Athlon Sports picked its Big 12 freshmen to watch this season, and OU has two players on the list.
One (predictably) is Joe Mixon -- the much-hyped running back who was suspended for all of 2014. Mixon is getting a lot of high praise from coaches and teammates during preseason camp.
"The immensely talented all-around running back should thrive in new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley's system," Athlon's Allen Kenney writes. "But that also will require that he withstand intense scrutiny away from the field following an altercation with a female co-ed."
The other player is WR/TE Mark Andrews -- another redshirt freshman -- who caught a touchdown in OU's most recent scrimmage and who quarterback Baker Mayfield says compares to former Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro.