Our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players continues. The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing a new member of the list every day.
Here's a quick rundown on my criteria for this list.
No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
2011 numbers: Completed 355-of-562 passes for 4,463 yards, 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
Most recent ranking: Jones was ranked No. 4 in our preseason list of the top 25 players.
Making the case for Jones: For some reason, most tend to focus on what Landry Jones is not, rather than what he is. From his perspective, it has to be frustrating. No, he's not Sam Bradford. Few are. Yes, he regressed as a junior after a stellar sophomore season.
But still, show some broader perspective. He threw for more yards than everybody in college football except Houston's Case Keenum and OSU's Brandon Weeden. He threw more passes than all but three quarterbacks, but that says a lot about how the coaching staff feels about him. QB Blake Bell's inclusion into the gameplan in the gadget Belldozer formation inexplicably increased the Jones criticisms, but even in a loss to Baylor, Jones was outstanding. He wasn't great in the loss to Oklahoma State, but find me someone on Oklahoma's team who did play well in that game.
Losing Ryan Broyles late in the season hurt, but Jones is still one of the game's best quarterbacks and one of the frontrunners for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2013. The Heisman is within reach, too.
It's easy to focus on what he's not. What he is? Outstanding.
The rest of the list:
No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M
