OU Foobtall Numbers You'll Find Hard to Believe

<p><em class="gnmEkDate">Originally Published: Feb 15, 2011 8:18 AM CDT</em></p><P>The numbers prove that Florida and Texas produce the best high school football players. <BR/><BR/>Texas high school football

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 1:33 pm

By: News 9


Originally Published: Feb 15, 2011 8:18 AM CDT

The numbers prove that Florida and Texas produce the best high school football players.

Texas high school football has been the lifeblood of the OU football program. Bob Stoops has successfully recruited nationally better  than any other Sooner coach, but the Longhorn State is where he finds most of his talent.

Many Texans have gone on to star and become All-Americans as Sooners.

But incredibly, there’s a state that has produced more stars than Texas. Oklahoma.

Yes, it’s a state with a lot less players and a state that doesn’t play the caliber of ball they play south of the Red but the numbers tell the story.

-1-in-5 Oklahoma HS signees earn All-America (13)
-On average OU signs 5.5 Oklahomans per class
-1-in-20 non-Oklahoman signees earn All-America (12)
-On average, OU signs 20 non-Oklahomans per class

During the Stoops era, by a ratio of around two-and-a-half to one, his thirteen classes have consisted of more Texans than Oklahoma kids.  However, there have been more Oklahoma kids become All-Americans than Texans. In fact there have been more Oklahoma AA’s than all the other states combined.

My research stunned me showing that about one out of every six players Stoops has signed from Oklahoma high schools has gone on to become an All-American. Four players were All-Americans two seasons. That makes 13 different Oklahomans to achieve the honor. There have only been 12 different players from schools outside the state become All-Americans.         

1.            2010-Ryan Broyles, Norman

2.            2009-’08 Gerald McCoy, OKC

3.            2008-Sam Bradford, Putnam City North

4.            2008-Jermaine Gresham, Ardmore

5.            2007 Curtis Lofton, Kingfisher

6.            2004-Dan Cody, Ardmore

7.            2004-’03-Jammal Brown, Lawton

8.            2003-Jason White, Tuttle

9.            2003-Antonio Perkins, Lawton

10.          2003-’02-Teddy Lehman

11.          2001’00-Rocky Calmus, Jenks

12.          2001-Jeff Ferguson, Tulsa

13.          2000-J.T. Thatcher, Norman

The non-Oklahoma kids to become All-Americans: Josh Heupel, Roy Williams, Brandon Everage, Derrick Strait, Tommie Harris, Adrian Peterson, Mark Clayton, Vince Cater, Rufus Alexander, Duke Robinson, Trent Williams and Quinton Carter. Tommie Harris, Mark Clayton, and Duke Robinson were two-time All-Americans.

The numbers illustrating the Stoops turnaround are remarkable. OU produced two AA’s the decade before he arrived (1990-’98) compared to 32 in the Stoops era.

The two Heisman winners were Oklahomans (White and Bradford). There were no national award winners before Stoops compared to his 23. Stoops has produced 33 first round NLF picks compared to just two before he arrived.

So does OU’s success of high school players from the state of Oklahoma mean Stoops should sign more state players? Or does it mean his theory of recruiting nationally and signing the best players in Oklahoma is working out exactly the way he expected.

Probably the latter. Although in a perfect world he’d keep kids like Josh Turner from Millwood from heading to Austin.

 Dean Blevins
Oklahoma Sports

Follow me on Twitter @DeanBlevins

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