With a record five Big 12 Championships, a national title, a bowl appearance in each of his nine seasons and six stops at BCS games during Bob Stoops' tenure, it's more than coincidental that Oklahoma also produces well on signing day.
The OU head coach and his staff have apparently done so again, attracting a class that is roundly regarded among the top 10 in the nation. A total of 21 prospects inked letters of intent on the first day of the signing period, Wednesday.
"The key is finding good players that fit our program," said Stoops. "Playing here is not easy because the competition is good and a lot of hard work is expected, but the young men that choose to play here have rewarding experiences. We're excited about this group because they seem to have a good understanding of what it takes to play at a championship level and they want to carry on the Sooner tradition.
"I want to congratulate our coaching staff for working so hard to identify good prospects and then for developing the kind of relationship it takes to explain the benefits of our program in depth. Our coaches do a great job for Oklahoma and for the prospects because of the way they communicate."
The new Sooners represent a cross section of positions with three linebackers, three offensive linemen, defensive backs and receivers, two each at running back, defensive end, defensive tackle and defensive back and one each at quarterback and kicker.
Three of the signees hail from the junior college ranks while the other 19 are coming from high school. Three of those, quarterback Landry Jones, running back Justin Johnson and offensive lineman Britt Mitchell are already enrolled at OU. They are already involved in conditioning workouts and will participate in spring workouts as well.
Texas produced the most signees for OU with 11 followed by Oklahoma and Georgia with three and one each from Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and New Mexico.
Oklahoma is scheduled to open spring practices March 5. Those workouts conclude April 12 with the annual Red/White Spring Game.
OU Signing Day
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February 6, 2008
OU signs 21 players
- OU Signing Day
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OU puts out call for linebackers
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had just finished signing his 2008 recruiting class when he started making a pitch for 2009.
“Those young guys listening out there, we still need some linebackers,” he said.
Even after inking a 21-player class that included the three top players in Texas, there were holes that needed to be filled. OU hopes most of those problems were addressed Wednesday during national signing day. -
He's waiting
WASHINGTON — He’s got the size.
He’s got the hands.
And, he’s got the numbers.
What James Winchester doesn’t have is three or four seasons under his belt at a Class 6A school.
And it might cost him a chance to showcase his skills at a Division I college. -
Another great class for OU
The Oklahoma Sooners used a late commitment flurry to secure a top five finish in the final Rivals.com national recruiting rankings.
The Sooners’ No. 5 final ranking was Stoops’ sixth top 10 finish since 2002 and his best since finishing third in 2005.
It was also the third time Stoops has collected a top five class in that time span.
But the biggest impact of this recruiting class can be measured in how successful the Sooners were against their stiffest competition – the University of Texas. -
OU signs 21 players
With a record five Big 12 Championships, a national title, a bowl appearance in each of his nine seasons and six stops at BCS games during Bob Stoops' tenure, it's more than coincidental that Oklahoma also produces well on signing day.
- What are the chances? When national signing day arrives Wednesday, Oklahoma fans will take part in a bit of a rarity in this day and age — they’ll be able to watch with great anticipation as one of the nation’s top players breaks their hearts or sends them into a euphoric state of jubilation.
- Watch here for Signing Day Coverage The Norman Transcript will be bringing you Signing Day coverage as it happens.
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OU puts out call for linebackers
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had just finished signing his 2008 recruiting class when he started making a pitch for 2009.
