, Kansas	Mykkele Thompson, Texas	Julian Wilson, Oklahoma
SPECIAL TEAMS
	1st TEAM	2nd TEAM	3rd TEAM	4th TEAM
K	Michael Hunnicutt, Oklahoma	Jaden Oberkrom, TCU	Josh Lambert, West Virginia	Jack Cantele, Kansas St
P	Nick O’Toole, West Virginia	Spencer Roth, Baylor	Trevor Pardula, Kansas	Ethan Perry, TCU
KR	BJ Catalon, TCU	Corey Coleman, Baylor	Tyler Lockett, Kansas St	Reginald Davis, Texas Tech
PR	Levi Norwood, Baylor	Daje Johnson, Texas	Cameron Echols-Luper, TCU	Jarvis West, Iowa St

 

[rolltide]

dang, 6 TCU defenders and both specialists make his 2-deep? guessing they'll be a top 3 team on his turnaround team list although ZERO offensive players making the conference 3-deep doesn't bode well

 

[GoSooners]

dang, 6 TCU defenders and both specialists make his 2-deep? guessing they'll be a top 3 team on his turnaround team list although ZERO offensive players making the conference 3-deep doesn't bode well

Because of their new HUNH offensive scheme, I have a feeling we'll see one or two TCU offensive players emerge this season. Most likely at the RB position since they are very deep there. Still, the scary part about this team is last year they were pretty thin on defense and had some holes to fill, yet they still lost 4 games by just 3 points or less. They'll be stronger on defense this year. And they bring in two proven offensive coordinators for the first time. If they improve at all on offense they'll be a very dangerous team. Along with Texas, the Frogs are a real wildcard in the conference this season. If they had any kind of proven QB I would rate them much higher. But I still think they have the potential of ruining somebody's season. Hopefully it won't be my Sooners. I'll be sweating that game since it will be played in Fort Worth. And it's the second of back to back road games for the Sooners. Here is a breakdown of total players from each team that made the list.



19 OU
14 BU
14 UT
13 TCU
12 KSU
10 WVU
9 TTU
8 Kansas
7 OSU
6 ISU

 

[cloverleaf]

Oklahoma seems to be the hot pick right now for working over Bama in the Sugar Bowl. I think the Sooners have a chance to be good, but I also believe to much emphasis has been placed on just one game.

I like Baylor to win the Big 12. The reverse is true regarding their bowl loss to Central Florida. I realize the Bears need to stop some people to win the conference but that offense is going to put up some big numbers.

I have Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas the top three teams. We all know what that's all worth right now.

 

[GoSooners]

Oklahoma seems to be the hot pick right now for working over Bama in the Sugar Bowl. I think the Sooners have a chance to be good, but I also believe to much emphasis has been placed on just one game.

I like Baylor to win the Big 12. The reverse is true regarding their bowl loss to Central Florida. I realize the Bears need to stop some people to win the conference but that offense is going to put up some big numbers.

I have Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas the top three teams. We all know what that's all worth right now.

Clover, I'm fairly confident that either OU or Baylor will win the Big 12. OU is pretty stout this year with a nasty defense. But if Knight gets hurt all bets are off. I also don't like it when OU is hyped by the media. They are almost always good for one stupid loss when that happens. And with the way the Big 12 is now with just 10 teams, I'm not sure OU can afford a loss. And I KNOW Baylor can't. But the Sooners defnitely have a different feel to them this season compared to the past 5 years or so. For longshot purposes, the only team that offers any value at winning the Big 12 is Texas. But I have a feeling that in order for it to happen, Strong will have to take a chance and start his young QB Swoopes, and hope there is something halfway special there. Fact is, it's been quite a few years since a team has won the conference without a talented QB. Right now it looks like OU and Baylor are the only ones who have that position covered.

 

[taylor13]

Thanks for keeping us informed on the big 12 with this thread GS. It's been a good, informative read for me during offseason with some info I would not find anywhere else

 

[GoSooners]

Thanks for keeping us informed on the big 12 with this thread GS. It's been a good, informative read for me during offseason with some info I would not find anywhere else

Thanks for the kind words my friend. And good luck to your Frogs in the College World Series. Damn, 3 Big 12 teams going to Omaha! Who says this conference is dead...

 

[GoSooners]

Something tells me there's a little more to this story than a simple text message. Nevertheless a good story and a shot in the arm for HC Rhodes getting Jensen back on the team. He could very well be the difference between ISU making the cut line for a bowl or another losing season...



Football: The text message that brought Jensen back to ISU

It took a text message from Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads for defensive tackle Brandon Jensen to return to the team in April. He left the team in December. File Photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune
Buy Photo

Iowa State defensive lineman Brandon Jensen rejoined the Cyclones in April after leaving the team in December. File Photo By Eli Hamann/Ames Tribune



12

By Bobby La Gesse
Sports Editor
rlagesse@amestrib.com


As Brandon Jensen was walking away from football, a text message pulled him back in.
You thinking about football? You thinking about coming back?
Jensen stared at the message on his one, from Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads, not yet realizing it was the catalyst for his return to the program in late April.
“He threw that idea out there, and I was enticed by it,” Jensen said.
Jensen was stunned to receive the text message. He hadn’t talked to Rhoads since December, when he left the team. He liked his life as a student. He thought he had moved past his defensive tackle days.
“Up to then, I didn’t really think about it until he reached out,” Jensen said.
He was done with football, plain and simple.
He left, in part, because he wanted to experience something else. He would graduate in December and wanted to enter the work force.
He left in part, because he was worn out. The 24-7, 365-day non-stop grind of college football was taking its toll.
“I played hard for four years and had a good time and I felt like I was ready to move on with my life,” Jensen said.
It wasn’t easy to inform his teammates. He could barely tell his position coach, Shane Burnham, who he was extremely close with.
“That was the hardest part,” Jensen said.
It took time for Jensen to adjust to life without football. He was hard-wired to get up first thing in the morning and head to a workout or meeting. Having a few minutes before getting out the door was strange.
“I would wake up in a panic wondering what I was missing,” Jensen said.
At first, it was nothing. He would go to class and then work for Tyler Homes. Jensen is passionate about construction. He worked for the Altoona-based company last summer and picked up where he left off.
The job helped fill the void football left behind.
“Construction works for me and I enjoy it,” Jensen said. “It’s always something new. It’s a lifestyle I like.”
Yet, football was a habit that proved hard to kick. Jensen would meet weekly with Burnham. The move surprised Burnham. Upon leaving, most of his players take a few months to themselves before contacting the program again.
Jensen barley took a day. It’s why he thought the 6-foot-5, 301-pound fifth-year senior would come back.
But Jensen wasn’t considering returning until he read Rhoads’ text in April.
“I was fine with things,” Jensen said. “I didn’t want to come back.”
The message planted the idea in his head. Jensen couldn’t shake it. He turned to strength coach Yancy McKnight and Burnham for advice.
“You’ll never regret coming back for a fifth-year because you won’t get that chance again,” McKnight told Jensen.
But would his teammates take him back? Would the coaches accept him? Did the team move on without him?
He asked Rhoads to look into it. The Cyclones were prepared to welcome him with open arms.
“I really appreciate that because the team is a family,” Jensen said. “So when a family member comes back you aren’t going to shut the door on them.”
Rhoads and Jensen met soon after and Jensen was officially a member of the team on April 24, days after Rhoads brought up the subject.
“He is just excited about being a part of the team again,” said Rhoads in late May. “We are certainly thrilled to have him back and he is ready to work and not only be a contributor, but be a leader.”
Jensen’s return is also an injection of experience to a young, inexperienced position. He started 12 games last year and is the only returning upperclassmen at defensive tackle.
“It’s a very late Christmas gift to me,” said Burnham in April.
He rejoined the team for workouts before the end of the spring semester. He was nervous at first, but quickly fell back into his old routine. He was surprised how quickly his strength returned. His squat and deadlift numbers are “getting close” to what he threw around last year. By the end of the summer, Jensen expects to be back to his 2013 form.
Come August 30th he’ll face North Dakota State in the season opener.
And it’s all because of a text message.
“I feel like I’ve never left,” Jensen said “I just keep moving forward.”

 

[GoSooners]

Pretty enjoyable read from the Powercats staff of what KSU consideres the 4 best coaching staffs that the Wildcats will face this season. They used to do more of these types of articles during the summer. The only thing I would disagree with is I would probably put Mike Gundy over Charlie Strong, just based on what they've accomplished to this point. Not to say Strong doesn't have the potential and more.




June 20, 2014
GoPowercat's Big 12 Countdown: Coaching Staffs
GoPowercat.com Staff

Talk about it in Wabash Station


The Kansas State Wildcats enter the 2014 season amidst the usual mix of expectations. From a regional standpoint, those closest to home hold heavy expectations on Bill Snyder's sixth season back on the sidelines in Manhattan, his 23rd overall at Kansas State. For one, there are plenty of returning playmakers on offense and defense, but let us not forget the special group of men leading the charge within the many offices of the Vanier Complex. Each Saturday, whether they stand on the sidelines or take their seat high in the West Stadium Center's press box, a veteran collection of football minds prepare the Wildcats for the week's battle.
In our first of a compelling and factual five-part summer series, the GoPowercat staff breaks down the opposing coaching staffs that offer the biggest challenges for Snyder and company, finishing with No.'s 4-1.


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UT Photo

4) TEXAS - Charlie Strong: 5th year (37-16 overall, 0-0 at Texas)-- High profile, recognizable names: check.
National recruiting prowess: check.
History of success: check.
Folks, if you haven't taken a glimpse at the coaching staff new Texas head coach Charlie Strong compiled to enter his first season in the Big 12, it's definitely worth a little extra homework because it's a coaching group that, at least on paper, stacks up with the best in the country. In fact, the only reason we chose not to rank the Longhorns higher on this list is because, well, we have no proof they can work together as one team... which is strangely coincidental to the underachieving four and five star rated players they plan on guiding this fall. Still, there's an awful lot to respect about this fresh-faced Texas staff.
For as much flash as you'll find in their names alone, there's a strong history of success driven by hard work and a distinct edge when it comes to assistants such as offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, defensive coordinator Vance Bedford, and receivers coach Les Koenning, each of whom has worked their way up the college ranks to the positions they hold today.
Sprinkle in the pedigree of the aforementioned Joe Wickline, formerly of Oklahoma State, the youthful yet experienced salesmanship of Rumph (below) and Chris Vaughn, and the in-state expertise of holdover Bruce Chambers, and you have nearly every box checked when it comes to coaching needs.
But when the eyes of Texas are upon you, a pricey staff like this one better produce. With so many men used to winning and winning often, if the Horns show signs of crumbling, watch out because it will be up to Strong to hold his hand-picked pieces together.
Steady Star: Chris Rumph - Asst. Head Coach for Defense/Defensive Line Coach
Weak Link: Brian Jean-Mary - Linebackers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator


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3) BAYLOR - Art Briles: 12th year (78-60 overall, 44-32 at BU)-- There's something wildly and positively contagious about Art Briles. From the deep Texas drawl, to the passionate sideline demeanor, Briles unique style in all phases of the game has made the Baylor Bears an absolute force in the Big 12.
Maybe we should repeat that for added emphasis: Baylor, yes Baylor, has become a force in the Big 12 and it's all due to the 59 year-old Briles.
A mastermind of scheming defenses to death with vertical assaults, never forgetting a smash mouth ground game in the process, the Rule, Tex. native, along with son Kendal Briles and rising coordinator Philip Montgomery (below), have achieved a scoring balance only Oregon has been able to replicate consistently.
Unlike the rival staff above, there's little pizazz on Waco's sidelines in terms of national or even regional recognition. While most of the Big 12 struggles to list an assistant not named Phil Bennett, this group of mentally strong, blue collar coaches continues to teach their physical brand of football with the sensational energy.
Another hidden secret to Briles blitzkrieg of success can be found in an area not often considered to be part of a "coaching staff"- the weight room. K-State fans understand the importance of Chris Dawson, but the Bears may have a performance coach on equal footing themselves in Kaz Kazadi.
A favorite of Robert Griffin III throughout and now after his career in green and gold, the Kazadi is a master manipulator, befriending his students with the same passion that ultimately manifests itself into a salty, cocky attitude that's rarely broken.
As much as experts like to point to Briles ability to recruit a higher caliber athlete to central Texas as being the biggest reason Baylor's reached new heights, coaches understand the confidence is driven home by something much different: belief. It starts each offseason in the weight room with Kazadi, before being polished off by Briles.
Steady Star: Phillip Montgomery - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Weak Link: Chris Achuff - Defensive Line Coach


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Todd Van Emst

2) AUBURN - Gus Malzahn: 3rd year (21-5 overall, 12-1 at Auburn)-- All it took was one year before Auburn's athletic department decided their football team needed a bonus, dishing out added dollars and incentives to Gus Malzahn and his entire staff to kick off the 2014 offseason in style. Can you blame them?
While many in Tiger country expected improvements (which wasn't saying much for a 2012 team that went winless in the SEC for the first time in school history), hardly anyone saw Malzahn, with only one year of FBS head coaching under his belt, guiding what was a 3-9 Auburn team all the way to the National Championship, snatching a conference title along the way.
Then again, maybe many of us were naive about the innate abilities of this veteran coaching staff, a group where each assistant came to Auburn with a prior background in the grueling SEC. Malzahn himself, despite being a newbie of sorts to the business, still only has five losses to his name and all but one, Western Kentucky, were to Top 25 teams on the road (No. 1 Florida State, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 LSU, and No. 24 Nebraska).
When it came to filling other coaching roles, the 48 year-old made some fantastic acquisitions. The brain trust of his own uniquely frenetic offense, Malzahn doesn't need much help on 'his side of the ball' outside of longtime cohort Rhett Lashlee. That said, the two surrounded themselves with a majority of coaches who needed little guidance, recruiting prospects first and learning strategy in the meantime. Understanding his short comings regarding defensive knowledge, the head coach then made sure to bring in the most experienced coaches he could on the opposite side of the line, allowing a hands off approach that gave star coordinators Ellis Johnson, Charlie Harbison, and even assistant Rodney Garner (below), the creativity and freedom to lead the defense as their own.
Balanced on all levels, the Tigers have virtually every area of the field covered by a well respected and well oiled coaching staff. As if trying to stop Malzahn's offense was challenging enough with the coaches involved, K-State will have their hands full picking apart this 4-2-5 defense as well. Did we mention this coaching staff preaches the importance of special teams too? Yes, the Thursday affair that will take place in Manhattan this September promises to be a special one, with the chess match between these two staffs as one of the most intriguing story lines in Bill Snyder's coaching history.
Steady Star: Rodney Garner - Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach
Weak Link: Scott Fountain - Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach


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1) OKLAHOMA - Bob Stoops: 16th year (160-39 overall, 160-39 at OU)-- When you best fellow Sooner legends like Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer, you have to be a legend yourself and that's exactly what Bob Stoops has become in Norman and throughout the college football world.
As if his 199 career victories weren't eye-popping enough, the former Kansas State assistant and Bill Snyder disciple added his eighth postseason win this past winter in a dominating Sugar Bowl performance over vaunted Alabama. Even more astounding- Big 12 fans would likely agree, the 2013 squad was hardly one of Stoops best... and that's scary. Scary because of the potential talent level Oklahoma could soar to in the near future, but also scary because of the coaching job this staff is capable of achieving on a yearly basis.
It seems every year, another Sooner assistant is departing Gaylord Family Stadium for a promotion or greater role elsewhere, and every year Stoops seems to locate another bright mind as a replacement without skipping a beat. Last offseason alone, the Youngstown, Ohio native had to break in three new members of his unit (Bill Bedenbaugh, Jay Boulware, and Jerry Montgomery) only a year after bringing back brother Mike Stoops and his partner in crime Tim Kish. The result of such significant changes? Double digit wins, again.
And as renowned as Stoops is these days, what impresses us most with this OU staff beyond consistency is their knack for performing best against the stiffest of competition. Fans can crack jokes about 'Big Game Bob' and some of his postseason short comings, but at the end of the day, 48 wins over Top 25 opponents since 2000 speaks for itself. Not to mention eight Big 12 titles and something no other person on our entire list can lay claim to- hoisting a BCS National Championship trophy as a head coach.
Steady Star: Jay Norvell - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Receivers Coach
Weak Link: Jerry Montgomery - Defensive Line Coach


FINAL "BIG 12" RANKINGS: COACHING STAFFS
12) Stephen F. Austin
11) UTEP
10) Kansas
9) West Virginia
8) Texas Tech
7) Iowa State
6) TCU
5) Oklahoma State
4) Texas
3) Baylor
2) Auburn
1) Oklahoma



Do you think Arkansas is kicking themselves about now for not hiring Malzahan? Their AD Jeff Long didn't want him. It's too bad, because the guy can flat out coach. He may be the best in the country at the moment. Instead, Hogs fans have to settle for Bielema, who with his style of football is going to have trouble finding much success in the SEC. If you're in the SEC West and not named Bama or LSU, then your probably going to struggle if you are a trench warfare type coach like Bielema. The SEC is all about matchups. And Bama and LSU are always going to get the best of the best when it comes to recruiting in the trenches. Your never going to beat those two teams at their own game. Plus somewhere down the line Bielema will put his foot in his mouth like he always does.

 

[CoachCB]

Not sure if I missed it....but why is Auburn listed in that poll of Big 12 schools (and SFA & UTEP)?

Yes, EVERYONE is kicking themselves for not hiring Malzahn! Imagine the schools that could have taken him. The fact is, he was a risky hire for Auburn....considering he was a part of Chizik's coaching staff (basically, firing your head coach and promoting as assistant) - even though he did leave for a year. This has back fired on a few programs (Miami firing Coker a few years after doing the same thing, for example). Clemson seems to have done well though in this regard (when they got rid of Bowden). Tennessee did well w/ it too when they fired Majors and hired Fulmer.