Oklahoma Sooners

Wide receiver Trey Metoyer was technically part of the 2011 recruiting class, but the Oklahoma coaching staff seemed to be as pumped about him as anyone joining the team in 2012.

“Everyone talked about in last year’s class that may have been the best receiver in the country,” coach Bob Stoops said, “and in my opinion he was.”

Because he didn’t qualify, Metoyer had to attend Hargrave Military Academy last semester. But Metoyer qualified this time around and already is working out with the team.

"Trey had to go through a lot of stuff to get here. That kid had a ton of obstacles," said wide receivers coach Jay Norvell. "He's a great kid and so many kids, people tell them they can't do stuff and there were a lot of people who told Trey he couldn't do it.

“I think that experience will help him.”

Metoyer finished second in Texas high school state history in career receptions behind only Burnet’s Jordan Shipley.

“One of the most accomplished receivers in Texas high school history,” Norvell said. “Huge football IQ. Tremendous competitor. He’s got natural ball-catching skills.”

Name: Damien Williams

Position: Running back

Height, Weight: 6-foot-1, 215 pounds

Hometown/School: San Diego/Arizona Western College

Committed: Feb. 1, 2012

Scout rankings: NR (Junior college)

Picked OU over: Texas Tech, Arkansas, Tennessee, Arizona State and Oregon State.

State of the position: The Sooners found out you can never have too many running backs in 2011. Dominique Whaley should return to full health, Roy Finch will have another year of experience under his belt and Brennan Clay will be looking to fulfill his potential. Nonetheless, playing time is there for the taking.

Pros: “Displays good quickness and vision into the line of scrimmage; is a short strider with an upright running style. Can shed high tackles with good upper body strength and balance; finishes strong in traffic, especially along the sideline.” - ESPN analyst (Done in 2010)

Cons: “Williams has a running style which will need refinement; it is important he learn to run with more body lean when in traffic, lowering his pads on contact.” - ESPN analyst (Done in 2010)

Similar to/potential role: Dominique Whaley. Williams has the size and the ability to be an every-down back and make an immediate impact. His running and pass-catching ability should allow him to stay on the field in any situation.

Expected impact: 2012. Even though the Sooners have quality backs returning, Williams should earn some carries this fall. His combination of size and speed should help him find a spot in the rotation in 2012.

Name: Courtney Gardner

Position: Receiver

Height, Weight: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds

Hometown/School: Reno, Nev./Sierra (Calif) College

Committed: Feb. 1, 2012

Scout rankings: NR (Junior college)

Picked OU over: Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Auburn, Florida State, Florida and others

State of the position: The Sooners need to find a playmaker to help lessen the loss of Ryan Broyles. Quarterback Landry Jones needs proven weapons other than Kenny Stills and Jaz Reynolds. OU is looking for at least two or three quality receivers to give Jones other options.

Pros: Dynamic in the open field with an excellent size/speed ratio.

Cons: Will need to make a smooth transition to Big 12 football.

Similar to/potential role: Ryan Broyles. He’s a bonafide playmaker who is special in the open field and should be a guy the Sooners coaching staff will game plan to get the ball in his hands, much like Broyles.

Expected impact: 2012. To be honest, the Sooners might only get one season of production from Gardner. He’s that special. It would be a major surprise if he is not a core member of OU’s game plans in 2012, despite not arriving on campus until this summer. He has the talent to be a real difference maker for OU this fall.

Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Gary Simon

Position: Cornerback

Height, Weight: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds

Hometown/School: St. Petersburg, Fla./Gibbs

Committed: February 1, 2012

Scout grade: 78. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 55 athlete, No. 264 in the Southeast Region, No. 87 in Florida

Picked OU over: Iowa State, Arkansas, Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati and others.

State of the position: Demontre Hurst is the only returning starter at the cornerback position and the Sooners would be at their best with at least four quality cornerbacks in the rotation. Safe to say the rest of the cornerbacks on the roster have opportunity to make an impact in 2012.

Pros: “Defensively, you love his size and range to be a guy that can get in the face of WRs and press them and re-route at the line. He can match-up with taller receivers in the redzone and he competes for the football. Can plant and drive when playing off and you like his willingness and toughness to insert in run support.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “Can get high in the pedal which is concerning, but shows fairly smooth hips and the ability to transition. Simon is raw in his methods and technique, but he has talent, size, runs adequately well and shows elusiveness and quick feet in his change-of-direction.” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Demontre Hurst. Simon is an explosive, competitive athlete who is willing to come up in run support. Once he gets quality tutoring by Mike Stoops, he could become a big-time playmaker from his cornerback spot. Another player who could end up playing some safety for the Sooners.

Expected impact: 2012. He is such an explosive athlete it is hard to imagine he doesn’t earn a spot on special teams as a freshman. Simon is fairly raw so don’t expect a huge impact on defense immediately but he is so talented he could play his way out of a redshirt season in fall camp.

If you saw the Sooners’ Jan. 7 loss to Kansas, you pretty much know what happened to Oklahoma on Wednesday night.

A terrific run to open the second half sparked KU to a 84-62 win over OU at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks used a 29-6 run to open the second half to secure a 72-61 win in the first meeting on Jan. 7.

On Wednesday, KU used a 25-8 run to open the second half as they dominated the final 20 minutes of the game. Jayhawk forward Thomas Robinson finished with 20 point and 17 rebounds.

The Jayhawks shot 20 of 28 from the field (71.4 percent) in the second half and had 46 points in the paint. Tough to win games, let alone on the road, with those numbers.

Player of the Game: Romero Osby is the most consistent player on the squad. The junior brings the same effort and production every night. He finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Unsung Hero: C.J. Washington. The senior has quietly become a important contributor for the Sooners off the bench. Washington had 6 rebounds, second on the team, in 19 minutes of action.

Key Stat: 26. The Jayhawks outscored the Sooners by 26 points in the paint (46 to 20). KU’s points in the paint are a big reason for their 31 of 56 shooting (55.4%) in the game.

Up Next: Host Iowa State at Lloyd Noble Center on Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. CT

Jay Norvell racked up the frequent flyer miles in the final days of the recruiting cycle.

Oklahoma’s co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach, Norvell spent time in Oklahoma City, Okla., Springfield, Mo., Inglewood, Calif., Tampa, Reno, Nev. and Rocklin, Calif. in a five-day span.

It comes with the territory when recruiting nationally, which OU did well with its 2012 recruiting class, which featured signees from 11 different states.

And as excited as head coach Bob Stoops was about his program’s haul of 25 signees, OU’s head coach is just as excited about the potential of this year’s class to impact future recruiting classes.

“I love to recruit the whole country and we’ll have so many more opportunities moving forward,” Stoops said. “Players recruit players, so as we go back into those areas next year, and the years after, players are going to recognize, ‘Hey so-and-so has gone there, he’s done well, it could be a great opportunity for me.'”

This could be the class that has a long-lasting impact on the program. And it has nothing to do the plays the signees will eventually make on Saturday.

Derrick Woods (Inglewood, Calif./Inglewood) is the perfect example of the potential impact of national recruits from both coasts. Norvell worked hard to secure Woods, despite a late push from USC, an elite program right up the road from his home. As much as he loves Woods' talent and personality, Norvell loves the long-term impact as well.

“It was a great get,” Norvell said. “Because everybody in LA will know that kid and we will be able to go back and recruit there. He’s a great kid and great player and it will be great for us in LA to have a Sooner that’s playing on Saturday and making plays because those highlights will come on every week in that city.

“And that city has a lot of athletes, it will be good for us.”

In other words, OU laid a foundation this February. And it could pay off for years to come.

For a junior college recruit, playing time is usually one of the top priorities. And it definitely was for wide receiver Courtney Gardner (Reno, Nev./Sierra College).

But when you’re as talented as Gardner is, every program that offers is going to put playing time at the forefront of the conversation.

What no other program could produce for Gardner, however, is quarterback Landry Jones, who played a big role in helping convince Gardner to go from being an Arkansas commit last week to an Oklahoma signee on Wednesday. Gardner signed at a ceremony at his old high school in Reno.

“It was a great feeling today, no doubt,” Gardner said. “I actually de-committed from Arkansas and committed to OU on Sunday, but I didn’t want to tell anybody about it.”

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EDMOND, Okla. -- For as stressful as the last 72 hours have been for defensive end Michael Onuoha (Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe), he couldn’t wipe away his smile Wednesday.

Onuoha committed to Oklahoma late Tuesday night and signed his letter of intent on Wednesday morning.

And if anyone doubted where his allegiances were, he entered his ceremony with an OU shirt that said “I live by the code of the crimson and cream.”

Onuoha went from a complete unknown at this time last year to being coveted by the Sooners and Missouri down the stretch leading to national signing day.

“There aren’t a lot of kids in America that get this type of opportunity that ‘Big Mike’ is going to get,” Edmond Santa Fe coach Lance Manning said. “But he’s earned it. This wasn’t given to him. He worked for it.”

Onuoha was torn between the Tigers and Sooners the last month. Missouri offered first in December, but OU surged late in January.

He took his official visit to Missouri two weeks ago and followed that with a trip to Norman, Okla., last weekend.

He planned to announce Monday night or Tuesday morning, but he wasn’t ready. He let everybody know Tuesday night via Twitter that OU was going to be his home.

“I did this for me. This was my decision,” Onuoha said. “I appreciate everything the OU and Missouri coaches have done for me, but this was about what I thought would be best for me.”

Normally a relaxed kid, Onuoha admitted Monday and Tuesday were very stressful for him. Wednesday, though, that was fun.

“This is great. I know I’ve made the right decision. I no longer have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’m going to enjoy this.”

Onuoha, 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, is a three-star prospect that became one of seven recruits to commit to OU since Sunday.

ESPN's Jill Montgomery interviews Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops about his 2012 recruiting class.

ESPN's Jill Montgomery interviews new Oklahoma defensive coordinator Bob Stoops about returning to the Sooners and his thoughts on the 2012 recruiting class.