Oklahoma Sooner Spring Football Notes | Alex Ross Making Significant Strides

As expected, Trevor Knight didn't take very many snaps in Oklahoma most recent scrimmage (prior to spring break) because the coaching staff as to be able to find a suitable backup before the season starts. Perhaps the most qualified candidate to take the field, should Knight go down, won't even be eligible this fall. Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield has turned heads in the spring workouts.

"Baker looks good," Coach Stoops said on Tuesday about the Big Twelve's Offensive Freshman of the Year. "You can tell he's played. It's obvious he's been on the field when you watch him play. He looks comfortable and makes plays."

The real competition is between Justice Hansen and Cody Thomas. While both have shown promise neither has locked down the job yet. I wouldn't expect the position to be settled this spring anyway.

Of course the quarterback race took a drastic turn when Blake Bell switched over to the tight end position. He's got the body size to be an NFL caliber tight end but his route running and catching ability remains a bit of a mystery to the fan base but not necessarily the coaching staff. According to Coach Stoops, he looks natural at the position, even caught a long touchdown pass over the middle on Tuesday, but needs to keep improving on his blocking.

As far as the other targets for Oklahoma's quarterbacks goes, we know what we're getting with Sterling Shepard but Jordan Smallwood, Durron Neal, and Derrick Woods were all singled out by Stoops. "They're playing better and more consistent, for sure," Stoops said. "That's just how it works at this level. Now they're here for their third year and he's been getting ready to play. Those guys are very capable of coming in and giving us the production we're used to having."

We're all excited to see Joe Mixon when he arrives this summer but don't be surprised if Alex Ross doesn't become the star of the spring game. Ross is having a fantastic spring and is expecting to find his way on the field more often this fall.

"This year I have a better chance of playing," Ross said. "I've been working hard out there this spring." Coach Stoops has taken note of Ross' hard work as well. "Alex has been impressive," Stoops commented. "He's really shown up in a few practices..."

When asked about the contributing factors in his turnaround, Ross insinuated that it was nothing more than just growing up a bit. "I paid my dues and waited my time," Ross said. "I felt like I needed time to get acclimated to everything around here. I feel like I've matured a little bit just in getting bigger and knowing what to do in my part."