OU Football Recruiting - Sooners Pick Up 2013 Verbal No. 5

Many who follow recruiting believed it was just a matter of time before Tulsa East Central star Stanvon Taylor (VIDEO) committed to the Oklahoma Sooners. Friday night, he ended whatever suspense there may have been when he confirmed his commitment to multiple recruiting sites.

Taylor is a consensus top three player in the state even after coming off a serious injury that prematurely ended his junior season. The Sooners took their time in offering the talented young player in an effort to better evaluate how he was recovering from that injury. It took some time, but once that offer was extended there was little doubt Taylor would eventually pledge to the Sooners.

Taylor is still a bit raw as a defensive prospect, but when you watch him on film you can see all the tools are there. He displays excellent instincts for the corner position and the fluidity in his hips many secondary coaches are looking for in prospects. The fact that he also plays wide receiver helps him with his ball awareness when playing corner as well. He times his jumps well and uses his long arms to break up passes without having to go through the receiver and drawing a penalty. At 5'11" but just 172 pounds, he'll certainly need to bulk up before being capable of holding up for an entire Big 12 season.

Taylor held offers from Arizona, Arkansas, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Mississippi, Texas Tech and Tulsa. For OU fans, this could be the start of a very good weekend with this news and the likely commitment of another in-state star tomorrow in Dalton Rodriguez.

But for now let's not get greedy and just enjoy Taylor's verbal commitment and our Sooners keeping the top talent inside state lines (and in Norman where it belongs!).

Welcome to Sooner Nation Stanvon!