Anyone else concerned about recruiting?

[Ruf/Nek7]

Cole Luke, whom was high on OU, has committed to ND. He along with Kenny Lacy (UCLA) were thought to be really high on OU and we are missing out on these highly sought after recruits? With only 11 commits at this point, I fear the remainder of the class will be a wash.

Now I am not putting much focus on stars or ratings but it looks like we are missing on guys we really want and settling just to fill a void. Am I just overly paranoid? Anyway, just some food for thought.

[EatLeadCommie]

We usually finish strong

[PalmBeachSooner]

I'm sure it doesn't help that we rag on LJ nonstop.

[badger]

the thing that OU has always had going for it is that the best players always play, so if you're good enough, you have a chance to play immediately. of course, certain positions are filled for the near future (like the Belldozer position) but many, like WR, is one that attracts talent because there's the possibility of coming and playing right away.

another thing OU has also always had going for it is that we have had good players at pretty much every position that have moved onto the next level and that we don't cater to any specific type of offense (or defense) but play in a style that matches our personnel. At all of the key positions, we have had first rounders or high round draft picks.

So quit yer worryin'. It is inevitable that programs can't stay on top forever (Miami and USC say 'hi') but at least we're still in contention for our conference year in, year out. Go ahead and try to name a program in the Big 12 that has surpassed OU entirely. You can't. Now, name a Pac 12 program that has completely surpassed USC (Oregon) or an ACC program that has completely surpassed Miami (spin the WHEEL! OF! DESTINY! and you'll probably land on one).

[SoonerorLater]

I am concerned. If there was ever a time we needed a true blockbuster recruiting class this is it. That doesn't seem to be happening so far. Once you slide down that raod of mediocrity it's pretty hard to get back up. Just ask Nebraska, Michigan, Miami, Fl State.

[Curly Bill]

We've had perceived blockbuster recruiting classes that ended up sucking and vice versa, but all things being equal..yeah it's concerning.

[BoulderSooner79]

I don't follow it closely enough to know which players are likely to commit to us. From a purely external view, we are even with Oregon with 11 verbals and a similar total score. The ducks haven't had recruiting problems as far as I can tell. But it does seem that most the top schools have 50% more players commited right now than we do.

[Curly Bill]

I saw the Cole Luke story today. How bout that? He's here on an official visit to OU and ends up committing to the opponent that whipped our butts that night! Talk about a poke in the eye!

[thecrimsoncrusader]

DT is the biggest concern in ths recruiting class as it stands as there aren't any. It's imperative that Jordan Phillips and Jordan Wade play to their "star" rating, something that McFarland, Walker and McGee all failed to do and badly so.

[Curly Bill]

Walker was a 3* recruit, and he's pretty much been that - solid but not particularly good & certainy not great. McFarland was a high 4* and he's certainly not lived up to that, nor has McGee who was also a high 4*

[Mjcpr]

I saw the Cole Luke story today. How bout that? He's here on an official visit to OU and ends up committing to the opponent that whipped our butts that night! Talk about a poke in the eye!

Unfortunately, we don't seem to be getting the same benefit with some of the guys we had at OU-Texas that were also considering the horns, assuming there were some of course.

[Ruf/Nek7]

It seems as though Luke used his "official" to OU, just to ctatch ND in action and additional time. So now what does OU do? My concern is not whether they fill the spot or not. I know they will, but it will be with a guy that was not necessarily recruited by us in the first place thus telling me we missed on "our" guy and settled for someone in the end.

[MamaMia]

I have high hopes that some of Bobs chums, AKA our coaching staff, will get us some decent enough players.

[8timechamps]

Not worries at all. It would have been nice to have landed Luke, but we're doing just fine recruiting the secondary.

I also think Mike Stoops is going to recruit overall better defensive players.

We need some interior linemen (both sides), and there are still several really good ones out there that OU is in on. We'll be fine.


As Curly pointed out above, there's no way to really know what kind of class it is until after they move through. What that means is that Stoops knows what he's doing, and he isn't relying on recruiting service ratings to recruit.

[8timechamps]

DT is the biggest concern in ths recruiting class as it stands as there aren't any. It's imperative that Jordan Phillips and Jordan Wade play to their "star" rating, something that McFarland, Walker and McGee all failed to do and badly so.

There aren't any? Do you mean there aren't any good recruits out there, or we don't have any on the roster? Check out the recruiting board, and the thread I started about DT recruits. There are still some studs out there that we are in with.

[tycat947]

Not worries at all. It would have been nice to have landed Luke, but we're doing just fine recruiting the secondary.

I also think Mike Stoops is going to recruit overall better defensive players.

We need some interior linemen (both sides), and there are still several really good ones out there that OU is in on. We'll be fine.


As Curly pointed out above, there's no way to really know what kind of class it is until after they move through. What that means is that Stoops knows what he's doing, and he isn't relying on recruiting service ratings to recruit.

Agreed!

[thecrimsoncrusader]

There aren't any? Do you mean there aren't any good recruits out there, or we don't have any on the roster? Check out the recruiting board, and the thread I started about DT recruits. There are still some studs out there that we are in with.

I meant there aren't any on the roster until they prove otherwise. Marquis Anderson is up in the air with the suspension and we can only hope that Jordan Phillips and Jordan Wade pan out.

[WA. Sooner]

JC Transfer KSU Model

[tulsaoilerfan]

U won't be able to judge the 2013 recruiting class until about 2016 anyway; let it play out before getting all bent out of shape

[trwxxa]

Things have definitely changed. The staff has definitely taken a more national approach to recruiting the last few years. I'm not sure why, though it appears the talent level in Texas has been down. The Texas schools have plenty of openings and there are not many high profile kids left to chase.

It is more competitive when you go national because not only are you competing with the local schools, but many of the other national "prestige" programs as well. OU may have to go JUCO more than usual to fill the spots.

I'm not that concerned, yet.

[GottaHavePride]

I'd take a few JUCO linemen at this point... It'd give us a breather to recruit and develop some younger guys

[soonerboy_odanorth]

The staff won't go heavy JUCO on the o- and d- lines unless they are absolutely convinced they have all the other pieces necessary to win the whole enchilada. And that's for two reasons: 1.) To make sure you hit on a JUCO, you have to recruit double your need. That is, they are still a 50-50 proposition. See Will Latu and Courtney Gardner. What you gain in physical maturity you sometimes lose in simple maturity. See also Sheldon Richardson at Mizzou. 2.) By taking on JUCOs, you run the risk of retarding the in-game development of the younger players which can really really come back to bite you in the butt after those JUCOs move on. See Auburn.

[MyT Oklahoma]

Ask me again after National Signing Day.

P.S. How's DGB working out for Mizzou?

[Mjcpr]

U won't be able to judge the 2013 recruiting class until about 2016 anyway; let it play out before getting all bent out of shape

Then people should go take a look at jkm's post and analysis of the last few recruiting classes....you can judge those now and be concerned if you aren't allowed to be concerned about the current one yet.

[PrideMom]

It is the HEART of the recruit we need to be concerned about. The player needs to WANT to be at OU and LOVES to play for OU, and not worry if he can be playing on Sunday. OU lost some BCS Bowl games because players decided to sit out...afraid that they "might" ruin their chances in the NFL draft.....

[8timechamps]

I meant there aren't any on the roster until they prove otherwise. Marquis Anderson is up in the air with the suspension and we can only hope that Jordan Phillips and Jordan Wade pan out.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. I've seen them play, but nobody has stepped up and stood out.

[8timechamps]

Add one more DT to the list for 2013:

The Sooners offered Donovan Munger (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) on Wednesday, according to Munger. He is 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds and is No. 281 in the ESPN 300.

[Always_Sooner]

Typically if OU misses out on the highly sought after recruits late in the game they offer the 3 star players with a chip on their shoulder. I am fine with this, and I actually wish Oklahoma would get back to that mentality instead of going after the guys just looking to get their 3 years in and jump to the pro's. We need physical lineman that want to get after it, and those can be found on the Juco level. 8 time knows his stuff, and was saying OU has their eyes on the 2014 class, but hope to still get a solid group this coming spring. We shall see.

[Crimsontothecore]

I think there's way to much emphasis on recruiting. Oklahoma will always get above average talent. The problem isn't the talent, it's that the talent isn't being developed. As it's been mentioned here many times, in recent years OU generally wins games due to their superior talent. That wasn't always the case. Heck, the 2000 NT wasn't won because of great recruiting, it was won because of great coaching. That's what needs to return, great coaching. Unfortunately, the star studded staff Stoops put together when he was hired has not remained on that level through subsequent hires. As much as I appreciate and respect Stoops loyalty, it is dragging this program down. Bringing back Mike has obviously helped but let's be honest, Bob brought him back because it's his brother and not solely because he's a great defensive coach.
Mike , however, is an excellent example of the difference a coach can make and I wish other members of this staff would be shown the door in favor of better ones. But that's not going to happen because this staff is filled with friends and buddies of Bob and his former players. As much as Heupel is beloved here, OU should not be his learning grounds as an OC. People are so quick to blame the players and "lack of execution" when the reality is that the players performance on the field is a reflection of poor execution in their teaching.

[SoonerorLater]

I think there's way to much emphasis on recruiting. Oklahoma will always get above average talent. The problem isn't the talent, it's that the talent isn't being developed. As it's been mentioned here many times, in recent years OU generally wins games due to their superior talent. That wasn't always the case. Heck, the 2000 NT wasn't won because of great recruiting, it was won because of great coaching. That's what needs to return, great coaching. Unfortunately, the star studded staff Stoops put together when he was hired has not remained on that level through subsequent hires. As much as I appreciate and respect Stoops loyalty, it is dragging this program down. Bringing back Mike has obviously helped but let's be honest, Bob brought him back because it's his brother and not solely because he's a great defensive coach.
Mike , however, is an excellent example of the difference a coach can make and I wish other members of this staff would be shown the door in favor of better ones. But that's not going to happen because this staff is filled with friends and buddies of Bob and his former players. As much as Heupel is beloved here, OU should not be his learning grounds as an OC. People are so quick to blame the players and "lack of execution" when the reality is that the players performance on the field is a reflection of poor execution in their teaching.

You can't place too much emphasis on recruiting. Though I think OU has placed too much credence in recruiting service evaluations and not enough on their own in-depth evaluations. Sometimes I think they must just go to Rivals and start making offers. Ultimately the HC is always responsible for the finished product on the field. It's always a matter of coaching. Right now I think OU is going through a bit of a downturn on all fronts. We have good players just not many outstanding players. Everybody is always talking about our situation at DT (I agree we need to upgrade) but I don't think we have one LB that would be starting for the 2000 team.

[SoonerMarkVA]

We've had perceived blockbuster recruiting classes that ended up sucking and vice versa, but all things being equal..yeah it's concerning.

I think this is the thing to keep in mind. In 4 years, we may be marveling at this class.

Overall, you have to be concerned if we're missing on the guys that the coaches target. But, they aren't perfect, either. Remember how long they slow-played Broyles? They obviously didn't do that and simultaneously anticipate he'd be the all-world receiver he ended up.

[MamaMia]

We need to recruit players with the correct body size for their position. You can not fit a square peg into a round hole.

[soonercastor]

I'm sure it doesn't help that we rag on LJ nonstop.

yeah other fanbases don't do such things. :nonchalance:

[OU_Sooners75]

overall, not really. But from a OL standpoint? Yes.

[OU_Sooners75]

The staff won't go heavy JUCO on the o- and d- lines unless they are absolutely convinced they have all the other pieces necessary to win the whole enchilada. And that's for two reasons: 1.) To make sure you hit on a JUCO, you have to recruit double your need. That is, they are still a 50-50 proposition. See Will Latu and Courtney Gardner. What you gain in physical maturity you sometimes lose in simple maturity. See also Sheldon Richardson at Mizzou. 2.) By taking on JUCOs, you run the risk of retarding the in-game development of the younger players which can really really come back to bite you in the butt after those JUCOs move on. See Auburn.

They are already offering a bunch of JOCO linemen. Both offensive and defensive lines.

So, yes, they will go JUCO heavy!

[Big John]

JUCO recruits:
Desmond Harrison (http://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/recruiting/player-Desmond-Harrison-139119)
Josiah St. John (http://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/recruiting/player-Josiah-St.John-133925)
Marcus Hardison (http://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/recruiting/player-Marcus-Hardison-137484)
Toby Johnson (http://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/recruiting/player-Toby-Johnson-132655)

Seems to me like OU isn't shying away from offering JUCO's

[stoops the eternal pimp]

the thing that OU has always had going for it is that the best players always play,

You lost me after this.

[StoopTroup]

I'm sure it doesn't help that we rag on LJ nonstop.

Winner winner chicken dinner

Also....we don't have a QB to replace Landry for next year.

[StoopTroup]

We need to recruit players with the correct body size for their position. You can not fit a square peg into a round hole.

We have had some players who excelled at multiple positions though. That's why we see a bunch of guys get recruited here and then be told they weren't going to play the position they did in HS. Some can take to the change and others don't.

Stoops has been doing this since he got here.