Oklahoma Sooners

As national signing day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Zack Sanchez

Position: Cornerback

Height, Weight: 6-foot, 165 pounds

Hometown/School: Keller, Texas/Central

Committed: Jan. 30, 2012

Scout grade: 75. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 64 cornerback, No. 226 in Midlands Region, No. 172 in Texas

Picked OU over: Baylor, Boise State, Kansas State, Houston and others

State of the position: Playing against the pass-happy attacks of the Big 12, OU could use as many cornerbacks as possible. The Sooners lack of depth at the position hurt them in 2011 and OU is looking to make it a position of strength in 2012, so the opportunity to earn playing time is apparent.

Pros: “Shows good tackling ability and is quick to support the run. Sanchez's skill set translates to a great fit as a Cover 2 corner at the next level. Displays adequate transition skills, does have the ability to drop his weight and drive downhill on underneath routes.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “Shows good game speed at the high school level to pull away from defenders but just adequate as a corner at the next level. Must improve his top and speed and COD skills in order to develop into a cover corner..” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Aaron Colvin. Much like Colvin, Sanchez is an overlooked prospect. He has superb ball skills and, since man-to-man coverage isn’t his forte, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him line up at safety at some point during his OU career. Could become a solid cornerback and/or safety, much like Colvin is.

Expected impact: 2013. He probably needs to redshirt and put on some pounds but he could earn some time on special teams in 2012 because he is a playmaker. Best case scenario, OU doesn’t need him this fall then he is poised to make an immediate impact as a redshirt freshman in 2013.

As national signing day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Sam Grant

Position: Tight End

Height, Weight: 6-foot-5, 230 pounds

Hometown/School: Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edward

Committed: Jan. 30, 2012

Scout grade: 78. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 18 tight end, No. 53 in Midwest Region, No. 30 in Ohio

Picked OU over: Michigan, Boston College, Arkansas, North Carolina State, Louisville, Indiana and others.

State of the position: The Sooners need to secure as much talent as possible at the tight end position. With newcomers Brannon Green and Taylor McNamara as the lone scholarship tight ends expected to participate in spring football, the opportunity to earn playing time at the position is wide open.

Pros: “He will likely contribute best as a blocker especially as he continues to physically develop. Once he gets locked on he can be tough to beat. He can contribute some as a short-range / outlet target in the passing game. He displays the ability to extend and catch the ball with his hands at times.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “After the catch he is a big kid who will fight for yards but is not a kid that will make defenders miss and create big plays after the catch. He gets his hands on and shows a little tenaciousness once engaged, but needs to develop his technique from beginning to end to allow him to be a better blocker.” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Trent Ratterree. Grant is a solid tight end who will contribute as a blocker and could develop into a solid red zone and short yardage target but won’t stretch defenses with his speed.

Expected impact: 2012. He could be used in short yardage situations as a freshman thanks to his blocking ability and OU’s dire need at the position. However it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take a redshirt season to put more weight on his frame and/or eventually move to tackle if he’s not making an impact at tight end early in his career.

As national signing day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Will Latu

Position: Offensive tackle

Height, Weight: 6-foot-5, 315 pounds

Hometown/School: St. Petersburg, Fla./College of the Canyons

Committed: Jan. 29, 2012

Scout grade: Not Ranked (Junior College)

Picked OU over: Utah, Arkansas State and had initial offers from Auburn, Florida State, West Virginia and others.

State of the position: Oklahoma is looking to find a starting tackle with only one returning starter, Lane Johnson, at the position. The Sooners do, however, have several talented young tackles on campus including Daryl Williams and Tyrus Thompson. The battle for playing time could be fierce at the left and right tackle spots this fall.

Pros: Latu is an athletic tackle prospect who is comfortable in space and on the perimeter. He has the talent to start immediately for the Sooners.

Cons: You never know how quickly junior college players will adapt to the demands of the Big 12 and how they will respond to the physical demands of a Big 12 schedule at an elite program.

Similar to/potential role: Lane Johnson. Another athletic tackle prospect from junior college but Latu is probably more prepared and comfortable at the tackle position. Don’t be surprised if he plays a similar role in 2012 that Johnson did in 2011.

Expected impact: 2012. Latu could start immediately for the Sooners at one of the tackle spots, he has the talent to make an impact regardless, carving himself a role along OU’s offensive tackle rotation even if he doesn’t win a starting spot. One look at his offer list speaks to his physical ability, though missing spring football could force him to make up a lot of ground in fall camp to earn a starting spot.

National Signing Day is a day away, and the nation’s top wide receiver recruit remains unsigned. Dorial Green-Beckham will announce his intentions at 10:15 A.M. ET on Wednesday, with many of the nation’s top programs looking on.

Green-Beckham has been described as a hybrid of Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones. At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, he possesses the size and speed to be a significant deep threat and formidable red-zone target.

Any program in the nation would be happy to land Green-Beckham, but he has narrowed his list to five schools -- Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Alabama and Oklahoma –- all of which have significant holes at wide receiver.

So the question becomes, who needs Dorial Green-Beckham most?

Alabama has stocked up on wide receiver recruits in its 2012 class with five 4-star or 5-star recruits listed as ATH/WR. The Tide could use all of the help that they can get after losing their top four pass catchers from 2011. Most importantly, Alabama needs to find a top wide receiver to fill the void left by Julio Jones and Marquis Maze leaving in consecutive years.

Jones and Maze were targeted on almost half of Alabama’s passes thrown 20 yards or more in the air since the start of 2010, resulting in 15 receptions and five touchdowns. Green-Beckham’s downfield prowess would benefit AJ McCarron who improved his deep passing in the second half of last season.

Arkansas is the predicted landing spot for Green-Beckham by all seven ESPN experts polled. If he chooses to sign with the Razorbacks, Green-Beckham would fill one of the greatest wide receiver voids in the nation.

Arkansas is losing three of its top four wide receivers, including the school’s top two players in career receptions, Jarius Wright and Joe Adams. Wright and Adams combined for more receiving yards (1,769) than any other set of receivers in the SEC last season.

In fact, no SEC team had three wide receivers combine for more yards, receptions and touchdowns than Wright and Adams.

Missouri needs a second wide-receiver option behind T.J. Moe next season with TE Michael Egnew and WR Wes Kemp graduating. Moe has the second-most receiving yards in the Big 12 since the start of 2010 among returning players, but he is not known for his deep-threat ability.

Of his 146 receptions in the past two seasons, only 13 have gone for 25 or more yards. Green-Beckham’s downfield speed would lead to more big plays for the Tigers and open up underneath routes for Moe and others.

Oklahoma must replace FBS all-time leader in receptions, Ryan Broyles. Broyles was Oklahoma’s top target downfield, in the red zone, on third down and when opponents brought the blitz over the last two years.

Landry Jones struggled after Broyles’ injury in 2011, and despite landing three 4-star wide receiver recruits, a talent like Green-Beckham could fill the void left by Broyles.

Broyles had some of the strongest hands in college football, dropping just two passes in 417 pass attempts since the start of 2009.

According to scouts, Green-Beckham also has strong hands and the ability to snatch balls in traffic, which will be valuable in an Oklahoma offense that throws a lot of quick slants. Oklahoma has focused on replacing Broyles with three 4-star recruits committed for next season, but the addition of Green-Beckham will have an immediate impact on a team with national title hopes.

Texas could use Green-Beckham’s size in the red zone. The Longhorns completed just 32 percent of their passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the red zone during conference play last season, which was the worst completion percentage by any Big 12 team in the last five seasons.

When throwing into the end zone, Texas completed just 5-of-17 passes with two interceptions. Beckham’s 6’6” size and leaping ability would give Texas a target to drastically improve its red-zone passing offense.

Player of the Weekend - Steven Pledger
The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a 63-60 road upset of No. 24 Kansas State, getting nearly half of their points from one player. Pledger scored 30 points, including 18 in the first half. There’s something about the challenge of being away from home that suits Pledger. The four highest scoring games of his career have all come away from Norman. Before Saturday's road win, Oklahoma had lost 22 of its last 23 true road games against ranked opponents.

We're taking a look at what each program in the Big 12 needs to deal with during the offseason, whether it be in the spring, summer or fall preseason camp. Maybe all three! Who knows?

Next up: The Oklahoma Sooners.

1. Fix the secondary. Losses to Texas Tech and especially Baylor and Oklahoma State exposed a weakness in the secondary: giving up big plays. The man who'll be charged with fixing that problem is new defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, who led some of the best defenses in Oklahoma history, including one that gave the Sooners their last national title in 2000. Cornerback Jamell Fleming is gone, but the rest of the secondary returns, and Oklahoma has the talent to fill Fleming's absence. Keep an eye on what happens to Tony Jefferson, too. He's a big weapon at nickelback, but played some traditional safety after Javon Harris struggled against Baylor. Where will Jefferson play?

2. Mature the receiving corps. The struggles after Ryan Broyles' injury were clear, but Landry Jones was only part of it. Oklahoma was deceptively shallow beyond Broyles, and Jaz Reynolds and Kenny Stills just weren't good enough late in the season. They'll have to figure out how to consistently produce without Broyles on the field, and this offseason is the time to do it. Blue-chip recruits Trey Metoyer, Durron Neal and Sterling Shepard should join them next year, and Kameel Jackson showed some decent potential.

3. Sort out the running backs. Dominique Whaley will be healthy next year, and a slew of transfers has thinned the corps, but Brennan Clay and Roy Finch are more than serviceable. Finch emerged as the team's top back late when Whaley was sidelined with a fractured ankle, but Alex Ross should join the team, too. Will Trey Millard get a few carries, too? This situation's pretty unpredictable for now. You'd figure Whaley grabs the starting job back when he gets healthy, but there's no guarantee there. Hence, on the to-do list it lands.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper recently ranked the top returning seniors in college football by position for 2013. Three Sooners made Kiper's rankings:

• No. 2 QB Landry Jones
• No. 4 C Ben Habern
• No. 4 CB Demontre Hurst

Read the full Insider list here.

What do you think? Should any other Oklahoma players be ranked at their positions?

ESPNU's national signing day coverage kicks off at 9 a.m. ET. Here's the list of the announcements and time for some of the top prospects.

NOTE: Bold names are announcements, all others are interviews.