Big 12 Classes of 2007: Oklahoma
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February 20, 2007 by
Recruiting doesn't come as easy to the Sooners as it does to the Longhorns, but Oklahoma still recruits very well. The Sooners didn't have necessarily the second best class in terms of the sheer volume of talent (there were only twenty members in the class), but in terms of bang for the buck, the Sooners were second only to the Longhorns in terms of the overall quality of the class.
The biggest standout is five-star junior college linebacker (per Rivals.com) Mike Reed. In addition, they added another eleven players that received a four-star rating from either Scout.com or Rivals. There were also another six players getting a three star rating from either Scout or Rivals, leaving only two two-star players in the class. The Sooners added only one other junior-college player in four-star offensive tackle Phil Loadholt.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Sooners class is how well it came together late. As of January 24, the Sooners class had only eleven of the ultimately twenty commitments to this class. Among those late additions were Husker targets Donald Stephenson, a three-star center, and four-star linebacker Travis Lewis who decommitted from Nebraska. Also added, at the eleventh hour were four-star defensive end Frank Alexander and four-star cornerback (and Oklahoma State decommit) Ryan Broyles.
The Sooner class is certainly not a "how-to" for recruiting. Without the late surge, the Sooners might have found themselves with an awfully small class and had scholarships sitting unused. They also added both of their two-star players in the final days. In many ways, the class mirrored the 2006 season. There was reason to lose hope but they somehow pulled off the wins they needed. I'd imagine that in the coming year they'll try to lock down more players before the end of the recruiting period so they don't find themselves scrambling again.
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Gregory Feb 20 07
Okie, is that cousin who's a couple of years older and a little thicker (ornery too). They're in our sights now, though. They're the hill Nebraska has to charge, with fixed bayonets. (It's getting late, hope you don't mind that). But it's getting doable, subtle confidence is creeping in. Nebraska is improving the old fashioned way, with no shortcuts.
If a rematch is at all possible, Nebraska's program is getting much closer to even.
James Moore Feb 21 07
As I had previously mentioned before, for the time being Oklahoma is the current resident in the Big 12's penthouse. Does anyone feel that between Texas, an up & coming Oklahoma St. program, Nebraska (we are in Texas and doing well), and other out of state powerhouses that Oklahoma might be in a talent crunch in the next 2-3 years? Not predicting a return to the mid-1990's for them but a slight drop off could happen. It's a speculative point but if could happen. I think the days of losing Travis Lewis and Reggie Smith to the Sooners could be coming to an end soon. Gregory, I agree, one more class like this and we'll be as deep as anyone in the conference, including Texas and Oklahoma.