Oklahoma Football Recruiting: Top Targets, Positional Needs and Predictions

Things are coming down to the wire, and the Sooners are still looking to add to their already impressive top 10 class.

Head coach Bob Stoops and his staff have 19 verbal commits currently, five of which land in the vaunted ESPN 150. There is still room underneath the 25-scholarship limit to fit in a few more recruits, and the Sooners have a few big names in mind.

Long-time defensive coach and recruiting hound Brent Venables recently left for the Clemson defensive coordinator job which might throw a wrench in the gears for some of the ongoing recruiting battles, but new defensive coordinator Mike Stoops is no slouch himself.

Considering the coaching swap (and it's unfortunate timing), things could get interesting for Oklahoma in these final two weeks before National Signing Day.

Let's take a look at five top recruits that remain in Oklahoma's cross-hairs, where the Sooners should be focusing their efforts and a few predictions.

Note: All rankings and quotes courtesy of ESPN's Recruiting Nation.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

ESPN National Rank: 3

ESPN Position Rank: 1

DGB has become one of the most talked about recruits in recent memory—and with good reason. The 6'6" 220-pound wide receiver is the complete package. Speed, size, mechanics... it's all there.

The Missouri native's recruiting journey has been well-publicized and is currently down to five schools: Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma. Having only taken official visits to Arkansas and Texas, the race seems to be down to those two along with hometown Mizzou.

Oklahoma is not out of the mix, though. The Sooners have verbal commitments from four talented receivers already, making the depth chart quite crowded, but if DGB wants to put up big numbers and compete for championships, then Oklahoma is a perfect fit.

Nelson Agholor, WR

ESPN National Rank: 47

ESPN Position Rank: 6

Agholor would be a tremendous pickup for the Sooners, despite the current logjam at receiver. He is a dangerous man with the ball in his hands, possessing the speed and quickness to make a big play any time he touches the ball.

Nelson has good size at 6'1" and 180 pounds and operates best in space or on the outside, making him a perfect fit in the slot or catching screens.

He is about to take his final official visit to USC, having already visited Oklahoma, Florida State, Notre Dame and Florida. The fact that he grew up in Tampa, FL might give the home state schools a slight edge, but considering his other targets, he doesn't seem to need to stay close to home.

Zach Banner, OT

ESPN National Rank: 122

ESPN Position Rank: 15

Banner is an absolute monster at 6'8" and 305 pounds and would make a great addition to an already impressive offensive line haul for the Sooners. If he were to come to Norman, he could be a part of a potentially legendary group of linemen, joining the nation's No. 1 center Ty Darlington and No.1 guard John Michael McGee.

After visiting five schools, Zach has narrowed it down the three: Oklahoma, USC and his hometown Washington. Some reports have the Huskies out, but quotes from Zach still put all three in the mix.

“Right now, I have a really tough decision to make," Zach said. "My final three schools, USC, Oklahoma and Washington are all great schools and I got the same great feeling at everyone one of them... There are a lot of factors going in to this decision and it’s going to be tough. I have all three schools coming in this week for home visits and that will be big for me.”

Deion Bonner, CB

ESPN Position Rank: 15

Deion Bonner, listed just outside the ESPN 150, would be a great pickup for the Sooners after CB recruit De'Vonte Harris recently decommitted to Texas A&M. The Sooners graduate six defensive backs after next season, not counting Tony Jefferson or Aaron Colvin who could go pro early, and need to start filling those future gaps now.

At 5'11" and 185 pounds, he has good size for a cornerback and still has room to fill out on his frame. He displayed good ball skills in high school, but still needs a little polishing to make a big impact at the next level.

“It’s down to Oklahoma and Tennessee,” Bonner said through his Facebook account. “I will visit Tennessee this weekend and Oklahoma the next.”

This is good news for the Sooners, who have a rich history of talented defensive backs during the Stoops era, several of which have gone on to the NFL.

Brandon Beaver, CB

ESPN Position Rank: 21

Brandon Beaver is a very capable defensive back, having the size (6"1" 185 pounds) of a safety but the coverage skills of a corner. His all-around defensive skills make him a potential candidate at the hybrid LB/DB position employed in a Stoops defense. 

Beaver was close to deciding between Nebraska, Washington and Utah until Oklahoma made a surprise offer about two weeks ago.

The Sooners made quite an impression on the California native, who said, "I know how great of a school it is, and that’s why I’m interested in them. I was surprised. For a school like that, it made me feel pretty good.”

As previously stated, the Sooners are severely lacking in depth at defensive back and would covet a talented recruit like Beaver.

Positional Needs

You can find a full breakdown of the Sooners' needs in my past article, but I'll give a quick rundown in case you are in a hurry.

Running Back

After three transfers this season, the running back position is extremely thin with only three players on the roster ever taking a hand-off at OU. Tulsa native Alex Ross (No. 4 RB) is a big-time pickup and recent commit David Smith will provide some depth, but the Sooners could used one more guy to provide a little more competition.

Tight End

The Sooners lost three players here as well this season, two to graduation and one to transfer, leaving only one tight end on the roster. The vacancy has attracted three so far, two blockers (Laith Harlow an JUCO transfer Brannon Green) and a pass-catcher (Taylor McNamara), but OU needs at least one more to help fill out the roster. Another JUCO transfer would be ideal.

Defense

The Sooners graduate 15 defensive players after next season, not including any possible players leaving early for the NFL draft. Not all of those are starters, but that is a ton of talent and depth walking out the door. There are only five defenders committed for 2012 (two CB, two DE, one S) with two more defensive backs targeted. If Mike Stoops doesn't get busy soon, we could see a dangerous drop off over the next few years. 

Predictions

Of the five recruiting targets I just listed, Oklahoma will likely only bring in one or two.

The two wide receivers will likely be turned off because of the four pass-catchers already signed in the 2012 class. Top recruits like DGB and Agholor want to come in and make an impact right away, not fight through a throng of competition.

I have a good feeling about OT Zach Banner who will probably like the homier feel of Norman over big, bad Los Angeles.

The defensive coaching change will cause one of the two cornerbacks, Bonner and Beaver, to decide to go elsewhere. Once one of them signs, it will make three cover guys for the class which is a bit much.

All-in-all this is a great recruiting class, one deserving of its top-10 ranking, but it still leaves the defense largely under-equipped for the future. We could see a few new names pop up, guys that Mike Stoops had been recruiting while at Arizona, but probably not enough to balance out.