Not since 1999 has Oklahoma failed to place a defender on an end-of-year All-Big 12 team.
But on the preseason All-Big 12 team released Wednesday, not a single Sooner defender earned the distinction.
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier was named preseason Offensive Player of the Year after 34 tossing touchdowns last season. TCU defensive end Ben Banogu was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year pick. Texas Tech, which had the nation’s worst defense two years ago, had a league-high three defenders picked on the preseason team.
While no Oklahoma player was named to the preseason team defensively, incoming Sooner freshman Brendan Radley-Hiles was selected as the preseason Newcomer of the Year. An ESPN 300 signee out of IMG (Florida) Academy, Radley-Hiles is projected to win a starting job in Oklahoma’s secondary.
In all, the Sooners had seven players on the preseason All-Big 12 team, including running back Rodney Anderson and wide receiver Marquise Brown.