Big 12 football: Bob Stoops lauds Landry Jones’ leadership

Mack Brown talked on Monday about seeking leadership from his quarterback at Texas. Bob Stoops talked on Tuesday about how leadership has to come from performance.

during NCAA college football Big 12 Media Days, Tuesday, July 26, 2011, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Matt Strasen)

During Big 12 media days, Stoops talked about the progression of Sooner quarterback Landry Jones, who made major strides last season, to now where he’s mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

“Just naturally, he had some really big games down the stretch,” Stoops said. “On the road at Oklahoma State, look at the Big 12 championship game against a really good defense (Nebraska’s), and then in the Fiesta Bowl (against Connecticut), he really played great. Major factor in us winning those games.

“Then you add the winter, how hard he works, everybody recognizes. Now the experience, the confidence, it’s natural as a guy matures. He’s become a really strong leader. He’s become more comfortable in it.”

Stoops said that comfort is a natural progression of the 2010 season.

“If he hasn’t played and earned that respect and performance and meeting challenges, it’s hard to be that guy,” Stoops said. Jones “has all that now. He’s a true, true leader on this team and a special one.”