Guns Up Nation Mailbag with Trevor Williams

Welcome to the Guns Up Nation Mailbag! Every week, one of our staff members will be taking your questions and answer them one by one! This week our mail bagger is none other than Trevor Williams!

I don’t think the team’s success will depend solely on the production of Shough, although his ability to play at a high level certainly helps. QB play has rarely been the *only* factor holding the team back from achieving more in recent years, except for a few situations in which injuries took a toll and talent in the QB room took a slight dip. As we all know, people love to talk about how even with Mahomes, the team broke .500 just once in three years. I think one of the most glaring answers to this question resides in the fact that the oddsmakers in Vegas have Shough’s odds of being selected first overall at somewhere between +1000 and +2000, yet have the team total number of wins set at just 4.5.

This implies that Vegas seems to think Shough could be a very high selection in the first round while only leading the team to four or five wins. I think personally believe Shough will have a large impact on the team’s success. I also think the defense as a whole will have just as much if not more influence on how far the team can go. As for a top-five finish in the conference, I need to see that kind of success in the program before I buy-in. However, I know lots of people are very high on the team this year, and rightfully so. Personally, at this point in time, I think a seventh to ninth place conference finish is far more likely than a top five.

Wow, what a tough question.. There’s almost no way to answer this without stating the obvious that every transfer has the ability and opportunity in front of them to add massive value to the program this season. With all due respect to every one of the seven current transfers for next season, my best guess at this moment is Bryson Williams. There are a few reasons for this, starting with the opportunity he has to immediately impact the front-court from a scoring and rebounding perspective. As seen in his 23-13 game against Kansas late last year, he has the size and athleticism to compete up front in the Big 12. He also comes in with four complete seasons of division one basketball under his belt, making for a smoother transition than some of the younger guys.

Fair or not, the hype growing over this year’s football team with so much returning experience, a potential first-round NFL Quarterback, and Sonnie Cumbie at Offensive Coordinator sure does make me feel like it’s bowl or bust. Now whether or not this is what Kirby Hocutt and the donors are expecting is a different story. But with just a 5-13 record in Big 12 play over his first two seasons, it’s hard to imagine another two or three-win conference slate would help his case in staying for another year.