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March 25, 2013 | Spring Football Central | Football Notebook | Roster | Twitter

Multi-Purpose Millard

Trying to label Trey Millard is a fruitless task. While he's officially listed as a fullback on the roster, the senior can line up as a fullback, a single back or at tight end. An All-Big 12 First Team selection a year ago at fullback, he also was named an All-Big 12 Second Team performer by AP as a tight end.

Whether it's as a runner, a receiver or a blocker, Millard has proven his mettle as a multi-purpose performer for the Sooners. That versatility is appreciated by OU coaches and fans alike, and will undoubtedly make Millard an intriguing prospect for many NFL teams. However, Millard wasn't ready to make that leap just yet, opting to return for his senior campaign.

"When I made my decision it stuck right then and there," Millard said. "You have got to live with the decisions you make. That was my choice and I made it by myself and I am comfortable with it.

"Obviously as a coach and a friend of his I felt like it was the best thing for him," said running backs coach Cale Gundy. "Trey is smart enough to understand. He wanted to come back and finish his education. He wanted to get his degree. He wanted to continue to work on things he felt he could get better at that would help him at the next level. Also, he's one of our leaders. He's one of our best players on offense, one of our best special teams players and he wanted to come back and enjoy another solid year of being a part of the Oklahoma football program."

Millard enters the 2013 campaign owning 81 carries for 441 yards (5.4 avg.) with five TDs, as well as 59 receptions for 599 yards (9.8 avg.) with six TDs. While he has earned plenty of kudos for his ability to multi-task, he appreciates the versatility of the three quarterbacks vying for OU's starting job this fall and understands that veterans like him have a responsibility to fulfill their own roles to take any added burden off their signal callers.

"We all kind of move along as a team; we move along as the quarterback goes," Millard continued. "We all know that to help them we have to do our own jobs to give them the best looks and kind of help make things a little easier on them. I think everybody is definitely competing hard right now and trying to do that."

Fellow seniors Brennan Clay and Damien Williams appreciate Millard's many contributions and were quick to sing his praises.

"Trey is one of the best players on the team hands down," said Clay. "He can do it all, catch, run, receive, I mean he does it all. I appreciate what he does especially since we're little backs compared to him and he takes a lot of the big hits and we appreciate it."

Perhaps Williams summed up the emotions of most Sooners' fans when they learned that the Columbia, Mo., native was returning for one more year in Norman.

"I was actually really excited," Williams said. "He was actually at my house when he told me and I was just like, 'Thank you, God.' It's exciting to have somebody who is explosive like him in blocking and with the ball in his hands. It's exciting."

Damien Williams, The Sequel

Damien Williams hadn't even arrived on campus in Norman this time last year. When he hit the ground at OU for fall drills as a transfer from Arizona Western, few outside of the Sooners' coaching staff could have imagined the impact he'd have on the field in 2012. Williams carried the ball 176 times for 946 yards with 11 TDs, while catching 34 passes for 320 yards with one score. An All-Big 12 Second Team selection and an honorable mention pick as Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, Williams is no longer an unknown commodity.

But despite the success he enjoyed in 2012, there will be plenty of competition for playing time in the OU backfield this season. Brennan Clay is coming off a productive junior campaign, while a host of young performers are knocking on the door, as well. Williams doesn't seem phased by the competition.

"Not at all," he responded when asked if he feels other players nipping at his heels. "We're all out here to compete. This is the game. Everybody wants to be that guy. I've just got to keep working on me."

In fact, Williams doesn't mind helping the younger competition on the practice field.

"I help them as much as possible so they can get better and so they can get on the field," he said. "I want everybody to get a chance to be on the field."

The Book on Brennan & More

Brennan Clay is one of four senior running backs on the OU roster, joining Damien Williams, Trey Millard and Roy Finch. Clay racked up a career-high 555 rushing yards in 2012 and owns 956 career rushing yards. The San Diego, Calif., native also accounted for a career-best six rushing TDs last season. Most notably, his 18-yard TD run provided the pivotal points in an epic Bedlam duel vs. Oklahoma State. Clay is carrying a pretty simple philosophy heading into his final collegiate campaign.

"Just to work hard," Clay said. "My motto is stay humble, so stay humble and just to keep pushing. This is my last year and I'm going to go out with a bang and do big things on the field. Just be a leader on the team, be a motivator and do what I can."

And while many players might begrudge having another senior competing for playing time, Clay maintains his team-first mentality when discussing fellow backfield mate Damien Williams.

"We both piggy-back off of one another," Clay said of Williams. "He makes a big play, I make a big play. We go back and forth and we just like to compete. We do anything we can for this offense, for the team and like I said be leaders and help this offense out."

While much of the focus throughout the spring and fall will center on how carries are split up between Clay and Williams, the 197-pound back is excited about the host of young runners in the Sooners' stable.

"I would say (Alex) Ross is doing a great job," he said. "Daniel Brooks is doing great. David Smith. All the youngsters are catching on finally. They're getting plays down and they're learning. They're steadily learning the playbook and doing what they can."

Williams was also quick to compliment Ross, a redshirt freshman who was a record-setting performer at Jenks High School.

"Alex is a competitor," he said. "He likes competing. This is his type of environment. He's from here and this is where he wanted to go. He works hard, but he's a natural athlete. The more work he puts in the better he can be."

MONDAY'S PRACTICE
In their first workout in 11 days, the Sooners returned from spring break by practicing inside at the Everest Indoor Training Center on Monday:

Photo Gallery (56 photos)
Video

  Spring Practice Report No. 5
  Mic'd Up: Coach Gundy
  Sooner Sound Bytes
  RB Damien Williams Interview
  RB Brennan Clay Interview
  Post-Practice Quotes

INSTAGRAM P.O.T.D.
The Sooners practice at the Everest Training Center Monday with seven banners watching over. Check us out at @ou_football:

MONDAY NOTEBOOK
A steady stream of media will be visiting Norman in the weeks leading up to the spring game. Mark Schlabach of ESPN caught up with Coach Stoops and company Monday.
The Kansas City Chiefs conducted a private workout with tackle Lane Johnson and safety Tony Jefferson on Friday afternoon at the Everest Training Center. The Chiefs contingent included general manager John Dorsey, head coach Andy Reid, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, offensive line coach Andy Heck and assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung. Former OU head coach and current Chiefs linebackers coach was also present.

A LOOK AT THE RBs
Senior Damien Williams | Bio
Named All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Honorable Mention in 2013
Played in all 13 games with 9 starts last year in his first season at OU, finishing seventh in the Big 12 with 946 rushing yards and 10th in the conference with 1,266 all-purpose yards
Was the only FBS player to have four runs of 65 yards or more in 2012

Senior Brennan Clay | Bio
Played in all 13 games in 2013, totaling 555 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards and a team-high 507 kick return
yards
Led the Big 12 in kickoff return average at 25.4 yards per return
Scored the game-winning 18-yard touchdown run in overtime against Oklahoma State

Senior Roy Finch | Bio
Played in all 13 games for the Sooners in 2013
Totaled 372 yards on just 12 kickoff returns, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown against Kansas
Has 1,065 rushing yards and 351 receiving yards in 34 career games

SOCIAL MEDIA
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Twitter: @OU_Football
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SPRING CENTRAL
Track all of our spring football content from analysis to video and photos in Spring Football Central, as well as a practice schedule:

Spring Central | Schedule

QUOTABLE

Senior C Gabe Ikard
"Right now it's mostly mental stuff for me. I'm working on my footwork and my initial two-steps, where I need to place my helmet and stuff like that. I'm still going through individual and going to the weight room and getting better in there. Definitely not an off time or anything like that for me. I don't like missing practice with my teammates, but I'm doing what I can do right now to get healthy but still getting better in the process."