Oklahoma State Football: What can we expect from Spencer Sanders in 2020?

Spencer Sanders had a heck of a freshman season with Oklahoma State football, but what can we expect from his sophomore year?

Over the years, Oklahoma State has fielded some very potent offenses. Led by Brandon Weeden for a couple of years, the Cowboys’ offense was dominant. The same can be said for the Mason Rudolph era. They fit right in with the high-powered offenses of the Big 12.

When Rudolph left, though, that left a void at the quarterback position.

Taylor Cornelius started for a year and there was surprisingly very little drop-off. And then he graduated and left the position open for a freshman in incoming four-star Spencer Sanders.

As a freshman, Sanders didn’t quite put up Weeden/Rudolph/Cornelius numbers, but he had 2,065 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air while completing 63 percent of his passes. He added 628 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, showing he’s more mobile than the recent quarterbacks Mike Gundy has fielded.

With one season under his belt already and a solid first year, what can we expect from a sophomore Sanders?

Sophomore expectations with Oklahoma State football

Accuracy is always the biggest thing with young quarterbacks and Sanders showed that’s not going to be an issue during his time in Stillwater.

In fact, his 63 percent completion rate is better than what Cornelius had in his lone year as the starter, slightly better than Rudolph’s first year as a starter (62 percent) and it took a junior Weeden to surpass 63 percent. It was Weeden’s first year as a starter, but we have to remember that Sanders was only a freshman.

Since accuracy isn’t an issue, he’ll have to make sure he stays healthy. Mobile quarterbacks are at risk for injuries and that’s why Sanders played 11 games in 2019 instead of 13. If he can stay healthy and appear in and start all 13, we could see him post some big-time numbers.

Sanders has Tylan Wallace, Dillon Stoner and Jelani Woods returning in terms of targets as well as Chuba Hubbard in the backfield. He is an elite runner but also caught 23 passes for 198 yards in 2019. He will put up some big numbers in this offense, especially with three starting offensive linemen back.

What type of numbers can we expect in 2020 from Sanders? I’m going to say he surpasses 3,000 yards with 25 touchdowns. I’d say he’s closer to 3,500 passing yards and 500 rushing yards.

Not bad for a sophomore.