Oklahoma Sooners

Every Friday, SoonerNation releases the Sooner Intel, a sneak peek inside Oklahoma Sooners football recruiting with news and notes on the latest happenings around the program. Talk about it on our forum. A few things discussed in this week's update:

• Why judgment day looms for the Sooners' top target.
• A Florida receiver is excited about visiting the Sooners this weekend.
• An OU signee talks about his first trip to Norman.
• One of the Sooners' top offensive line targets is making a return trip this spring.
• Is OU back in the picture for in-state DE Clark?
• An Ohio target has built a solid relationship with the OU staff.
• Could another running back be in play for the Sooners?
• A 2015 tight end committed to another school wants to visit OU again.
• A 2015 lineman talks about recently adding a Sooners offer.

Read the Sooner Intel after the jump.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- So far, Oklahoma has been more active on the recruiting trail for the 2014 class than it was last year. Offers have gone out sooner and more unofficial visits have taken place.

But the results? They’re not there yet. Heading into this weekend’s spring game, the Sooners have two commits in ESPN Watch List running back Samaje Perine (Pflugerville, Texas/Hendrickson) and strong safety Vontre McQuinnie (Lancaster, Texas/Lancaster).

Contrast that with recruiting rivals Texas and Texas A&M. The Longhorns have picked up five 2014 commits in the last two weeks and have 14 total. The Aggies have 10 for the class and could get more with their spring game on Saturday.

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ALLEN, Texas -- Some recruits have been all over the country and have taken visits to all their top schools. But ESPN Watch List defensive end Deondre Clark (Oklahoma City/Douglass) isn't one of them.

Clark hasn't ventured far from Oklahoma this year, and that won't change anytime soon. But he definitely will look at schools outside the state.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma essentially got every in-state product it had its eyes on for the Class of 2013. And the Sooners swept up the state's two ESPN 300 prospects early.

There was never a question about defensive end D.J. Ward coming to OU, and he committed at the spring game. The same was true for cornerback Stanvon Taylor. Once the Sooners were content with his health, the offer came and he committed in May.

The 2014 class of Oklahoma high school products offers a challenge and an opportunity. The state has six ESPN Watch List prospects, and OU has offered five recruits from the Sooner State.

The early offers from prospects in their backyard are normally unheard of, but the Sooners realized they weren’t going to be the only name in town for these prospects. Get in early or get left out later.

Here is a look at how OU is faring with its five in-state offers as the Sooners prepare to kick off the second portion of spring practices:

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Every Friday, SoonerNation releases the Sooner Intel, a sneak peek inside Oklahoma Sooners football recruiting with news and notes on the latest happenings around the program. Talk about it on our forum. A few things discussed in this week's update:

• Two prospects from a north Texas high school will be on campus this weekend. One is the son of a former Sooner.
• ESPN Watch List OT is building a relationship with OU's new assistant.
• A Dallas safety target talks about being a lifelong Sooners fan.
• OU is hosting a defensive tackle this weekend who's looking to see what the Sooners are all about.
• An ESPN Watch List safety is visiting, too, but maybe not for junior day.
• How the Sooners lost out on their top defensive tackle target.
• More on ESPN Watch List DE Deondre Clark's decision to drop OU ... for now.
• More on OU basketball target Frank Booker and what the coaches are telling him.

Read the Sooner Intel after the jump.

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YUKON, Okla. -- The priorities are simple for the Clark brothers at Oklahoma City Douglass. The player-coach relationship means more than anything else.

It’s the reason Oklahoma State was able to nab ESPN 100 point guard Stevie Clark for its 2013 class, as OSU coach Travis Ford and the Clark family have developed that tight bond.

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Is the Class of 2014 crop of in-state talent the best Oklahoma has seen since 2006? With six recruits in the ESPN Watch List, it’s shaping up to be a busy recruiting year in the Sooner State. For the next three weeks, SoonerNation is going to profile the OKPreps’ 14 for ’14: a look at some of the top names and where they stand with OU.

Watch List DE Deondre Clark (Oklahoma City/Douglass, 6-4, 235)
2012 stats: 99 tackles, 22 sacks. 48 rushes for 275 yards, 4 touchdowns. Nine receptions for 160 yards, 3 TDs.

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Every Friday, SoonerNation releases the Sooner Intel, a sneak peek inside Oklahoma Sooners football recruiting with news and notes on the latest happenings around the program. Talk about it on our forum. A few things discussed in this week's update:

• An OU commit is visiting another Big 12 school this weekend
• A Watch List wide receiver has several ties to the Sooners
• A San Antonio tailback knows about OU's tradition in the backfield
• The Sooners have ground to make up with an in-state defender
• LSU leads for a talented OU offer
• One in-state athlete says he's a running back all the way
• A 2015 tight end wants to hear more from the Sooners
• An OU basketball commit talks about his move to a new school

Read the Sooner Intel after the jump.

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Every Thursday, the SoonerNation staff will answer a roundtable question about OU football. Leave a comment or talk about it in our "There's Only One" forum.

Name one recruit who is a must-get for the Sooners in the Class of 2014:

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Oklahoma City Douglass coach Willis Alexander knew defensive end Deondre Clark was going to receive a lot of college attention.

He just never had an idea of how much. Never had an idea that schools like LSU, Texas and USC would be coming to town.

But that’s the case as Clark, who is in the Watch List, has become one of the top in-state names and one of the top national defensive ends in the country.

His junior numbers back up that claim with 99 tackles and 22 sacks. Bigger and stronger than most of the opposition, Clark dominated and played like he was bigger and stronger than everybody else.

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Every Thursday, SoonerNation releases the Sooner Intel, a sneak peek inside Oklahoma Sooners football recruiting with news and notes on the latest happenings around the program. Talk about it on our forum. A few things discussed in this week's update:

• It's decision day for DT target Justin Manning
• Has OU fallen behind on recruiting an ESPN 150 LB?

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Each week, Breaking down the board will take a deeper, position-by-position look at the prospects the Oklahoma football program is looking to land with the hope of filling its roster with elite playmakers. This week, SoonerNation ranks five players with offers in the Class of 2014, with No. 1 being the player who should be OU’s top priority of the five recruits listed.

To be clear, this ranking has nothing to do with the Sooners actual recruiting board/priority list. It simply is our ranking list compiled of the recruits at the position who have expressed legitimate interest in the Sooners (or vice versa) and who could be the best fits for OU’s system.

1. Defensive end Da’Shawn Hand, Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge

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Round one goes to Oklahoma. With the commitment of 2014 ESPN Watch List running back Devon Thomas (Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow) to OU on Saturday night, the Sooners have struck the first blow in potential Bedlam recruiting battles of in-state prospects for the 2014 class.

Who will be round two? Which school will win round two? Here is a look at five more potential in-state prospects that OU and OSU could target in the Class of 2014:

LB Gyasi Akem (Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow, 6-2, 210)

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Every week through football season, SoonerNation writer Bob Przybylo will reveal five things he learned while out on the road watching the best in the Midlands area play football.

1. What is Oklahoma going to do with Tulsa (Okla.) East Central four-star athlete Stanvon Taylor? The OU commit had another stellar all-around performance in a 42-7 win against Pryor, Okla., that helped Tulsa East Central clinch the district championship. Taylor had five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, broke up two passes and only allowed one pass for five yards against him at cornerback. Taylor recently took his official visit to OU, and even though he has been brilliant on offense as a senior, he said the plan is still for him to play cornerback. Either way, last season’s ankle injury is nothing more than a distant memory at this time as he has been spectacular.

2. But Taylor isn’t the lone Tulsa East Central standout to receive notice from major colleges. Linebacker Kimmie Carson, a New Mexico commit, is playing with more confidence than ever because he has the commitment locked down. He is still looking at Washington State and Oregon State, but he showed in the first half while he has become one of the premier defenders in the state. Carson finished with eight tackles, including two for loss and caught a two-point conversion in the victory.

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