Oklahoma Sooners

After recruiting them for several months, Oklahoma's coaching staff was finally able to talk publicly about the players the Sooners added to the program on signing day. Over the next week or so, SoonerNation will review some of the key things coaches had to say about the players signed at each position group during their signing day webcast on Soonersports.com.

Receiver Austin Bennett (Manvel, Texas/Manvel) signed with the Sooners despite late interest from Texas. His athletic traits fit right in line with the physical skills of recent Sooners slot receivers.

"Austin has a lot of the same qualities Jalen Saunders has," said receivers coach Jay Norvell, Bennett's primary recruiter. "We got to spend a lot of time with Austin at one of our satellite camps in Houston and that was a big benefit for us because we got a chance to work with him. You can look them in the eyes, tell them to do things and see how they react. I was so impressed with him. He has great agility in space. He has the ability to take direction then put it into play physically which is a real strength for a receiver. He has great characteristics, great mental toughness.”

The opportunity to evaluate prospects during those satellite camps can be invaluable. Norvell can see how a player responds to competition and how quickly they can apply coaching tips given to them during those camps. It's a way for recruits to separate themselves from other players of similar skills. And Bennett was one of those players who did exactly that last spring.

“Austin is such a good athlete he could play on both sides of the ball," running backs coach Cale Gundy said. "Obviously he’s not going to, he’s going to be on our side, but when you’re talking about a guy who could flip over and play corner, obviously he’s very talented. He’ll be a slot guy an extremely talented young man, a Jalen Saunders, Ryan Broyles-type.”

Broyles and Saunders make plays largely thanks to their quickness and open field ability and the Sooners think Bennett has the same traits. Even though Bennett only caught 42 passes for 676 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior, the Sooners are confident he can be a productive slot receiver in OU's system.

“Austin played in a great program," offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said. "We feel like he’s an electric player, he was at our camp in Houston and competed at a high level. He has the ability to make plays, great ability to make guys miss in space. His dad’s a coach, we love a lot of his makeup.”

Welcome to SoonerNation's live coverage of national signing day for the Oklahoma Sooners. We'll be with you throughout the day providing up-to-the minute updates on OU's class of 2013.

Watch live coverage on ESPNU | Talk signing day on our SoonerNation forum | OU class

Follow the live blog after the jump.

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Three weeks ago, the name K.J. Young didn’t mean much in recruiting circles. That’s how quickly things can change.

Following a stellar senior season at Perris (Calif.) Citrus Hill High, Young, a three-star wide receiver, became a sought after commodity the last couple of weeks.

But one school was ahead of the pack -- Oklahoma. The Sooners reached out to Young on Dec. 27, and Young confirmed he has committed to the Sooners on Sunday. Initially Young was going to wait. But at the airport, Young called OU coach Bob Stoops and said he was ready to be a Sooner.

“I know this is where I want to go,” Young said. “I didn’t need to wait.”

A move to the slot position paid huge dividends for Young this season and his high school coach, Eric Zomalt, gave OU linebackers coach Tim Kish a call. Kish developed a relationship with Zomalt from Kish’s time at Arizona.

If Zomalt was wrong, then it was just a short period of time for Kish to relay his Sooners' level of interest. But if Zomalt was right, then Kish has just found one of the better under-the-radar prospects nationally.

Zomalt was right and OU believes it has found a gem.

Young had interest regionally and had taken official visits to UNLV and Boise State. But when OU entered the picture, every other school was in an uphill battle.

Schools such as Washington, Washington State, Iowa State and Texas Tech reached out to Young, but every time he was on the phone with Kish, he said he felt like committing.

Young is OU’s 19th commit and third at wide receiver, joining three-star prospects Austin Bennett (Manvel, Texas/Manvel) and Jordan Smallwood (Jenks, Okla./Jenks). He is the second of the weekend, joining three-star defensive tackle Charles Walker (Garland, Texas/South Garland).