SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In the weeks since a 44-10 loss at Oklahoma State, several Sooners have left the team -- with others rumored to be on the way out.
Head coach Bob Stoops has refused to address specifically any of the defections. But a couple of his players opened up about them this week as the team prepares for Friday's Insight Bowl against Iowa.
"It has affected us drastically in my eyes," sophomore linebacker Corey Nelson confessed Wednesday. "Just losing so many good players, so many good players that had so much potential. It made a lot of guys question whether they should stay here or not from here on out. It also just brought a lot of confusion to the players, trying to understand why these players were leaving, what was the main reason as to why they're leaving.
"It has affected us all. I think it's still affecting us today. But we're just trying to put it behind us, since we have the game this week. But it still affects us."
Six players alone from Nelson's 2010 class are not with the team in Arizona, including receivers Justin McCay and Sheldon McClain, defensive tackles Torrea Peterson and Eric Humphrey, safety James Haynes and tight end Austin Haywood, who quit the team midseason, then failed to work his way back after Stoops gave him a second chance.
Nelson said he expects more defections, too.
"I'm still kinda wary about which specific teammates are going to be off the team," he said. "It's still going on. It hasn't stopped. We still have a couple of guys that are kind of unsure about what the coaches want to do with them, kind of unsure whether they want to leave or not.
"It's still an issue the coaches are still trying to weed out, that the players are still trying to understand and cope with."
The Sooners tried to talk freshman running back Brandon Williams, the gem of the 2011 recruiting class, out of transferring to Texas A&M. But defensive captain Travis Lewis said other departures were a consequence of Stoops "deciding to put his foot down."
"The guys that weren't contributing, the guys that were going by the wayside and trying to get a free ride are no longer here," Lewis said. "If you're going to be at Oklahoma, you need to contribute, you need to do all the little things to make this team succeed. The players that weren't doing that, he said, 'OK, it was nice of you being here, I appreciate you, but go do your thing.' "
Lewis revealed that as the team started to lose, he began to notice a widespread lack of commitment to the "little things."
"I think along the way, we forgot about the little things we were doing right, like not missing a class," Lewis said. "Just being at practice and meetings on time. Little things we all took for granted through the season. Not that we forgot about them, but we started taking them for granted. You can't have that on your team.
Corey is young and Travis is more mature...their comments reflect that. Stoops has put his foot down and for those that think Stoops has become complacent, may want to rethink that. His actions reflect a man of deep commitment, passion, and integrity. He expects the best and you bet he will be making many more changes. Look to next fall to see some of those changes, when they truly take affect.
There are plenty of dedicted athletes out there that will put their heart and soul into playing for OU. If a player won't do that for whatever reason then show them the door. I am completely on board with the house cleaning project going on right now. Too many of these athletes think they have some right to a free education and opportunity of a lifetime without really working for it.
Right on Travis!!! Corey get with the program- In Stoops We Trust!
100% agree.
We don't have the toughness or the players commitment we had in the early part of this century.
We won the 2000 MNC with less talent than we've had the last 4 or 5 years. Clean 'em out coach and get the players that want to put in the effort necessary and want to be developed for the NFL or for life after college.
If we have to re-build; Stoops and staff are the best to do that.
while i agree that players that arent with the program should leave. There is NO way you can blame our losses on them. They werent the ones missing tackles or fumbling the ball or not making catches. Some of the blame goes to the coaches and some goes to the players playing in the game.
Think god that the players are telling the truth. It was always a lack of commitment from some of the players, not the coaches. I hope that some of u will now stop bashing the coaches.
wow......corey nelson