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Tuesday, February 6, 2001

Red River recruiting rivalry
'Horns, Sooners battling over Texas recruits
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times
When Oklahoma and Texas went head-to-head on the football field last season, the Sooners scored a resounding regular-season victory en route to their national title. But there is yet to be a clear-cut winner in this year's postseason recruiting battle.
   While the Longhorns have secured strong commitments to ensure one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, Oklahoma has swept through the state of Texas, landing recruits with an ease that hasn't been seen since Barry Switzer roamed the sidelines in Norman.
   With national signing day looming Wednesday, the Sooners have landed 14 commitments from Texas, including Killeen Ellison's Tommie Harris, regarded by Rivals100 as the nation's top defensive lineman.
   Numbers won't be official until letters of intent are signed, but the simplicity of landing these commitments - rated as the best group in the country by Rivals100 - is what impresses recruiting analyst Bobby Burton.
   "I guess I see more the ease with which (the Sooners) are getting top recruits," said Burton, who handles draft analysis for Rivals100. "(Head coach) Bob Stoops is an excellent recruiter, as are (assistants) Mike Stoops, Bobby Jack Wright and much of the staff. The first couple of years, they got the attention of the Oklahoma kids. This year, they've gotten the attention of the kids in Texas."
   Us vs. them
   The Sooners obviously grabbed Harris' attention. He is but one athlete that has made the recruiting duel between Texas and Oklahoma far more interesting than last year's game.
   In addition to Harris, Houston North Shore linebacker Jonathan Jackson said he will be a Sooner. But Texas, which has Rivals100's fourth-rated class in the country, has scored victories against Oklahoma with commitments from offensive lineman Terrance Young of Longview and Waco linebacker Derrick Johnson.
   The two schools are also finalists for the services of Quan Cosby, the Mart athlete that can play defensive back, running back or receiver. Cosby will likely not make a decision until signing day between the two and Baylor.
   Cleve Bryant, Texas' associate athletic director who oversees recruiting visits, realizes it's not feasible to keep all the recruits in-state.
   "There are about 1,500 high schools in the state," Bryant said. "One, two, 20 or 200 can go out of state. People will say you let a great one get out. Well, you're going to let some get away. As much as we, A&M, Baylor and Tech would like to keep them in state, it's impossible."
   Signing power
   Obviously, winning a national title has played a major role in Oklahoma's recruiting haul. But Wright, a defensive assistant who serves as recruiting coordinator, claims the drive toward the title had as much of an impact.
   "The journey toward the national championship itself had a lot to do with opening doors," said Wright, who primarily recruits East and Central Texas. "The exposure, all the games on TV, the Big 12 championship, the fact we played in the Orange Bowl, all those things lend itself to recruiting."
   That hadn't been the case in recent years for the Sooners. Under Stoops, Oklahoma has come back as a recruiting power in the state of Texas. Two years ago, Oklahoma landed eight recruits from Texas. Last year, it was 12.
   "We've never put a number in concrete," Wright said. "We'll probably look to sign 10 to 12 players in Texas. But I wouldn't say that number is etched in stone."
   Lone Star State influence
   During the 2000 national title run, the Sooners had 22 Texans on their roster, many sold by the staff's pitch of tradition and history. But the most recognizable Texans were running back Quentin Griffin, defensive back Derrick Strait and tight end Josh Norman, and no Texans received postseason accolades for Oklahoma.
   When the Sooners took the national championship in 1985, Switzer had 19 Texans on his roster. These included linebacker Brian Bosworth and defensive end Kevin Murphy, both named to All-American teams that season, and defensive back Rickey Dixon, who went on to win the Thorpe Award as the nation's premier defensive back in 1987.
   Many of Switzer's teams of the 1970s and 1980s were built with Lone Star State players. Of the 58 All-American picks for Oklahoma in those decades, 27 came from Texas. From the turn of the century until the 1970s, only 10 Texans were Sooner All-Americans.
   "Back in the days of Barry Switzer, it was common for prospects to look at OU, as well as Texas and Texas A&M," Burton said. "That changed because Oklahoma was falling on hard times. Oklahoma was doing well in other states, but not Texas. Having success in Texas will make things easier on Oklahoma in recruiting and on the field."


Staff writer Lee Goddard can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at goddardl@caller.com

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