OU Football Recruiting | Sooners Land Verbal Commitment From 2014 Allen (TX) Linebacker Tay Evans

So ummm just committed to the university of Oklahoma #Boomer

— A.C. Slater (@tayvns96) July 2, 2013

Linebacker has become a point of consternation for many an Oklahoma football fan and position coach Tim Kish has taken more than his share of message board abuse over the last year plus. We'll have to wait and see whether or not Tuesday's commitment from Allen (TX) linebacker Tay Evans (VIDEO) will allow Kish some breathing room.

As for Evans, the 2014 three star linebacker made an unofficial visit to Norman on Tuesday and confirmed via Twitter (above) shortly thereafter his commitment. It was an announcement many had expected for some time, but even more so after he announced about a week ago he would be revealing his decision at some point this week. That news was followed up with rumors of another visit to Oklahoma and the puzzle pieces were nearly in place.

Evans is the son of former OU basketball player Bobby Joe Evans so early in his recruitment many assumed it was simply a matter of time before he followed in his father's footsteps. However, a shoulder injury prevented the Oklahoma coaches from giving him a proper evaluation and as a result the offered he had been hoping for had yet to come. That would change though in early June, but Evans resisted the temptation to commit at that time. Maybe he wanted to make OU wait like they had made him? Or maybe he simply wanted to think things over and not rush into a decision? At this point the reasons are irrelevant.

The 6'2" 203 pound linebacker is teammates with another 2014 Oklahoma recruiting target, Christian Sam. While Sam is generally the higher rated of the two amongst most recruiting services, there are more than a few pundits who believe Evans could have the higher upside. Part of that relates to his versatility as you can see in his film, Evans will play both standing up and with his hand on the ground. He has the ability to turn and run in coverage, come up and deliver the big hit, or pursue the quarterback off the edge. He's a smart, disciplined player who is a sure tackler and rarely in the wrong position on the football field. There are likely better comps out there, but honestly watching his film you can't help but be reminded of a member of last year's recruiting class, Jordan Evans.

Tay Evans now becomes the eleventh member of Oklahoma's current 2014 class and the first linebacker. The Sooners also have four other verbal commitments on the defensive side of the ball (three defensive backs and one defensive lineman) as well as six others on the offensive side.

Stanford was believed to be Oklahoma's primary competition for Evans' services, but he also held offers from Arizona State, Boise State, Kansas State, and Oregon State among others.

Welcome to Sooner Nation, Tay!