Five OU Players to Watch

Sooners Illustrated picks out five players to keep a close eye on in the BYU game. With a number of pre-season All-Big 12 members littered throughout the roster it was no easy task to limit the watch to five guys for the opening game.

Sam Bradford

Bradford is embarking on what could be a memorable season. It will be interesting to see how he starts the season off, especially now that it has been announced that Jermaine Gresham will be sidelined with a knee injury. Will he be able find an instant rapport with basically an entire new receiving unit in place and will the offense create the same amount of touches that it did for him on one year ago?

Dominique Franks

Franks made a serious run for the top spot on guys who I look forward to watching. Franks is one of the most talented players on the OU team and let’s face it, he is just plain fun to watch. His break on the ball is amazing and I believe he will be a solid player on the next level. He should get plenty of chances against a BYU offense that figures to throw the ball around.

Brody Eldridge

This is just not a story that you hear often. A tight end makes the move to center in the off-season and he is anointed as the best lineman on the team on a down-to-down basis. He has also been classified in the past as the best player on the team. I want to see him do it. I want to see him mowing down Cougars. The build up is now huge for Eldridge’s debut snapping the ball. A bad snap or two and fans will probably be seriously questioning this decision.

Quinton Carter

With all of the questions surrounding Gresham, the OL, and the WR’s many people may need to be reminded that both safeties are relatively inexperienced. That being said I have seen something I love in Carter’s game. He is a head-hunter that will be full go at all tines. He filled in at times last year and looked rock solid.

Gerald McCoy

Not many people are going to rate GK as a player that they are dying to see play. Why? Outside of the big tackle for a loss in the National Championship game he is just not as flashy - for lack of a better term - as some of the other players on the OU defense. That being said he is one of the players you cannot help but root foe. He came back to OU for all of the right reasons and is looking for a big year to help boost his NFL draft status. I am rooting like hell he does just that.