Barnes makes the call

Southlake (Texas) Carroll 2017 Rivals250 safety Robert Barnes took to Twitter on Labor Day to let the world know he was ready to become an Oklahoma Sooner.

Excited to announce that I will be committing to the university of Oklahoma! #BoomerSooner ⚪️🔴🐴 pic.twitter.com/MtIOFZ1DmC- Robert Barnes (@r0bertbarnes) September 7, 2015

Barnes let the Sooner staff know his intentions Sunday evening, after the Sooner program had been on his mind throughout the day

"I'd been thinking about it all yesterday," Barnes said. "I woke up yesterday, and I was just thinking hard about it. I knew Obi (Eboh) had just made his decision, and I was just thinking about all the benefits of Oklahoma and the legacy and I just woke up thinking it was the right place for me to be."

It is no surprise Barnes felt at home at Oklahoma. He has several ties to the program. His father, Reggie Barnes, was a standout on the Sooner's football team in the 90's, his mother also attended Oklahoma, and his sister is there now. Still when he told the coaching staff the news, there was no shortage of excitement.

"They were really excited. Coach Stoops, he was really happy over the phone, and coach Cooks passed the phone around to the defensive staff and everyone was happy and excited. I can't wait to get this 2017 class started."

Barnes became one of the hottest prospects in the country during the spring and summer months with college scholarship offers arriving from near and far. He wanted to keep an open mind, but he had a feeling Oklahoma was a team to beat once the Sooners entered the race.

"Yes, I was super excited when I got the offer from Oklahoma," Barnes said. "It had always been a childhood dream to go. But when I was seeing some of these other schools - like I really fell in love with Baylor - it was a hard decision between those two schools because I love the coaching staff over at Baylor too. In the end Oklahoma just felt right to me.

He took visits to Alabama, Baylor, Texas, TCU, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M, in addition to visiting Oklahoma, and he plans to attend Oklahoma's game against West Virginia this fall. He is also considering visits to Baylor, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech during the football season.

The recruiting process will continue, but it is clear to Barnes that Oklahoma is the best place for him for several different reasons.

"Overall probably just the tradition that Oklahoma has and just Oklahoma football," Barnes said. "But a huge part was coach Cooks and coach Stoops and the whole coaching staff and the academics. There were just a lot of things that I thought about and that I really liked about the program."

Barnes is the second commitment of the Sooners 2017 recruiting class, joining Rivals100 quarterback Chris Robison, and he gives the Sooners two members of the 2017 Rivals250.