Big 12: The 10 Players You Must Know About Before Kickoff
Well, it’s down to just mere days before the 2010 college football season finally gets under way.
Teams, coaches, players, and schedules have been analyzed, dissected, and discussed. Predictions have been made, teams have been ranked, and Heisman candidates have been declared.
Now, at long last, it’s time to watch the games.
Yes, it’s time for the sun to go down on a preseason that has lasted an agonizing eight months.
As soon as the BCS National Championship crystal football is held aloft, college football declares its “postseason” and then its “offseason,” when in reality the eight months that separate the final second ticking off the BCS title game clock and the first tick off the clock in the Kickoff Classic are the “preseason.”
The 2010 campaign in the Big 12 Conference promises great story lines and may prove one of the most memorable interludes in years: Nebraska and Colorado’s swan songs before fleeing into the open arms of the Big Ten and Pac-10 respectively, the new offensive regime at Texas, the rebounding Sooners, new coaches in Lubbock and Lawrence, and big hopes in the towns of College Station, Ames, and Waco.
Ultimately it will be the guys on the field who decide which way these stories will play out; good or bad, it will come down to the players. They will combine to make big plays, err and make costly mistakes, and on exceptional occasions they will perform miraculous feats.
They will thrill us, disappoint us, humor us, and amaze us.
Who are the players to watch in the 2010 edition of the Big 12—the guys who will make a difference in the destiny of their teams and of the overall conference?
The obvious selections are guys like Robert Griffin of Baylor, Landry Jones of OU, Garrett Gilbert of Texas, Von Miller at A&M, Jared Crick at Nebraska, and Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert.
But who are the not so obvious Big 12 players that every fan should know about going into the 2010 season—the athletes who we may not know much about, but who will more than likely make a very real impact on the fate of the final season of the “original” Big 12?
This slideshow will identify just 10 of the hundreds of athletes Big 12 fans must know about going into the 2010 season.
Jerrell Jackson, WR, Missouri
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Missouri has standout Blaine Gabbert back at quarterback in 2010, but questions loom over Columbia regarding who he will throw the ball to.
The Tigers ranked 14th nationally in passing in 2009 but have lost their two primary receivers (including Danario Alexander, who racked up an NCAA-high 1,781 yards), who accounted for about 70 percent of the receptions.
Jerrell Jackson, a junior from Houston, Texas, is the receiver who returns to the 2010 edition of the Tigers with the most career catches.
His career totals include 46 receptions for 556 yards and two touchdowns. 2010 is Jackson’s opportunity to shine and display the potential that made him a highly recruited wideout candidate in 2007.
Though Jackson is returning from a small hand fracture that occurred in early August of this year, he is slated to be ready for Missouri’s opener September 5th vs. Illinois in St. Louis.
Jackson is already being touted as a potential All-Big 12 second team selection. Watch out for No. 29, who is the key to the Missouri Tiger offense picking up where it left off in 2009.
Trent Hunter, S, Texas A&M
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The Aggie faithful hope that 2010 will be the year that Texas A&M returns to its former glory on the gridiron.
Jerrod Johnson leads an offense that returns six starters off a squad that ranked fifth overall in 2009, but the real question in College Station surrounds a defense that ranked 105th nationally last season.
Though the defense features linebacker Von Miller, who led the nation in sacks in 2009 and has a chance to rack up a slew of awards by this season's end, the Aggies have more questions than answers on the defensive side of the ball.
Texas A&M ranked dead last in pass defense in the pass-happy Big 12 and a dismal 106th nationally. If these numbers don’t improve under new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, the Aggies' dreams of resurgence might have to wait until next year.
The play of Trent Hunter, a 5'10", 190-pound junior safety from Katy, Texas, will be essential if the A&M secondary can improve to the level the Aggies need to be truly competitive.
Hunter has 149 tackles (93 solo) and three interceptions over his career at A&M.
No. 1 Trent Hunter will have to continue to establish himself as a player and be a leader on a defense that will decide what kind of season the Aggies will have in 2010.
Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas
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With Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley, and three fifth-year seniors on the O-line gone from an offense that ranked third nationally in scoring in 2009, the Longhorns will need more than a couple of athletes to emerge on the offensive side of the ball.
Though Mack Brown is promising to kick it “old school” with a new focus on the running game, sophomore Garrett Gilbert is still going to need someone to throw the ball to in order to balance an offense that has been pass-dominated for well over a decade.
Marquise Goodwin is a sophomore from Garland, Texas who just happens to also be a world-class sprinter and jumper (he won the NCAA outdoor championship in the long jump).
Goodwin is a 5'9", 177-pound wide receiver who saw action in all 14 games during his freshman season as a Longhorn. He amassed 30 catches for 279 yards and one touchdown and also returned 16 kickoffs for 349 yards and another crucial score (to win the 2009 game vs. A&M). This was all achieved with limited playing time.
Goodwin wears jersey No. 84, and every indication (if he can remain healthy) is that he is the next great Longhorn receiver and may be one of the keys to Texas’ offensive success in 2010.
Scott Smith, DE, Texas Tech
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Everybody knows that incoming Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville has promised a more balanced offensive attack and an aggressive, improved defense. He will need these and more to bring his sacred pledge of “championships” to fruition in Lubbock.
Tech’s new defensive coordinator James Willis has a tall order in improving a defense that ranked 49th overall in 2009 (41st in scoring, 38th in rushing, and a dismal 73rd in passing).
Juco transfer Scott Smith is just the kind of fresh talent Willis needs to right the defensive ship in Lubbock.
After originally committing to Cal, Smith, a 6'6", 260-pound defensive end, most recently played at Butler Community College in Kansas, where he racked up 14 sacks in 2009. He was ranked the fourth best junior college player by Rivals.com.
Smith will help the Red Raiders defend the pass off the edge, a much-needed commodity in the pass-happy Big 12.
The development of No. 94 Scott Smith might be an excellent indicator of the overall level of improvement of the new Red Raider “D.”
Photo courtesy of Rivals.com.
Tysyn Hartman, S, Kansas State
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Kansas native Tysyn Hartman had five interceptions in 2009, which led the Wildcats and tied him for 23rd nationally in INTs. Additionally, Hartman recorded 54 tackles and is seen as the leader of the Wildcat defense.
The 6'3", 206-pound safety is popular with Wildcat fans, which is no surprise as he is a proven playmaker with the ability to individually change the momentum of a game.
The Wildcats ranked 83rd in passing defense in 2009, and Hartman’s continued maturity and progress in his junior year will be vital in Kansas State’s attempt to return to bowl eligibility in 2010.
No. 2 Hartman will be a guy to watch during Kansas State games, especially those in late October and early November, when the Wildcats face a string of passing foes (at Baylor, Oklahoma St., Texas, and at Missouri). This will be a tough stretch for K-State that could be made easier with the solid play of its defensive leader.
Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
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The Baylor Bears are full of high hopes coming into the 2010 season. Many of these hopes are pinned on standout quarterback Robert Griffin, who returns under center after rehabilitating from an ACL injury suffered in the third game of the 2009 season.
But what of the set of receivers Griffin will throw to? If Baylor expects to throw its way into bowl eligibility for the first time as a member of the Big 12, Griffin will need a talented corps of receivers.
Kendall Wright is a junior and three-year starter at inside receiver. He hails from Pittsburg, Texas, where he earned all-state honors in football, basketball, and track.
The 5'10", 190-pound Wright has thus far amassed 116 receptions for 1,389 yards, which already ranks him eighth in career receptions and 11th in yardage at Baylor.
After being named an All-Big 12 receiver as a sophomore in 2009, Wright is on the 2010 Biletnikoff Award Watch List and is a candidate for All-American honors.
Kendall Wright is the sort of player that puts the Big 12 on notice that the Baylor Bears' hopes of a continued rise from obscurity don’t ride solely on the strong arm of Robert Griffin.
Watch out for jersey No. 1 Kendall Wright in 2010 and beyond.
Alex Henery, K/P, Nebraska
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Can Nebraska continue its football revival and capture a Big 12 title in its final season as a member of the Big 12?
The storyline in Lincoln is simple: Can the offensive unit that ranked 99th nationally in 2009 improve just enough to take the AP No. 8 preseason ranked Cornhuskers and their stellar defense to a conference championship and a BCS bid?
With that said, it should not be overlooked that the Cornhuskers have a special weapon on special teams that shouldn’t go unnoticed and may just be a huge factor in the Cornhuskers winning some close games.
His name is Alex Henery, and he is a dual threat at punter and kicker.
Yes, the kicking game never seems important until, well, it is. This is usually in every single game.
Henery is a senior from Omaha, Nebraska who walked on at Nebraska in 2006. He is the most accurate placekicker in the history of Nebraska football (90.47 percent), and he has kicked four or more field goals in six career games. As a punter he has averaged 41.4 yards per kick with a mind-blowing 30 downed inside the 20-yard line.
Alex Henery has racked up an impressive number of awards and honors (both athletic and academic) and is on the Lou Groza watch list for 2010.
If the Cornhuskers take their game to the next level, Henery may well be one of their unsung heroes.
Parker Orms, NB, Colorado
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It’s hard to say what will happen during Colorado’s final campaign in the Big 12. Will their disappointments from 2008 and 2009 spill over into 2010, or will the upcoming season finally show the promise of the Dan Hawkins era in Boulder?
On the defensive side of the ball, the Buffaloes will have to contend with replacing their 2009 defensive leader nickelback Cha’pelle Brown, who led the Buffs in tackles, was voted Colorado’s most valuable player, and was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team.
Brown’s replacement is redshirt freshman Parker Orms, who is slated to start in the Buffaloes secondary (also at nickelback).
Orms is a 5'11", 185-pound product of Wheat Ridge H.S. in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Rivals.com ranked Orms as the 87th overall safety, the second in Colorado, and the No. 10 overall player in Colorado.
Orms has impressed the CU coaching staff and has been pegged a “defensive back with a linebacker mentality.” All reports indicate that Orms is a special player who should be fun to watch develop into a top-caliber college player.
No. 30 Parker Orms will make his debut as a starter on September 4th when the Buffs take on Colorado State in Denver. Interestingly, Orms’ brother Dylan will also make his first collegiate start (as a quarterback) about an hour and a half later when his Northern Colorado Bears take on Adams State.
Photo Courtesy of cubuffs.com.
Josh Cooper, WR, Oklahoma State
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Dana Holgorsen has been brought in by Mike Gundy to run the Oklahoma State offense. Holgorsen comes off a sizzling 2009 season leading the Houston Cougars offense to a No. 1 national ranking in total offense, passing, and scoring.
Prior to his brief two-year tenure in Houston, Holgorsen worked under Mike Leach at pass-happy Texas Tech.
Holgorsen takes over a Cowboy offense that has lost four of its leaders among others to the NFL and overall only returns two starters from its 2009 edition. Included in these losses are the quarterback, top receiver, and four of the five offensive linemen. Ouch.
Ironically, the pass-focused Holgorsen’s best returner on offense in 2010 is running back Kendall Hunter (who struggled with injuries in 2009 but ran for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2008).
However, you have to believe, based on history, that Holgorsen will have 26-year-old quarterback Brandon Weeden throwing the ball around the field with great frequency. The receivers of these passes might just be the next offensive stars in Stillwater.
If inside receiver Josh Cooper can stay healthy in 2010, he might be at the very top of this list.
Cooper is a 5'11", 192-pound junior hailing from Mustang, Oklahoma who racked up 20 catches for 234 yards and one touchdown in a 2009 season where he missed five full games due to injury.
Cooper played in a system similar to Holgorsen’s in Mustang, and he, along with the other Cowboy receivers, is excited about the potential stats he might rack up in the new pass-dominated offense.
Dana Holgorsen’s Cougars ranked No. 2 nationally in passing in 2008 and No. 1 nationally in 2009. The Cowboys are going to be throwing the ball.
Watch out for No. 25 Josh Cooper in 2010.
Toben Opurum, LB, Kansas
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In a Big 12 saturated with headline stories regarding its most prominent members (Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc.), not much national attention has been given to the Kansas Jayhawks.
Kansas has a promising new coach in Turner Gill, a quarterback controversy (which may be squelched for now), a new offensive scheme, and now a promising, highly recruited running back who has just recently made the switch to linebacker.
Toben Opurum, a 6'1", 240-pound sophomore from Plano, Texas, led the Kansas running attack in 2009 with 554 yards as a true freshman.
Opurum, who was one of the most highly touted recruits of the now defunct Mark Mangino era at Kansas, has a reputation for quietly working hard and getting things done in Lawrence.
Gill’s decision to move Opurum to linebacker seems twofold. First and foremost, the Jayhawks are paper-thin at the linebacker position, and even one injury could spell disaster for a defense that ranked 76th nationally in 2009.
Secondly, Gill has Angus Quigley (6'1", 231-pound senior from Cleburne, Texas) to run the ball. Very ironically, Quigley was moved from running back to linebacker for the 2009 season. Quigley was the No. 2 rusher on the Kansas squad in 2008 and is a capable running back who has patiently waited for an opportunity to be the Jayhawks' No. 1 running back. His time is now.
Toben Opurum may just surprise the Big 12 at linebacker. If he can develop quickly into his new role, he may see the playing field sooner than expected and could be an impact player on defense.
Regardless, watching the talented No. 35 line up on the other side of the ball should be interesting and worth watching.
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