College football's big signing day

The drama on signing day for the Sooners will come down to whether or not they can land the most sought after receiver in the country, Foley, Alabama's Julio Jones.

Wednesday, February 6th 2008, 12:19 am

By: News 9


By Toby Rowland, NEWS 9 Sports

The drama on signing day for the Sooners will come down to whether or not they can land the most sought-after receiver in the country-- Julio Jones.

A Foley, Ala.-native, Jones is a 6-foot-4 speedster who will choose between OU, Alabama and Florida State on Wednesday.

The headline, however, of this Sooner class is that Bob Stoops will sign the top three players out of Texas.

Defensive end R.J. Washington from Keller, Texas, is the number one ranked player in the Lone Star state.

The most exciting player of the Sooners class may be Van, Texas running back Jermie Calhoun. Calhoun has drawn comparisons to both Adrian Peterson and Earl Campbell. He is the number two ranked ball carrier in the country.

Even if the Sooners don't land Jones, they are already expected to sign a tremendous corps of receivers to help replace Malcolm Kelly.

Muskogee's Jameel Owens is considered by many as the best player in the state. Ellenwood, Georgia's wideout Josh Jarboe is 6-foot-3 and chose OU during the Under Armour All-American game. 

New Jersey high school product Dejuan Miller is 6-foot-6.

The Sooners also get a quarterback in this class. Artesia, New Mexico's pro-style QB Landry Jones.

OU also gets good news this week at the wire from Lamar Harris who switches his commitment from Texas A&M to OU.

The drama for OSU on signing day revolves around Guthrie's Mr. Everything Kye Staley. Once considered a strong Cowboy commit, Staley visited Arkansas last week and said he's 50-50 on whether he wants to be a Cowboy or a Razorback.

The Pokes go heavy to the JUCO ranks in 2008. Among the Butler County trio headed to Stillwater is running back Beau Johnson. Johnson had over 1,700 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns in just 12 games played this past season.

OSU is also landing a trio of highly-touted defensive backs. Wichita Falls star Markelle Martin has good size and great instincts. Martin is expected to provide immediate help for the Cowboy defense, potentially at the corner position.

Waco DB Victor Johnson is strictly a safety, but is considered one of the top 20 in the nation at that position. 

Butler Community College DB Maurice Gray is a 5-10 ballhawk with serious quicks.

Big Tuttle tight end Cooper Bassett will also fulfill a childhood dream by signing with OSU. Originally committed to Kansas State, Bassett was thrilled to get an offer from the Cowboys. At 6-foot-5 with good hands, Bassett will likely fall in line with a string of great OSU tight ends.

Nationally, www.rivals.com ranks the Sooners in the top five right now, even without Julio Jones. A signing day surprise could move OU into the top three.

The Big 12 rankings have the Sooners on top, followed by Texas and Texas A&M. OSU comes in a solid sixth if Kye Staley holds firm. The Cowboys could also have a Top 25 national class if signing day delivers any pleasant surprises.

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