Three OU freshmen -- including a kicker? -- poised for bright future

Published Jun. 10, 2015 1:40 p.m. ET

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Seldom does a conversation about a football team becoming much-improved from one season to the next involve the kicker.

But in the case of the Oklahoma Sooners, maybe it should.

Look, Bob Stoops probably still can't explain what in the world happened to the once-infallible Michael Hunnicutt last season. Perhaps the only explanation is to borrow from golf's psychiatric guide. Yep, he got the yips. Shortly after Honnicutt became the Sooners' all-time leading scorer last September, he couldn't hit anything, and it cost OU big.

Sooners fans are about to be introduced the boom foot of freshman kicker Austin Seibert, who has made himself known through posting videos of himself nailing ridiculously long field-goal attempts -- all on the practice field, of course.

If OU finds itself locked in a nail-biter, Seibert's supposedly sure-foot should help the Sooners win games such as last season's gut-wrenching home loss to Kansas State.

Fresh faces in the Sooners' secondary, a unit that was embarrassed last season, is also drawing excitement. Dallas Morning News college blogger Ryan Gerbosi analyzed the potential impact of the three incoming freshmen.

Here's his take on the trio:

P.J. Mbanasor, cornerback: To put it bluntly, OU’s secondary needs a ton of work. New defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks knows that fact better than anyone. After having one of the nation’s worst pass defense last year, the Sooners will be very willing to put some fresh blood on the field this fall. Enter P.J. Mbanasor. The four-star recruit had an offer sheet littered with top programs from across the nation, including Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Michigan State and rival Texas. With Zack Sanchez locking down one corner spot, the opportunity is there for Mbanasor to make his mark and earn some time. Plus, he’s from Pflugerville, the same hometown as last year’s freshman stud, Samaje Perine. Hopefully for OU fans, there’s something magical in the water down there.

Will Sunderland, safety: Another highly-coveted recruit with a chance to improve the troubled secondary, Sunderland should be in the mix immediately a physical presence in the middle. He’ll be competing with the likes of Steven Parker, Ahmad Thomas and Hatari Byrd, none of which has been all that spectacular. Sunderland was the second-best player in the state of Oklahoma last year and was a primary target for Ohio State. Urban Meyer even reportedly texted Sunderland after the national championship game, asking “You sure?” to the Midwest City native. The Sooners, however, kept him in state, but now they have to get the most out of him.

Austin Seibert, kicker: Things seemed pretty great for OU at kicker entering 2014, but a few untimely miscues from Michael Hunnicutt quickly soured any feelings OU fans had toward the special teams unit. Things are about to get much more pleasant in this department, however, with the arrival of Austin Seibert. According to Kohl’s Kicking, Seibert is both the No. 2 placekicker and No. 1 punter in the class of 2015. He’s dazzled fans for over a year with videos of 70-yard field goals and will likely take over at least one of the kicking duties the day he steps on campus.

(h/t Dallas Morning News)

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