Tag: Quentin Johnston

College Football News win total projections for Oklahoma and the Big 12

Win Projections for the Oklahoma Sooners and the Big 12 according to College Football News.

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the summer as favorites to win the Big 12. It’s a familiar place for Oklahoma, which had won six straight conference titles before failing to reach the Big 12 championship game last year for the first time since it was reinstated in 2017.

But being the favorite doesn’t guarantee anything as we witnessed last season. The Big 12 has gotten better. Nine teams can provide trouble for each other, and, as we saw last year, even Kansas is on the rise.

Remember that time Kansas beat Texas? That was awesome.

In Brent Venables’ first year as a head coach, the expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners remain unchanged. Winning the conference is the first goal. The hope is the Sooners do that in such a way that it positions them for a college football playoff berth.

Though Oklahoma will have to prove it each week on the field, it looks like the team to beat heading into 2022. Much like recent power rankings from national outlets have indicated, College Football News gives the Sooners the highest win projection in the Big 12 for the 2022 season.

Let’s take a look at how the Big 12 shakes out according to College Football News’ win projections.

Pair of Oklahoma Sooners in Athlon Sports 10 Big 12 players to watch for 2023 NFL draft

Garnering first-round buzz in way-too-early 2023 NFL mock drafts, Marvin Mims and Anton Harrison are two of Athlon Sports Big 12 players to watch in 2022.

A lot has been made of the Big 12’s lack of first-round selections in the 2021 and 2022 NFL drafts. While it was the second-straight draft without a first round pick from the Big 12, don’t expect that run to go to three straight drafts. The Oklahoma Sooners have a pair of players who’ve already seen some buzz in way-too-early 2023 mock drafts. Wide receiver Marvin Mims and offensive tackle Anton Harrison.

Looking ahead to the 2022 college football season, the Big 12 has a lot of talented players to watch this year. Bijan Robinson, Quentin Johnston, and Deuce Vaughn provide some high-end talent that could get the Big 12 multiple picks in the first round in 2023.

Kyle Kensing of Athlon Sports took a look at 10 players to watch in the Big 12 in 2022 ahead of the 2023 NFL draft and he included [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

Here’s what Kensing had to say.

One big reason — literally and figuratively — to assume the Big 12 will not again be shut out of the NFL draft’s first round is Harrison. The star bookend for Oklahoma’s potent offense may well be the first tackle taken next year. – Kensing, Athlon Sports

Harrison is a bit of a surprise after starting just one season for the Sooners. He’s certainly a talented player, he just needs to put together a dominant 2022 to be considered the top offensive lineman in the draft like he was in Pro Football Focus’ mock draft.

Kensing is equally high on Mims who is looking for the first 1,000-yard season in his collegiate career.

The All-Big 12 selection and electrifying big-play threat could well be a top-10 pick come next spring. Mims maximized his opportunities in 2021, offering up a sampling of his explosiveness. In 2022, expect much more production from Mims as he gets to showcase more of his reliable hands, speed and ball IQ. – Kensing, Athlon Sports

Mims isn’t much of a surprise as the Sooners leading receiver over the last two seasons. He’s expected to have an even more productive year in 2022 as the lead guy in the receiving corps.

Despite the losses to the NFL and the transfer portal, Oklahoma has a talented roster that should have them in contention for the Big 12 and perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff. For them to get back to the top of the conference, they’ll need big seasons from Mims and Harrison on the offensive side of the ball.

For the two Sooners to be in consideration in next year’s first-round, they’ll need to have big seasons as well.

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Marvin Mims among the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell

Oklahoma Sooners Marvin Mims is one of the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ passing game took a bit of a hit over the offseason with the transfers of [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and the NFL draft departure of [autotag]Mike Woods[/autotag]. While the Sooners lost their top three wide receivers in targets and receptions, they’re bringing back arguably their best wide receiver over the last two seasons, [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

Mims production in 2021 was a product of circumstance. After leading the team in receptions and yards in 2020, expectations soared for the sophomore receiver heading into last season. With the depth and the inconsistent nature of the offense, it was difficult for Mims to find consistent opportunities last fall.

As teams began to take the deep ball away from the offense, little adjustments were made to get Marvin Mims opportunities in the short to intermediate parts of the field. Just 15 of his 41 targets on the season were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Only 37% of Mims targets went to the short part of the field. Compare that to Mike Woods (59%), Mario Williams (54%), and Jadon Haselwood (48%), and it’s clear that Lincoln Riley didn’t know how to get his best wide receiver involved. And that doesn’t account for the number of routes run deep down the field where he didn’t get the ball thrown his way.

But as the Sooners look to the future with [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as the offensive coordinator and Cale Gundy as the wide receivers coach, there’s renewed optimism in Marvin Mims and his ability to lead a wide receiver group that has talent but also has something to prove. Last week, Mike Farrell released his top 10 wide receivers returning for the 2022 season, and Marvin Mims came in at No. 7.

Mims is joined by three other Big 12 wide receivers, including Xavier Hutchinson of Iowa State at No. 10, Quentin Johnston of TCU at No. 5, and Xavier Worthy of Texas at No. 4.

The Big 12 leads the way with four wide receivers in Farrell’s top 10. The ACC is next with three, followed by the Big 10 with two, and the SEC with one.

Looking over this list, it’s clear that Mims could be more involved in the offense. Five of the top 10 wide receivers on the list had more than double the number of receptions that Mims saw in 2021. Two of those receivers had three times as many receptions last year.

Heading into his third season, Marvin Mims has a chance to lead the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yardage yet again. His big-play potential has stood out since he stepped foot in Norman. Will Jeff Lebby get him involved in other ways instead of solely relying on him as a deep threat? Based on the number of plays and the tempo Lebby wants to play with, Mims will have a chance to put up big numbers in 2022.

Here’s a look at the top 10 returning receivers according to Mike Farrell and their numbers from 2021.

Big 12 Football: Top 10 players returning on offense in 2022

The Big 12 conference has some studs returning for the 2022 season.

The Big 12 conference is loaded with talented playmakers coming back for the 2022 season. NFL talent will be showcased all over the field this season, especially on offense.

The biggest stars of the conference are surprisingly not at the quarterback position. Between graduation and the transfer portal, most teams have some quarterback controversy to figure out before the start of the new season. Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Gerry Bohanon (Baylor) do return after trips to the Big 12 championship and New Year’s Six Bowl victories.

Running backs Bijan Robinson (Texas) and Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State) have been two of the most electric playmakers in college football over the past two years.

Wide receivers Marvin Mims (Oklahoma), Xavier Worthy (Texas), Quinten Johnson (TCU) and Xavier Hutchinson (Iowa State) have emerged as matchup nightmares for Big 12 corners.

Here is a list of the top 10 players returning on the offensive side of the ball.

*List does not include transfers

Top-five returning Big 12 wide receivers in 2022

Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims will be one of the top returning Big 12 wide receivers. Who joins Mims in the league’s top five?

The Big 12 sees the departure of the conference’s leading wide receiver during the 2021 season in Oklahoma State’s Tay Martin. Gone are Martin’s 80 receptions, 1,046 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for the Cowboys.

Baylor’s Tyquan Thornton was the Big 12’s No. 4 receiving yardage leader. Thornton is off to the 2022 NFL Draft as well, taking his 62 receptions, 948 receiving yards and 10 touchdown grabs with him. Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar ranked No. 5 among Big 12 pass-catchers with 62 receptions, 756 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. He’ll be in the 2022 NFL Draft, too.

Texas Tech’s Erik Ezukanma is another 2022 NFL Draft defection. He had 48 receptions and 705 receiving yards to rank tied sixth in that category. West Virginia’s Winston Wright Jr. transferred to Florida State after recording 63 grabs for 688 receiving yards. Lastly, the Big 12’s ninth-leading receiver in Kansas’ Kwamie Lassiter II is finished with the Jayhawks.

So, where does that leave the Big 12 conference? Who are the top-five pass-catchers returning for 2022?

Horns Down in Big 12 Power Rankings after week 7 action

How do the Big 12 teams stack up in this week’s power rankings after the week 7 action?

The top of the Big 12 conference is going to be fascinating to watch the rest of the season. As it stands there are four teams in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

Those four teams, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Iowa State, have one or fewer losses in Big 12 play thus far.

The season is just halfway over and there’s a lot still to figure out, but those four teams appear to be at the head of the pack. However, like last year when Oklahoma stormed back from two early-season Big 12 losses, there are only a couple of teams that could legitimately be counted out with a handful of games remaining.

Oklahoma’s in great shape to stay undefeated through Big 12 play, but games with Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State loom large at the end of their schedule. Even if Oklahoma were to navigate their tough end of the season schedule unscathed, they’ll likely be faced with having to play one of those other three teams for the second time in the Big 12 championship game.

With five games left on the Oklahoma Sooners’ schedule, let’s see how the teams stack up in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings.

Five things SMU did well vs TCU and how Texas can do the same

After watching the tape, Steve Sarkisian should be able to take some of what SMU did well vs TCU and apply it to his own game plan.

Back-to-back weeks, TCU will face off against an in-state rival in SMU and Texas. Gary Patterson will be hoping the latter goes better after letting the Mustangs retain the Iron Skillet, 42-34.

Now, the Big 12 rival will roll into town fresh off a 35-point thumping of Texas Tech. Offensive confidence is at an all-time high for Steve Sarkisian with Casey Thompson running the show at quarterback.

Sarkisian made it clear during his Monday press conference that Texas is going to continue the same preparation they have been. Losing their mindset just because of a hiccup in Fort Worth would be bad news. Especially after the past nine years.

“We’re also not going to buy the lie that we’re going to play the same TCU team that just played SMU on Saturday,” Sarkisian said.

Even so after watching the tape, Sarkisian should be able to take some of what SMU did well and apply it to his own game plan. With his offensive mind and the talent at his disposal, attacking Patterson’s famed defense might not be as big of a challenge this season.

Here are five things SMU did well against TCU and how Texas can do the same.

Texas loses another four star prospect in the 2020 class

Four-star WR Quentin Johnston had been committed to Texas since Aug. The receiver announced that he will be flipping from Texas to TCU.

The day before the early signing period for the 2020 recruiting class just got worse for Texas. Four-star wide receiver Quentin Johnston had been committed to Texas since the beginning of the season, saying he would be joining the Longhorns on Aug. 17.

The receiver out of Temple High School announced via his Snapchat that he will be flipping from Texas to TCU and signing with the Horned Frogs on Wednesday.

This is now the seventh different recruit the Longhorns have lost in the 2020 class. According to 247Sports, because of Johnston’s flip, Texas no longer has the top-rated class in the Big 12. Oklahoma jumped the Longhorns, who now sit at No. 10 in the national rankings.

Currently without an offensive coordinator, recruits do not know who is going to be their coach come spring practice. As for Johnston, he would not even have had a position coach as Texas fired wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer after the season ended. With Graham Harrell out of the conversation, Tom Herman needs to make a move quickly to fill the offensive coordinator role so recruits do not continue to decommit from Texas.