Oklahoma Football: 5 Players the Sooners Can't Afford to Lose in 2012

The 2012 season will be a very crucial season in Norman.

It's been 12 years since Bob Stoops claimed a national title and Sooner nation is beginning to grow restless.

Heading into a much hyped 2011 season, the Sooners fell flat on their faces against opponents they should have had no issues defeating.

Mike Stoops has returned to revamp the defense and Landry Jones has returned to run the offense.

Once again, there are high expectations for Oklahoma football heading into 2012. However, for those expectations to be realized, there are a handful of players who the Sooners cannot afford to lose.

FS Tony Jefferson

Tony Jefferson has been a staple on the defensive side of the ball since arriving in Norman two years ago.

Shifting between the safety and nickelback positions, Jefferson is moved wherever there is a hole that needs filling.

With Mike Stoops returning the shake up the defense, there is no question that Tony Jefferson is the most valuable player on the defensive unit.

While Jefferson was highly effective at the nickelback position last season, there was a huge gaping hole left at free safety. Stoops has decided to move Jefferson back to the safety position and believes that is where he is most valuable to the team at.

Let's hope that, come fall, Jefferson begins focusing more on football and winning games and less on tweeting ridiculous things.

RB Dominique Whaley

Dominique Whaley burst on to the scene in 2011 and instantly claimed the starting job at running back.

Everyone is familiar with Whaley's incredible walk-on success story by now and were heartbroken when he went down with a season-ending injury last season.

Whaley has yet to fully recover from the broken ankle he sustained last year, but is on pace to be back on the field in time for two-a-days in August.

Whaley was an integral part of the Sooners running game and the offense never fully recovered after he went down.

The Sooners have seemingly been cursed with the injury bug the last few years, but if they want to even be in the national championship conversation, then Whaley must remain healthy.

K Michael Hunnicutt

A kicker?

One of the top five players the Sooners can't afford to lose is...a kicker?

That's right, Michael Hunnicutt is that important to this Oklahoma football club.

Think back over the last few years and try to remember one good kicker wearing the crimson and cream.

Give up?

His name was Garrett Hartley and he graduated in 2007 and is now kicking in the NFL.

Since then, the Sooners kicking game has been nothing short of horrendous.

Enter Michael Hunnicutt.

After taking over the starting kicking duties last season, Hunnicutt drilled 21-of-24 attempts including all four from beyond the 40-yard line.

He might have flubbed on a crucial field goal at the end of the Texas Tech game, but that miss had little to do with the reasons why the Sooners lost that game.

Remember the infamous regular-season showdown between LSU and Alabama last year? A good kicker is necessary to win at the highest levels and Hunnicutt provides that extra punch the Sooners have been desperately missing.

WR Kenny Stills

Kenny Stills will enter the 2012 season as the No. 1 target for Landry Jones and big things are expected out of him.

Stills will only be entering his junior year of play, but already has two full seasons of playing time under his belt.

While Stills has mostly thrived as the No. 2 target in Norman, he will now be expected to take over where Ryan Broyles left off last season. Stills seemed hesitant to fill that role late in 2011 after Broyles went down with an injury, but will have to step up as a leader in 2012.

The Sooners have stockpiled at the wide receiver position during the offseason, but Stills is expected to be the leader of the bunch. His health is not only crucial to the Sooners offensive production on the field, but also to quarterback Landry Jones' mental state.

After Jones' No. 1 receiver went down with an injury last year, he didn't throw another touchdown for the remainder of the regular season.

Should something happen to Stills, the precedent for how Jones will respond is not a good one. 

QB Landry Jones

What's that? You thought I was going to leave senior quarterback Landry Jones off the list?

Well, I wanted to.

After the Insight Bowl, I had hoped that Jones would announce he was forgoing his senior season and entering the NFL draft. I wondered aloud if Landry had taken the Sooners as far as he could.

I was ready for the Blake Bell era, but Jones announced he would be returning to Norman for one more run at a championship.

While Drew Allen or Blake Bell could more than likely come in and manage the offense, I would be foolish to think this team wouldn't be in trouble if Jones were to go down with an injury.

This offense has been tweaked around Landry Jones over the past three years and he should now have all the pieces of the puzzle in place to get them to the big game.

Jones has proven to be a durable quarterback. Since taking over for Sam Bradford in 2009, he hasn't missed a single game.

Despite my concerns, the Sooners will need a healthy Landry Jones lining up behind center if they expect to make a legitimate run at title No. 8.