Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting: 4-star DE Ron Tatum signs with Oklahoma

Class of 2018 defensive end Ron Tatum has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Oklahoma Sooners. The four-star Oklahoma City product was offered by several elite football programs such as Alabama, Georgia and Texas. In fact, Tatum was a Longhorn commit earlier this year before ultimately flipping to his home-state Sooners. Tatum is ranked 4th among the nation’s strong-side defensive ends.

How He Fits

Tatum possesses incredible size for a high school senior. At 6’4” and 269 pounds, the Putnam City HS star is close to being college ready. After watching his film it’s clear he uses his physique to his advantage. When he’s not shedding feeble blocking attempts, he’s storming the backfield and slinging quarterbacks around with ease. Luckily for the Sooners, he’ll soon be wearing the Crimson & Cream and wreaking utter havoc against the rest of the Big 12.

Even though Tatum was once committed to the Texas Longhorns, he’s been all about Oklahoma ever since he flipped his commitment on June 12th. His decision to side with the Sooners came just days after Bob Stoops retired and Lincoln Riley was named head coach.

When asked about what compelled him to make the switch and choose Oklahoma over Texas during an interview with The Oklahoman, Tatum cited a number of factors. “They're going to take care of my mom, me, my family,” Tatum said. “The school is beautiful, the new facilities are beautiful. It just felt like home.” It’s safe to say Sooner fans can count Tatum as someone who was definitely influenced by the upgrades to the football facilities, as well as the family-like atmosphere.

With Oklahoma always on the lookout for depth along the defensive line, look for Tatum to make some noise as soon as he makes it on campus. Not only is he one of the more highly touted prospects in the Sooners’ recruiting class of ‘18, he plays a position that can often make a world of difference for a defense overall. If Tatum is able to translate his talent to the collegiate level, he has the ability to be an All-Conference type of player, if not more.

Highlights

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!