On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Sooners picked up a commitment from running back David Smith. From Bremen, Oklahoma, Smith was not highly recruited, but is very passionate about playing for the Sooners. Crimson and Cream Machine has more on Smith.
Oklahoma Football Recruiting: Sooners Gain A Back, But Lack Defensive Recruits?
The experts at Crimson and Cream Machine also have fairly serious concerns about the lack of recruits being brought in on the defensive side of the ball. Is this a result of the defensive coordinator shakeup in Norman? C&C Machine investigates:
”Here we stand, exactly two weeks away from signing day, and as it stands today Oklahoma has just five verbal commitments from defensive players projected to be a part of their 2012 class. Some OU fans who follow recruiting are fairly alarmed by this and wondering why the OU coaches have seemingly made defense in this year’s recruiting class a non-priority. In an effort to help those people, and really just any OU fan in general who is looking ahead to next season, I thought it would be beneficial to try and find the logic behind what the coaches might be thinking.The most prevalent argument I’ve heard for why they’re taking the approach that they are is that OU has a bunch of youth/depth on the defensive side of the ball so defense isn’t a priority in this year’s class. As we get into this I think you’ll see in some cases that is probably true and in others not so much.
Before we get started though, let me make at least one thing clear. In my opinion, in recruiting, you’re really working for a year or more likely two years down the road. Admittedly, this isn’t some brilliant theory exclusive to me but that also doesn’t take anything away from the fact that it’s true. It’s obviously unrealistic, especially at a program like Oklahoma, to expect a freshman class to come in and win multiple starting/impact spots on either/both sides of the ball. The 2010 class for OU was a clear anomaly and while more than welcome, just not something that happens on even a semi-regular basis.
So keep that in mind as we move forward because based on that theory alone, I cannot make sense of what the coaches are doing with this class on the defensive side.”
They actually look at each individual position and break down the total number of players on campus as well as any current 2012 recruits. Then, they look to the future and project needs for 2013, accounting for possible NFL early entries. This is a must-read for any Sooners fan!
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