Oklahoma Sooners football recruiting updates 2014

Even with the departures of four programs from the Big 12, the recruiting landscape in the Big 12 has never been more competitive, with the state of Texas in particular a much more difficult place to recruit with the rise of TCU, a resurgent Texas A&M, and Baylor now much more competitive.

6’5 | 230 pounds | **** | No. 12 wide receiver nationally | No. 3 player in Arizona

A top-100 prospect nationally, Andrews is the crown jewel of the Oklahoma recruiting class after committing in early August over numerous offers from national power programs, including Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC. The difference? Andrews grew up in a family of Oklahoma fans and the Sooners were able to seal the deal by promising that they would use him as a wide receiver despite strong odds that he’s going to end up at 250 pounds before his Sooner career is over.

The issues with Andrews are that he has merely average speed for a wide receiver and is not especially dynamic after the catch. He also benefits from catching passes thrown by one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Texas A&M commit Kyle Allen. However, Andrews makes up for his other deficiencies with his pure size and ability to go up with strong hands to win jump balls. As a tight end prospect, Andrews is pretty special, but it’s going to be more difficult for him to have the same impact as a wide receiver that he could with his hand on the ground or playing inside to match up against linebackers.

6’5 | 210 pounds | **** | No. 21 wide receiver nationally | No. 16 player in California

Another big-bodied receiver for future aerial attacks in Norman, Todd is the No. 162 player nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings and chose the Sooners over a number of offers, as well, including Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. He committed in April after a visit two days prior.

Todd is like a more thin version of Andrews -- his best is less than elite and so is his change of direction ability, though he is better with the ball in his hands than his prospective future teammate. Another potential redzone threat and strong blocker on the perimeter, Todd represented another significant national coup for a program that is increasingly relying on players from outside the region.

6’4 | 200 pounds | **** | No. 7 pro-style quarterback | No. 3 player in Oklahoma

In quite a few seasons, Hansen would be the top prospect in the Sooner State, but just because two other players are ranked in front of him doesn’t decrease his importance to the class. One of the first quarterback dominoes to fall nationally, Hansen decided to stay in state when he pledged in April despite showing some serious interest in Texas A&M. He also held offers from Arkansas, Auburn, and Ole Miss, though his offer list was probably limited by his strong longtime interest in the Sooners.

An athletic pro-style quarterback capable of making plays with his feet, Hansen doesn’t have one elite skill, but he does do just about everything well, though his delivery needs the most work. One of his most impressive attributes is his ability to stand tall in the pocket under pressure and with defenders around his legs and deliver strikes to wide receivers.

5’11 | 235 pounds | *** | No. 16 running back | No. 37 player in Texas

Tears of Perine’s ACL and MCL ended Perine’s sophomore season in the playoffs and resulted in a depressed offer list, though Alabama, Baylor, Houston, Purdue, and Tennessee all thought it worthwhile to offer him before he committed to the Sooners in March. Perine is right on the edge of being a four-star prospect in the consensus rankings (247Sports has him as a low four-star recruit) and should have a chance to make that move as he returns to full speed this season. With his trademark spin move, utility in the return game, and ability to break tackles because of his impressive lower-body strength and ideal build for a running back.

6’2 | 215 pounds | *** | No. 41 outside linebacker nationally | No. 44 player in California

The Sooners have had success in the state of California recently, landing notable prospects like Kenny Stills and Tony Jefferson, as well as Todd in the 2014 class, a trend that continued with the August pledge of Bolton, who will take his talents to Norman instead of Arizona, Fresno State, Iowa State, Miami, Washington, or Washington State.

Here’s the assessment of Bolton, who plays defensive end in high school, by Crimson and Cream Machine recruiting analyst Jordan Esco:

On film Bolton is the explosive kind of athlete Oklahoma has so desperately been searching for at the linebacker position. Moves laterally incredibly well and displays a unique ability to not get caught up in the wash along the line of scrimmage. Delivers an impact when he meets the ball carrier and shows a good motor routinely chasing down plays from the backside.

If Bolton can add enough weight to serve as a pass-rushing specialist by the time he arrives at Oklahoma, a la former edge rushing star Ronnell Lewis, it will save him from the transition of having to learn to play in space. It appears Bolton has the ability to translate to outside linebacker, but his talent seems best served playing close to the line of scrimmage.

6’2 | 190 pounds | *** | No. 55 safety nationally | No. 86 player in Texas

A relatively unknown prospect with no available film at the time of his commitment at the February 2 Junior Day, the subsequent rankings have vindicated the take of McQuinnie, who now has offers from Iowa and SMU. With his frame, he could eventually become a hybrid safety/outside linebacker, but there are questions about his instincts and tackling ability. However, he does have all the other tools necessary to become a solid collegiate contributor.

6’1 | 180 pounds | *** | No. 47 cornerback nationally | No. 72 player in Texas

With a handful of offers from notable BCS programs including Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech, Green committed in the middle of May days after he receiving his offer on a visit to Norman. Lean, with long arms and elite height for the cornerback position, Green has some projectable skills, but needs to add strength, work on his press coverage skills, and become a tackler capable of standing up opponents on contact.

5’10 | 175 pounds | *** | No. 64 cornerback nationally | No. 26 player in Mississippi

Windham pledged to the Sooners in the middle of May over offers from Florida State and Louisiana-Lafayette. A potential under-the-radar gem, Windham doesn’t have ideal size, speed, or ball skills, but he does have remarkable instincts for the position, the short-area quickness to drive on the football, and the ability to mirror receivers in coverage. He’s limited in some significant areas, but some guys just know how to play football.

6’4 | 254 pounds | *** | No. 58 strongside defensive end nationally | No. 188 player in Texas

Another rather under-the-radar prospect for the Sooners, Glenn held offers from Houston, Kansas State, and North Texas, but impressed enough at a June Oklahoma camp to earn an offer eight days later. A subsequent visit on June 14 resulted in his commitment. A possible defensive tackle if he keeps growing, Glenn had a productive junior season with nearly 60 tackles and five sacks, but does not have any available film.

6’6 | 170 pounds | *** | No. 66 wide receiver nationally | No. 7 player in Oklahoma

A skinnier, lite version of Todd, Mead has an offer list that is more impressive than his national ranking, as he held offers from Arkansas, Cal, Clemson, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M, among others, prior to his commitment to the Sooners in June. Otherwise, the same scouting reports for Andrews and Todd basically apply to Mead, who will likely need a redshirt season to add some mass before he can handle the college game.

6’4 | 280 pounds | *** | No. 46 offensive tackle nationally | No. 29 player in Ohio

A May pledge to the Sooners, Dalton also held offers from Arkansas, Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, and Virginia Tech, among others. A high school guard who also plays some right tackle, Dalton will likely play center for Oklahoma, despite the fact that he’s listed as an offensive tackle by 247Sports. With quick feet off the ball, Dalton also does a strong job of keeping them moving on contact. Athletic enough to play outside in college, Dalton is good enough in space that he could also project at guard in college.

6’3 | 200 pounds | *** | No. 63 outside linebacker nationally | No. 97 player in Texas

Arizona State, Kansas, and Stanford were among the schools that offered Evans, but his connections to the Oklahoma program were too much to resist -- his father, Bobby Joe Evans, played basketball for the Sooners.

Here’s the take on Evans as a player from Crimson and Cream Machine:

Evans will play both standing up and with his hand on the ground. He has the ability to turn and run in coverage, come up and deliver the big hit, or pursue the quarterback off the edge. He’s a smart, disciplined player who is a sure tackler and rarely in the wrong position on the football field. There are likely better comps out there, but honestly watching his film you can’t help but be reminded of a member of last year’s recruiting class, Jordan Evans.

6’6 | 220 pounds | *** | No. 32 tight end nationally | No. 9 player in Oklahoma

A late May pledge to the home-state Sooners, Meier also had offers from Oregon State, Washington State, and Wisconsin and committed days after receiving his offer. Meier plays a lot of receiver in high school, so he will need a redshirt season to develop physically and become adjusted to the type of in-line blocking he will have to perform at the college level, though he does have some experience with his hand on the ground. As with Andrews, Todd, and Mead, Meier’s height is his best attribute as a wide receiver, as he presents a big target who can frustrate smaller defensive backs.

6’3 | 300 pounds | ** | No. 109 offensive guard nationally | No. 363 player in Texas

Days after visiting Norman, Alvarez added his name to the Oklahoma recruiting class on September 10, probably a relatively easy choice for him considering that his other offers were from Houston, Louisiana-Monroe and New Mexico State. Since Alvarez apparently recorded a near 40-inch vertical leap during testing at a Nike combine, it’s a bit surprising that he didn’t have more offers. Unfortunately, his highlights are poorly cut, which makes it difficult to assess his upside, but he did have some good moments against an extremely talented Skyline team in 2012 and his punch is extremely effective. A likely guard in college, Alvareaz played right tackle last season and has moved inside to center this year.

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National Signing Day is still more than four months away. Verbal commitments are non-binding and change frequently.

For more on Oklahoma Sooners recruiting, visit Crimson and Cream Machine.