Sooners have vacancies to fill

NORMAN — Going into last spring, Oklahoma had several open spots to fill.

That included the critical positions of quarterback and middle linebacker.

Although not even Sooner coach Bob Stoops would've predicted that freshman quarterback Sam Bradford would lead the nation in passing efficiency or that linebacker Curtis Lofton would earn Big 12 defensive player of the year honors, both players demonstrated signs during the spring that they were primed for big seasons.

During this year's spring drills, which begin this afternoon, Stoops and his coaching staff will be searching for the next round of Bradfords and Loftons ready to prove they're on the brink of producing breakout seasons.

"We see a lot of guys every day that we see potential in and realize that when this guy figures it out, understands things a little bit more, he has the potential to be a really solid and good player,” Stoops said Tuesday. "Us coaches, we're never really fearful of graduating or losing guys because that's just the natural progression and you have other guys that have been preparing and you expect to step up and play in a way you expect them to play.”

Just like last year, OU will enter spring practice with several vacancies, especially on defense. Not only do the Sooners have to replace five defensive starters including Lofton, but starting defensive end Auston English and starting safety Nic Harris are expected to miss spring drills recovering from off-season shoulder surgeries.

That will give the OU coaches the opportunity to evaluate how several of their younger players perform in starting roles. At outside linebacker, that should include converted safety Keenan Clayton as well as redshirt freshmen Austin Box and Travis Lewis.

Both Clayton and Box made strong impressions during winter workouts.

"Keenan Clayton, he and Austin Box have had great winters,” Stoops said. "Keenan has been around here for several years now and we've been using him at that weak-side position. We're hoping Keenan can really make a difference. He has the ability to.”

In the defensive backfield, cornerbacks Dominique Franks, Brian Jackson and Jamell Fleming, along with safeties Quinton Carter, Sam Proctor and Desmond Jackson will all have shots at building momentum as viable starters leading into the fall.

"We're going to work them all,” Stoops said. "We'll have certain guys at corners and certain guys at safeties. It'll be competitive and we'll pay very close attention to them. It's exciting to me because there is a lot of potential there if we can get those guys to play with some discipline and consistency.”

Offensively, Stoops and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson will be watching senior Quentin Chaney to see if he can fill the void left by Malcolm Kelly, who declared early for the NFL Draft.

Chaney, who didn't play much during the regular season, started in place of an injured Kelly at the Fiesta Bowl and had a huge game, catching four passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.

"No one was more excited than I was with the job Quentin Chaney did,” Stoops said. "Just because we've always felt that Quentin has that kind of ability and it was just being able to do it consistently and being competitive in the situation and stepping up when you had the opportunities. He did that and I'm really hopeful that that's going to carry over to the spring.”