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With the football season firmly in the rearview mirror, the Oklahoma Sooners are in good shape moving forward. Losing handful of starters, the coaching staff will begin looking for others to fill the void as the spring gets under way. However, this is a young team which translates to a slim number of slots marked with a question mark. A fortunate quartet of incoming players will have a head start over the rest of the incoming class in vying for a starting role. However, that does not mean any one player can be discounted. Much of the attention centers around 5-star running back, Joe Mixon, and rightfully so. But, there are two players flying under the radar who could potentially be stars in the making.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jay Norvell is currently looking to find two wide receivers as Jalen Saunders and LaColtan Bester have run out of eligibility. In their absence, Mark Andrews is a name fans need to grow accustomed to hearing time and time again. At 6-6 225, this is a kid who presents match-up nightmares for opposing defenses. Simply put, Andrews is too big for defensive backs on the collegiate level and too fast for linebackers. Yet, his biggest impact may come in the redzone as taller receivers benefit from fade routes etc. Recruited by Tim Kish to be a wide receiver, the Sooners will likely use Andrews as a slot receiver and flex tight end.
Moving over to the defensive side of things, Mike Stoops needs a corner to play opposite of Zack Sanchez. While there is plenty of talent waiting in the shadows, Tito Windham finds himself underrated. A month ago, this 5-10 181 defensive back witnessed his 2-star rating being bumped up to three. Some continue to speculate that he'll receive a 4-star rating before all is said and done as his ceiling remains high. Regardless, Windham shows great instincts and top speed. Combine those skills with the ability to come up in run support and hit like a linebacker and it becomes easy to see why Stoops personally recruited this kid. Oklahoma can use Windham in the nickel package early on (in the same mold as Julian Wilson) but it is likely on special teams where his talents will shine in the early going. A sure tackler with speed could land him a nickname similar to that of one Ronnell "The Hammer" Lewis.
The Sooners coaching staff has done an excellent job of developing talent. One can only hope they are able to do the same with these two talented incoming players.
