Rivals100 LB Jacob Phillips commits to Oklahoma

Before the season started, Rivals100 linebacker Jacob Phillips set a commitment date of Oct. 12. But after a whirlwind 72 hours that saw phone calls come in from some of the nation's top head coaches, Phillips nearly delayed his decision. However, when he woke up Tuesday morning he knew his decision. He was going to keep his announcement date and announce his intentions join the Oklahoma Sooners' 2017 recruiting class.

Phillips did so in announcement at the East Nashville High School auditorium, in front of a large contingent of friends, family and teammates.

"Oklahoma has been the top school in my mind for a really long time," Phillips said. "I'm just glad to finally say it to the public that I'm an Oklahoma Sooner."

When he delivered the news to Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops and linebackers coach Tim Kish on Tuesday night, Phillips said the reaction they gave only reassured him he was making the right choice.

"They were very excited to have me on board," Phillips said. "They told me how much they want me and need me in their defense and it was very refreshing to put a smile on their face and get the worry off their back."

Phillips immediately becomes Oklahoma's highest-ranked commitment in the Class of 2017 and he said he always felt like a priority for the Sooners staff. That perseverance paid off when several other programs came calling over the past few months.

"They offered me after my sophomore season and it's a school that hasn't really offered many people in Tennessee before," Phillips said. "But they came down and they saw what I had and we built a connection with them. It's been a two-year long relationship that I built with them ... the longer you have a relationship with someone the easier it is to trust them."

While Phillips was impressed on all of his official visits, which including Oregon, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Alabama in addition to the Oklahoma, it was actually a visit earlier in the year that put the Sooners out in front.

"In the spring after I took my first visit there I was kind of dead set on Oklahoma being the place for me," Phillips said. "After the summer my interest kind of changed and a lot of schools kept coming in but I told the coaches that they were my No. 1 in my head and it stayed that way."

Oklahoma has long sold Phillips on an early path to playing time and he said he's ready to get to work in hopes of earning a spot on the field next fall.

"They have told me it's all up to me," Phillips said. "If I can come in ready and work hard and learn the things I need to learn I'll have a shot to play. I can't wait to get there."

Phillips is commitment No. 22 for the Sooners in the Class of 2017 and the third Rivals100 prospect to join the class, which is currently No. 3 in the Rivals.com Team Rankings.