I would like to see us recruit as many powerful

[MamaMia]

defensive linemen as we can get our hands on. I think its key to our play next season.

[CatfishSooner]

totally agree... right now our DT play is good but we need a tommy harris/gerald mccoy type to get #8 i think...

[LVSOONER15]

That's true. We need a dominant defensive line.

[Caboose]

Having a dominant defensive line is a good thing? Who knew?

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Is this for 2012 or 2014?

[soonerboy_odanorth]

For the future... sure. But for next year, no. Don't believe that should be our priority. We need depth at LB moreso, I think; and, we need a couple of DBs.. preferably a shutdown corner, before we need D-line help.

Lemme do the rundown...

DE: Frank is gone, and I think you can count Ronnell as good as gone too. (Doesn't seem to me college has suited Ronnell all that well, and if he is number 1 or 2 on the OLB draft boards with Burfect, then he should split.) But King is a monster and RJ finally matured this year and will be very solid. Geneo has had flashes and will I think be a force in short order. Chuka has gotten some reps, so should be good for some rotation next year, and last I heard the staff was very high on Hughes.

DT: Then in the interior those guys still will have one more year of weight room and will be huge. We saw against Tech what a difference maker Walker is. He is a far better DT than he has ever been given credit. Not having him against Tech was a huge factor. He owns the middle when he is in. And McFarland and McGee I think are good and still improving. And then there flat out are some numbers w/ our DTs. Peterson, Humphrey, Phillips, Anderson, Williams, and Aladenoye. I can just about guarantee we'll develop at least two out of that set that are very good. Phillips was recruited, btw, as the next dominant DT like a Harris of McCoy. And before he got himself in the doghouse, Anderson as an early enrollee last spring was a big headache for the offense. Word I herard is he has some serious chops. We just have to hope he learns from his mistake (to read: isn't a knucklehead.)

So currently we have two DE commits, but I think both are seen more as developmental. I don't know that we'll take another unless we can sway Mario Edwards away from FSU. If we can, then of course we will. For DT I'd be surprised if we bring in any more than 1. I think we are taking a chance and trying to get the home run with Ellis McCarthy out of CA. I don't know where we stand there, though.

Anyway, you take that picture as a whole, and then compare it to DB and LB. And first w/ DB come to the realization that behind Flemming the next best option is Gabe Lynn... and having seen that play. That's a little scary. Gabe to me does not look cut out for corner... seems to me he is a more natural safety and I will not be shocked to see a switch there next year with Colvin moved back to corner. Behind them there is talk of promise with Hayes, Haynes, Wilson and Okotcha. But we're going hard after JUCO safety Gerald Bowman, which to me throws up a bit of a red flag.

Then LB... I love Wort, Jefferson, Nelson, Ibiloye, and Bird for our starts and couple of rotates. But I honestly don't know if we have much behind them. Note we have a walk-on (and yes, as we've seen, he could be really good) popping up occasionally on that depth chart (Caleb Gastelum). Kellen Jones has been listed as an '-or-' with Bird and has played some. But so far I think that play could be described as rough... and not a good kind of rough. (But, he was a late addition to the class and in the first year of the system... so he could have exponential growth.) After that I haven't heard any buzz about the rest of the LB corp. But going back to our starters for next year... one or two of those guys go down and it could be a little scary. (It is scary this year when one goes down.)

Anyway, that's my take. And being that it is my take, probably the opposite of everything I wrote is how it will play out....

[Jacie]

Now if you would communicate this information to the coaching staff, the final piece of the puzzle would be in place. I am certain they will welcome this suggestion since none of them ever thought of it . . .

[soonerboy_odanorth]

I'm working on it. But they told me they were only going to give me the one shot to put in a suggestion. But having Blake Bell run "the Tebow" for short yardage is working out pretty well. So I'm hoping they'll let me have a little input on the D side. :P

[sooneredaco]

We need a kicker who can consistently make field goals

[winout]

No joke.... I had an uncle that wrote the Bama coaches and told them we (Bama) "needed to intercept more passes."

[cvsooner]

We need a kicker who can consistently make field goalsWe have a couple of those. One who can consistently kick off into the end zone would be better.

[kevpks]

Well we already have our recruiting class for next year. I know there is at least one high-profile LB (Striker from FL). Talking about what we should look for next year doesn't make sense since the class is already committed.

[marfacowboy]

This is not a new formula, either. Miami showed, better than any other program, how to win national championships with big, fast, defensive linemen. Jerome Brown and Warren Sapp come to mind...

[MamaMia]

Now if you would communicate this information to the coaching staff, the final piece of the puzzle would be in place. I am certain they will welcome this suggestion since none of them ever thought of it . . . Yeah right...I'll get right on that, as soon as you tell them you hope we don't get to the title game this year.

This is a football message board. It doesn't take a real high IQ to realize that its quite alright to express what we would like to see in the area of recruiting.

[Jacie]

All I did was express an opinion, of which you accused me of poisoning this board.

At least we can both agree on one thing, it did not take a high IQ to start this thread . . .

[MamaMia]

All I did was express an opinion, of which you accused me of poisoning this board.

At least we can both agree on one thing, it did not take a high IQ to start this thread . . . Look...I would never EVER say that I hope we don't play in the National Championship game. You even admitted that what you said was blasphemy, which is the same as poisonous in my book. Unlike so many who made nothing but rude attacks upon you for having said that, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I even made the comment that I really didn't believe you meant what you said in an effort to draw some heat off of you. In return you post a rude comment directed toward me for merely saying what I would personally like to see in the area of recruiting. Nice.

This board is full of folks stating what they would like to see in the area of recruiting, and that will always be. To any reasonable person...theres not a darn thing wrong with that.