Oklahoma Football: Top Positions Sooners Must Target in 2013 Recruiting Class

Head coach Bob Stoops and his staff have always done a good job managing the roster, keeping the proverbial cupboard stocked with talent.

This year is no different, with strong depth at key positions like quarterback and running back, but there are still a few thin spots—especially on the defensive side of the ball—that could use a little more attention.

The 2013 class is coming together well, but let's take a look at five positions the Sooners need to address before signing day in February.

Defensive Back

Between safeties Tony Jefferson and Javon Harris and cornerbacks Demontre Hurst and Aaron Colvin, the Sooners will trot out one of the best defensive secondaries in the conference next season. With two juniors and two seniors, the group is high on experience as well as production.

There is a good chance that all four of them will not be with the team after this season, though, leaving the future of the backfield quite murky. If you take into account Lamar Harris and Jesse Paulson, both seniors, as well as the dismissal of sophomore Quentin Hayes, there is a chance the Sooners will have seven defensive backs on the roster at the end of the season.

And three of those are seniors.

The coaching staff is well aware of this potential bottleneck, placing a strong emphasis on the position for the 2013 recruiting class. In the spring, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops stated their goal was to sign five for this class.

They have been very active early, producing commitments from 3-star safety Ahmad Thomas (Miami, FL, Miami Central High School) and 4-star cornerback Stanvon Taylor (Tulsa, OK, East Central High School).

There are currently 15-20 outstanding offers to uncommitted defensive backs. This trio of California teammates would sure round out the group nicely.

Linebacker

Linebacker isn't in terrible shape, but with three seniors and two possible draft-caliber juniors, things can get real ugly real quick—especially at an oft-injured position like this.

Several of the seven remaining underclassmen have all been talked up a bit by players and coaches—namely redshirt freshman Frank Shannon and sophomore Aaron Franklin—but none of them have stepped foot in a game yet.

Adding a little extra stress to the situation is the fact that youngsters P.L. Lindley and Rashod Favors have been spending time at defensive end to try and fill gaps there, possibly cutting back on the future 'backer numbers.

Recently committed 4-star ILB Jordan Mastrogiovanni (Dallas, TX, Jesuit Prep School) is an absolute punisher and could be the future up the middle for OU, but one or two more outside linebackers would round out the group perfectly.

Defensive End

Defensive end is frighteningly thin this year, let alone after senior starters R.J. Washington and David King graduate at the end of the season.

Sophomore Chuka Ndulue adds size and junior college transfer Chaz Nelson adds speed to the depth chart, but after the season there will be seven ends on the roster, none of which have any on-field experience currently.

The Sooners already have commitments from 4-star defensive ends D.J. Ward (Lawton, OK, Lawton High School) and Matt Dimon (Katy, TX, Katy High School) but could use one or two more to help round out the class.

Speed rusher Torrodney Prevot recently included OU in his final eight schools and considering what he is looking for in a program— early playing time and academics—OU is likely near the top of the list.

Tight End

To say the Sooners are "thin" at tight end would be a massive understatement. When the final whistle blew at the end of last season, seniors having made their final impact, OU officially went down to one tight end on the roster, redshirted freshman John-Phillip Hughes.

The coaching staff did a great job by signing four tight ends in the 2012 class, Taylor McNamara, Sam Grant, Laith Harlow and junior college transfer Brannan Green. McNamara and Green were able to get to campus early for the spring session and benefited greatly, both performing well in the spring game in April. Grant will join the team this summer, but Harlow's college career ended early due to an unfortunate back injury.

So with one junior and three freshmen in the mix for next season, the coaching staff must bring in one or two more tight ends with the 2013 class to add depth and foster competition.

By the looks of things, they still have some work to do. Three of OU's seven offers have already committed to other schools. It's only June, so there is no need to panic. It is a fairly deep group of tight ends with several big names hailing from Texas, an area OU should hit hard considering the Longhorns already have a tight end commit.

Defensive Tackle

Anytime you graduate three seniors from a position, there is going to be a need to fill in the following recruiting class. There is plenty of talent in the remaining group of five underclassmen, but that number falls far short of comfortable for the coaches.

With 10 of 14 outstanding offers still uncommitted, we will likely see plenty of action over the next several months.

The ongoing saga with No. 8 DT Justin Manning (Justin F. Kimball, Dallas, TX) has been an entertaining story line to follow. Manning is the younger brother of former Sooner DeMarcus Granger and was originally considered a lock for Norman.

However, he publicly displayed his disappointment after not receiving an offer early from OU, saying "For me going to Oklahoma, it used to be that way, but not now. Now I've opened things up and I'm considering all the schools and a few others in my top eight. I do like OU a lot but to say I'm a lock to go there isn't true."

Apparently all fences have been mended between the two parties, with OU back on top of his list, but you never know what a recruit is going to do. His list includes TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Oklahoma State, LSU, Arkansas and OU.