OU Football: Nine New Faces To Watch

With the season just a couple days away, here are nine new faces to watch when the Sooners kick off against Akron.

Orlando Brown – LT – Left tackle has been a prestigious position down in Norman over the years, and Brown appears to be the next guy in line to fill in a spot that was previously occupied by first-round NFL draft picks such as Trent Williams and Lane Johnson. At 6-foot-8 and 355 pounds, the redshirt freshman has been the “all-star” of preseason camp according to Bob Stoops, and with an inexperienced offensive line, the Sooners need Brown to use his mammoth size to bolster their group up front.

Dede Westbrook – WR – This speedy receiver is expected to make a very big impact in the Sooners’ revamped offense this fall.  Westbrook lit up the junior-college ranks at Blinn last season with 1,487 yards receiving to go with 13 touchdowns in only eight games. His overall quickness and ability to explode off the line of scrimmage has caused matchup problems for the OU defensive backs who’ve had the task of guarding him at practice.

Joe Mixon – RB – Sooner fans have known all about Mixon for nearly 18-months, and after sitting out last year due to off the field issues, it’s almost time to watch the former five-star prospect showcase his talent. Mixon will begin the season behind Semaje Perine on the depth chart, but don’t be surprised to see Mixon get a ton of touches under Lincoln Riley’s new offense. Mixon has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and he’ll use that along with his shiftiness to make a name for himself early in the season.

Mark Andrews – TE – This freshman has the size and strength to be a force for the Sooners, and that was evident in the spring game when Andrews dragged a cornerback for nearly 10 yards after catching a ball down the middle. Andrews is a physical playmaker that will surely boost the OU offense by using his 6-foot-6 frame to box out opposing defensive backs.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – LB – At 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, Okoronkwo should be a force on the Oklahoma defensive line and will have more of a chance to display his stellar pass rushing ability this fall after only playing sparingly last season. Okoronkwo has put on weight this offseason, and should be a name that all Sooner fans know soon enough.

Kahlil Haughton – S – Bob Stoops named off Haughton as a first-year player that he plans to play this year, and even though he isn’t listed as a starter, Haughton should see the field a ton seeing the Sooners plan to start five in the secondary. Stoops believes that this most recent recruiting class has the best group of defensive backs he’s seen, and Haughton is definitely one of the players to be most excited about.

Austin Seibert – K – Confidence is one of the most important traits in a kicker, and Seibert definitely doesn’t lack anything in that category. While in high school, the Missouri native predicted that he’d be the Sooners’ starting kicker and punter as a true freshman, and he sure was right. Seibert will look to bring consistency to the Oklahoma kicking game that struggled to get in a rhythm last year after the Kansas State game. Seibert hit 13 field goals as a senior and high school while averaging 44.89 yards per punt.

Marquise Overton – DT – Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has praised Overton for being one of the best defensive linemen in camp, so it’ll be interesting to see just how much the Jenks product gets on the field this season. Overton was a state champion wrestler in the 285 pound weight class in high school, so look for him to bully his way to prominence on the Sooners’ defensive front.

Jeffrey Mead – WR – At 6-foot-6, Mead is the tallest Sooner receiver on the team and the sophomore has a chance to see a boost in playing time this season. With the inconsistencies at the receiver position last season after the injury to Sterling Shepard, the Sooners will look to build up solid depth to this unit that will be heavily depended on in the Air Raid offense.