Oklahoma Sooners Football Blog: Oklahoma Sooner Articles Around the nation (Thursday Feb 2)

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Thursday, February 03, 2005

Oklahoma Sooner Articles Around the nation (Thursday Feb 2)

Promising Prospects - The Oklahoma Daily

The suspense leading up to national signing day came to an official close Wednesday as 27 prospects inked their names on letters of intent to play football at OU. The new Sooners make this years recruiting class one of the largest and most diverse in head coach Bob Stoops tenure, with prospects from 13 different states.

"We are excited with the number of guys on this list and where they are at physically and what we've evaluated we feel that they can really support what's already here right away," Stoops said.

Newest recruits could be playing for OU in the fall - The Oklahoman

Oklahoma fans waited for Reggie Smith. He doesn't plan to do any waiting of his own. "Im trying to make an impact right away," the Edmond Santa Fe standout said Wednesday. Smith was one of several future Sooners who suggested as much Wednesday.

Here's the thing: Oklahoma coaches have no problem with the idea. Not after signing a class ranked third nationally by Rivals100.com.

Talent always finds a way to play - The Oklahoman

College football is an equal opportunity vocation. Freshmen need not wait their turn. Come one, come all. Step right up and claim a starting spot before you've written your first English essay.

The Sooners unleashed Adrian Peterson last autumn. In 2001, OU trotted out two rookie linemen who cracked the lineup, Tommie Harris and Vince Carter. When linemen storm the gates, you know it's open season. Oklahoma State has relied on true freshmen even more than the Sooners. Nathan Peterson started at defensive end in 2004, Corey Hilliard at offensive tackle in 2003, Vernon Grant at cornerback in 2002 and a Variety of classmates made spot starts as rookies in those seasons.

Santa Fe’s star player wavered until the last minute

Before all the smiles and the handshakes, autograph signing and picture posing, Reggie Smith was just his old self.

Wednesday, before the cameras started popping and the cheers ripped throughout the Edmond Santa Fe High gym on the news that the school's favorite son had chosen Oklahoma to play football, Smith stood by himself, rubbing his head and pacing in the empty gym, unsure of what he would say to the more than 1,000 people who came to hear him.

The recruiting process that wore Smith down and made the already-private senior even more that way, didn't end until just minutes before he took the microphone and said his intentions.