To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Big 12 is headlined by Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield when it comes to the conference’s annual regular season awards.
The Sooners star signal-caller (and prohibitive Heisman Trophy favorite) was named the 2017 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday according to a release, capturing the honor for the second time in three seasons in Norman. Teammate Ogbonnia Okoronkwo also took home some hefty hardware from the conference, as he was named co-Defensive Player of the Year with Texas’ linebacker Malik Jefferson.
Also notable was the Chuck Neinas Coach of the Year Award winner, which went to Matt Campbell after he took the Cyclones to a 7-5 record (5-4 in conference play).
Other Big 12 honors handed out included:
- West Virginia QB Will Grier was name Offensive Newcomer of the Year
- TCU defensive end Ben Banogu was the Defensive Newcomer of the Year
- Co-Offensive Freshmen of the Year were Baylor QB Charlie Brewer and TCU wideout Jalen Reagor
- Co-Defensive Freshmen of the Year were Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray and TCU DT Ross Blacklock
- Special Teams Player of the Year was Texas punter Michael Dickson, an Aussie who won the trophy for the second straight season
- Offensive Lineman of the Year was Orlando Brown, the Sooners’ left tackle who won for the second year in a row
- Defensive Lineman of the Year honors went to Texas senior DT Poona Ford
That was fun.
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 30, 2017
All of the other footballers who were 🔥 this season » https://t.co/RfdMADalE1 pic.twitter.com/pQH6vAwCqc
According to the conference, Oklahoma won the most individual awards in the 21-year history of the Big 12 with a whopping 39 after this year’s haul. All the selections were voted on by the league’s coaches, which were not allowed to vote for their own players.