NORMAN, Okla. -- 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.
 Tabbed the Northeast Football Conference Player of the Year ... second team All-American by the NJCAA ... named to the Northeast Football Conference first team all-conference on defense ... racked up 86 tackles in 2007, 72 solos ... totaled one sack with three forced fumbles ... two interceptions for a total of 62 return yards ... had 12 tackles in one game against Navy Prep ... coached by Mark Duda ... born: Sept. 28, 1983.
No. 34 junior college player by Rivals.com ... first team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference ... NJCAA All-Region VI ... recorded 81 tackles and two tackles for a loss in 2007 as well as one sack ... Garden City was ranked No. 17 in the final NJCAA poll ... coached by Lucas Aslin ... born: Dec. 5, 1987.
No. 1-rated running back, No. 7 player by ESPN and CSTV ... No. 3 player nationally by Scout.com, No. 2 in Texas ... No. 10 player nationally by Sports Illustrated/Takkle.com ... ranked No. 19 player nationally by Rivals.com and No. 2 at running back ... No. 1 player on Rivals' Texas Top 100 ... Parade All-American ... named the 2008 Southwest Offensive Player of the Year by SuperPrep Magazine ... selected to play in the ESPN All American game ... Offensive Player of the Year award for class 3-A in the state of Texas ...... third team All-American by EA Sports ... carried 242 times in his senior season racking up 1,910 yards and 30 touchdowns ... threw 104 passes, completing 57 for 803 yards and four touchdowns ... had 185 rushes in 2006 for 1,601 yards and 20 TD while adding another two scores and 128 yards on five catches ... in 2005, he racked up 1,830 yards on 230 carries with 23 touchdowns and six catches for 145 yards and four touchdowns ... parents: Tracy and Hank Neal ... coached by Brady Pennington ... born Oct. 12, 1988.
Selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... also participated in the Under Armour ESPN All-Star game ... rtated No. 5 inside linebacker by ESPN ... No. 17 weak side linebacker by Scout.com ... elected by Rivals.com to be on their All-South team ... member of the News Channel 32 All-Northeast Georgia team ... named to the Georgia Football Magazine all-state team ... tabbed by the Gainesville Times first team all-area ... led team with 128 tackles in 2007 ... as a four-year starter, set school record with 395 career tackles ... as the team captain, he was also named the team's Defensive MVP ... parents: Connie and Mike Franklin ... coached by Gene Cathcart ... born: Oct. 23, 1989.
Ranked the No. 2 run blocker and No. 29 overall player by Rivals.com ... Ranked No. 7 tackle by ESPN ... Scout.com tabbed him as the No. 3 offensive guard ... named to the East Texas all-state team as well as the AP all-state team in 2006 ... was elected to the all-district team three out of four year ... was chosen to play in the 2008 Army All-American Bowl ... recorded 24 pancake blocks in only two games as a senior ... compiled 208 pancake blocks in his high school career ... allowed only one sack in all four years as a starter... parents: Kim and Tommy Good ... coached by Travis Smith ... born Feb. 5, 1990.
Selected as a US Army All-American ... named a Parade Magazine All-American ... No. 3 center nationally by ESPN and Rivals.com, No. 4 by Scout.com ... elected to first team all-state for both offensive and defensive line ... received all-district honors for both offensive and defensive line while being voted the district's most valuable player ... tabbed Denton Record Chronicle's two-way player of the year ... also selected to their all-area team ... his senior year, he recorded 112 pancake blocks while not allowing a sack, and defensively racked up 67 tackles and 11 sacks ... in 2006, he totaled 61 pancake blocks on the offensive side of the ball and recorded 34 tackles and five sacks on defense ... parents: Debi and Richard Habern ... coached by Mark Bowles ... born: July 28, 1989.
No. 32 on the Rivals.com Texas Top 100, No. 11 nationally at tight end ... No. 20 tight end by Scout.com ... ranked No. 13 tight end by ESPN ... district offensive MVP in 2007 ... selected to the Texas Sports Writers all-state team as an honorable mention wide receiver... in 2007, he hauled in 53 catches for 765 yards with 11 touchdowns ... also returned six punts for 145 yards and a touchdown and six kicks for 181 yards and another score ... rushed 17 times for 131 yards ... parents: Kim and Rick Grizzle ... his mother played volleyball at Miami of Ohio ... coached by Cody Vanderford ... born: July 14, 1989.
No. 35 on Rivals.com Texas 100 ... ranked the No. 26 athlete in the class by Rivals.com and the No. 44 cornerback by Scout.com ... caught 48 passes for 734 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007 ... as a junior, he had 42 receptions for 810 yards with 16 touchdowns ... also that year he was credited with 16 tackles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and long interception returns of 82 and 42 yard.
Named all-state in 2007 ... voted unanimous all-district selection ... rated No. 16 outside linebacker by ESPN ... ranked by Rivals.com in their Top 100 at number 92, as well as their Texas top 25 at number 15 ... No. 10 safety by Scout.com ... tabbed by The Dallas Morning News as first team all-area player ... racked up 72 tackles in his senior season causing one fumble ... recovered another fumble ... blocked two punts and had seven passes defended ... parent: Tai Hazoome ... coached by Mickey Moss ... born: Nov. 28. 1989.
Named an Under Armour All-American ... No. 13 player nationally by ESPN ... No. 10 wide receiver nationally by Rivals.com, No. 18 wide receiver by Scout.com ... selected to the Atlanta Falcons 7 on 7 all-star team in both 2006 and 2007 ... tabbed first team all-county in both his junior and senior seasons (2006, 2007) ... voted pre-season first team all-state in 2007 ... a three-year player, he totaled 34 receptions for 643 yards and five touchdowns his senior season ... in 2006, he hauled in 43 catches for 873 yards and seven scores while running the ball 22 times for 417 yards and 3 more scores ... completed 2-for-3 in passing for 47 yards and another touchdown ... had 15 catches for 478 yards and seven TD in 2005 ... coached by Ray Bonner ... born: Nov. 17, 1989.
No. 2 running back nationally by Scout.com, No. 14 by Rivals.com and ESPN ... named to ESPN's top 150 prospects ... had 204 carries for 2164 yards and 25 TD in 2007 ... as a junior, he logged 86 attempts for 1,015 yards and 11 TD, and as a sophomore he had 91 carries for 793 yards and eight touchdowns ... played defense as a soph and logged 49 tackles, six sacks and one interception.
Named a Parade All-American ... rated No. 3 quarterback by ESPN ... played in the Under Armour ESPN All-American game ... second team multi-purpose All-American by EA Sports ... selected as New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year ... ranked by Rivals.com as the best player in New Mexico, and as one of the Best Pro-Style Quarterbacks at No. 6 ... rated by Scout.com as the No. 6 quarterback nationally ... finalist for the Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year ... was a member of both the 2006 and 2007 all-state teams ... threw for 3,850 yards on 366 pass attempts and 44 TD with only 11 interceptions on his way to a state title in 2007 ... those numbers followed a season in which he threw for 3,432 yards and 45 scores on his way to his first state title in 2006 ... he also rushed in 2006 for 294 yards and nine scores ... parents: Kellye and Kevin Jones ... coached by Cooper Henderson ... born: April 4, 1989.
Ranked the No. 16 strong side defensive end by Rivals.com ... No. 11 defensive end by Scout.com ... named the unanimous district Defensive MVP ... Elected to the All Greater Houston team by The Houston Chronicle ... racked up 46 tackles from his defensive end position as well as nine tackles for a loss ... recorded 4.5 sacks and six quarterback pressures ... also batted six passes and intercepted one ... coached by Ron Counter ... born Dec. 27, 1989.
Named to Rivals.com's all-state team while being ranked in its Top 100 (86), Best Defensive Ends (8) and Oklahoma Top 25 (2) ... No. 11 defensive tackle nationally by Scout.com, No. 15 by ESPN ... selected to the Tulsa World and Oklahoman all-state team ... tabbed as the Muskogee Phoenix's Defensive Player of the Year ...... recorded 98 tackles his senior season while 20 of those were for a loss ... had six sacks and forced 18 passes ... also registered two interceptions, 8 batted passes and caused three fumbles ... for his career, he racked up 160 tackles, 38 for a loss and 13 sacks ... totaled 6 picks and 21 broken up passes for his career... parents: Stacy and Sabrina McGee ... coached by Matt Hennesey ... born: Jan. 17, 1990.
No. 13 wide receiver by Scout.com, No. 21 by ESPN ... elected to the AP all-state team in 2007 as a wide receiver ... finalist for the Gatorade Player of the Year Award ... four-year starter in both football and basketball, as well as the New Jersey state champion in the 200m dash ... elected to play in the Offense-Defense All-American game ... tallied 77 tackles from his safety position, as well as one interception and six passes defended ... racked up 46 receptions for 612 yards with six touchdowns ... ran 51 times for 455 yards and five touchdowns ... accounted for 14 total touchdowns ... parents: Carla and Jeremy Miller ... coached by Bob Ulmer ... born April 10, 1990.
First team all-state in 2007 after receiving second team all-state honors in 2006 ... two time all-area team member (2006, 2007) ... ranked No. 34 offensive tackle by ESPN, No. 45 by Scout.com in the offensive lineman category, while being ranked 68 byRivals.com for the same position ... totaled 64 pancake blocks his senior season although he missed four games due to injury/illness ... graded at 97 percent on his blocking assignments in 2007 ... anchored the line that blocked for an offense that averaged 455.5 yards per game ... parent: Cari Duda ... coached by Wes Williams ... born: June 9, 1989.
Rated the No. 1 player in Oklahoma by Rivals.com and the No. 8 receiver nationally ... No. 10 receiver by ESPN ... No. 1 player in Oklahoma and No. 15 receiver nationally by Scout.com ... top 50 prospect by Sports Illustrated/Takkle.com ... selected to both the US Army and Parade Magazine All-American teams ... named Muskogee Phoenix Most Valuable Player ... named an all-state team member by both the Oklahoman and the Tulsa World ... caught 59 passes in 2007 racking up 994 yards and 10 scores ... totaled 167 receptions for 3,444 yards and 45 touchdowns as a four-year starter ... parent: Debra Owens ... coached by Matt Hennesey ... born: April 15, 1989.
JUCO All-American ... named to both all-region and all-state teams in 2007 ... ranked in the Rivals.com JUCO top 60 ...racked up 70 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack ... intercepted six passes while defending six others ... picked up four fumbles while forcing one ... had three plays over 98 yards all for touchdowns, one 99-yard fumble recovery, one 98-yard two-point conversion return and one 100-yard field goal return ... in 2006 he played in seven games carrying 100 times for 384 yards and five TD ... ran a 4.38 second 40-yard dash at a JUCO combine in 2007 ... coached by Jeff Jordan ... born: Oct. 20, 1986.
Ranked by ESPN as the No. 35 defensive tackle, rated by Scout.com as the No. 39 defensive tackle nationally ... Rivals.com ranks him No. 56 nationally among defensive tackles ... recorded 22 tackles in 2007 with two sacks and two forced fumbles ... credited with seven quarterback hurries ... statistically his best season, in 2006 he totaled 25 tackles with two sacks ... also picked up a fumble and was able to get two quarterback hurries ... parents: Natalie and Chris Pipkin ... coached by Jeff Jordan ... born: Dec. 6, 1989.
No. 11 prospect nationally by ESPN, No. 14 by Sports Illustrated/Takkle.com ... No. 1-rated defensive end nationally by Rivals.com, No. 2 by Scout.com ... EA Sports All-American ... named the 2008 Southwest Defensive Player of the year by SuperPrep Magazine ... tabbed as an All American by Parade Magazine ... elected to play in the 2008 Army All-American Bowl ... received all state honors in each of his last two seasons (2006, 2007) ... selected to the Dallas Morning News All-Area Team ... recorded 84 tackles in 2007 with 11 sacks and 36 quarterback pressures ... holds school records in both sacks in a career with 29 and in a game with three ... earned first-team all-district honors in 2006 and 2007 while being named the sophomore of the year in 2005 ... parent: Sherrilyn Wright ... coached by Tony Baccarinni ... born March 14, 1989.
Selected as a member of the all-state team by both the Oklahoman and Tulsa World ... No. 17 player in Oklahoma by Rivals.com at 17 ... No. 11 kicker nationally by Scout.com ... earned a spot in the Oil Bowl ... named the district special teams player of the year ... converted all 42 extra point attempts ... hit on 14-of- 19 field goals with the longest coming from 47 yards ... handled punting duties, averaging 39.0 yards on 26 attempts ... parents: Debra and Leo Way ... coached by Kirk Fridrich born April 18, 1990.
Opening Statement: "I'm pleased to announce 18 new signees. We've got three to make 21 for the whole class that are already enrolled and participating for us. I'm really pleased with the new class and really excited about it. This is a bunch of good players that are quality students and quality players. I really appreciate the efforts of our coaching staff. Every single guy on our coaching staff really contributes in a great way of being very unselfish about it. We never get caught up in what guys sign and how many. To me, the whole staff recruits players. There isn't just a recruiting coach who has that area. We do a good job at communicating amongst ourselves and presenting Oklahoma in a good way with these recruits. "What I'm most pleased with as I look at them is the overall depth in all positions. We signed three offensive linemen, three linebackers, three defensive backs, two running backs, two defensive ends, one quarterback, one defensive specialist and one tight end in James Hannah. He's really an excellent player as well. Tress Way is a kicker and a punter. Overall I think it's pretty obvious that we did a good job in all of our needs and that we've got quality players in all positions." On the ability to recruit players from across the
country: On the new offensive recruits: On the new receivers: On new freshman and quarterback Landry Jones: On defensive signees: "Defensive backs, we've got three guys again. We've got Joseph Ibiloye and David Sims, two inside safety guys who are good physical hitters. Lamar Harris from east Texas and he gives us another corner with good size and range. Joseph is from the Dallas area. I think with Reggie leaving early and then graduating Darien Williams, Marcus Walker and D.J. Wolfe we got caught thin a little bit there. We're still thin with signing these guys and we're still needing to recruit guys for the secondary guys coming up. "Rounding that out, some of the inside guys- between R.J. Washington, David King, ranging defensive ends with excellent quickness. Stacy McGee, a local guy from over in Muskogee, an excellent player who's very powerful and doing great in wrestling right now, a very physical and quick guy. Casey Walker, another physical and strong guy who's got a little more weight to him. Stacy's the type of guy who will start at defensive end, but will grow into an inside guy. With his feet and movement, he's really exceptional for the way he moves. He used to weigh I think about 280 and has cut back to 255. So we'll see, Stacey moves so well that he'll have an opportunity to play inside or outside depending on how he grows. " On the new kicker/punter signee: On signing two of the top three running backs in
Texas in Jermie Calhoun and Justin Johnson: On Justin Johnson staying at running back: On getting early commitments: On bringing other players in for linebacker and
defensive back: On Jermie Calhoun's and Justin Johnson's
running styles: On being able to recruit Texas so well: On the middle linebacker position for spring football: On signing Lamar Harris: On college football adding an early signing day: On the receiver class: On Dejuan Miller: On R.J. Washington and the rest of the defensive
line recruits: On finding Mike Balogun: On if Adrian Peterson passed on some characteristics
to Justin Johnson: On how the Justin Johnson, Landry Jones and Britt
Mitchell are doing so far:   
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