By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
One Final Twist: Broyles Goes With OU
Yes, it appears the saga surrounding Norman High School product Ryan Broyles is finally over. Broyles, one of the top cornerback prospects in the country, originally committed to Oklahoma State and the resurgent Cowboys under the tutelage of Mike Gundy.
A week before signing day, Broyles switched his commitment to Oklahoma after a late push by the Sooners with none other than Cale Gundy leading the charge. The following day after the first switch, Mike Gundy went to Norman in an attempt to lure Broyles back to Oklahoma State. It worked, and Broyles switched his commitment back to the Cowboys.
Up until Signing Day, it appeared Broyles was Stillwater bound. That was until the actual letters of intent came in, and Broyles ended up signing with Oklahoma and staying at home in Norman.
It completes one of the strangest recruiting battles in the Sooner State in recent memory. Broyles might be worth the hype after swiping six passes this past season for Norman, who finished 9-2 after an upset loss to cross-town rival Norman North in the first round of the playoffs.
Offensively, Broyles also produced stellar numbers. He rushed for 12 touchdowns while also hauling in 44 receptions for 908 yards and eight touchdowns.
The rest of the recruiting day in Oklahoma was not as eventful. One of the main rumors entering the day was whether Millwood (Oklahoma City) athlete Gerald Jones would switch his original commitment from Tennessee to another school.
In the end, Jones stuck with the Vols. Jones was named the All-State Offensive Player of the Year after leading Millwood to the Class 2A state championship. Jones rushed for well over 1,500 yards through the air and on the ground, and could play a number of positions at Tennessee.
Jones was not the only Millwood player to ink a letter of intent to a major school. Teammate Tramain Swindall signed with Texas Tech. Swindell could eventually become one of the biggest steals in the Big XII after hauling in 15 touchdown passes as a senior and intercepting eight passes.
A few late surprises came late with some in-state players getting late offers from Oklahoma would have been the main story had it not been for Broyles.
Lawton MacArthur's David Anderson was a relative unknown until the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas State, Louisville, and Tulsa made a late push. Anderson was a member of a MacArthur team that finished as the runner-up in Class 5A. A 6-5, 220-pound defensive end prospect, Anderson followed a boyhood dream and signed with the Sooners.
Vian's Londrell Taylor also reaped the awards of a late push by the Sooners. Taylor picked OU over North Carolina on signing day. Taylor caught 16 touchdown passes and intercepted nine passes for Vian, who finished as the Class 2A runners-up to Millwood.
Other Sooner State Signings
Oklahoma
Jimmy Stevens, Kicker, Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City)
Austin Box, Linebacker, Enid
Kody Cooke, Offensive Guard, Enid
Jontae Bumpus, Defensive End, Muskogee
Stevens was an All-American kicker for Heritage Hall after setting the career national record in field goals made with 50. Stevens struggled as a senior hitting 10 of 25 field goal attempts just one season after drilling 22 field goals, tying a national record. One of his 10 makes, however, was from 52 yards.Box and Cooke have already started classes at Oklahoma after leading Enid to a Class 6A runner-up finish. Box rushed for 15 touchdowns and threw for 13 at quarterback for the Plainsmen and was named the state Defensive Player of the Year according to The Oklahoman.Bumpus had 84 tackles and nine quarterback sacks for Muskogee, who finished 10-3 last season.
Texas Tech
Bobby Agoucha, Defensive Tackle, Putnam City North
Colby Whitlock, Defensive Tackle, Noble
Texas Tech raided the Sooner state for a pair of defensive tackle prospects.Whitlock was named First Team All-State according to The Oklahoman on the offensive line. On defense, Whitlock registered 109 tackles, 24 of which were for a loss.Agoucha could be a sleeper after playing in just five games for Putnam City North and getting three sacks.
Kansas
Anthony Davis, Defensive Back, Tulsa East Central
Chris Harris, Athlete, Bixby
Stephen Hoge, Kicker, Putnam City North
Jake Laptad, Defensive End, Jenks
Rell Lewis, Athlete, Muskogee
Davis picked off seven passes for East Central and had two touchdowns as a senior.Harris did a little bit of everything as a senior at Bixby, catching seven touchdown passes while averaging near 20 yards per reception and intercepting four passes for the Spartans.Hoge beat out Stevens for the nod as the All-State kicker according to The Oklahoman, booting 12 field goals as a senior.Laptad was a key piece to the puzzle for Jenks, the Class 6A state champion. Laptad tallied 12.5 sacks, 3.5 of those coming in the state championship game.Muskogee's Rell Lewis suffered an injury-riddled senior season, but still managed over 1,250 total yards as the Roughers quarterback.
Notre Dame
Matt Romine, Offensive Tackle, Tulsa Union
One of the top offensive line prospects in the country spurned the likes of Oklahoma and Miami in favor of Notre Dame.
Oklahoma State
Josh Cooper, Wide Receiver, Mustang
Jared Glover, Linebacker, Bixby
Quinton Prince, Defensive Tackle, Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City)
Three solid recruits among the top six in the state could make OSU fans quickly forget about Broyles.All three were first team All-State picks by The Oklahoman.Cooper caught 81 passes for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdowns for Mustang, and also picked off six passes as a senior.Prince had 89 tackles and 11 sacks for Heritage Hall, while Glover registered 86 tackles and 13 sacks for Bixby.
Tulsa
Wilson Holloway, Offensive Line, Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond)
Holloway is also a solid basketball player for OCS, and his frontcourt running mate is none other than Blake Griffin. Holloway picked Tulsa over New Mexico, Tulane, Florida Atlantic, and Florida International. Holloway possess a big time frame, standing at 6-7 and 250 lbs.
Texas Christian
Sir DeMarco Bledsoe, Defensive Back, Piedmont
Jason Fitch, Defensive End, Star Spencer (Oklahoma City)
Bledsoe rushed for 10 touchdowns, caught four touchdowns, and made 150 tackles for Piedmont as a senior.Fitch had 61 tackles and three sacks for Star Spencer last season.
Arkansas
Tim Dial, Linebacker, Jenks
Michael Harris, Running Back, Tulsa Washington
Dial stuck to his commitment for almost a year and was a major force helping Jenks to their eighth state title. Dial had 70 tackles, including 13 in a key early season victory over Muskogee.Harris managed over 400 yards and seven touchdowns - in one game. In all, Harris had 2,107 yards and 36 touchdowns in just 11 games before following in the footsteps of former Washington and current Arkansas running back, Felix Jones.
Rice
Tyler Parrish, Offensive Line, Ardmore
Tanner Shuck, Linebacker, Jenks
Rice snagged Parish to bolster their offensive line, while Shuck had 22 sacks while lining up at defensive end for Jenks.
Other Division I Signings
P.J. Adeji-Paul, Cornerback, Jenks (Air Force).picked off two passes for the state champion Trojans.
De'von Bailey, Athlete Lawton Eisenhower (SMU).picked SMU over Clemson, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Kansas State in a mild shocker.
J.C. Forrester, Linebacker, Jenks (Air Force).had 73 tackles and two fumble recoveries for Jenks.
Aaron Ringle, Offensive Guard, Sand Springs (Houston).a project offensive lineman that will need some weight training. Ringle is 6-3, 237 pounds and picked Houston after originally committing to Tulsa.
Brandon Self, Offensive Guard, Shawnee (Wyoming).could fit in a nicely in Laramie on the offensive front.
Chris Stutzriem, Quarterback, Lawton Eisenhower (Wyoming).threw for 2,281 yards and 13 touchdowns for Eisenhower.
Tyler Simmons, Running Back, Washington (Navy).could end up being a steal for the Midshipmen after rushing for 2,583 yards and 35 touchdowns for Washington.
Jacob Tigges, Tight End, Tulsa Union (Colorado State).a big tight end (252 pounds) that played for a winning program in Tulsa Union.
Bryan Webb, Tight End, Tecumseh (Missouri).another big tight end at over 250 pounds that could find himself playing tackle at the next level.
William Wright, Athlete, Pauls Valley (Arizona).as a quarterback, "Bug" threw for 671 yards and six touchdowns. Also rushed for 706 yards and 10 touchdowns, and had 87 yards receiving with a touchdown for good measure.
Division I-AA Signings
LaQuentin Black, Athlete, Davis (Northern Iowa)
Jarryd Horn, Linebacker, Muskogee (Missouri State)
Robbie Krattiger, Wide Receiver, Norman North (Dartmouth)
Casey LaBrue, Offensive Line, Enid (Missouri State)
KingJack Washington, Running Back, Tulsa East Central (Missouri State)
Travis Watson, Wide Receiver, Norman North, (Sam Houston State)