Oklahoma Sooners

Christmas felt like it came early for Oklahoma in the last two weeks with commitments of offensive tackles Christian Daimler (Houston/Stratford) and ESPN JC 100 prospect Josiah St. John (Athens, Texas/Trinity Valley).

Add in the commitment of three-star defensive tackle Kerrick Huggins (Dallas/Skyline) and the signing of ESPN JC 100 defensive tackle Quincy Russell (Athens, Texas/Trinity Valley), and it has been a banner couple of weeks for the Sooners.

But OU isn’t done yet. OU coach Bob Stoops said the Sooners weren’t done -- not by a longshot. So in the spirit of the season, here is OU’s recruiting Christmas list to close out the 2013 class.

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There is one glaring hole in Oklahoma’s defensive recruiting for the 2013 class. But it’s a big one. The Sooners are faring well or at least decently at every other spot, but OU is lacking defensive tackles.

Worse than lacking at them is the fact OU has been involved in several tight battles at the position only to have never come out on top.

With less than two months until national signing day, here is a position-by-position breakdown of OU defensive targets.

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Sept. 21 was supposed to be a magical weekend. Oklahoma was hosting Kansas State in one of the best matchups of the week. A number of top recruits were going to visit the campus.

The Sooners were going to win, followed by a slew of commitments from some of the prospects in the coming weeks and months.

OU was upset by Kansas State. And the Sooners netted zero commits from the weekend. Not one. Worse yet, OU didn’t even have stand a realistic chance of getting any from that weekend.

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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:

• Juco defensive tackle planning visit to OU
• Offensive tackle grows comfortable with Sooners head coach

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Each week, "Breaking down the board" will take a deeper, position-by-position look at the prospects Oklahoma is target. SoonerNation will rank five players at each position 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's simply our ranking list compiled of the recruits at the position who have expressed legitimate interest in the Sooners and who could be the best fits for OU’s system.

Today we look at Oklahoma's safety board:

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Each Week SoonerNation recruiting writers Bob Przybylo and Brandon Chatmon will faceoff on one issue regarding Oklahoma recruiting.

This week’s question: In which state should OU consider most important in its recruiting efforts: Florida or California?

Bob Przybylo: OU shouldn’t stray away from Florida, but it’s clear the money is in California right now for the Sooners. Or at least perception is, anyway.

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It didn’t take long for Mike Stoops to return to Oklahoma and target the top defensive backs for the 2013 class. Stoops was aggressive in going after them in the spring and summer and it has paid off now in the fall. The Sooners have three commits in the secondary and have made the final cut for several more.

Coincidentally, a lot of those defensive back targets will be at OU this weekend for the No. 8 Sooners’ contest against fifth-ranked Notre Dame.

COMMITS

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Three-star safety Tyler Foreman (Encino, Calif./Crespi Carmelite) wasn’t sure what to expect going into his official visit at Oklahoma.

Foreman admitted he had no idea about the Oklahoma environment. But after spending a weekend in Norman, he wouldn’t mind coming back.

“It’s a great place. It’s a place I can see myself going to for the next four years,” Foreman said. “The visit was a lot better than what I expected.”

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The right opponent, the right weekend and a little bit of luck have made Saturday's showdown between sixth-ranked Oklahoma and 15^th-ranked Kansas State a golden recruiting opportunity for the Sooners.

To say the first few weeks of the season have been uneventful for OU on the recruiting trail would be putting it mildly. The Sooners' only home game was a laugher against Florida A&M two weeks ago.

OU managed to get one big-time visitor in for that contest in Arizona State three-star defensive end commit Dimarya Mixon (Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite).

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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:

• OU is hosting recruits that have visited the Sooners many times, and some that have never seen the campus.
• A 2013 running back is "definitely interested" in Oklahoma.
• OU just offered a four-star DT. Are the Sooners a factor?

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Safety Tyler Foreman (Encino, Calif./Crespi) holds more than one dozen scholarship offers, but Sept. 1 moved the recruiting process to another level for him, as college coaches began to call. Foreman said he heard from California, Oklahoma, UCLA and Utah within the first few days of the month. But the 6-foot-2, 161-pound standout is doing what he can to keep recruiting quiet, as he focuses on his team this season.

“I’m just going to stick with what me and my parents said, and wait until after the season [for recruiting],” Foreman said. “I want to focus on the season because we have a goal and I want to follow that to the end. I’ve told the coaches that’s what I’m going to do.”

Crespi has several bye weeks on their schedule this season, so while Foreman won’t begin narrowing down his final list or think about committing in-season, he will use two of his official visits.

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Tyler Foreman (Encino, Calif./Crespi Carmelite) could easily be considered a blank canvas.

Although he’s only been playing defense for two seasons, the safety prospect recently picked up an offer from Oklahoma. Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops watched Foreman work out and then offered the 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect.

“He said he could tell I’m really explosive at a young age, because I’m only 16,” Foreman said. “He said I have time to grow into my body, I’m going to be really big and I’m going to develop.”

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Oklahoma has solidified some of its positions for the class of 2013. Not much work needs to be done at quarterback, running back and defensive end because the Sooners either have commits at the spot or targets that are clearly identified.

But the current evaluation period is crucial in other areas. And this week, the OU coaches' attention went to defensive back and offensive tackle.

• The week started with a bang when OU offered four-star athlete Stanvon Taylor (Tulsa, Okla./East Central), who has been recruited as a cornerback by the Sooners.

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