ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Ever since Oklahoma quarterback commit Cody Thomas (Colleyville, Texas/Heritage) was dropped from the ESPN 300 in July, Sooners fans have been clamoring for him to return to the rankings.

OU fans have their wish. Thomas is back in at No. 248 as the new ESPN 150/300 rankings were released Wednesday afternoon.

Thomas, who is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, was ranked No. 93 before a so-so showing at the Elite 11 finals. His performance there knocked him out of the list.

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It was a mixed bag for the Sooners this recruiting weekend. On one hand, a lot of top commits scheduled to make official visits had to pull out at the last minute.

But on the other, the Sooners made several quality impressions on recruits that did make the trip for OU’s loss to Notre Dame.

It was the first time ESPN 150 defensive tackle Greg Gilmore (Hope Mills, N.C./South View) got to see the OU campus, and he called the experience “mind-blowing.”

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The name Cale Gundy hadn’t meant much to ESPN 150 running back Greg Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage-Boca Delray) in recent months.

Bryant, ranked No. 30 in the ESPN 150 and No. 2 running back, said in the past he didn’t have a stronger bond with a coach than with Gundy, Oklahoma’s running back coach.

Bryant surprised many, including himself, when he committed to the Sooners on an unofficial visit March 31. But most agreed it would be a tough chore for OU to hang onto him until national signing day.

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The only thing that could stop Oklahoma running back commit Greg Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage-Boca Delray) from getting an invite to The Opening was himself.

Bryant, ranked the No. 2 running back in the nation and No. 29 in the ESPN 150, was supposed to compete in the NIKE Football Training Camp event in Miami two weeks ago. He didn’t pull out of the event. He simply overslept.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Not all the backs have panned out for OU running backs coach Cale Gundy, but when he knows who he wants, he goes after them hard.

Running back Alex Ross (Jenks, Okla./Jenks) was the second commit of the 2012 class. And now OU has started early again at the position. Junior Keith Ford (Cypress, Texas/Ranch), an ESPNU Watch List tailback, has verbally committed to the Sooners during junior day, according to Rivals.com.

Ford, 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, is regarded as one of the best running backs in Texas. Unlike a lot of Texas high school products, however, Ford doesn't have that natural desire to play for the Longhorns.

Read the rest of the story from SoonerNation.

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Michigan has always had some success recruiting in Texas. Since the local universities do so well with keeping their in-state prospects at home, it's a victory to pull any elite-level prospect out of Texas.

The Wolverines are once again going after Texas products as the staff has extended offers recently to running backs Keith Ford (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Ranch) and Kyle Hicks (Arlington, Texas/Martin), wide receiver Marcell Ateman (Wylie, Texas/Wylie East), offensive lineman J.J. Gustafson (Dallas/Jesuit) and a few others.

The newest offer, however, was extended today to defensive tackle Justin Manning (Dallas/Kimball). The 6-foot-2, 275-pound tackle now holds offers from Michigan, Arizona, USC, Texas, Miami and Tennessee among others.

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