The Oklahoma Sooners were struggling to find much-needed defensive tackles in the 2013 class as recently as early December, but the flip of Dallas (Texas) Skyline defensive tackle helped change some of the momentum for the Sooners.
Kerrick Huggins signs with Oklahoma over Texas A&M
The big defensive tackle may factor into the rotation immediately for Oklahoma.
A consensus four-star prospect, Huggins is a 6’4, 280-pounder who is considered a top-20 defensive tackle nationally and one of the top-40 prospects in the state of Texas. He held offers from Colorado State, Kansas State, SMU, and Texas Tech. He was also invited to a Texas Junior Day before committing to A&M and would have had more offers had he not originally ended the recruiting process with his early pick of A&M.
Academic issues were thought to have influenced the mutual decision to part ways with Texas A&M.
Huggins has the size to play three-technique defensive tackle in college, as he doesn’t currently have the mass preferred for nose tackles who play over the center. The good news is that he isn’t carrying much bad weight for a prospect of his size, but the bad news is that he doesn’t flash the explosiveness that would make him a top three-technique prospect.
What he does have is the ability to play with solid leverage for a prospect of his height, which can allow him to hold his own in the running game and take advantage of the athleticism he does have. He’s not the most technically refined player, but he may have to be ready to contribute early at Oklahoma given their depth concerns on the inside heading into 2013.
Huggins turned in a strong senior season that saw him record more than 50 tackles, as well as 17 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 4.5 sacks.
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Recruitment timeline: Huggins committed to Texas A&M in February of 2012, but flipped to Oklahoma in December, possibly due to eligibility concerns.
Highlight video:
Kerrick Huggins DT 2013 Dallas Skyline HS (via 247SportsStudio)
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