2010 OU Football - Freshman class update

So this may not necessarily be a post that interests everyone here as I realize we all probably differ in just how closely we follow our Sooners football.  However, I fall into the category of "guy who pays way too much attention" so I thought it would beneficial to anyone else out there like me to give an update on the freshman class.  The OU coaches were unusually vocal about the talent of the 2010 class they signed and were quoted repeatedly during the summer that plenty of these freshman would see the field.  Well, through two games the coaches have pretty much lived up to their word.  Maybe not as much as some (me) would have hoped when you're up 30+ late in the game, but regardless these youngsters are getting a chance to see the field and gain some valuable in-game experience.

Check out the breakdown of those who have seen the field and the possible redshirt candidates after the jump.

OU signed 29 kids in the 2010 class and as you'll see below, a surprisingly high number of them have already seen action in the first two games.  The following true freshman have played in either of the first two games and will not qualify as a redshirt candidate barring some kind of significant injury (firmly knocking on wood).

• RB Brennan Clay, DB Aaron Colvin, WR Trey Franks, TE Austin Haywood, OL Bronson Irwin, DB Tony Jefferson, H-Back Trey Millard, LB Corey Nelson, DT Daniel Noble, WR Joe Powell, WR Kenny Stills, and OL Austin Woods.

So that leaves 17 of the 29 member class who have yet to play and while they could certainly still get in at some point, it is probably more likely that they will redshirt.  There are a couple exceptions which I will point out after the list below of likely redshirt candidates.

• QB Blake Bell, LB Rashod Favors, RB Roy Finch, LB Aaron Franklin, DE Geneo Grissom, DB Quentin Hayes, DB James Haynes, DT Eric Humphrey, WR Justin McCay, WR Sheldon McClain, DE Chuka Ndulue, DT Torrea Peterson, OL Adam Shead, OL Tyrus Thompson, DT Damon Williams, OL, Daryl Williams, and DB Julian Wilson.

So the two possible exceptions on the list above are DT Torrea Peterson and RB Roy Finch.  Peterson was actually expected to get in against Utah State according to his position coach Jackie Shipp, but I think we can all guess as to why that never happened.  Finch was by far the most highly praised freshman throughout summer practices and was expected to see significant playing time before injuring his ankle shorty before the opener.  He is expected to be out 4-6 weeks, but despite that Coach Stoops has said he would still see the field this year.  I have to say I don't really see the point of that, but I'm quite confident my opinion doesn't register on Stoops' radar anytime soon.

One other note since we're discussing redshirts, RB Jonathan Miller who is coming back off microfracture surgery on his knee, has requested to redshirt this year.  The coaches have agreed to do so barring multiple injuries to the other RBs, which will give Miller a year to continue to regain the strength and confidence in that knee.

Finally, a random recruiting tidbit for anyone interested.  It's been pretty slow on the recruiting front primarily due to a small handful of remaining spots in the 2011 class.  OU has filled out it's class much earlier than in years past and the early verbal commitment seems like a trend that is here to stay (for the most part).  So with that said, OU will be hosting former Ohio State WR Duron Carter(son of NFL legend Cris Carter) this weekend for the Air Force game.  Carter had some academic issues that forced him to withdraw from tOSU so is currently enrolled at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College.  It's somewhat disappointing that Carter could not have been here last week for the FSU game, but I'm sure he'll still enjoy himself this weekend and will hopefully take in another Sooner victory!