Much has been made of the state of affairs of the Big 12 teams from an institutional standpoint. Some school are looking to take their program’s elsewhere, while some are trying to preserve the ever-disintegrating conference. But for the football players and coaches, Saturday’s are their most important concern. Here is a look at how schools from around the conference are doing with their on-field talent.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma running back Jonathan Miller was arrested Thursday night for failure to appear in court for a traffic ticket issued last year. The redshirt sophomore was initially ticketed in September of 2010 for driving without a license. Head coach Bob Stoops downplayed the significance of the event “I don’t suspend guys for traffic tickets,” Stoops said.
Missouri
Missouri tight end Michael Egnew and Texas linebacker Emmanuel Acho are among 30 national candidates for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS award. The CLASS award, an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School is presented annually to a player that makes a positive impact in their community as well as utilizing their complete athletic ability and remaining committed to their university.
Baylor
Former blue-chip running back Lache Seastrunk has decided to transfer from Oregon to Baylor amid allegations regarding the validity of his recruitment. The Temple native will be a mere 40 minutes from his hometown. “I think I have strong, valid reasons why I’m coming home,” Seastrunk said.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech formally named junior Seth Doege as its starting quarterback. “We pretty much figured he’d be the guy that gets the reins early,” said head coach Tommy Tuberville.
Texas
Texas’ starting safety Christian Scott was suspended for the first three games of 2011 after being arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge earlier this month. “He will be working with the scout team until he’s eligible to play,” said head coach Mack Brown.
Kansas
Kansas announced sophomore Jordan Webb will start at quarterback. “There’s no situation where Jordan is going to lose his job anytime soon,” said head coach Turner Gill. Freshman quarterback Brock Berglund will not practice with the team this year. “Due to legal issues, Brock will no longer be attending practices this fall,” said Gill. Sophomore running back Deshaun Sands was also arrested on an outstanding warrant for missing a court date related to an April misdemeanor disturbing the peace citation. Sands has since been dismissed from
the team.
Iowa State
Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads has named junior Steele Jantz as the starting quarterback. Jantz beat out fellow junior Jerome Tiller, who is academically ineligible.
Jantz may have one less receiver to throw to in the Cyclones’ first game. Senior Iowa State receiver Darius Reynolds suffered a broken toe, and his status for the season opener against Nothern Iowa remains uncertain. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound target is the Cyclones’ top returning receiver, and his health is important to their success on offense.
Kansas State
Kansas State running back Arthur Brown’s name recently came up in reports surrounding the Miami University booster scandal. Brown is a former Hurricane, and allegedly received improper benefits from former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro. Under normal NCAA regulations, Brown would lose years of eligibility for his involvement with the scandal. However, he has been granted limited immunity by the NCAA in exchange for his cooperation and information regarding Shapiro. Brown will retain his full eligibility and not be punished by
the Wildcats.
