Oklahoma Football 2012: Breaking Down Spring Practice

We may still be a good six months away from the college football regular season kicking off, but spring ball is right around the corner, which, for the most part, keeps us occupied for a little while as we patiently wait out this long offseason.

Despite finishing with a 10-3 record last season and a convincing bowl victory, it wasn't the season many Sooner fans were expecting. Oklahoma began the season as BCS National Championship favorites and was expected to be in the big game, but a couple of horrible games and injuries to key players set them back on that journey.

This year, they return a total of 15 starters and once again should be considered one of the teams that have a great chance to not only win the Big 12, but reach the national championship. Once again, it won't be easy, considering they have a very difficult schedule, but this is one of the more talented teams in the country.

We are just days away from spring ball for the Sooners; here is everything you need to know as we inch closer.

Schedule

All dates and times are subject to change.

March 5 (Monday)

March 7 (Wednesday)

March 9 (Friday)

March 10 (Saturday)

March 13 (Tuesday)

March 14 (Wednesday): OU Pro Day

March 15 (Thursday)

March 16-26 (Spring Break)

March 27 (Tuesday)

March 28 (Wednesday)

March 30 (Friday)

March 31 (Saturday)

April 3 (Tuesday)

April 5 (Thursday)

April 10 (Tuesday)

April 12 (Thursday)

April 14 (Saturday): Oklahoma Red and White Spring Game

Offensive Depth Chart

Quarterback: Landry Jones, Drew Allen

Fullback: Trey Millard, Marshall Musil

Running Back: Dominique Whaley, Brennan Clay, Roy Finch

Wide Receiver: Kameel Jackson, Trey Franks, Trey Metoyer, Joe Powell

Wide Receiver: Kenny Stills

Wide Receiver: Jaz Reynolds

Tight End: Brannon Green, Taylor McNamara

Offensive Tackle: Daryl Williams
 
Offensive Guard: Adam Shead

Center: Gabe Ikard, Ben Habern

Offensive Guard: Tyler Evans

Offensive Tackle: Lane Johnson

Defensive and Special Teams Depth Chart

Defensive End: R.J. Washington, Chuka Ndulue

Defensive Tackle: Casey Walker, Stacy McGee

Defensive Tackle: Jamarkus McFarland, Marquis Anderson

Defensive End: David King, Geneo Grissom

Strong Side Linebacker: Tony Jefferson, Joseph Ibiloye

Middle Linebacker: Tom Wort, Jaydan Bird, Kellen Jones

Weakside Linebacker: Corey Nelson, Franklin Shannon

Cornerback: Gabe Lynn, Kasseim Everett

Cornerback: Demontre Hurst, Lamar Harris

Strong Safety: Aaron Colvin, Quentin Hayes

Free Safety: Javon Harris, Tony Jefferson

Kicker: Mike Hunnicut

Punter: Tress Way

Best Position Battles

Running Back

Running back Dominique Whaley is still rehabbing from a broken ankle he suffered in the game against Kansas. Roy Finch really stepped up in his absence, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and scoring three times, but he is a smaller back that can't carry the entire workload. 

Junior Brennan Clay will get his touches, although he's never really gotten going his first two seasons, averaging less than four yards per carry and only scoring once. Sophomore Danzel Williams is an explosive player, but doesn't have any experience on the football field. Quarterback Blake Bell also rushed for 13 touchdowns last year as well on only 44 carries.

Defensive End

The Sooners took a hit at this position, as both Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander are no longer on the team. That opens things up for R.J. Washington and David King to step in and make a big impact on the defensive side of the ball. Both made an impact last year in limited roles, especially Washington, who had three tackles and two sacks in the bowl victory over Iowa. 

It's going to be interesting to see who can step up and help form a strong defensive line that had 40 sacks last year, which was second most in the Big 12.

Big Man on Campus

Landry Jones remains the big man on campus for the Oklahoma team, especially with so many question marks on the offensive side of the ball. For the Sooners to get where they're trying to go, they're going to need the senior quarterback to step up.

Jones without a doubt has all of the physical tools to be a great quarterback, but throwing 15 interceptions is simply not going to get the job done. Oklahoma needs to see that quarterback in 2010, when he completed 65 percent of his passes and threw for 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns.

The senior quarterback is the key to a successful season, which would make him the biggest man on campus.

Biggest Shoes to Fill

Now, Kenny Stills has played great his first two seasons, racking up 122 receptions for 1,635 yards and 13 touchdowns. But those numbers have been put up with a fantastic receiver in Ryan Broyles on the field with him. Now, he will be asked to be the man and try his best to replace 349 receptions and 45 touchdowns.

It's a lot easier to perform well when you're the second fiddle. Can Stills become a true No.1 wide receiver this year? It's a question that will need an answer, especially with so many unproven receivers on the roster.

Most Important Questions to Answer

Besides the questions at quarterback with Jones, along with the running back issues and lack of depth at wide receiver, the Sooners also have questions with the defense.

Mike Stoops is back on the sidelines for the Sooners after being fired as the head coach for Arizona. He'll have seven starters from this team last year to work with, but that doesn't mean that his job will be fairly easy.

There is a hole at cornerback with Jamell Fleming graduating, and this secondary wasn't exactly a bright spot last season. They allowed 241 yards in the air, which was 79th in the country, and had horrible performances against Baylor and Texas Tech, where they allowed over 450 passing yards.

Now, Stoops does have oodles of talent to work with, but he has to do a much better job with this unit than Brent Venables did, or it will be a long year in the Big 12 for the Sooners.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].