Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops addressed several potential recruiting changes on the horizon during his news conference on Wednesday for national signing day. From early signing day to relaxed recruiting rules, Stoops weighed in on the changing landscape in college football.

Like several of his peers around the country, Stoops is not a big fan of the changes in recruiting rules, particularly Proposal 13-3, which removes restrictions on numerical limitations and modes of recruiting communication. Proposal 13-3 will become a NCAA bylaw on Aug. 1.

Starting with the Class of 2014, college coaches can call, text and communicate privately by any methods available, without restrictions. If a coach wants to call a recruit 10 times a day, he can.

“You will be able to connect with them more, but can you imagine the recruit in school when there are fifty schools trying to get ahold of him and fifty schools texting him?” Stoops wondered. “His phone is going to blow up and his girlfriend is never going to be able to get through to him. It is going to be different; we will see how it goes. I am not in favor of all of it entirely.”

NCAA president Mark Emmert has been focused on streamlining the rules with less regulation with the goal of focusing on the "major" problems as the NCAA tries to enforce its rulebook. Yet, it could open Pandora’s box for recruits who will be inundated with calls, emails and texts as rival coaches strive to out-recruit and outwork each other.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was talking about Johnny Manziel as his team prepared to face Texas A&M’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in the Cotton Bowl. Yet his words revealed the driving force behind the Sooners’ change in recruiting strategy at the quarterback position.

“Sometimes the worst thing you can do is cover everybody,” Stoops said in December.

It’s every defensive coordinator’s nightmare to play great defense, have all receiving options covered, then watch helplessly as the quarterback scrambles for a big gain. It happened time and time again during the Cotton Bowl as Manziel set a Cotton Bowl record with 516 total yards against OU.

The Sooners are hoping they’re on the positive side of that equation this fall and beyond. With Blake Bell, Trevor Knight and Kendal Thompson, the Sooners have quarterbacks who can make defenses pay with their feet if they’ve run out of options through the air.

A glimpse at the skill set of OU’s quarterbacks has led to speculation that the Sooners offense would undergo drastic changes with a shift towards an offense that features the quarterback run game.

There are several signs that will not be the case, however. The Sooners signed four receivers on Wednesday, a sign that receiver-heavy formations are here to stay.

Most importantly, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel is very diligent on the recruiting trail in his search for athletic quarterbacks who are passers first. Mental makeup, intangibles, accuracy and arm strength sit alongside mobility on the Sooners list of priorities when recruiting quarterbacks.

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Jake Trotter and Brandon Chatmon give their analysis on the 2013 Sooners recruiting class

NORMAN, Okla. -- Anyone who watched Oklahoma’s defense in the final four games of the season knows that the Sooners were in dire need of help in the secondary and along the defensive line. West Virginia’s Tavon Austin and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel torched the Sooners’ defense on their way to record-breaking performances, as OU had no answer for the dynamic playmakers.

The Sooners hope they’ve addressed those needs with their defensive line and secondary signees in the Class of 2013 and will see immediate dividends on the field this fall.

“You’re never going to get everyone you want but we feel like we’ve helped ourselves in some critical areas,” defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said.

Cornerback Stanvon Taylor (Tulsa, Okla./East Central) joins safeties Ahmad Thomas (Miami, Fla./Central) and Hatari Byrd (Fresno, Calif./Central East) as signees who appear poised to step right in and play in the secondary. Taylor, in particular, drew a lot of praise from Mike Stoops while drawing comparisons to All-Big 12 cornerback Aaron Colvin from OU head coach Bob Stoops on signing day.

“We’re projecting him to come in and solidify that corner position for us,” Mike Stoops said. “I can’t say enough about this guy, he has all the qualities you want in a superstar.”

Yet those impact signees in the secondary won’t mean much if the Sooners cannot solidify their defensive front. To that end, OU signed seven defensive linemen (four defensive tackles, three defensive ends) on Wednesday, with junior college transfer Quincy Russell (Athens, Texas/Trinity Valley) looming as the biggest potential impact player along the defensive interior.

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