College football coaches will always take caution when it comes to reading too much in to our first look at this year’s rosters but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an important step when it comes to evaluating their teams. There is a level of caution that needs to be taken when it comes to players that thrive in practice but the following players are certainly worth talking about after they shined in this year’s spring games. Here is a look at the top spring game MVP’s from Big 12 teams.
LB: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners will be looking to repeat as Big 12 champions with Baker Mayfield leading an offense that has the potential to be one of the best in the country this season but they will need a number of players to step up on the other side of the football as the defense looks to hold its own. Okoronkwo will be a big part of the equation for Oklahoma defense as a versatile edge rusher that has the potential to make a major impact for Oklahoma this fall. The junior linebacker was the MVP for the Sooners in their spring game with two sacks including one for a safety. There is no doubt about Okoronkwo’s abilty to make plays both at linebacker or with his hand down lining up at defensive end and nobody is overlooking his potential following an excellent performance in the Sooners’ spring game. While there’s a lot of positive talk about the Sooners offense for the upcoming season, the defense is stout as well and the combination of the two should make the Sooners one of the chief contenders for the College Football Playoffs.
CB: Jameson Houston
Baylor Bears
Baylor is another Big 12 team that is loaded on offense but will need key players to step up on the other side of the football in order for the defense to hold its own this season. The Bears have some holes on their defense but they have a potential star in their sophomore cornerback Houston. The 6’1’’, 190-pound Houston has excellent size, speed, strength and instincts and Baylor will rely heavily on his ability to match up against some of the top receivers in the conference. Houston has showed off his track speed throughout this spring and it shouldn’t be a surprise that Art Briles has him at the top of his depth chart at the cornerback position right now.
WR: Isaiah Graham
TCU Horned Frogs
Graham is the top player on the board for TCU’s 2016 recruiting class and it didn’t take long for him to show what he can do for them throughout this spring. The four-star prospect enrolled early and wasted no time making a strong impression. The 6’1’’, 185-pound receiver has explosive speed as well as great hands and there has been plenty of talk about his potential to step in immediately in place of the departed Josh Doctston as the Horned Frogs’ top wide receiver this season.
Remember that the Horned Frogs also lost starting quarterback Trevone Boykin as well, so they’ll need to surround new signal caller Kenny Hill with some quality weapons. It looks like Graham is going to be one of his go-to-guys early on this season.
CB: Ramon Richards
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys were hit hard at defensive end and cornerback this offseason including the losses of Emmanuel Ogbah and Kevin Peterson. Oklahoma State will be relying on several new faces to step in and make an immediate impact this season and that includes the sophomore cornerback Richards. He struggled with consistency in his freshman year but Richards looked extremely good throughout this spring and he could be the top cornerback on the Cowboys’ roster following the departure of three seniors at the position. Richards has decent size, speed and instincts and another year of experience could help make the difference as he takes another step forward as a leader of the Oklahoma State defense this season.
