Prater headed to Norman this weekend

The Oklahoma Sooners added their quarterback of the future on Friday when Wichita, Kan., four-star Blake Bell verbally committed. Now they will look to surround him with top receiving targets and one of those they are pursuing is Hillside (Ill.) Proviso West's Kyle Prater.

The 6-5, 192-pound Prater checks in as the No. 18 prospect in the country and the No. 3 receiver nationally. He has offers from schools around the country, and his next trip will be to check out the Sooners.

"This weekend I am going to be heading out to Oklahoma. They have their spring game on Saturday," Prater said. "It's a real good school and I just want to go down and see what Oklahoma has to offer me. I want to see the campus, the players and see the tradition. When I get (on campuses) I'll know what school is right for me, so I'm just looking forward to going down there and checking them out."

Prater added an offer from Oklahoma in March, after which he said the Sooners were a team that stood out among his list of suitors.

"Oklahoma is just a great team and a great program that's always in the BCS national championship hunt every year," Prater told EdgyTim.com in March. "I also know that Oklahoma is in need at wide receiver."

The trip to Oklahoma will be the first Prater will take specifically to see spring football. The last school he visited was Ohio State for a 7-on-7 tournament at the end of March. In the past he has made visits to Illinois, Iowa, Notre Dame and Northwestern and he would like to visit Purdue and Notre Dame again later this spring so he can move closer to narrowing his list of offers to a top group.

"I see myself winning BCS Championships, so I want to get in with a school (that can accomplish that)," Prater said. "It's not just that, it's going to be a real good school where I can play in a big conference."

In the meantime, Prater's focus has largely been on preparing to finish his high school career on a high note. He did participate in indoor track this winter, but plans to turn his attention strictly to football for the remainder of the off-season.

"Indoor (track) just ended, but I am sitting outdoor (track) out and doing more individual training with my trainer at the school and focusing more on football," Prater said. "What we're focusing on this spring is just becoming an overall player. I'm looking to be a 6-4 wide receiver who, with the ball in my hands, plays more like a 5-11 guy. We're doing a lot of routes and I'm getting critiqued on a lot of things."

As a junior, Prater recorded 60 receptions for 948 yards and nine touchdowns.