With the 2017 spring practice schedule for Oklahoma football drawing to a close. it will be three-plus more months before organized team activities in preparation for the new season will commence once again.
It’s never too early, however, to look ahead at which players are likely to step out of their shadow in the coming season and be the unsung headline makers in 2017.
The offense loses a lot of firepower, but two-time Heisman finalist Baker Mayfield is back for a final season at quarterback, and having a two-year starter back at the controls and an experienced offensive line in front of him still gives the Sooners a leg up heading into next season, despite the star power that has moved on.
With one of the most prolific offensive attacks in the country last season, the OU offense was able to overcome some major deficiencies in the Sooners’ defensive play. This gap should narrow in 2017, not so much because the offense is expected to regress some, but because there should be noticeable improvement in Mike Stoops’ defense.
Any way you choose to look at it, there will be new names – or, at least, names that are much less familiar to Sooner fans – making big plays at big moments next season, and on both sides of the ball.
We’ve identified seven who should be heard from plenty once the whistle blows kicking off the 2017 college football season: