Writing this recruiting class wrapup is not as fun as going to the Orange Bowl but considering the class was just signed it definitely makes the future of OU football seem very bright almost as bright as the present state of Sooner football. All the stats for this article came from the Official Site Recruiting Class Press Release.
QB
Brent Rawls 6-5,200,4.65 Shreveport Louisiana. Rawls is one of the top ten rated QBs by Rivals and had completed 222 of 384 passes 3,549 yards with 35 touchdowns and rushed for 577 yards and 10 touchdowns last yearwhile playing QB for the first year. Rawls previously played WR and caught passes from last year's top QB prospect Brock Berlin. Rawls might have had the top senior season of any top QB prospect. His rise in recruiting rankings is a byproduct form his sensational senior year. He is ranked by many observers as the top prospect in Louisiana (definitely the top QB prospect), and is probably the only top flight in state recruit that LSU did not get this year.
Position review
OU did not really need to sign a QB this year, but OU was definitely able to take advantage of the vast positive press generated by Josh Heupel for the new OU offense especially for the QB position. Rawls was a late target for OU not really expressing interest or showing up on the recruiting radar until around mid October. Previously it had been presumed that Matt Jones from Arkansas was OU's top QB prospect. OU also had recruiting interest from top ten QB Brodie Croyle (the number one rated QB prospect who visited OU) and Matt Leinhart from California (OU actually probably would have landed Leinhart but could only offer one QB and Rawls beat Leinhart to the one slot OU had available.). So, in terms of quality grade, OU gets an A a QB. In terms of quantity, OU only needed to sign one QB and they got a great one so an A grade for quantity.
RB
Donta Hickson 5-10,185,4.4 McKinley Texas. Hickson had just an incredible senior year statistically. Hickson had several 300 yard games with multiple touchdowns and even had one 400 yard performance.His final stats were 2,581 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, which both set single-season school records. Hickson is ranked by most services as the number 2 RB in Texas (behind UT verbal Cedric Benson) and a top 20 RB nationally. Hickson's Rival highlight video is just incredible his speed and power in the video is just fantastic. Hickson would be a great weapon for the Sooner offense a homerun threat on draw plays, shuffle passes, and screens.
Seymore Shaw 6-0,215,4.5 Shawnee, OK. Shaw is ranked as one of the top five players in state and by some services as the number one player in state. Shaw had he recorded 2,116 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. For his career, Shaw had 6,375 yards on the ground and 54 touchdowns. Shaw is a power back with speed to go the distance, and is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Shaw provides a combination of power and speed not currently found on campus.
Kejuan Jones 5-9,190,4.4 Jenks, OK. Jones had just a fantastic senior year and based on sources that have seen all the top players in state is ranked by many as the top player in state (top player in state is really a debate between Jones, Jerome Janet, and other OU verbal Shaw). Jones totaled 1,725 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior to help Jenks to the 6A State Championship. Jones put a fantastic show against big rival Union in their regular season matchup, putting up over 300 yards of total offense and 5 tds including the 80 yard game winning td reception. Jones will probably play RB at OU but could easily move into a slot WR role like Damien Mackey.
Position review
OU needed to sign at least 2 RBs due to the lack of depth at the RB positions, really OU only has 2 real feature backs in Griffin and Works. Also, OU needed to add a bigger back who could provide a replacement for Seth Littrell as well as provide a bigger back threat. OU will definitely look to continue to upgrade their running attack as a compliment to their aggressive passing attack. Hickson,Shaw, and Jones give OU the best RB class in the nation. All 3 players could potential have an impact next year. The only downside is that OU is still waiting for the 3 RBs to qualify with Hickson probably having the most work to do. However, OU bypassed or backed off other RBs in recruiting so OU must have some confidence in their ability to get on campus. Quality grade A. Quantity grade A
WR
Brandon Jones 6-2,205,4.5 Texarkana, TX. Jones is almost universally ranked as the number one WR in the state of Texas. Jones had a solid senior with 35 catches for 700 yards and nine touchdowns. However, his junior season he had 50 passes for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jones lost his Qb and defenses really started focusing on him. Jones is a big Wr in the mold of Quincy Morgan from KSU or Robert Ferguson from ATM. He is a definite threat to play next year since he provides a big target at WR that is not currently found in the Sooner WR core (Will Peoples who is redshirting also provides this type of potential)
Position review
OU did not really need to sign a great number of WRs due to the great class last year of Peoples, Clayton, Estus, and Ford, and at one point OU appeared close to signing another talented threesome at WR in Hawkins, Jerome Janet, and Jones. However, OU lost out on Hawkins and dropped Janet apparently, so OU's WR class is simply Jones. Quality grade A. Quantity grade A (some may take me to task for this but OU did not really need to load up on WR in this class)
TE
Chris Bush 6-4,240,4.8 Channelview TX. Chris was one of the first players to verbal to OU this fall. Bush played for a predominantly running team this year and is a great blocking tight end. For his senior year, Bush had 17 receptions for 285 yards his senior year and led the team in both categories (proving how much a run oriented team he played for). Bush has a great frame for tight end and certainly there is a possibility that he could move to another position like other OU tight ends (Josh Tucker being prime example). Bush will probably redshirt and then the Sooner coaches will decide where he best fits. Bush played tackle as a sophomore in high school so he has some experience if the coaches decide to move him. Bush is generally listed on most top 100 lists in Texas and ranked right behind James Moses in terms of rankings in Texas.
Chris Chester 6-4,230, 4.6 Tunnel, CA. Chester is a prospect that was not high on the recruiting lists early but had a fantastic senior years demonstrating big play ability as a hback/tight end. For his senior year, he had incredible stats with 815 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving and 450 yards and five touchdowns running. The Sooner coaches appear to want use Chester as a tight end and as a hback (similar to Josh Norman). Chester is a definite threat to play next year. Chester is very highly ranked now, according to rivals he is a top ten tight end nationally.
James Moses 6-3,230,4.6 Houston, TX. Moses is a very similar prospect to Chester. Moses had a good senior year, following up on a great junior year. Moses as a senior had more than 200 yards on just 10 catches in his final season, but as a junior he had over 28 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns.Moses like Chester is very much a great tight end prospect who also potential to play some HBack. Moses is generally regarded as a top 50 player in Texas, and is regarded as the top tight end prospect in Texas this year. Moses is ranked as a top twenty tight end nationally and preseason was on some top 100 national lists.
Position review
With only 2 scholarship tight ends on campus (Trent Smith and Lance Donley) added at least 2 tight ends was a key recruiting spot for the Sooners. OU really came through with top tight end on their recruiting board (Chester) and the top tight end in Texas (Moses). Bush was also a highly rated tight end, but not as highly rated as the other 2. Quality grade A. Quantity grade A.
OL
Vince Carter 6-3,260,5.0 Waco, Tx. OU's highest rated high school offensive linemen this year. Carter had a great year at Waco and is generally considered the second ranked center prospect in Texas (behind nationally ranked center Ben Wilkerson). Carter could possibly play next year if he gets into the race at the vacant center position. Carter is generally ranked as top 100 player in Texas. Not hard to imagine Carter as a very mobile athletic center in the 6-3,280 range.
Kelvin Chaisson 6-5,275,5.1 Houston, Tx. The surprise verbal of the year. He was actually verbaled to OU for about a month before any of the gurus actually contacted him. The OU coaches loved him on film and offered him back in October (he visited OU during the NU game). Chaisson has a huge upside and the kind of frame and athleticism that would develop into a 6-5,300 OG or OT.
Jon Hawk 6-5,310,5.1 Garden City. OU resigned Hawk after placing him at Garden City 2 years ago. Hawk was an excellent OT last year for Garden City displaying great potential at OT. Hawk should enroll at OU this fall and due to the fact that he redshirted his first year at Garden City he will have 3 years of eligibility at OU. Hawk will be expected to provide depth and challenge for the vacant tackle spot of Scott Kempenich
Clint Werth 6-4,280,5.1 Garden City. Hawk's teammate who made several JUCO all american teams. Werth is now on OU' s campus and will definitely be competing for playing time at guard and tackle. Werth really worked hard to put himself into great shape this year.
Position review
OL was one area where OU was badly hurt by a down year in state was at OL (no OL talent like Takawana and Sims this year). Texas also hurt OU by getting key verbals from OL talent in Texas. OU rebounded from this nicely by adding the two 3 year jucos (from Garden City a JUCO where Mangino has contacts and knows that the players have gotten a good start in development). Not listed here, but OU was also able to resign Jerod Fields from last year adding even more OL depth. Fields was a 6-7,280 player who projects at OT. OU was hurt by not getting heavily involved with the top 3 OL in Texas (Ben Wilkerson, Jonathan Scott, and Jami Hightower). Quality grade B. Quantity grade B
DT/DE
Tommie Harris 6-4,278,4.7 Killeen Tx. Quite simply by Rivals recruiting service, Tommie Harris is the number one ranked DT in the nation. By almost every other recruiting service, Tommie Harris is first team all american recruiting prospect at DT. Harris is the cousin of former Sooner Stockar McDougle and OU did a good recruiting him away from FSU, Miami, and UT. Tommie had 70 solo tackles and nine sacks as a senior as a junior he had 139 tackles (81 solo) and five sacks. If he is eligible, I predict that he will play next year adding depth and more of a pass rushing threat from our front four. Also, Tommie is listed some places in the 260 range, but he will probably be in the 280 to 285 range when he reports to OU.
Brey Rayl 6-7,270,4.9 Lewisville, TX. Rayl was generally ranked as the number 2 DT in Texas behind Harris. Rayl had a solid year at Lewisville, but really coaches loves his upside potential as he gets stronger and potentially bigger. Some posts have indicated that Rayl might move to OL but the Sooner coaches seem to have some specific plans for Rayl at DE. Rayl had 110 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior. Rayl was generally ranked as the number 2 DL in Texas behind Tommie Harris. He was ranked as top 30 DT nationally and was easily a top 100 player in Texas
Dusty Dvorazcek 6-3,275,4.8 Lake Dallas, TX. Dusty had 79 tackles, 9.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries and 10 forced fumbles in seven games as a senior Dusty is generally ranked in the top 100 in Texas. Dusty was kind of a sleeper early but OU offered very early in the process and had him very high on their recruiting board. Dusty was hurt a little bit by his early verbal to OU, he didn't really receive a lot of recruit hype. Dusty was extremely productive at DT and also was a very good OG, and could end up at OL as well. Dusty is also competitive powerlifter emphasizing his overall strength potential.
Jacob Hager 6-5,245,4.8 Perry, OK. Hager had a great senior following up on his shortened junior year with consistent stats. Hager recorded 75 tackles and three fumble recoveries. Hager was ranked by the OU staff as the top rated DT in state ahead of Joey Guzman (who verbaled to KU). Hager also played some OL this year and was dominant in that role. Hager is supposedly related to wrestling great Danny Hodges and Hager is very talented heavyweight wrestler.
Jonathan Jackson 6-4,220, 4.53 Houston, TX. Jackson is generally ranked as the top defensive end in Texas and top ten ranked DE nationally. Jackson had a very productive senior year at DE with 100 tackles and seven sacks with three fumble recoveries, four caused fumbles and seven pass deflections, as a junior he had 112 tackles and 17 sacks. Jackson will probably redshirt next year while he gets into the size for defensive ends in the ou system 6-4,250 range. But Jackson could also see playing time at OLB.
Position review
DL was one area where OU needed to recruit very well with the graduation of Wilson Guest, Fisher, Callens, and Richardson. OU did very well in this area with letters from in my opinion the top 3 DTs in Texas. Harris is potentially an impact player at DT next year. Rayl and Dvorazcek are probably big time contributors after a redshirt year. Hager will need to bulk up and there is a possibility that he could move to OT/OG after bulking up like Frank Romero. OU definitely filled their needs and just like last year signed their number one target at DT. Quantity grade A. Quality grade A
LB
Gabe Toomey 6-3,215,4.65 Iowa. Top rated LB from Iowa. Toomey is favorable compared to Rocky Calmus (okay it's recruiting hype, but Rocky is one of the players that Gabe really admires). Toomey had 140 tackles overall (85 solos) as a senior. Toomey is ranked a top 30 LB nationally and is probably the middle lb recruited in this class. Toomey has the kind of frame to add another 15 to 20 pounds and still keep or improve his speed.
Clint Ingram 6-3,216,4.5 Tx. Ingram was kind of a sleeper early in the year but they rose very quickly in the recruiting ranks and at least according to one service was right behind Derrick Johnson as one of the best LBs in Texas. Clint had 100 tackles, three forced fumbles and one interception as a senior. Very rare for a player to come from almost nowhere to a top 25 LB nationally but that's what Ingram did. Ingram is a classic OLB in the OU scheme with the speed and size to be an early contributor.
Mike Wilson 6-2,210,4.5 Tulsa, Ok. Wilson is probably one of the top five athletes in state this year, but his rankings have been highly effected by his chances of being a high draft pick in the baseball draft. Wilson had 150 tackles (18 for loss) and 10 sacks as a senior. Wilson is a great athlete and projects at OLB if he attends OU for football. Still will all his distractions Wilson was still ranked as a top 50 LB nationally and was easily a top 10 player in state.
Fred Fleeks 6-2,210,4.5 Navasota, TX. An early verbal to OU something of a sleeper but OU coaches loved Fleeks on film and offered very early. Fleeks had a very productive year and is a big time hitter. As a senior, recorded 98 tackles and three sacks, and had 264 tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions during his high school career.Fleeks will more than likely redshirt and projects at OLB after bulking up to 230 range and hopefully keeping his speed, or he could possibly stay in his current size with his great speed and play safety.
Russell Dennison 6-4,215,4.55 Weatherford, OK. Dennison was one of the very first verbals to OU and projects at LB at OU. Dennison has played several positions LBs, RBs, and safety. He had 104 tackles with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries at RB he had 1,370 yards over total offense and 18 touchdowns. He has a great frame and could develop into a OLB or even possibly a DE or into an Hback/.fullback after some time in the Sooner strength and conditioning program. Dennison was generally ranked as a top 15 player in state.
Position review
OU needed to add several LBs for depth reasons (OU lost a LB from last year's class in Dupree and from the previous class Whitlock transferred and Thunander is at DE). OU fulfilled this role with 5 quality LBs. The sleepers were early verbals and the OU coaches loved their potential, but Ingram and Toomey are the big time guys here, and threats to provide depth next year if they come into camp in shape. Quality grade B. Quantity grade A.
DB
Bobby Klinck 5-11,195, 4.5 Jenks. Klinck had an incredible senior year teaming with Kejuan Jones to lead Jenks to another title. Klinck was a dominant performer at both RB and Safety this year.At safety, he had 77 tackles (42 unassisted), and added over 400 yard running at RB. Klinck is a major threat to play next year (if nothing else Klinck could be a real asset on special teams) and is described as Rocky Calmus playing safety.
Eric Bassey 6-1,170,4.35. Garland TX. Bassey is the true cover corner in this class. Bassey's speed is for real and is the kind of cover corner that the ou coaches love. Bassey had a productive senior year on offense but was recruited as a cover corner. As a senior he had 37 tackles with two for loss as a defensive back, posted 24 catches for 276 yards. Wouldn't surprise me to see Bassey play some next or redshirt. It will really just depend upon depth situation at CB.
Justin Williams 6-0,180,4.4 Memphis. From the same now infamous high school as Albert Means.Williams basically recruited himself to OU by sending the OU coaches videotape. Williams was basically unranked until after verbaling with OU. Once Rivals evaluated Williams, Justin was ranked as a top 30 prospect at the cornerback position. Williams sounds a little similar to Derrick Strait and played multiple positions for his team. Williams will probably redhsitr
Johawn Poteat 6-1,175,4.5 Ardmore OK. Poteat is generally ranked as a top ten player in state, and OU coaches first noticed Poteat while recruiting Clifton Takawana and Ataleo Ford last year. Poteat is a very similiar player to Ford, although he projects more at DB than WR. Statistically as a 2 way player, Poteat had 803 yards on 48 catches with nine touchdowns, and recorded 60 tackles with two interceptions. Poteat is also an excellent track athlete in particular the 400 meters and high jump.
Avery Shine 6-0,190,4.5 Eufaula, OK. Shine was another early unheralded recruit that verbaled to OU. Shine however had a sensational senior year and easily was placed in the top ten list in state. Shine had a great at both RB and Safety. He rushed for 2,379 yards and recorded 129 tackles and three interceptions. Shine was not heavily ranked by Rivals but other recruiting services had him ranked as a top 100 player in the Midlands area.
Position review
This was not a huge area of need with how young the Sooners are at defensive back but with the graduation of Thatcher and Ontei Jones and the possibility of losing Roy Williams to the pros (not saying he will leave, but Roy should be a preseason all american) after next year. Some players were needed to add depth. The big time guys here are Klinck who had an awesome senior year and projects to be a real force impact player at safety and Bassey who might be the best cover corner in Texas last year and has incredible speed and athleticism. Quantity grade A. Quality grade B.
Kickers
Michael Northen 6-0,190 Houston, TX. Northen is the first kicker recruited by the Stoops staff. He had good stats as a senior averaging 44 yards a punt.Northen was also the first verbal commitment of this recruiting season. Northen also excelled as a place kicker. It's not really been determined if he will punter or place kicker at OU or whether he will do both. OU needed to sign a kicker with Ferguson and Duncan heading into their senior seasons. Quantity grade A. Quality grade B.
Class Evaluation
Well you don't need me to tell you that OU had a fantastic recruiting class. You can go to ESPN,CNNSI, Prepstar, Superprep, or Rivals. In my mind, OU's class really has 4 huge 5 star type players Tommie Harris, Chris Chester, Donta Hickson, and Brent Rawls. Harris was a 5 star by everyone, and has an almost unlimited ceiling in terms of potential. Chester had an incredible season at tight end with over 1200 yards total offense. It's rare that you will have a tight end be that productive. He was also a dominant force on defense. If you compare Chester's productivity to the top tight end by Rivals Marcus Spears, Chester had twice as many receiving and rushing yards. Hickson also just had an incredible senior year with probably some of the best RB performances this year. On his highlight video you can see that defenses are basically putting 10 men in the box to stop him, and he is just powering through the first wave and outrunning everyone. Finally, Brent Rawls with over 4000 yards total offense and over 40 tds had probably the best senior year of any QB prospect. If Rawls had put together a junior year like that he would easily have been the top rated QB prospect nationally. Beyond those 4 players, really the next wave of Sooner stars consistents of our 4 star type players Klinck, Kejuan Jones, Seymore Shaw, Jonathan Jackson, Clint Ingram, Vince Carter (who the Sooner staff supposedly liked as much as Ben Wilkerson everyone's 5 star center prospect from Texas), James Moses, Eric Bassey, Gabe Toomey, Bret Rayl, Clint Werth, and Brandon Jones. As you can see OU's class is just loaded with big time players, also across numerous positions. The next wave of Sooner recruits were probably Chris Bush, Mike Wilson (although if not for the baseball question, Wilson would probably be in the same class as Ingram and Toomey), Dusty Dvoracek, Justin Williams, and Jon Hawk. Finally, in recruiting under Stoops we have come to expect a group of sleepers that the OU coaches loved on film and in person in this group are Fred Fleeks, Jacob Hager, Avery Shine, Johawn Poteat, and Russell Dennison. OU's class is filled with impact players at every position and adds depth and talent to the Sooner roster. One thing we need to remember is that players signed as TE/DE/DT might not end up at those positions in college. OU has clearly added 5 OL to increase depth at this position, and added 4 DT players including impact DT Tommie Harris. This is probably the best class signed by OU since Switzer's second to last class that included Stacey Dillard and Mike Gaddis among others that class never reached its' potential due to defections and probation problems. In terms of high level Texas talent, this is the best class since Gibbs best class that included top dt Donnie Embra and top de Zerick Rollins (just a mild reminder about recruiting hype vs on the field performance). However, this class in comparison to Gibbs' class has much better overall talent with very few sleepers. It was a poor year in state for the positions that OU needed DL/OL and OU did a great job getting that talent from Texas. The only real disappointments in recruiting were not being able to to get top Texas OL Jami Hightower, Jonathan Scott, and Ben Wilkerson to consider OU. OU also parlayed their wonderful season into much greater national recruiting exposure, OU had visits from blue chip players in Florida, California, and Iowa. OU was not able to close on some of those players but it is hard somtimes to pull top players like Blake Larsen from Iowa and Willie Jones from Florida State. 2 things are becoming clear in Stoops' recruiting classes, he often takes sleepers early in the process rather than taking some class fillers after missing out on blue chips. Recruiting gurus will continue to uprank OU verbals after seeing them on film. Finally, I look for OU to recruit both Florida and California heavily to fill in gaps that might exist in state or in Texas. Also, watch for OU to get a lot of attention from blue chips for the coming recruiting class, OU will get better looks from national blue chips and will probably also have a lot blue chips in their summer camps. The impact of the national title might really be seen in recruiting for next year
Recruiting FAQ
OU oversigned how is this going to play out this fall?
Okay, schools can oversign in February but only 25 can actually enroll in August. So OU signed 29 in this class technically. 2 of those Clint Werth and Jarod Fields count towards last year. So OU is technically only 2 over. There's a good chance that Mike Wilson will sign a pro baseball contract that will have 2 results, one he will exclusively play pro baseball, or two he will sign a contract that ends his college eligibility in baseball but allows him to enroll at OU and play football while playing baseball in the Summers. Either way he may not end up using a scholarship. So there's a chance that OU is really only 1 over. Right now the national average of players who sign letter of intent who are not eligible is around 10% to 13%, in Stoops first 2 classes OU suffered an average of 2.5 non qualifiers (1st year Brad Ware and Jon Hawk, 2nd year Rudy Wells, Jarod Fields, Charles Dupree) so look for Ou to 2 to 3 non qualifiers.
Who is not qualified right now?
This is a very sensitive topic but here are the player that are currently not fully qualified: Donta Hickson,Tommie Harris,Kejuan Jones, Avery Shine, Seymore Shaw, and Justin Williams. The OU coaches in numerous post signing day interviews were asked this question and stated that most players were very close and that they expected to lose 2 to 3. OU football will probably use the partial qualifier again.
How many ships will OU have to use next year?
If OU enrolls 25 kids in August then OU will not be able to sign any mid term players either jucos or non qualifiers from this year. If OU enrolls 25 in August then OU's total scholarship numbers will be close to the 85 limit. OU only has 11 or 12 scholarships seniors, so unless there is some attrition/defections OU will only be able to sign a very small class.
Where will this class be ranked nationally?
Well it really depends upon who is doing the ranking. However, OU is ranked somewhere in the top ten anywhere from 2 to 6. The difference in rankings is mainly due to 3 or 4 players in particular Gabe Toomey, Chris Chester, Justin Williams, and Clint Ingram. Rivals had these 4 players ranked much higher than most other services therefore Rivals had OU as number 2 rank.