Oklahoma's 2009 recruiting class continues to get deeper. The Sooners have received a commitment from hard hitting New Braunfels (Texas) linebacker Tom Wort who also had offers from LSU and Texas A&M.

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Oklahoma's 2009 recruiting class is stacking up nicely, particularly on defense. Three defenders committed to play football at OU over the weekend including Justin Chaisson who is ranked as the nation's 27th overall player by Rivals.com.  Chaisson (who is from the same high school as current Sooner standouts Ryan Reynolds and DeMarco Murray) also had offers from California, LSU, Florida and UCLA.

The other two commitments for OU over the weekend were linebacker Brandon Mahoney and cornerback Steve Williams. In all OU has a total of 9 verbal commitments for the 2009 class.

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A little snafu in the system prevented this post from going up until today but you know what they say, better late than never. The SBN blogs have been asked to try some new software that allows you to record posts from your cell phone for posting from live events. Well, here's my attempt at it from Oklahoma's Red/White Game.

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Dominique Franks put on a show Saturday at the Red/White Game.

Before you jump off the deep end thinking that Oklahoma's offense is suddenly going to stink after getting dominated by the defense all spring let me remind you that last year after the spring we had no idea who the quarterback would be because they all looked so bad. As it turns out Sam Bradford was alright after all. So what are we supposed to think after OU's quarterbacks tossed a combined 6 interceptions, 3 of which were returned for scores?

First of all we need to realize what Bob Stoops has stated over and again throughout the spring drills - that the defense has a sizable advantage. After Saturday's Red/White Game the coach addressed the issue one last time.

"The offense is incredibly disadvantaged in these situations by the way we practice. We go against them in pass skel and in scrimmages so the defense anticipates them pretty well. I felt good about the offense. There were a lot fewer penalties today and no fumbles. I know we had the interceptions, but a lot of that goes back to what I said about the offense being disadvantaged."

So based on that let's look at what we've learned this spring.

The offense is actually going to be fine! How do we know that? Keep in mind that DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown weren't participating which hurt the running game a little. Also, the coaches praised the efforts of the offensive line in the areas of cutting down penalties and improved blocking as well as the running backs and receivers for a lack of turnovers.

The other interesting think to watch with the offense was their move to the no huddle attack. It really is quicker and will result in more offensive plays which hopefully will result in more points.  

Dominique Franks is going to be really good! Strike that. He is really good. Franks dominated the spring game with three interceptions, one of which he returned 57 yards for a score, and two tackles.

Frank Alexander needs to be on the field! I know the Sooners are deep at the defensive end position but Alexander is a playmaker. He was all over the field Saturday making tackles, sacking the quarterback and intercepting passes.

Coaches should consider changing positions for Mossis Madu! The kid has talent but will experience the same problem he had last season trying to overcome the depth Oklahoma has at running back. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown are the most experienced while freshman Justin Johnson ran strong in the spring and Jermie Calhoun will be joining the team this summer adding even more depth to the position.  

Madu has the hands and speed to be a very good slot receiver (led the team in receptions during the Red/White Game, 6-74) and would give the offense yet another weapon to toy around with.

RED/WHITE GAME STATS

RUSHING
Player, Attempts-Yards
J. Johnson, 20-44
Madu, 11-31
Clapp, 7-49
Bradford, 5-(-16)
Iglesias, 1-27
Nichol, 1-4
Jones, 1-(-5)
Halzle, 1-(-11)
TOTAL, 47-123

PASSING
Bradford 12-25-191, 1 TD, 3 INT
Halzle 1-13-4, 1 INT
Nichol 7-15-58, 1 TD, 2 INT
Jones 1-5-50, 1 TD

RECEIVING
Madu 6-74
Gresham 2-60, 1 TD (51)
Iglesias 2-28
Eldridge 2-26
J. Johnson 2-9
Hutchins 1-50, 1 TD
Mensik 1-15
Chaney 1-12
Whitson 1-12
Clapp 1-8, 1 TD
Stratford 1-5
Ratterree 1-4

TACKLES
Holmes, 10
Proctor, 9
Beal, 8
Fleming, 8
Reynolds, 8
Lewis, 7
Davis, 5
McCoy, 5
Bennett, 4
Clayton, 4
B. Jackson, 4
D. Jackson, 4
Robinson, 4
Bowers, 3
Granger, 3
Nelson, 3
Alexander, 2
Crow, 2
Franks, 2
Macon, 2
Taylor, 1
Troup, 1

TFL-YARDS
Beal, 2-6
Davis, 1-1
Granger, 1-2
Proctor, 1-2

SACKS-YARDS
Alexander, 1-11
Bennett, 1-10
Clayton, 1-7
Beal, 1-6
McCoy, 1-6
Taylor, 1-5

INT-YARDS
Franks, 3-91 (TD)
Nelson, 1-81 (TD)
Alexander, 1-31
Davis, 1-10

PBU
B. Jackson, 2
Proctor, 2
Crow, 1
Fleming, 1
Holmes, 1
Macon, 1

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Malcolm Kelly shocked over 30 NFL scouts and the entire Sooner Nation yesterday with a 40 time that some had clocked as low as 4.75. Afterwards Kelly voiced his displeasure with the OU coaching staff and the location of the workouts.

The thing that Kelly is failing to understand is that it was the NFL scouts, and not OU strength/conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt, who requested that the players run on the softer surface because "this is the surface that they run on" and that scouts could add fractions of a second to a 40-yard dash time if they perceive a track to be too fast.  

"I told Malcolm it's up to him, wherever he wants to run," Schmidt said.

Now Malcolm Kelly must overcome the perception that he's lost a step as a result of his injury and the he's going to be a high maintenance type player who blames all his woes on someone else. He'll have a few private workouts with the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins before the draft to try to make up some ground.

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The Sooners padded up Saturday for their final scrimmage before the Red/White Game and the end of spring practices. The good news is that the offense did score this time but it was the defense once again that shined the brightest. Cornerback Jonathan Nelson deflected two passes and intercepted another. Linebacker Travis Lewis and defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger both registered sacks, and linebacker Keenan Clayton led the team with 11 tackles.

Rushing
Madu 11-38
Nichol 4-23
J. Johnson 11-9
Clapp 3-6
Gresham 1-4
M. Johnson 1-0
Bradford 1-0
Halzle 1-(-3)

Passing
Player, Comp.-Att.-Int.-Yards-TD
Bradford 13-20-0-158-1
Halzle 14-22-0-177-0
Nichol 5-15-1-78-0
Jones 1-3-0-3-0

Receiving
Player, Rec.-Yards
Iglesias 5-53
Gresham 5-52
J. Johnson 4-18
Chaney 3-60
Ratterree 3-34
Caleb 2-41
Mensik 2-41
Stradford 2-39
Madu 2-31
Wilson 2-25
Whitson 2-19
Clapp 1-3

Tackles
Clayton 11
Lewis 7
Holmes 5
Bowers 4
Crow 4
Beal 4
Reynolds 4
Proctor 4
Nelson 4
Fleming 3
D. Jackson 3
B. Jackson 2
Carter 2
L. Robinson 2
Granger 2
Davis 1
Franks 1
Macon 1
Bennett 1
McCoy 1

Tackles for Loss
Lewis 1
Nelson 1
Granger 1
Sacks
Lewis 1
Granger 1

Interceptions
Nelson 1-0

Passes Broken Up
Nelson 2
Clayton 1
Fleming 1
D. Jackson 1
Crow 1

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With 6 tackles (2 for loss) and a sack the Big 12 Championship game was
Jeremy Beal's coming out party.

Among the linebacker and secondary positions OU is looking to fill five spots left vacant after the 2007 Big 12 Championship season leaving more than just a few question marks. However, the guys upfront should turn out to be one of the best defensive lines around. Inside Gerald McCoy and Oklahoma 's favorite coat grabber (DeMarcus Granger) have potential to be among the best defensive tackles in the conference and on the ends the Sooners could be among the elite in the country.

Auston English and Jeremy Beal have the best chance at being the starting defensive ends and behind them is depth, depth and even more depth. Bob Stoops and Brent Venables like to rotate their defensive linemen to keep them fresh and Oklahoma has an abundance of defensive ends. Behind English and Beal are John Williams, Alan Davis, Frank Alexander, Pryce Macon and incoming freshman R.J. Washington.

R.J. Washington’s quickness and ability to pressure the quarterback could
allow him to make his way on the field this fall as a true freshman.

If you're asking me to tell you now how the 2008 Sooner defense will fare...well...its still too early for that but if you want to know about the defensive line then I can go ahead and tell you that barring injuries they are going to be really good and that is where it all starts.

"With all defenses it starts up front," Beal said. "We open up holes for linebackers or pass rush for the secondary.

"Defensive lines carry the defense."

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There really isn't a whole lot of news to have an opinion on right now. There is a spring football scrimmage this Saturday and the Sooners play Texas this weekend in baseball. So, we'll have a lot to talk about come Sunday and Monday but I thought for now we'd just review how good it felt to win the Red River Rivalry for the 6th time in 8 years.

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The 2007 version of this made its rounds across the internet and now I guess its time for the 2008 version. I thought it was pretty funny and worth the post, enjoy.

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If you were expecting to see an offensive explosion at Saturday's football scrimmage then you most likely walked away disappointed. Oklahoma's offense managed only 103 yards on the ground and 191 through the air. It was the defense, instead, who walked off the field looking the more impressive of the two units.

Granted some key players were missing from the offensive lineup (Chris Brown, Manuel Johnson, DeMarco Murray, Duke Robinson) but the defense had their own share of starters missing as well with Austin Box, Auston English, Nic Harris, Ryan Reynolds and John Williams all nursing injuries. So really what we had was a patchwork lineup that won't resemble what we'll see this fall but regardless there were still some impressive plays made by the defenders on the field.

In the secondary, where several positions are open for competition, redshirt freshmen Desmond Jackson led the team in tackles (7) while Dominque Franks, Brian Jackson and Sam Proctor all had solid performances.

At the linebacker position it appears that Keenan Clayton's transition from being a safety is progressing nicely. He registered six tackles in the scrimmage drawing some praise from Bob Stoops.

"Keenan's doing a nice job," said Stoops. "He still has a ways to go, but he's shown some great signs. He's an athletic, solid player and he's starting to show that."

The defense snagged three interceptions and broke up eight passes in the scrimmage and two of them were on batted balls making them more of a team effort than just an indivisual performance. They also didn't give up a touchdown during the scrimmage.

Sam Bradford and Joey Halzle were the only two quarterbacks to not give up an interception while Keith Nichole tossed two and true freshman Landry Jones threw one while also failing to complete a pass.

RUSHING
Johnson 17-57
Madu 16-29
Bradford 2-29
Clapp 2-3
Nichol 2-3
Jones 1-2
Halzle 5-(-20)
TOTAL 43-103

PASSING
Player, Comp.-Att.-Int.-Yards-TD
Bradford 8-16-0-104-0
Halzle 6-12-0-57-0
Nichol 2-9-2-35-0
Jones 0-3-1-0-0
TOTAL 15-38-3-191-0

RECEIVING
Player, Rec.-Yards
Iglesias 4-62
Ratterree 2-27
Wilson 2-15
Caleb 2-13
Madu 1-17
Chaney 1-9
Whitson 1-25
Stradford 1-13
Mensik 1-17
J. Johnson 1-(-1)
TOTAL 15-191

Tackles
Jackson 7
Clayton 6
Holmes 6
Bowers 5
Granger 4
Proctor 4
Lewis 4
Macon 4
Crow 3
Franks 3
Robinson 3
McCoy 3
Jackson 2
Davis 2
Alexander 2
Moore 2
Beal 2
Carter 2
Taylor 2
Fleming 1

Tackles For Loss
Clayton 4
Granger 3
Jackson 2
Crow 1
Lewis 1
Davis 1
Robinson 1
Alexander 1
Macon 1
Taylor 1

Sacks
Clayton 2
Alexander 1

Interceptions
Clayton 1-5
Bowers 1-30
Lewis 1-0

Passes Broken Up
Fleming 2
Crow 1
Lewis 1
Franks 1
Jackson 1
Alexander 1
Bowers 1

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Oklahoma signee Josh Jarboe told WSB-TV in Atlanta that he is still planning on coming to even though he was charged with two felony gun counts last week.

Jarboe, the 10 rated WR coming out of High School, had this to say to JaQuitta Williams of WSB-TV.

"I still have my scholarship, I'm still going to Oklahoma. If I don't go to Oklahoma, I'm going somewhere. This isn't fixing to just stop me."

"If you know me, (you know) I'm a good person. This is just a speed bump that has slowed me down. I'm going to get up out of this and go on doing what I'm supposed to be doing."

In case you haven't heard the story yet: In short, Jarboe was in a car on school property with his friend when an Assistant Principal said that he saw Jarboe grab a handgun from the back of his friends car and tuck it into his waistband.

I think that coming to Oklahoma and getting away from his his high school friends is exactly what he needs to get everything straight. He seems to be a tremendous talent which means that even if he doesn't get a shot here at OU that someone, somewhere will take a shot on him.

Jarboe says he's still headed to OU [NewsOK.com]

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Among the things being tinkered with this spring is OU's offensive attack. Last season the Sooners scored more touchdowns (80) than any other team in major college football. They finished 5th in overall scoring (42.29) and 19th in total yards per game (448.93). OU has the entire offensive line, quarterback, four receivers and two running backs all returning for next season. So why would they want to tinker with that offense at all?

With so many players returning from last season's team the transition should be smooth and Kevin Wilson did say that if they were uncomfortable with it after the spring they would scrap it. The idea to move to a faster paced offense and score more points was brought up by Bob Stoops and apparently it is going well through the first three spring practices this spring.

Looking at the success that other conference teams (Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech) had running a similar system it makes sense that the Sooners at least give it a shot with the insane amount of speed they currently have on campus. Keep in mind that not only does Oklahoma have speed but they have experienced speed in guys who have already made an impact on the field. Mossis Madu and DeMarco Murray both have the ability to be effective under center and also spread out into a slot receiver position making them more dangerous and not giving opposing defenses the chance to huddle and make adjustments.

Of course this whole change would only work if the defense were able to remain solid which only makes the fact that it was the defensive coaches along with Bob Stoops who were pushing this thing through.

Just in case you are worried that OU's transition will lead to an offensive attack the likes of Tulsa or Texas Tech where the running game takes a back seat, Wilson said that the Sooners would retain their offensive balance.

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