After a few hours on the depth-chart bench, Oklahoma middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds is again apparently a starter.Monday, Sooners coach Bob Stoops' released the team's depth chart with several surprises.
The biggest was in the middle, as the coaching staff had Mike Balogun listed as the starter with incoming freshman Tom Wort backing him up and no mention of expected front-runners Reynolds, who starred for the team until suffering an injury against Texas, and Austin Box, who started four games at the position last year.
But as of Tuesday at 10AM, the two-deep listed Reynolds as the No.1 linebacker and Balogun backing him up. It's unclear what prompted the quick change, whether it was a coaching decision or simply a typographical error. Sooners football media contact Kenny Mossman did not return several calls on Tuesday for clarification.
Reynolds and Box both missed spring ball while recovering from injuries, allowing Balogun and Wort to shine. Reynolds, who started the first six games last season for the Sooners before a knee injury ended his year, was projected as the starter for the 2009 season so it was a surprise when he wasn't listed on initial the two deep.
Another milder surprise is that the backup quarterback position remains unsettled. It was all but expected redshirt freshman Landry Jones, a former highly touted recruit, would back up Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford this fall. But going into camp, Jones and incoming freshman Drew Allen have "or" separating them in the race for the No.2 quarterback spot.
Three other true freshmen appear poised for serious playing time for the four-time Big 12 South champions, with Tom Wort listed as Balogun's backup, while Jaydan Bird comes in as the No.2 weakside linebacker behind All-Big 12 linebacker Travis Lewis and Javon Harris is a reserve strong safety. All three participated in spring practices.
One-time running back Mossis Madu has also been shifted to slot receiver where he is listed as a backup.
