OU 2010 Player to Watch, Day 13: Demontre Hurst

Oklahoma Sports brings you the 13th day in a 15-part series detailing what players to keep an eye on next season.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:31 am

By: News On 6

OU 2010 Player to Watch, Day 13: Demontre Hurst

Originally Published: Feb 27, 2010 3:7 PM CDT

More on Oklahoma Sports:
-OSU Player to Watch, Day 13: Nick Martinez
-Tulsa Player to Watch, Day 13: Trent Dupy

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

CB Demontre Hurst

Background:

Hurst attended Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Texas, and was a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com. He stands at 5-foot-9 but has put on more than 20 pounds since his senior season in high school. During that season, he recorded 75 tackles, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, five interceptions, one defensive touchdown and two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Why he’s on the list:

Hurst was one of Bob Stoops’ favorite players as a true freshman last season. Almost every week, Stoops praised Hurst’s hard work during practice and his play on special teams. Hurst was one of the Sooners’ most consistent players on kickoff coverage and helped to improve a unit that was terrible in 2008. As the season went on, he also saw more action on defense as a nickel cornerback. He will be expected to fill the starting spot of Dominique Franks, who departed for the NFL.

Best-case scenario:

Hurst immediately matches Dominique Franks’ threat as a big-play cornerback. Franks had a knack for reading plays, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. Hurst has similar quickness, which makes quarterbacks wary of throwing in his direction. He has good size for his stature, which should help him jam receivers at the line.

Worst-case scenario:

Hurst tries too hard to make game-changing plays, which makes him susceptible to double moves. He jumps short routes, which at times will result in interceptions but at others will give up big plays in the passing game. His tendency to get beat deep forces the Sooners to drop their safeties into deeper coverage, which opens the middle of the field for tight ends and slot receivers.

My take:

With the amount of praise Stoops has given Hurst, the young cornerback seems destined for greatness. He is a hard worker in practice and listens to OU’s great coaching staff. Such work ethic should allow him to progress quickly and become a feared member of the Oklahoma defense.

The new cornerback duo of Hurst and Jonathan Nelson will be very similar to Franks and Brian Jackson, which should be a good thing for the Sooners. They won’t have to change much of their defensive strategy, which worked to near-perfection last season. I expect Hurst to start all season and be a major threat against opposing quarterbacks. It would not be surprising if he ends up leading the team in interceptions.

Other OU players to watch (click on the names below to read the full stories)
Day 1: WR Jaz Reynolds
Day 2: OL Stephen Good
Day 3: S Sam Proctor
Day 4: CB Jonathan Nelson
Day 5: OL Tyler Evans
Day 6: RB Jermie Calhoun
Day 7: QB Drew Allen
Day 8: DT Jamarkus McFarland
Day 9: OL Ben Habern
Day 10: LB Tom Wort
Day 11: WR Dejuan Miller
Day 12: OL Donald Stephenson