Star quarterback Baker Mayfield commanded the majority of the attention and rightfully so after he led Oklahoma to a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2016. However, the Sooners wouldn’t have had a shot at accomplishing what they did if it wasn’t for Mayfield getting a ton of help with a number of players stepping up to play big roles despite flying under the radar somewhat. Who will lead this year’s cast of players that step up as underrated stars that make a major difference? Here is a look at four under the radar star players for the top Big 12 teams.
Oklahoma: Mark Andrews
Tight End
The Sooners switch to the Air Raid offense last season led to every member of the receiving unit getting more involved including Andrews, who made 19 catches in his first real opportunity to contribute. While the reception total wasn’t anything special, it’s worth noting that he made some big catches with seven of those receptions resulting in touchdowns.
Andrews won’t steal the spotlight with his raw talent but he is a reliable pass catcher with a big frame and he should be primed for a bigger role in the Oklahoma offense this season. Remember that Sterling Sheppard, who led the team in receiving last season, has moved on to the NFL. He was Baker Mayfield’s go-to guy, which means that he’ll need some new weapons to step up. Sheppard’s 86 receptions accounted for 29% of the entire offense. Those passes are going to go to someone else now. Although Andrews won’t soak all of that up, expect him to be one of the Mayfield’s most trusted targets in 2016, which could pave the way to stardom for him.
Baylor: Johnny Jefferson
Running Back
Jefferson made the most of his first-career star when he rushed for 299 yards and three touchdowns while helping Baylor shatter the rushing records in their Russell Athletic Bowl win over North Carolina. That was an old school, offense-only type of shootout, but it also gave us a taste of what Jefferson can do when he gets the rock. And it’s not as if everyone plays defense in the Big 12.
Jefferson finished with exactly 1,000 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but keep in mind that this total was accumulated on merely 136 totes. He averaged a whopping 7.4 yards per carry. There are plenty of reasons to think he can top those numbers in 2016, starting with the fact that he should get some more carries. Shock Linwood will return as the starter but look for Jefferson to steal some of his touches as he emerges as an under the radar star in 2016.
TCU: Denzel Johnson
Safety
The Horned Frogs’ defense was hit hard by the injury bug last season but Johnson stepped up as one of a small group of players to start all 13 games. He made the most out of his first year as a full-time starter at the safety position with a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss. The Big 12 is absolutely loaded with tough running backs and big-play passing offenses, which means that defensive stars will get the opportunity to compile some gaudy statistics. That will make Johnson that much more important to TCU’s success in 2016 as the leader of their secondary.
Oklahoma State: Jalen McCleskey
Wide Receiver
McCleskey got his first taste of college football in the Big 12 last season when he had 29 catches for 253 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman season. However, McCleskey has the potential to be a big play threat and he should improve those numbers dramatically in 2016. Mason Rudolph is back under center but he needs to establish some new weapons and McCleskey is primed to play a bigger role. The 5’10’’, 156-pound McCleskey has excellent speed and hands and it will be interesting to see how long he flies under the radar as a future star at Oklahoma State. While the OSU offense struggled in some of the big games last year, the Pokes will get to face lots of weaklings, which means players like McCleskey will get a chance to pile up the numbers and star.
