The official list of the Big 12's top 25 players is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing the list day by day here on the blog. Here's a refresher on my exact criteria.
No. 22: Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
2010 numbers: Had 61 catches for 786 yards and five touchdowns.
Most recent ranking: Stills was unranked in our postseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.
Making the case for Stills: Oklahoma had been in search of a true second receiver to complement Ryan Broyles for all the 2009 season and never really found one. It looked like it might be over in the spring of 2010, but Stills cemented his spot midway through 2010 and finished it as the program's record-holder for receiving yardage by a freshman.
Perhaps most shocking: He did it without ever recording a 100-yard receiving game. Stills caught three of his five touchdowns in the season's final five games, including one of the biggest catches of the year for the Sooners against Nebraska.
Stills is a solid, balanced receiver with good hands who can run past lots of defensive backs and go up and get the ball over others. The Big 12 will lack some of the solid secondaries it had in 2010, like Texas' and Nebraska's, and Stills should be one of the league's receivers that benefits. He's got a good chance to join Broyles as a 1,000-yard receiver, and considering his quarterback, Landry Jones, threw more passes than anyone in college football last year, it won't be for a lack of chances. Oklahoma has lots of young talent at the position, as well as senior Dejuan Miller, but I'd be very surprised if Stills didn't take another huge step and only make it more clear that he's the No. 2 option on this team before taking over as its top receiver in 2012.
The rest of the list:
No. 23: Brad Madison, DE, Missouri
No. 24: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
No. 25: Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri
