National Signing Day 2011: Where Do Oklahoma Football Signees Help Sooners Most?

Oklahoma had another stellar year in 2010, going 12-2, with an elusive BCS bowl game victory, yet another Big 12 championship and defeating their three main rivals, all on the road.

First they out-dueled Texas in the Red River Rivalry and watched the Longhorns struggle to their worst record of the Mac Brown era. Seeing the Bevo boys fall apart like a paper bikini in the surf was a bonus most had not anticipated.

Then came Bedlam, where OU outscored Oklahoma State in a game that more than lived up to its moniker. They left Stillwater triumphantly with the Cowboys once again wondering what they had to do to win a championship.

Just a hint, Cowpokes...beat big brother. The conference championship goes through Norman more often than not.

Finally, in the last Big 12 Championship Game, they outlasted Nebraska in the final Big Red Rivalry, sending the Cornhuskers off to a new conference empty-handed and broken-hearted. Sounds like a good country song, doesn't it?

This on-field success was in no small part due to an underrated and highly productive recruiting class in 2010. Numerous true freshmen made an impact on the field for OU and have formed a formidable foundation, portending a bright future for the Team in Crimson and Cream.

Now national signing day is upon us once again and University of Oklahoma fans everywhere are anxious to see how their Sooners fared.

How will this group of new recruits fit in and in what areas of need will they make an impact?

Let's take a look.

Defensive Line

This is an area of need for the Sooners. With Gerald McCoy gone and Adrian Taylor hobbled, the Oklahoma D-line had some issues with stopping the run and getting pocket pressure at times last season.

This is a group that could definitely use some help and they got it with:

Jordan Phillips from Towanda, KS is a 6'6", 290 lbs. monster on the front line. Phillips is the fourth-rated defensive tackle by Rivals, a 5-star prospect by Scout and played in the Army All-American Bowl.

Nathan Hughes is from Spring, TX and should provide some depth at defensive end. This 6'5", 257 lbs. pass rusher is another Under Armour All-American, has a 4-star rating and a No. 5 position ranking from Scout.

Cibolo, TX's Marquis Anderson is 6'2", 270 lbs. The 4-star recruit made the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and is rated the eighth-best defensive tackle by Rivals.

Jordan Wade is one of two Sooner recruits from Round Rock, TX. Jordan is a 6'4", 290 lbs., 4-star defensive tackle ranked No. 8 by ESPN.

Offensive Line

A consistent rushing attack has eluded the Sooners for the past two seasons and the need for some additional size up front has been addressed by adding:

Dylan Dismuke is an Oklahoma boy from Duncan. The 6'6", 292 lbs. offensive tackle is a 4-star recruit ranked at No. 2 in the state and the 22nd-best tackle overall by Rivals.

Derek Farniok hails from OC Josh Heupel's home state of South Dakota. At 6'9", 320 lbs., Derek is the largest recruit and has drawn comparisons to former Sooner Phil Loadholt. A 3-star rating and a No. 55 position ranking may be too low for the top player from his state.

Nila Kneubuhl comes to Norman from Euless, TX and was thought to be a firm Baylor commit until he signed with the Sooners late. Nila played both tackle and tight end in prep school and has soft hands to go along with his 6'4", 280 lbs. frame. Though listed as a 3-star prospect, he is in the top 50 positional rankings as both a tight end and offensive tackle.

Running Back

The Sooners always seem to have multi-talented backs ready to display their talents in Norman. All-everything backs can get lost in the shuffle, itching for an opportunity like a crack head in Quaker country.

With the loss of both DeMarco Murray and Mosis Madu to graduation and injuries to other players, these backs have a chance to show what they can do next season:

Brandon Williams is 6'0", 190 lbs. from Brookshire, TX. Brandon is already enrolled at OU and will try to crack the lineup with a strong showing in spring practice. He is a 5-star recruit and the No. 3-rated back according to both Rivals and Scout. Another Under Armour All-American, Williams is a national top 20 recruit by both Rivals and 247Sports.

Danzell Williams may only be 5'9", 190 lbs. but this back from Arlington, TX is a game-breaker. He is the No. 8-rated athlete by ESPN, an Under Armour All-American and a 4-star recruit.

Both of these backs have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and should fit in nicely with OU's offensive philosophy.

Receivers/Tight Ends

The Sooners should be fairly stacked in both areas next season but that didn't stop them from getting some of the best available at these important positions.

These new recruits for Stoops' Troops feature size, speed, great hands and blocking ability:

Trey Metoyer is a 6'2", 185 lbs. playmaker with both hands and size. He comes from Whitehouse, TX and is the No. 1-rated wide receiver according to Scout. Trey is a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 in Texas and No. 12 overall prospect according to Rivals.

Oh, and he also made the All-American team for Parade, U.S. Army and ESPNU.

Kameel Jackson also comes north from Arlington, TX. He is a 6'1", 185 lbs. 4-star wide receiver. Kameel is the 34th-best receiver by Rivals and played in the NUC All-World Gridiron Classic.

Max Stevenson comes from Spring, TX and is 6'6", 240 lbs. Max is a 4-star recruit and a consensus top 20 tight end prospect.

Dan Tapko is from Kansas City, MO and 6'5", 235 lbs. This 4-star newbie is the No. 1 recruit from Missouri and rated in the top 50 as both a tight end and defensive end.

The Rest

Moore, Oklahoma's Kendal Thompson is a 6'2", 170 lbs. quarterback in the mold of a Pat White. He boasts excellent touch on his throws in addition to a breakaway scrambling ability that most of Stoops' QBs have lacked. Kendal is a 3-star prospect, an Under Armor All-American, the No. 2 recruit in OK and a top 20 QB prospect according to both Rivals and ESPN. His father Charles played QB for Oklahoma under Barry Switzer.

Safety Frank Shannon comes from Dallas, TX at 6'3", 205 lbs. He is a 4-star recruit, the No. 17-rated safety by Scout and a Texas top 50 player. He is also highly rated as an outside linebacker.

P.L. Lindley joins teammate Jordan Wade from Round Rock, TX. The 6'2", 205 lbs. Lindley is a 4-star recruit and the No. 11-rated inside linebacker prospect in the country by ESPN in addition to being ranked in the top 50 as an outside linebacker.

Oklahoma recently one-upped Notre Dame by taking a prospect that the Irish had previously taken from Wisconsin when they signed Coppell, TX cornerback Bennett Okotcha. The 6'0", 170 lbs. cover corner is only listed as a 3-star prospect but he is also a top 50 corner and in the list of Texas top 100 recruits.

While the final numbers are not in, OU should have yet another top 10 recruiting class to fill the ranks for next season.

Oklahoma is expected to only sign 17 new prospects this season but they have made up in quality what they lack in quantity.

The Sooners didn't go quite as national with recruiting this year, signing 12 players from Texas, two from Oklahoma and one each from Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota.

If these newcomers can come close to the production the 2010 class displayed, the future of Sooner football is in very capable hands.