Outland Trophy watch list 2017: 5 favorites to win
By John Buhler
Orlando Brown
Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners should be one of the better teams in the Power 5 this year. They will try to win the Big 12 Conference Championship for the third straight year and get back into the College Football Playoff. While head coach Bob Stoops retired from coaching this summer, the Sooners still have redshirt senior quarterback Baker Mayfield under center and an offensive guru at head coach in Lincoln Riley.
It also helps to have one of the biggest guys in the sport out at left tackle in Orlando Brown Jr. You might recall the name Orlando Brown, as his father was that guy that got hit in the face with a penalty flag by the referee while playing for the Cleveland Browns.
Brown will only be a redshirt sophomore this season for the Sooners, but look for him to dominate up front in Riley’s Air Raid attack in the Big 12. At 6-foot-8, 340 pounds, Brown will be bigger and longer than everybody he will go up against in the Big 12 this year. He could go pro after 2017 if he feels like it, but the more reps the guy gets at tackle for Oklahoma, the better.
Given the Sooners are legitimate national title contenders, that only adds to Brown’s chances of winning the Outland Trophy as a redshirt sophomore. Expect the Big 12 to bounce back after a rough year in 2016. Oklahoma could compete for a national title if the Sooners can get out of the Bedlam Series alive.