Five players with most to gain
Check out The Oklahoman’s selections for the five players with the most to gain during spring practices, which began on Tuesday.
Starting jobs aren’t won in spring practice.
But to be in position to win a job in August, spring can be a huge steppingstone for a player trying to make a move.
Oklahoma State opened spring workouts early Tuesday morning and will be back on the field Wednesday.
Here’s a look at five players with the most to gain in the Cowboys’ spring practices:
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius
This is the obvious one. Coaches got a good look at Cornelius during bowl practices in December, and he’s the guy in the best position to take control of the quarterback job before incoming freshman Spencer Sanders and graduate transfer Dru Brown arrive on campus in June.
The 6-foot-6, 232pound fifth-year senior will get plenty of opportunities with the firstteam offense over the next five weeks, splitting time with sophomore Keondre Wudtee.
If he takes control of the job, he’ll still have to fight off the newcomers in August, but the head start could give him a big lead before they arrive.
Receiver Tyron Johnson
Johnson wowed fans and media last spring and in fall camp with his playmaking ability, but the hype ultimately outweighed the production.
The problem wasn’t necessarily that Johnson didn’t produce, but that he had a couple of soonto-be NFL Draft picks blocking his path to playing time.
Now that James Washington and Marcell Ateman are out of the way, OSU will be looking for its next deep threat, and Johnson’s speed makes him the obvious front-runner.
He showed flashes of his skill last season, but had a couple of drops in key situations as well. He will need to show reliability and consistency to take the lead at the outside receiver position, particularly with productive and experienced players like Jalen McCleskey and Dillon Stoner on the inside.
Safety Za’Carrius Green
Not only did OSU graduate three of its top four safeties from last season, it added a third safety position in the switch from Glenn Spencer’s 4-3 defense to the 4-2-5 of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Among the safeties, Green is the elder statesman as a redshirt junior. He saw spotty playing time last year, and helped out on special teams.
But now, opportunity engulfs him. He could not only become a starter, but also a leader on the back end of the defense. He’s been in enough film sessions over his career to know what to expect from opposing offenses, and he could become someone Knowles trusts in his secondary.
Other young players like sophomores Thabo Mwaniki and Malcolm Rodriguez will be in the mix for playing time. And depending on what Knowles wants to do, someone like Kenneth Edison-McGruder, though still listed as a linebacker on OSU’s most recently released roster, could find himself moving to a strong safety-type role.
Still, Green best fits the free safety mold, and the door is open for him.
Offensive tackle Arlington Hambright
Left tackle is still one of the most important jobs in football, and the Cowboys need a new one. The 6-5, 308-pound Hambright, a juniorcollege transfer who redshirted last season, could be that guy.
It’s a unique group of guys who will be battling for the left and right tackle jobs this spring, with Hambright and fifth-year senior Shane Richards, who redshirted last season, as the oldest guys in the group. Then redshirt sophomores Teven Jenkins and Dylan Galloway are joined by early enrollee Hunter Anthony.
Hambright impressed coaches with his powerful style last season, and will get a strong look at left tackle this spring. If he takes advantage of it, he could lock down the job for the next two seasons.
Defensive tackle Latu Maile
The latest roster released by Oklahoma State does not include junior defensive tackle Taaj Bakari, who made significant strides as backup defensive tackle last season.
DeQuinton Osborne graduated, but the Cowboys still have Darrion Daniels and Trey Carter, who highly experienced seniors to fill starting roles.
But one of the strengths of the defensive line last season was the ability to rotate in multiple players at tackle. Enoch Smith Jr. was coming on strong late last season, and should fill one second-team spot.
The other is vacant now, with Bakari gone.
Maile — the younger brother of former OSU defensive tackle Mote Maile — joined the team late last summer as a junior-college transfer.
Now a redshirt sophomore, the 6-1, 305-pounder is in position to earn significant playing time in the rotation.