Sooner Recruiting Battles 2009

The following recruits are on the brink of committing to Oklahoma but they're also on the brink of committing elsewhere. Here is the info. you need to know:

1) Rufus Lumpkin (MLB5), Katy, TX--Florida St. leads for Lumpkin but has yet to offer him. Oklahoma State sits at #2 while Oklahoma sits at #3. The offers from OSU and OU have been tempting for Lumpkin and OU has really come on hard the past few weeks after initially not recruiting him. NEED: OU needs Lumpkin to shore up a MLB spot that will be thin and unproven for 2010. OU loses seniors Ryan Reynolds and Mike Balogun this offseason to graduation and only have Austin Box in the middle at this moment. Others could move from the outside to cover the middle but they'd prefer to bring in a true middle linebacker to fill the needs.

2) Darrin Sanders (DT4), Shawnee, OK--Notre Dame has a soft commit from this Oklahoma born and raised kid but they have yet to offer him the scholarship he desires. Due to that, Texas and Oklahoma have jumped into the race and sit at #2 and #3 for his services. Sanders visited South Bend in Wk3, Austin in Wk7 and Norman in Wk9. He also took an official visit to Lincoln, NE in Wk10 and UCLA in Wk12. NEED: OU loses Granger this off-season and likely loses Gerald McCoy to the NFL Draft after this season. The Sooners have some depth but not nearly enough. The addition of Sanders would solidify the position for the immediate future.

3) Jim Callahan (G19), Helena, AR--Guard isn't a huge position of need for the Sooners but when a good one like Callahan comes along teams try and grab them. Callahan is a steady Arkansas guy as he's had them #1 on his list for the whole process. The Sooners have held at #2 and are hoping they can talk this Arkansas kid into to coming over to Oklahoma much like Barry Switzer did in the 60's.

4) Justin Jenkins (ATH4), Ennis, TX--This athlete from Ennis projects as either a running back or defensive back. The Sooners mostly like him at running back due to his good speed and agility. They feel he has a good frame that could add some muscle and get him up from his current 182 pounds into the upper 190's. NEED: The Sooners lose Chris Brown this offseason and will likely also lose Demarco Murray to the NFL Draft so the need for RB's is there.

Look for more updates on Sooner recruiting battles in the near future.