Oklahoma Football Recruiting 2012: The Sooners' Top Commitments and Targets

Things didn't go as planned this year for OU, as they came into the season as the No. 1 team in the country and now are going to the Insight Bowl. Enough said.

However, the Sooners still have a chance to crack the Top 10 of the recruiting rankings come February 1, 2012, as they have a solid class lined up. I'm here to offer a look at a couple key commitments and give you the latest on some of Oklahoma's top remaining targets.

Boomer...ah, you know the rest.

2012 Oklahoma Sooners Recruiting Class Capsule and Outlook

Oklahoma has 14 commitments in their 2012 class, and eight are 4-star prospects. The Sooners have recruited well over the years and will continue to do so in 2012.

I love RB Alex Ross and WR Durron Neal, as these two will be in line to be the next great Sooner offensive players.

But for me, the highlights of this class are the pledges from John McGee and Ty Darlington, two of the top OL prospects in the country.

Key Commitment: Alex Ross, RB

Ross is a physical runner who never backs down from defenders. At 6'1", 205 pounds, he loves to mix it up in between the tackles and dares tacklers to challenge him in alleys.

He hails from a successful Jenks (OK) high school program that has won a ton of football games over the years, so Ross knows how to win. 

He gets to and through holes with solid explosion and decisiveness. He wastes no time and knows what he wants to get out of each carry.

Late Offer to Diggs Gets Sooners Inside His Top 8

Stefon Diggs, perhaps the top pure offensive threat in the country with the ball in his hands, has gotten an offer from OU and has the Sooners in his top eight.

The 6'0", 190-pound Diggs also has Auburn, USC, Cal, Virginia Tech, Florida, Virginia and Michigan. Oklahoma will have to toss its weight around in a major way to get Diggs.

Key Commitment: Durron Neal, WR

An Oklahoma commit, the 6'0", 185-pound Neal is a dynamic threat on the perimeter. He gets it done with speed and quickness, along with good hands.

Neal reminds many of Ryan Broyles and has a similar skill set. He can cut on a dime, stem up a DB and has great playmaking ability.

Still in the DGB Race

Even though Dorial Green-Beckham took a recent trip to Texas, Oklahoma is still in this thing. For a while, many thought OU was the favorite. 

But Missouri, Texas and Arkansas have come on strong, so it's really a toss-up. DGB took a trip to Norman in the summer and his family came with him, which was a great sign for the Sooners.

This race is going to go down to NSD, and possibly longer.

Out of the Gunner Kiel Race?

Looks like Norman won't get to see Gunner Kiel in person again, as Kiel is slated to visit Notre Dame, LSU, Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

This is a shocker to me, as during the spring and summer, OU looked like a major player for Kiel. He liked his visits to Oklahoma and his time with offensive coordinator Josh Heupel.

Anything can happen, but it looks like it's over in regards to OU's chances to land Kiel.

Other Notable Current Sooner Commits

OLs Ty Darlington and John McGee give the future of the Sooners' interior line a great outlook. Both players have good snap quickness and could play either OC or OG.

WR Sterlign Shepard is a super quickster that could be excellent slot type.

CB De'Vante Harris, DE Polo Manakainiu and DE Charles Tapper are 4-star players, and QB Trevor Knight is a signal-caller with quick release that OU convinced to switch from Texas A&M.