DALLAS -- The Oklahoma Sooners are already the favorites to win the Big 12.
They still have a chance to get some reinforcements this season too.
Head coach Bob Stoops is hopeful that the Sooners will have the services of transfer Dorial Green-Beckham at some point this season.
Green-Beckham, who was dismissed by Missouri because of his off-field issues, transferred to Oklahoma earlier this month. The wide receiver, who was the top recruit in the country coming out of high school, will have to sit out the 2014 season unless Oklahoma can get a waiver for him to play this season.
He caught 59 passes for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns for Missouri as a sophomore but was dismissed from the team April following an alleged domestic disturbance. He was also arrested twice on drug-related charges while in school at Missouri.
Stoops said an appeal has been processed to try and get him eligible to play this season. Stoops said Green-Beckham has already started fitting in with his new program.
"As far as the process of him being a part of our team, through extensive conversations, first of all, I had a close relationship as did coach (Jay) Norvell, our receiver coach, from recruiting Dorial personally as well as with his family," Stoops said. "And then through extensive conversations with the people at Missouri and our people, it was something that we felt the person that he is, the potential that he has as a young man and as an individual, that we felt the opportunity to give him a second chance at our place could serve him well and be great for his future and believe in him as a young man and what he's able to maybe continue to become."
Stoops also wishes he had the services of another transfer in quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech last season and started seven games and was tabbed the Big 12 offensive freshman of the year. He opted to transfer after the season but he was blocked from moving to OU but Tech. Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday that the decision to block Mayfield from going to OU was a team policy.
Like Green-Beckham, Mayfield isn't eligible to play until 2015. Stoops believes that because Mayfield wasn't on scholarship at Tech he should be eligible to play now.
"It's one thing if you've invested a scholarship in an individual and he decides to leave, heck, they even half the time allow them to play immediately," Stoops said "But a guy that you haven't invested a scholarship in, I don't know why that would even be something-- why it would be an issue. But in the end, it's something that we're working through."
