The Football Brainiacs

Image via Soonersports.com

With the departure of Zack Sanchez, something Sooner fans will be keeping a close eye on is who the Sooners select to replace him.

Let’s discuss the options…

Dakota Austin: Austin had a chance to see the field last year and was productive in his limited action. Mike Stoops has publicly said that the Sooners have won with Austin on the field and it would stand to reason that this would work in Austin’s favor. However we was not able to definitely win the spot in the spring.

Austin may not be the fastest or the biggest corner but he’s quick and aggressive. He’s similar to Sanchez in that he has a knack for finding the ball even when he’s out of position. And like Sanchez, he can give up a lot of space, sit on routes and then close space quickly on slants and curls.

There is saying, “small corners get smaller down the field”. So one of the concerns with Austin is how he holds up on deeper routes. But one of things I remember a source mentioning about Austin is, he will poke and poke and do whatever it takes to make a receivers life difficult down the field.

While there are set alignments in certain calls, the staff still gives the cornerbacks plenty of leeway to decide whether they want to press or play off. With Austin you’re going to continue to see more of what we saw from a guy like Sanchez, a lot of off coverage. I know that can frustrate Sooner fans who hate watching the opposing team nickel and dime OU down the field. But again, Austin has the kind of quickness that allows him to close quickly on slants and stops. And despite his lack of size he’s proved to be a pretty sure tackler as well.

PJ Mbanasor: Mbanasor has the look of an NFL cornerback at 6’1+ 190+ lbs. In the weight room he’s the strongest of the cornerbacks. In testing he has the fastest 40 time of all the cornerbacks. Mbanasor had a chance to start a couple games as a freshman but with a tough game against Tulsa he was pulled.

Mbanasor struggled with primarily two things in the game against Tulsa: (1) discipline in the coverage call and (2) lean and locate.

You’ll recall Mbanasor chased a few routes inside on a cloud call in back to back series which is what prompted him being pulled. This is an easy fix and a normal mistake for a freshmen.

The other main issue was his ability to stay “connected” when in phase with receivers on deep routes and then lean and locate the ball. Mbanasor is going to have to prove in fall camp that he has resolved this issue. In the spring game he showed improvement in this area. But perhaps more importantly he was very physical in his press alignments which allowed him to widen receivers and at times prevent receivers from getting into their routes.

Michiah Quick: We don’t know much about Quick at this point. Quick made the move from wide receiver to cornerback and the word out of the summer was that he was doing well in player-led seven on seven sessions. I’m told Quick has great instincts and we all know what a good athlete he is. Quick is obviously going to have to get caught up on the techniques. He’ll also likely need some time to get comfortable with the calls. Knowing the calls on the sideline is one thing. But having them come in at a frantic pace on the field while the offense is making alignment changes is another thing.

However, given that Quick has been in the program for a while and has seen things from the offensive side, I think this transition for him will be much easier than it will be for others including the young freshmen.

Antoine Stephens: When Stephens came to OU he was a big but very raw cornerback. Watching him in the spring game I started to really see what he can be. He’s a big corner that could potentially use that size to be physical. But he also seems to have good instincts and the ability to get down hill or break wide from a on off position. Stephens still has some work to do but if he’s willing to do it, the upside certainly seems to be there. He could eventually give OU a cornerback with a very broad skill set and ability to play multiple techniques effectively.

The Freshmen: This is a big unknown. All three of the freshmen, Parnell Motley, Jordan Parker and Parrish Cobb are talented players. At the very least the hope is these guys can push the older guys and provide some depth if needed. Cobb was a late Sooner signee so he didn’t go through summer. Parker had a minor surgery in June and didn’t return till later in July so he wasn’t able to participate in much 7 on 7 work. Motley is the only one who went through a full summer and the early word is that he’s a quick learner (vital for a freshman with any hopes of getting on the field).

Who Will Win the Spot?: Odds are it will be either Austin, Mbanasor or Quick. It’s difficult at this point to say which one because all three have obvious issues that they are going to have to address with the coaches.

What’s Working in Their Favor

Austin – He’s had some success on the field in limited action. He wasn’t perfect but he wasn’t a liability. He also showed that he can add a bit of that game changing element Sanchez brought to the table.

Mbanasor – He has the measurables. Big strong kid with good athleticism. He’s reliable off the field. Fans are often not privy to off the field issues players have. Mbanasor is a guy that the coaches know will do the extra work, be on time, stay out of trouble. Lastly, he’s young. If a race is close a lot of coaches want the younger player to start because it indicates the upside is much higher.

Quick – Since neither Mbanasor or Austin separated themselves from one another in the spring, Quick comes in with a bit of that new car allure. He’s a guy who understands the offense that he’s seeing and that can give him an advantage in terms of positioning and making plays.

What’s Working Again Them

Austin – Despite having some success on the field last year, he did find himself in poor positioning at times. There were times when he was bailed out by a combination of his good instincts and a not so great throw from the opposing team’s quarterback. He doesn’t have the size OU coaches would prefer. He wasn’t able to clearly separate himself from a first year cornerback.

Mbanasor – Consistency against the deep ball. If the staff can’t rely on a player they won’t play. Mbanasor has the upside and reliability off the field but he’s going to have to show it to them where it ultimately matters, on the field.

Quick – They don’t know what they’ve got. The same thing that’s working for Quick is probably working against him. He’s an unknown commodity but he’ll obviously have a chance to answer questions in fall camp. But if things are close between him and Austin or Mbanasor, my guess is Austin or Mbanasor get the nod. Being the newbie with no live experience at CB, he’s going to have to definitely win it…to win it.