Sophomore Ryan Broyles looks to become the leader of the bunch this season. After showing signs of brilliance during the 2008 season, Broyles possesses that certain ability to take the ball to the house every time he touches it. Not only will he be a starting receiver in the fall, but Broyles has also earned a spot returning kickoffs and will share time returning punts more than likely.
Adron “Pooh” Tennell, so far has earned the second starting spot for the season. The big question with Tennell will be his ability to stay healthy. The last two seasons, Tennell has dealt with injuries that kept him sidelined for most of the games. Regardless of the injuries, Pooh also possess a wealth of talent that will help this years squad tremendously.
Other receivers who will be a big part of this year’s offense include junior Brandon Caleb, who looks to have a breakout year after playing extensively on special teams in 2008. Sophomore’s Jameel Owens, who played in nine games as a true freshman last season, and Dejuan Miller, who possesses a body of a tight end and the speed of a receiver, looks like an absolute freak on the field.
Miller saw action in six games last season as a true freshman. With a stacked backfield already, junior Mossis Madu will get plenty of reps as he switched to the slot position alongside Broyles. Look for another big year out of Sam Bradford and the Sooner offense.
The return of the “Big Four”:
Juniors Sam Bradford and Gerald McCoy, and seniors Jermaine Gresham and Trent Williams all chose to forgo the NFL to come back to school in pursuit of a fourth Big 12 championship in a row and eighth national championship.
After the 2008 season ended and the NFL draft projections rolled out, Sooner fans everywhere were on pins and needles awaiting the decisions of these four players. Slowly, the news crept out that all four were coming back to school. Sooner fans rejoiced. Let’s break these four down.
Sam Bradford: The 2008 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback looks to be the frontrunner again in 2009. Bradford almost single-handedly re-wrote the Sooner record books by breaking the records for passing efficiency, single-season touchdowns, yards, and completions. The list goes on and on.
With his return, the Sooners are one of the early favorites to make it back to the national title game in 2009.
Gerald McCoy: McCoy wrapped up first team All-American honors in 2008 and has been added to nearly every defensive trophy/award watch list for the 2009 season. He will be a leading contender for both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy. McCoy recorded seven sacks and even an interception last season, while plugging up the running lanes and causing havoc to the opposing teams signal callers.
Jermaine Gresham: He proved to be Sam Bradford’s favorite target in 2008, while catching a team-high 14 touchdowns. The 6’6", 260-pound freak of an athlete possesses the soft hands needed to catch passes and the ability to put defensive ends and linebackers on their backs. Again, Gresham will help provide relief for this fairly new receiving corps by drawing double teams when running his routes.
Trent Williams: When you think of last years line, the two names that everyone thinks of first are Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson. However, nearly every week it was Williams that graded out the highest among all the lineman.
Williams who started all 14 games at right tackle, will now be protecting Bradford’s blindside on the left side. In 2008, Williams was named All-Big 12 first team by the coaches, registered 131 knockdowns, a season-high 18 knockdowns in BCS title game against Florida, and a season-high grade of 91 percent against Texas Tech.
The return of the “Big Four” automatically makes this 2009 team better. With a common goal in their return (to win a national title), their talent and dedication to this university could go a long way in bring number eight home to the Sooner State.
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