Yesterday for day 3 of the countdown we highlighted a high flying pass catcher from the west coast. Now today for day 2, we’re going to take a look at a pass rusher that was the most intimidating man in the Big 12 when he played.
Shawn Oakman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. He was a standout hoops player along with being a great football player.
Oakman committed to play college football at Penn State in 2010 and enrolled in 2011. He redshirted the 2011 season as a freshman and in early 2012 was dismissed from the Nittany Lions by Bill O’Brien for violations of team rules.
Part of the reason he left Penn State also was due to an incident where he physically assaulted a female cashier who reportedly tried to stop him from stealing food from a campus store.
At Baylor, Oakman took 2012 off due to NCAA rules and returned in 2013 as a backup. In that position he racked up thirty three tackles and two sacks.
The following season, Oakman returned and was named a starter. He tallied fifty two tackles, eleven sacks, and four forced fumbles. His efforts earned him Third Team All American and First Team All Big 12.
Oakman was a projected first round pick but opted to return to play for the Bears. He wasn’t able to match his 2014 success as he only recorded four and a half sacks with forty three tackles.
The six foot, nine inch pass rusher is now known for a sexual assault allegation that took three years of his life away. He was accused of rape in 2016 and was found not guilty in 2019 which was way past Oakmans prime to make a run at the NFL.
Tomorrow for day 1 we’ll be taking a look at a standout quarterback from Oklahoma, maybe not the one you’re thinking of.