Oklahoma football: A Big 12 Media Days primer
![NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 10: Head Coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, left, and head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners speak in the middle of the field before the football game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 10: Head Coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, left, and head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners speak in the middle of the field before the football game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/512a3693441900ed2a91b26b51ad5c82ade9640cb8e2ad1b0d53ab9988d57481.jpg)
We are one step closer to the official start of the Oklahoma football season as Big 12 Media Days kick off Monday morning.
Oklahoma football enters as the favorites again, garnering 68 of a possible 77 first-place votes in the preseason poll (Texas received the other nine), so what are the big storylines going into media day and what can Oklahoma football fans learn about their team?
Position changes
We may not get a ton of news on this considering players have yet to officially report for camp yet, but we could pick Lincoln Riley’s brain a bit on any more news on the position change front, particularly with Michael Thompson – the Sooners defensive tackle-turned-offensive-lineman who was spotted in a Twitter photo with a large group of d-linemen in the offseason. Does this mean he is back on the other side of the ball, or are we the media making a mountain out of a molehill (as tends to happen in the summer when there’s nothing else to talk about).
Will anyone else move around this year? There’s a ton of flux on the defensive side of the ball where Grinch isn’t afraid to make changes if he feels it will improve his group, but were any new decisions made in the offseason?
Injury reports
Spring practice saw the Sooners without some big names including safeties Jordan Parker and Robert Barnes, linebacker Jalen Redmond, cornerback Starland Baldwin and center Creed Humphrey (we’ll get to more on him later). Are all of these players back healthy and ready to participate in fall camp drills?
For the defensive players on the list, it’s crucial to get as many reps in fall camp as possible if they intend to pick up Alex Grinch’s new system and compete for playing time. Sure, they were around to soak up some of the knowledge during the spring, but there’s something to be said for learning by doing.