Big 12 Football: 3 most impactful opt-outs for the 2020 season
1) Most impactful Big 12 football opt outs: RB Kennedy Brooks
By far the most impactful opt out news that dropped thus far around the Big 12 came from rising junior running back and former four-star recruit Kennedy Brooks. Oklahoma will be missing one crucial play on each side of the ball this fall, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. They don’t have the same number of opt outs as the Longhorns, but the these two are much more impactful.
What also hurts for the Sooners this year is that they lost rising senior running back Trey Sermon to the transfer portal. Sermon eventually landed with head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes out of the portal. But that didn’t prove to be a good move for Sermon this year as the Big Ten won’t be playing a usual football season this fall.
Nonetheless, now that the Oklahoma backfield will be without both Brooks and Sermon this fall, Riley will have to find answers elsewhere. What Brooks would’ve brought back with him this year is more than 2,000 career rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 7.5 yards per carry, and 136 receiving yards. Sermon also had just shy of 500 total yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns for Oklahoma last season in 10 games played.
dark. Next. How Longhorns DB depth chart should look for 2020
Oklahoma is rolling with junior T.J. Pledger as their starting running back in the season opener. He’ll be backed up by the likes of senior Rhamondre Stevenson, redshirt freshman Marcus Major, and true freshman Seth McGowan. That’s a lot of production to make up for from those four running backs, with roughly 1,500 total yards from scrimmage from last year lost with Brooks and Sermon gone.