Recruiting is the life blood of the program. A look into the shaky 2012 Sooners:

[goingoneight]

Warning, this is going to be an extremely long-winded post. I posted the last five recruiting classes so that we can get a glimpse of what we may be missing out on. Remember, this is only a sheer numbers perspective. Not needing folks to slam on players or coaches. Just take a look at what could have been or still be.

2008 (would-be redshirt seniors by now had they any eligibility) Said in early 2007 to be the "best recruiting class in OU history."
Offense:
QB Landry Jones (the guy we all know the most about. Has had high highs and low lows. No need to go much into detail here)
RB Jermie Calhoun (left the program in 2011)
RB Justin Johnson (left the program in 2009)
OG Steven Good (graduated in 2011)
OC Ben Habern (injury ends career in 2011)
OT Britt Mitchell (left the program in 2008 or 2009... don't remember)
TE James Hanna (good player, graduated in 2011)
WR DeJuan Miller (exhausted eligibility in 2011)
WR Jameel Owens (left the program in 2010)
WR Josh Jarboe (dismissed from the program in 2008)
P Tress Way (GREAT punter and team captain. But still... he's a punter)
Defense:
DE David King (solid player and contributor)
DT Stacy McGee (suspended in 2012)
DT Casey Walker (good player when available... has had injury and personal issues that may have hindered development)
DE RJ Washington (has had minimal highs and seen a lot of the bench for five years)
LB Mike Balogun (only was able to play one year... gone)
LB J.R. Bryant (special teamer, short-timer)
LB Daniel Franklin (special teamer and career backup)
DB Joseph Ibiloye (shuffled around the field and has been inconsistent at DB and LB)
DB David Sims (left or never made it to the program and ended up at Iowa State)
DB Lamar Harris (backup CB in 2011... relatively unheard of until Spring 2012)


2009 (would-be redshirt juniors or true seniors)
Offense:
OT Josh Aladanoye (left the program in 2011)
OG Tyler Evans (immediate contributor and an unfortunate injury sidelined him for his senior year in 2012)
OG Tavarris Jeffries (disciplinary issues and questionable work ethic led to either dismissal or quitting the team in 2010)
OT Jeff Vinson (mammoth OL brought in to shore up OT depth... never made an impact and left the program in 2010)
QB Drew Allen (hard to judge a guy who has played behind a starter for four years... but did lose backup QB job to an underclassman)
RB Jonathon Miller (RB who slid down the depth chart after injuries. left the program in 2011)
FB Marshall Musil (career backup fullback. Out for the season in 2012 with injury)
TE Gabe Ikard (TE-turned-OG-turned OC. Versatile player and respectable contributor)
WR Cameron Kenney (short-timer, caught on late senior year in 2010)
WR Jaz Reynolds (All-Conference capable talent who has had multiple disciplinary issues... suspended AGAIN in 2012)
Defense:
DE Justin Chaisson (left the program in 2010)
DT Jamarkus Mcfarland (prized recruit has been a good-but-not-great player)
DE Jarrett Brown (left the program... not on 2012 roster)
DE Terry Franklin (left the program... not on 2012 roster)
LB Jaydan Bird (career backup MLB)
LB Gus Jones (left the program in 2010)
LB Ronnell Lewis (outstanding player moved from LB to DE... left to NFL in 2011)
LB Tom Wort (2.5-year starting MLB... has battled injuries)
DB Kevin Brent (left program in 2010)
DB Javon Harris (inconsistent on the field, but is a starter... so it says more for him than it does for his backups)
DB Demontre Hurst (solid cornerback, three-year starter. Good player and well-respected)
DB Gabe Lynn (trying new position in 2012... has has a rocky first three years in the program)
DB Marcus Trice (left the program in 2011)

[goingoneight]

2010 (RS sophomores or true juniors) Graduation or early NFL draft entries cannot be blamed yet.

OT Tyrus Thompson (young RS Sophomore who is sharing time at LT with a senior)
OT Darryl Williams (another young RS Sophomore who is a first year starter)
OG Bronson Irwin (starting guard)
OC Austin Woods (has progressed remarkably through injuries as well as through chemotherapy treatments. Hard to fault him for anything)
OG Adam Shead (starting guard)
QB Blake Bell (everybody's favorite player on the team-- the backup QB. The famous "Belldozer's" story is not yet told actually playing QB)
RB Brennan Clay (injury-plagued in 2010 and 2011... just now starting to make a play here or there)
RB Roy Finch (human highlight reel whose practice work ethic has been questioned)
FB Trey Millard (an All-American talent in a day, age and offense that doesn't seem to know what a fullback is)
TE Austin Haywood (maybe the toughest offensive loss in 2011 and 2012 is having this kind of athleticism at TE. Left the team in 2011 and was denied re-joining in 2012)
WR Kenny Stills (inconsistent as the guy throwing to him, unfortunately. Good player, though)
WR Trey Franks (has a tendency to trip over those white lines on the field. Serving suspension in 2012 and moving from offense to defense)
WR Joe Powell (moved to defense... backup corner)
WR Justin McCay (left the program in 2011)
WR Sheldon McClain (left the program in 2011)
K Michael Hunnicutt (good kicker in 2011 and 2012 so far)

DE Geneo Grissom (has made an underwhelming transition to offense so far)
DT Eric Humphrey (not on 2012 roster)
DT Daniel Noble (had to give up football in 2011)
DT Torrea Peterson (has had disciplinary and academic issues)
DT Damon Williams (young DT trying to get into the rotation)
DE Chuka Ndulue (backup DE has yet to make a big splash)
LB Rashod Favors (moved to DE... plays sparingly)
LB Aaron Franklin (plays sparingly)
LB Corey Nelson (starting OLB)
DB Aaron Colvin (Great all-around DB who excels in cover skills and tackling)
DB Tony Jefferson (Great all-around defensive player who excels at tackling, reading and disrupting opposing offenses)
DB Quentin Hayes (serving 2012 suspension)
DB James Haynes (left program in 2011)
DB Julian Wilson (shares time in nickel and dime packages in new 2012 defense)

[goingoneight]

2011 (RS freshmen or true sophomores) : Still too young of a class to write off; though there already have been some frustrating defections and unfortunate injuries.

OT Dylan Dismuke (left the program I believe for medical reasons)
OT Derek Farniok (young guy whom Stoops seems to be high on his potential)
OG Nila Kasitati (first season seeing significant action)
QB Kendall Thompson (scout team lefty QB who draws rave reviews from all coaches and scouts... not as big as his fellow QBs on the roster)
RB Brandon Williams (left the program in 2011)
RB Danzel Williams (moved from offense to defense, relatively unheard of so far)
TE Max Stevenson (left the program for medical reasons)
TE Dan Tapko (left the program for medical reasons)
WR Trey Metoyer (RS Fr. starting out wide... inconsistent so far)
WR Kameel Jackson (left program in 2012)

Defense:
DE Nathan Hughes (moved from DE-to-TE-to-OG... reserve guard)
DT Marquis Anderson (RS Fr. sharing garbage time at DT mostly)
DT Jordan Phillips (young guy who spells senior starters)
DT Jordan Wade (not playing yet)
LB P.L. Lindley (moved to DE, plays a bit on the 50 front sets)
LB Frank Shannon (plays sparingly in 3 LB sets)
DB Bennett Okotcha (left the program in 2012)

[goingoneight]

2012 (True freshmen) WAY too early to pick on these guys... but we do already have one who left the program and three who never made it to campus.

OL Ty Darlington (young guy whom the coaches seem pleased with so far)
OL Kyle Marrs (unknown as to what the coaches think. I believe he is redshirting)
OL John Michael McGee (left the program already in 2012)
QB Trevor Knight (has been spectacular for a true freshman according to all sources)
RB Damien Williams (has been about the same as his peers so far. Made two good runs against UTEP and FAMU. Quiet versus KSU)
RB Alex Ross (redshirting)
RB Daniel Brooks (injury-redshirting... may end up at WR or DB eventually)
RB David Smith (redshirting)
TE Sam Grant (redshirting, I believe)
TE Brannon Green (has looked pretty good in the one area (receiving) folks weren't sure he'd excel and looks fairly average in the area we heard he was his strength--blocking)
TE Taylor McNamara (a young guy who probably should be redshirting when considered the very little significant minutes he plays)
TE Laith Harlow (gave up football due to injury)
WR Durron Neal (is in a pool of struggling young receivers competing)
WR Sterling Shepard (may be OU's best receiver already as a true freshman)
WR Courtney Gardner (didn't make it to campus for academic reasons)
WR Derrick Woods (redshirting)
WR LaColton Bester (plays in garbage time)

DE Michael Onuoha (plays as a true freshman, has a bright future)
DE Chaz Nelson (out with injury)
DE Charles Tapper (plays as a true freshman in the role vacated by Ronnell Lewis. Has a bright future).

[goingoneight]

In green bolds are guys who are redshirting in 2012. In red bolds are guys whose exits have taken a toll on depth in recent years. Not an excuse, no sunshine pumping, no chicken littles here. Just reason. No need to knock players or coaches. Just observe. That seems like an abnormally HIGH number of guys who have had early ends to their Sooner careers in recent years. It caught up to them last year and they still haven't recovered from it yet. We're not lacking bodies or numbers... but we are lacking depth and developed talent that our better teams have had.

[8timechamps]

VERY interesting!! I've wondered about this, just didn't want to do the legwork. Thank you!

Someone in another thread mentioned the idea that maybe Texas HS football was down over the same period. I don't even know how to find that kind of data, but it would be interesting to see if there is a correlation.

I also wonder how our past 5 years compares to other teams. I follow recruiting pretty closely, but seeing them all at once is eye-opening. No wonder they offer so many guys every year...when even the ones you do sign aren't guaranteed to play.

[8timechamps]

We've lost on average 38% of players that committed to play for OU. Basically 4 out of every 10 guys walking through the door, picked up their equipment and uniforms/shoes, then walked out the back of the door...never to be seen again!

[goingoneight]

Texas HS football has its ups and downs. But it has always been consistently the best. Some years are better than others like with every state. In 2006, Oklahoma was GREAT to OU with Bradford, Franks, Gresham, Madu, McCoy. Just kinda goes in cycles.

[Blue]

Any thing other than injuries for the bolded red reflects poorly on the coaches.

[goingoneight]

This is why scholarship limits and every CFB game on TV takes a toll on the program under Stoops that they didn't quite have on Switzer and Wilkinson. It's a different time. No excuses for it... as Stoops says, "you play the cards you're dealt."

[cleller]

Would like to see reports like this for several of our opponents-- to see if this pattern is common at most schools. Pretty disappointing, but its a tough row to hoe.

[goingoneight]

Any thing other than injuries for the bolded red reflects poorly on the coaches.

Depends on how you look at it. For example, Josh Jarboe was recruited hard by all the name coaches out there right now. It'd reflect badly on Saban, Richt, Gundy and whomever else had he signed with any of those other programs and decided to be a gangsta moron after the fact.

[goingoneight]

Would like to see reports like this for several of our opponents-- to see if this pattern is common at most schools. Pretty disappointing, but its a tough row to hoe.

It has been at Nebraska, Florida and Texas, I know that. Coinicidentally, they have been about the same or worse as OU the last four years.

[bluedogok]

Any thing other than injuries for the bolded red reflects poorly on the coaches.


Depends on how you look at it. For example, Josh Jarboe was recruited hard by all the name coaches out there right now. It'd reflect badly on Saban, Richt, Gundy and whomever else had he signed with any of those other programs and decided to be a gangsta moron after the fact.
...and if any of those coaches don't recruit a kid who is highly rated in spite of some "questions" then the recruitniks go ballistic.

[goingoneight]

Stoops and his staff have always been this way with the talent they sign, though. I do think in thise case it's uniquely Oklahoma's "problem." I remember the 2003 and 2004 recruiting classes had some key departures that led to the 2005 rebuilding year.

[8timechamps]

Signed 28 players for 2009, ended up with 7. If this is something all coaches and their staffs have to deal with annually, count me out as being interested.

[goingoneight]

...and if any of those coaches don't recruit a kid who is highly rated in spite of some "questions" then the recruitniks go ballistic.

Yep. Look at Florida under Meyer. They were littered with problematic players and Meyer "resigned" when the going got tough. Gotta admire Stoops for the stern discipline and the chops to weather the storms at least.

[goingoneight]

Signed 28 players for 2009, ended up with 7. If this is something all coaches and their staffs have to deal with annually, count me out as being interested.

The 2009 class had soem guys who stuck around for awhile... but it's definitely a red flag year for recruiting.

[OUTrumpet]

Any thing other than injuries for the bolded red reflects poorly on the coaches.

There are some kids who it wouldn't matter who is directing them, they'll still find a way to make trouble for themselves. Cutting too many classes, refusing to do what it takes to stay eligible (sorry, but the tutor can't take the test for them), drinking/smoking weed, just having the freedom away from home can mess a kid up. Some kids get homesick, don't want to put in the work on the field, or are just plain overwhelmed.

A coach is NOT a babysitter.

[Blue]

There are some kids who it wouldn't matter who is directing them, they'll still find a way to make trouble for themselves. Cutting too many classes, refusing to do what it takes to stay eligible (sorry, but the tutor can't take the test for them), drinking/smoking weed, just having the freedom away from home can mess a kid up. Some kids get homesick, don't want to put in the work on the field, or are just plain overwhelmed.

A coach is NOT a babysitter.

Thank you Capt obvious. But the fact is the names in bold red up there represent a lack of character evaluation before these kids step on campus and a lack of leadership and failure to instill discipline once they are here.

You can spin anything. Ooooh its just bad luck. Ok.

[StoopTroup]

TCU has had a few players go up in smoke.

[StoopTroup]

I wonder about all these guys who leave and if their leaving coincides with whoever the Coaches are that we fire or promote. Are we losing players because we aren't keeping a Coaching Staff? Obviously we have plenty of Arm Chair QBs here on the Board who think Bob should get rid of this guy and that guy but I would like to see a 3 to 4 year period where we stayed with the entire Coaching Staff for awhile and took the good and the bad and just tried to develop a Coaching Staff that kids could depend on most of them being there for 4 years. I think it has an effect on recruiting and the Team.

[goingoneight]

That's hard to do whenever head coaching gigs come along and the assistants are ready to jump ship for them.

[Soonerjeepman]

TCU has had a few players go up in smoke.
so did mu...lol...in a caddy escalade, reg to beckham..or whatever his name was..

[MamaMia]

Wow! Thanks goingoneight. That chart took a lot of research and work on your part. It does put things into perspective, however it would be cool to see some comparisons in reference these issues and how they relate to other big football programs. Of course it would be more difficult to put something together of this nature about a team you don't follow as closely.

[OUTrumpet]

Thank you Capt obvious. But the fact is the names in bold red up there represent a lack of character evaluation before these kids step on campus and a lack of leadership and failure to instill discipline once they are here.

You can spin anything. Ooooh its just bad luck. Ok.

Thank you Capt obvious. But the fact is the names in bold red up there represent a lack of character evaluation before these kids step on campus and a lack of leadership and failure to instill discipline once they are here.

You can spin anything. Ooooh its just bad luck. Ok.

How do you propose to do 'character evaluation'?

This is what I see on the high school side of recruiting:

Is the kid going to act up in front of a college coach? Heck no. Unless the kid is very highly recruited and coaches start losing that 'wow' factor the kid is going to be on his best behavior every time he talks to the coach and be incredibly respectful.

Are the parents/head coach going to bad talk to a college coach? Heck no. Especially the high school coach nowadays -- if it came out someone spoke badly of his players, the high school coach would lose control of his team, parents might even try to hold the school accountable if the kid doesn't get to go to college because of his coach.

Does the kid have an arrest record?

Does the kid have a problem with high school authority? Pretty much they can check the number of times the kid was sent to the principal's office and why.

They try to spend time with the recruits to get to know them better. They really do. Heck Mack Brown came and spent an entire day with one of my students last year (something he does with all his commits) -- picked him up, took him to school, went to all his classes with him, went to practice with him after school, and took him home.

But still, some kids are able to put up a false front until the recruiting process is over.

[SoonerorLater]

We've lost on average 38% of players that committed to play for OU. Basically 4 out of every 10 guys walking through the door, picked up their equipment and uniforms/shoes, then walked out the back of the door...never to be seen again!

You will always hear that ALL programs lose players but I would think losing something like 40% would definitely be an upper percentile number. There might be some programs that have more but I bet they are having problems too.

[goingoneight]

Everyone who has been jerking off to Nick Saban still think that over-signing doesn't help you out in the long run?

[BigJerm7]

Great post. Thanks for putting in the work it took to put it together. Very interesting trend.

[Curly Bill]

Everyone who has been jerking off to Nick Saban still think that over-signing doesn't help you out in the long run?

Not me! I think it would be apparent to anyone that the more players you sign the better.

[Blue]

Great post. Thanks for putting in the work it took to put it together. Very interesting trend.


+1.

[goingoneight]

Stoops won't say it because he's the no excuses type. He holds the team and staff accountable for losses. Kinda cool when you think about it. I just hope that they're making some changes somehow and some way to either get better players or keep guys in Norman. Some of those cats had tons of potential. Austin Haywood comes to mind.

[8timechamps]

Stoops won't say it because he's the no excuses type. He holds the team and staff accountable for losses. Kinda cool when you think about it. I just hope that they're making some changes somehow and some way to either get better players or keep guys in Norman. Some of those cats had tons of potential. Austin Haywood comes to mind.


The numbers never lie, and I'm sure Stoops knows all about the number of kids that came and left without playing (or really contributing). Maybe that's the reasoning for their slower approach to recruiting these days.

It's got to be very difficult to judge a kids character based on limited interaction. You can do all the homework you want on a kid (interview the kid, his family, friends, coaches, etc.), but in the end, there's no way to know what he's going to do when he leaves home and experiences the freedom of college.

As every year goes by, and we see the stories like TCU's Pachall, LSU's Honey Badger, etc., it opens my eyes even more to how great a person Ryan Broyles is. He almost threw everything away, but he learned from his mistake and got headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, he's more the exception than the rule.

[BoulderSooner79]

...
As every year goes by, and we see the stories like TCU's Pachall, LSU's Honey Badger, etc., it opens my eyes even more to how great a person Ryan Broyles is. He almost threw everything away, but he learned from his mistake and got headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, he's more the exception than the rule.

I think Pachall, Honey Badger, etc. are more of the exceptions. Most kids will stray in minor ways when they are 18 and 19, but most mature as a natural side-effect from growing up. The guys that remain bad apples get a lot more press. Stoops actions during the last off season seemed to be saying he had been lax with the guys that were not growing up and he was putting an end to that. If so, that would create some short term pain for long term gain. We feel some pain right now in lack of depth at some positions.

[badger]

I was tempted to call into the Stoops show last night (they said that it had technical difficulties so I was like "eff it" and tuned into Sammie destroying Arizona) to ask about the recruiting situation... NAMELY, the fact that he is getting a lot of bad publicity over that recruit that verballed to us and had his scholarship offer revoked because he was medically unable to play anymore.

We all know that Stoops has helped medically unable to perform players in the past, most notably this guy:
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/009/829/lkfjd_crop_340x234.jpg

But there are people in the national media that are being all like "ATTN: RECRUITS: STOOPS DOES NOT CARE."

So I would like to know what Stoops feels his responsibility is to those that commit to OU, and if he feels he has a different responsibility to those who verbal as opposed to those that sign LOIs.

He doesn't have to violate NCAA rules by talking about a recruit that's not on campus, just in general, what's OU's (and his) responsibility for those that say "I want to be a Sooner" that we are actively recruiting and ready to offer scholarships to.

It's sh!t like this that opposing coaches use against OU in recruiting.

[8timechamps]

I think Pachall, Honey Badger, etc. are more of the exceptions. Most kids will stray in minor ways when they are 18 and 19, but most mature as a natural side-effect from growing up. The guys that remain bad apples get a lot more press. Stoops actions during the last off season seemed to be saying he had been lax with the guys that were not growing up and he was putting an end to that. If so, that would create some short term pain for long term gain. We feel some pain right now in lack of depth at some positions.

I don't know man, it seems like the high profile kids don't learn the first time around. I may be completely wrong, but it just seems like kids like Dez Bryant never figure it out. I know Stoops discipline is playing a part in the departures from the program, and I'm more than fine with that. Anyone that lived through the late 80's early 90's never wants to win at the expense of the program again.

[8timechamps]

I was tempted to call into the Stoops show last night (they said that it had technical difficulties so I was like "eff it" and tuned into Sammie destroying Arizona) to ask about the recruiting situation... NAMELY, the fact that he is getting a lot of bad publicity over that recruit that verballed to us and had his scholarship offer revoked because he was medically unable to play anymore.

We all know that Stoops has helped medically unable to perform players in the past, most notably this guy:
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/images/photos/001/009/829/lkfjd_crop_340x234.jpg

But there are people in the national media that are being all like "ATTN: RECRUITS: STOOPS DOES NOT CARE."

So I would like to know what Stoops feels his responsibility is to those that commit to OU, and if he feels he has a different responsibility to those who verbal as opposed to those that sign LOIs.

He doesn't have to violate NCAA rules by talking about a recruit that's not on campus, just in general, what's OU's (and his) responsibility for those that say "I want to be a Sooner" that we are actively recruiting and ready to offer scholarships to.

It's sh!t like this that opposing coaches use against OU in recruiting.

The people that are running their mouth and talking bad about OU/Stoops don't know ****. Not only have we given kids full rides in the past that weren't able to play...we just did it again (Laith Harlow). The recruit in question, Matt Beyer, has been very defensive about all the negativity. Here's a recent quote from him:

“It gets me fired up sometimes, I see what some fans are saying about Coach Kittle. He doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Not at all. He’s a lot more than a coach to me. He’s a friend, and I bet all of the offensive tackles he talks with would tell you the same thing.”

The kid is still planning to go to OU. He just needs to take his ACT/SAT. Quite an incredible story. Good kid.

[PalmBeachSooner]

Well just do what Saban does and over sign every year. You know you are going to lose players due to injuries, discipline and academics so the scholarships will be there...eventually. If necessary gray-shirt the player.

Seems to work for Alabama and USC.

[goingoneight]

Sometimes the institution makes the decision for you in regards to a medical hardship. IOW, let's say Beyer's situation could be life-threatening and Harlow's is one that treatment and rehab will one day heal.

[Soonerjeepman]

Are the parents/head coach going to bad talk to a college coach? Heck no. Especially the high school coach nowadays -- if it came out someone spoke badly of his players, the high school coach would lose control of his team, parents might even try to hold the school accountable if the kid doesn't get to go to college because of his coach.
.

got to disagree, course these were juco kids but the HC I coached with didn't bad mouth the kids, but definitely told it like it was, not staying eligible, practice behavior...but this was basketball, so the aau coach has a lot to say as well.

[ab5sr]

And aside from all of the attrition of those players, do the same analysis on their overall recruiting ranking. (Yours looks at only body-count...who came and who left). We haven't lit up the recruiting world, nationally, over the past seven years or so.

[Jacie]

We've lost on average 38% of players that committed to play for OU. Basically 4 out of every 10 guys walking through the door, picked up their equipment and uniforms/shoes, then walked out the back of the door...never to be seen again!

For 2009 at least, it looks like Oklahoma fared much better than OUr biggest rival, which had a success rate (such as it is) of only 24%.

http://www.barkingcarnival.com/2012/10/17/3516310/texas-longhorns-2009-recruiting-class-retrospective-alex-okafor-kenny-vaccaro-garrett-gilbert

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I think you are discounting some of the 2010 defensive recruits. There are some stars in there that are just lost behind some upperclassman.

DE Chuka Ndulue (backup DE has yet to make a big splash)

Best run stopping DE on the team. 13 solo tackles is tops among the DL and is 2 more than Tom Wort (who has like 50 assists). The problem here is that he is a blue collar guy who sticks his assignments and is in position every down. Those are the things that fans never notice (think Corey Heinecke here).

LB Rashod Favors (moved to DE... plays sparingly)

This kid is a beast off the edge at getting to the passer. Unfortunately, he's playing at the deepest position on the team and is behind a guy who is at this stage much better against the run -> David King.

LB Corey Nelson (starting OLB)

Quietly having a very nice year and seems to be getting better every single game. Tops on the team in TFLs and 3rd in PBUs

DB Aaron Colvin (Great all-around DB who excels in cover skills and tackling)

Potential All American here. Currently playing at as high a level at corner as anyone I've ever seen here.

DB Tony Jefferson (Great all-around defensive player who excels at tackling, reading and disrupting opposing offenses)

Agree. Our 5 secondary players have as many tackles as our starting front 7. He lacks the size to be a TGRW next year, but he could come close in the new scheme. Potential Early Entrant

DB Julian Wilson (shares time in nickel and dime packages in new 2012 defense)

Dude looks pretty stout at the nickel especially at stopping those short drag routes

[goingoneight]

And aside from all of the attrition of those players, do the same analysis on their overall recruiting ranking. (Yours looks at only body-count...who came and who left). We haven't lit up the recruiting world, nationally, over the past seven years or so.

Stars and rankings don't mean as much as having guys on hand to develop and produce. We don't have to have a Jimmy Clausen if we get a Sam Bradford and we don't have to have XLK if we get Steven Coleman. The point of this thread is how we're weak in numbers. That more than anybody's opinion on high school talent is why OU has struggled at times. It's easier to reload at QB, WR and RB than it is to reload in the trenches and that's where we've been hit the absolute hardest. Even if those guys ended up just being steady contributors, it's a completely different ballgame than having to borrow a scout team defensive end and make him a starting right guard.

[redkid]

I thought if a college honored the scholly of a injured recruit that could not play anymore ,,that it would not count towards the limit?

[goingoneight]

Honestly, I never looked into medical hardship athletic scholarship details like that. All I know is the reason why they were brought to OU and they couldn't participate when all was said and done. Unfortunate for all parties

[Sabanball]

Well just do what Saban does and over sign every year. You know [B] you are going to lose players due to injuries, discipline and academics so the scholarships will be there...eventually. If necessary gray-shirt the player.[
Seems to work for Alabama and USC.

Been saying this for a long time. You have to account and plan for attrition--it's GOING to happen.

You guys are currently ranked 33rd on rivals for the 2013 class and have 11 commits. How do you think that you will finish and what are going to be your biggest needs after this season?

[Soonerjeepman]

prob finish in the top 15..usually start slow.
Oline/Dline...big time.

[goingoneight]

Problem is "planning for attrition" is what recruiting is all about. It's getting four star linemen to say goodbye to their mama and keeping five star athletes out of jail. The only way to make up for those kinds of hits is to sign more players. I don't believe OU can do that or if it's just Stoops's choice not to oversign.

[swardboy]

Am I blind? I don't see Caleb Gastulum in your lists....I think he's getting some special teams work.

[cleller]

Interesting how the right coach can make a shaky roster play pretty well.