Sooners Relying on Strong Batch of Young Talent

OU has already played nine different true freshmen, led by Trey Millard and Tony Jefferson.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:57 am

By: News On 6

Sooners Relying on Strong Batch of Young Talent

Originally Published: Sep 15, 2010 4:25 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Sooners had one of their strongest recruiting classes in recent memory last year, and head coach Bob Stoops has wasted no time making use of it.

A total of nine true freshmen saw the field during OU’s first two games of the season, led by Trey Millard on offense. Millard has started both games at fullback and received high praise from Stoops and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.

“I’ve been bragging about him a lot,” Stoops said. “The guy is mature beyond his years in how he handles himself, mature beyond his years physically, everything. He’s just a really powerful player and talented guy. You get a guy that has that kind of size to him and he’s got light feet, he’s got great hands. So we’re excited about Trey ? we love guys like that and play them a lot.”

Millard has performed so well that coaches are trying to find more ways of using him, much like they did with former Sooners Brody Eldridge and Matt Clapp. But Millard played running back in high school, so he said he is still getting used to being a full-time blocker.

“It’s been a big adjustment, but I had time during two-a-days and camp to work on my blocking,” Millard said. “I’m getting there, but I can still be better. You can always be better, and I’ll just continue to work on it.”

Millard will be used as a hybrid fullback and tight end as the season goes on, and Wilson said they are putting more responsibility on the freshman because he has proven he can handle it.

“In two games, Trey Millard has not looked like a freshman,” Wilson said. “He looks like he’s been here for a couple years, the way he plays.”

While Millard has been impressive on offense, Tony Jefferson has stepped up on defense. Jefferson has also played in both of OU’s games, primarily as an extra defensive back in nickel formations, and currently leads the team in deflected passes.

“He’s played great,” Stoops said. “He has graded out really well in both games. Tony has also been really good and disciplined for a young guy to really play smart, to understand positioning, to understand alignments, to recognize formations, all of that. He’s played it really well so far, which has been exciting to see.”

Stoops knew from the beginning that he had a potential star in Jefferson, to the point that he personally traveled to San Diego to recruit him.

“When you watch Tony in high school, on both sides of the ball he’s making plays everywhere,” Stoops said. “You can tell his knack for having good football knowledge, finding the ball and making plays.”