Three-Point Stance: Oklahoma's recruiting surge, more title contenders

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with thoughts on Oklahoma’s recruiting prowess, a few teams that could be dark horses to win it all next season and some spring games that are must watch.

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Many teams impress me with their recruiting prowess.

Obviously Alabama and Ohio State under Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have done amazing jobs in recent years, and Jimbo Fisher has been consistently impressive at Florida State over the last many years.

But there’s something about Oklahoma that impresses me quite a bit, and it's Bob Stoops' ability to change strategy with such impressive success. When Stoops and his staff were slow to offer underclassmen and started to fall behind the times a few years ago, a new aggressive attitude toward younger players was instituted and led to more early commitments. And when the staff itself became a bit complacent in recruiting following the 2012 season, Stoops brought in some aggressive and younger guys who could handle today’s landscape.

The result? Last year it led to the No. 7 recruiting class in the country and the best class I’ve seen on paper for the Sooners since Tony Jefferson and Kenny Stills headed to Norman back in 2010. Heck, it’s even better than that class overall.

And now, in 2018, the Sooners are once again in the national top 10 with their biggest get coming in the form of California-based, Florida-transplant running back T.J. Pledger. Oklahoma is doing well in state, hitting Texas hard and, as usual, recruiting California better than any other out-of-state program in the country.

It’s not easy for coaches who have been at a program as long as Stoops has been at OU to change - ask FSU fans when Bobby Bowden was in charge or Penn State fans enjoying the recruiting of James Franklin after some weak years at the end of Joe Paterno’s career. So hats off to Stoops, a man I have been critical of regarding his handling of Joe Mixon.

When it comes to recruiting, he and his staff are killing it.

Last week I came out with my five finalists to win it all next college football season, feeling confident following my prediction of Clemson before the 2016 year. But there are a few teams I could see making a push into that group before all is said and done. After all, who expected Washington to be a playoff team last year or for Penn State to win the Big Ten and effectively be jobbed out of a playoff berth?

So here are five additional teams that could ruin my Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State and USC quintet.

Penn State: Penn State returns a whole lot of talent and beat Ohio State outright last season and won the Big Ten, so there were some fans who took exception to the Nittany Lions not being in my top five. Saquon Barkley and company could repeat in the conference and perhaps rightfully end up in the playoff this time.

Oklahoma State: Mason Rudolph is back and could be the best quarterback in the country you’ve never paid attention to. The Big 12 isn’t loaded, and the out-of-conference schedule isn’t killer despite a trap game at Pitt. The bottom line is that OSU could be undefeated when they host the Sooners. If they get past that, watch out.

Clemson: I left out the defending champs in favor of Florida State, and Clemson fans weren’t happy. I just think the losses on offense could hold it back a bit and without DeShaun Watson, it isn't the same team. But that defense is so talented, they could carry the day.

Michigan: What? With so many losses from leaders? Yep, Jim Harbaugh can coach them up that well, and the youth on this team could be better than those leaving. The big issue will be that the Wolverines are probably a year away at some positions, but keep an eye out on this team, especially on defense.

Washington: Everyone is all over USC, as am I, because of Sam Darnold, but there is no doubt that Chris Petersen is the best coach in the conference and there are a ton of weapons left, led by Jake Browning. In fact, some think the 2017 version could be better.

A few of the teams above have many questions to answer this spring and certainly have spring games to keep an eye on. Here are the five I am most interested in….

Auburn: Can Jarrett Stidham be the solution at quarterback to make this Auburn offense more balanced and perhaps the most dangerous in the SEC West? There’s a lot of pressure on him, but the surrounding cast is solid and the defense should be formidable despite some key losses.

Texas: Who can’t wait to see what the Texas offense looks like under Tom Herman? I know I’m looking forward to it. But more importantly, how will the defense look under Todd Orlando? If Texas is to make big strides this upcoming season, the defense is much more important, at least to me.

Michigan: There are so many players to replace it will be interesting to see who steps up and how. Seventeen starters are gone, but there is so much young talent, this team could be similar to Ohio State’s last year. We all want to see Rashan Gary and his development, but how about who steps up on the offensive line and steps in at wide receiver and tight end?

Clemson: Who’s replacing Watson and how effective will the offense be without him? That’s one of the biggest questions of the spring. Many are curious to see not only how the Tigers replace Watson, but also wide receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott, tight end Jordan Leggett and running back Wayne Gallman. This will be a different offense to watch for sure.

Tennessee: So many new coaches and a new quarterback, so the offense will be interesting to watch, but the defense has some big holes to fill as well. Will the Vols have some surprise players step up and will the new staff be able to take them to the SEC title? The spring game won’t answer those questions, but it’s a start.