The Oklahoma Sooners hit the recruiting trail hard this year. With quite a few starters set to graduate on both sides of the ball, it was imperative for coach Bob Stoops and his staff to bring in some of the nation's most talented high school prospects.
Hatari Byrd signs with Oklahoma: Physical safety recruit could help Sooners now
One of the nation’s top-ranked secondary players could see early playing time in Norman.
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One of the more highly regarded names of OU’s 2013 recruiting class is safety Hatari Byrd. After wrapping up a solid career at Central East High School in Fresno, Calif., Byrd will look to make a name for himself at the college level.
Byrd could see some early playing time if he really gets after it in camp. The Sooners lose starting a starting cornerback and safety this year, as well as multiple second- and third-string players. If Byrd is able to pick things up quickly, he could be an important part of Oklahoma’s secondary and special teams units early in his career.
Ratings: Byrd is a consensus four-star recruit. He is listed on most scouting service’s top-250 lists for the entire country.
Vitals: He comes in at around 6’2 and 195 pounds. He should beef up considerably once he gets to work with Oklahoma’s top-notch facilities and training staff.
Other offers: Byrd has offers to many Pac-12 programs, such as Arizona State, UCLA and Washington. Georgia and Ole Miss also let him know the SEC was interested.
Twitter: You can follow Hatari here: @HBizzy559.
Recruitment timeline: Byrd committed to OU on July 31, 2012. He made an official visit late in October. He has remained true to the Sooners throughout and has not taken any other official trips. His lead recruiter throughout the entire process was defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, who joined Oklahoma’s staff after being fired from Arizona in 2011.
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