Bradford set to be mentor to newcomer

Sam Bradford's biggest strides last season happened outside the arena, when teammates recognized him as their fearless leader. Now, with a Heisman Trophy, two Big 12 championships and scores of passing records in his locker, Bradford must take the next step as teacher. His first student? Drew Allen, an early enrollee at the University of Oklahoma and the College of Sam.

"Bradford's staying for another year," said Allen's high school coach, Don Byrd. "He's excited to be able to learn from him on the field. It sounds like it's going to be a great opportunity for him." Allen certainly never shied away from the glare of replacing one of college football's best quarterback. When Bradford does decide to leave after his junior season (2009) or after his senior season (2010) the Sooners have only Allen and Landry Jones, who sat out last season as a redshirt freshman. "Anywhere you go, there's going to be competition, any good program," Byrd said. "And Drew's not scared of competition. He wants to make a name for himself at this level, and he's excited about being with coach (Bob) Stoops and coach (Josh) Heupel and the things they bring to the table." Even though he's technically already a Sooner because he's on campus, taking classes and working out, Allen will officially sign with OU on Wednesday national signing day. First-year players are off-limits to media interviews, but Allen told the San Antonio Express-News last fall that getting to OU early is "a real good opportunity for me. I didn't think I would want to leave high school early because it's my senior year and it's a fun time, but I want to take advantage of this chance." "Shoot," said Byrd, "a whole spring working with coach Heupel and the Oklahoma program? Why wouldn't you want to start early?" Allen has a strong pedigree. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he passed for 2,642 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 530 yards and six touchdowns during his senior season at Alamo Heights High School. He's the third consecutive Alamo Heights QB to reach Division I-A. The first was Chase Clement, who set numerous passing records at Rice, and the second was Giovanni Vizza, who played two years at North Texas. Also, Allen's dad, Andy Allen, played tight end at the University of Texas. "It's been fun watching those two (Clement and Vizza)," Byrd said. "It's going to be neat to see how Drew does in his college career." "What an exciting program they have up there, a winning tradition and so forth. To lure him, and his dad went to UT and he's in the heart of Texas here, and to go up to OU, you know they've got to have a lot of excitement going." What kind of quarterback is OU getting? Take a look at Heupel, Jason White and Bradford, and you may be getting a glimpse of Allen. "He has a great presence in the pocket," Byrd said. "He's a pretty strong young man. He works out really hard in the weight room. He's a great leader. He knows what it takes to compete and he brings up the level of people around him."