John Shinn
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.
The Sooners brought in another banner crop, highlighted by running backs Justin Johnson, Jermie Calhoun and defensive end R.J. Washington. Yet as far as immediate impact goes, Stoops’ recruiting pitch was borne of necessity.
Curtis Lofton’s early departure to the NFL left a hole in the middle of OU’s defense that has to be shored up sooner rather than later.That lack of depth, along with a similar situation in the secondary, were the top priorities the Sooners had to address.
OU hopes it will be rectified with the addition of four linebackers Wednesday.
Junior college linebackers Mike Balogun and J.R. Bryant, plus Georgia high-school standout Daniel Franklin are expected to vie for playing time among a group with only one established starter in Ryan Reynolds. Junior Lamont Robinson and redshirt freshman Austin Box will also vie for starting spots
“I think with Curtis Lofton leaving early and then losing two other guys this year, it caught us a little bit thin, and then even with these three we’re still a little bit thin in the linebacker position,” Stoops said.
Expect a great deal of attention to be paid to the new linebackers when spring drills begin.
“This group is really going to help us with their overall ability we’ve seen on tape,” Stoops said.
The rest of the class is stocked with highly-touted players from near and far.
The Sooners once again stocked their cupboard with some of the best players from Texas’ high school ranks.
Running backs Calhoun and Justin Jones were two of the best the state had to offer and both will compete for playing time next season. Calhoun, from Van, is the top-rated running back by ESPN, while Jones, from Gilmer, was ranked No. 2 by Scout.com.
The tandem accounted for two of OU’s earliest commitments and Stoops gave them some of the credit for landing the class.
“Those guys never wavered. In fact, the two of them helped put together the rest of the class. They worked some of the other guys the rest of the way,” Stoops said.
The Sooners signed 11 players from Texas, including a pair of five-star prospects according to Rivals.com.
R.J. Washington, a defensive end from Fort Worth, is the recruiting Web site’s top defensive end and Stephen Good (Paris, Texas) was ranked as the No. 2 run blocker.
OU also added offensive linemen Ben Habern, Britt Mitchell, defensive backs Lamar Harris, Joseph Ibiloye and defensive tackle Casey Walker from the Lone Star State.
“Our overall program has been strong and consistent and I think players see that,” Stoops said. “I think the overall success and consistency matters. We’re in the South Division and we’ve won it six of the last eight years and I think that matters to them.”
Three more came from within Oklahoma’s borders. Defensive tackle Stacey McGee and wide receiver Jameel Owens both came from Muskogee. OU also added kicker/punter Tress Way from Tulsa Union.
The rest of the class was scattered around the country. OU went to Metuchen, N.J., to ink wide receiver Dejuan Miller and Ellenwood, Ga., to nab receiver Joshua Jarboe. Both are four-star recruits, according to Rivals.com.
Quarterback Landry Jones is also a four-star recruit from Landry, N.M.
“They were all top players in their states,” Stoops said. “Being able to draw them here shows the overall strength and consistency of the program.”
Jones, Johnson and Mitchell are already enrolled at OU. They are already involved in conditioning workouts and will participate in spring drills.
OU’s first spring workout is March 5.
The rest will arrive this summer to go through conditioning before practice begins in August.
When they arive, Stoops believes they’ll allow the Sooners to continue competing at a championship level.
“I think it’s pretty obvious we did a good job of filling our needs in that we got quality players at each position and all positions … I like the overall depth at all positions.”
Time will tell.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
