Personally, I think Hansen is the best QB (between he and Thomas) we've landed in a couple of years. I'm not including Mayfield in that, just because he's ahead of both in experience alone. Hansen isn't the prototypical dual threat player, and is more of a pocket passer that can run. The only word coming out of the program is that "he's coming along nicely". In other worse, we really don't know what's going on, but I really expect him to be a legitimate contender for the 2016 season (unless he makes a big jump this offseason, then he could possible push for 2015).
He's had "interest" for a while. He was at the Texas and Baylor games on unofficial visits, so he's been at least intrigued for a while. I think the fact that A&M appears to have found their QB, and OU seems to be more open at the position, has given him something to think about. If he's looking for immediate playing time (or a real shot to earn that time), then OU is the better choice for him. I just don't know if that's enough to overcome the fact his brother played for A&M, and he's a lifelong Aggie fan. So, I would agree, I should have said surprised. Shocked is a little too strong a word.
As always, thanks, 8time. Next season, I could see Mayfield starting, TK as backup, and Thomas or Hansen as third teamer. I really wonder about how well the staff develops talent. Thomas was a darn good passer at Colleyville Heritage HS who was noted for his accuracy, but he seems to struggle to even hit an open man with no pressure at OU. We have two good athletes who can't pass at qb.
I have to think if Mayfield would have been eligible, we would have seen him a lot this year. If he had been at OU longer, he may very well have beat out Knight for the starting role. Mayfield had his share of warts at Tech, but nothing glaring. Ultimately, his demise came from a really bad game and the emergence of Webb over that same period. I still think Mayfield was better than Webb, but things are run in a strange way at Tech, and the rest is history. Anyway, The only glaring issue I saw with Mayfield (while at Tech) was the way he carried the ball. Whether he was scrambling, looking for a receiver, or keeping it on the ground, he has a tendency to carry the ball in an insecure manner. But, that's certainly nothing that can't be (or for all I know, hasn't been) corrected. I wish I knew what it was holding Knight back, because he has all of the tools to make a very good QB. My take (and I'm no QB expert) is that he over-thinks things. That leads to hesitation in the option game, and locking on to guys in the passing game. When he's not over-thinking things, it's just plain old inaccuracy. He's always had an issue with being a split second too early or too late, and that leads to a lot of incompletions. We were all hopeful that he would be the Sugar Bowl player the entire year, and he did have some good games, but he's still got a long way to go. Honestly, I struggle with who's to blame for his inconsistency. How much of it is on the receiving corps, or the play calling, or both...and how much is on TK? We'll know pretty quickly in the spring, because we'll have a better developed receiving corps, likely a new OC and we will see what he can do with those two things. I still feel like Hansen is a year away from being the go-to guy. He's not the kind of kid that can go from high school to college and be successful (those guys just aren't plentiful), but he has the tools to be a very good QB. If I had to predict the depth chart for next year, it'd look just like yours: Mayfield Knight Hansen/Thomas
I may have to back-track on my prediction here. Seems Murray has real interest, but I'm wondering how the changes are affecting his decision. He wanted to be an early enrollee, so if he's coming, he'll have to make his decision soon.
