OU may actually not be finished yet, even after Kelly signed.

[Plainosooner]

We'll see how it works out, but there is one player left who is a four star who visited only three schools, who hasn't signed with anybody yet. And he's considered the number one recruit in his home state. That would bump the ranking up a little, for whom so many are more interested than OU making the final four. I mean, it's such old news.

Not sure if the premium information is considers public yet, so I'll leave it at that. But there are players still unsigned and we do have a ship or two left available.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

We'll see how it works out, but there is one player left who is a four star who visited only three schools, who hasn't signed with anybody yet. And he's considered the number one recruit in his home state. That would bump the ranking up a little, for whom so many are more interested than OU making the final four. I mean, it's such old news.

Not sure if the premium information is considers public yet, so I'll leave it at that. But there are players still unsigned and we do have a ship or two left available.

Good, I was thinking there was some ships left.
Fat lady, she hasn't sung yet.

 

[Senior Sooner]

Good, I was thinking there was some ships left.
Fat lady, she hasn't sung yet.

You talkin' to ME?

 

[Soonersincefitty]

You talkin' to ME?

Woman!

 

[SoonerTulsan]

Very interesting. Look forward to more good news. Past week has provided a plethora of experience and educational opportunities on the topic of recruiting. Horses...welcome to water. Now drink...please!!!!

 

[Okie70]

Actually Plaino I thought OU was at the limit. Some board did a ship count and had OU at 66 before the newbies. Didn't read closely but Bob Stoops said only 11 seniors and two scholarships for transfers from A&M and Penn State. Any one know the actual count? Another 4 star body would be nice. I know, should have signed up with Josh yesterday. Give me time. I am an old guy and move slow.

 

[Plainosooner]

Actually Plaino I thought OU was at the limit. Some board did a ship count and had OU at 66 before the newbies. Didn't read closely but Bob Stoops said only 11 seniors and two scholarships for transfers from A&M and Penn State. Any one know the actual count? Another 4 star body would be nice. I know, should have signed up with Josh yesterday. Give me time. I am an old guy and move slow.

There is no hard number. At least not in February. Josh, the head recruting writer on the premium side of the site, takes who is returning and then figures how many new guys would reach 85. And then he adds four, because there is always some attrition. We've already lost five. Before signing day, we'd lost four, including Knight, two early guys and Frison. Then it was announced that Hearne had left. There hasn't been a spring plus summer combined in the last 15 years when we didn't have at least a guy or two decide to transfer or quit football. So 87 or certainly 86 is a safe total number in February, assuming some ongoing attrition.

The staff was hoping for two or three more signatures on Wednesday, so they certainly have that much room. If some guy graduates from another school who can play and has eligibility left besides the one already on campus, I'll bet we take him if we think he can play. I don't think we've actually had 85 to start a season in years. Maybe that kid from Alabama who didn't want to greyshirt, hasn't signed yet.

 

[Yankees03]

Good info in the OP plaino....keep it coming. Also do you think Kelly sees immediate playing time as a freshman?

 

[Soonersincefitty]

There is no hard number. At least not in February. Josh, the head recruting writer on the premium side of the site, takes who is returning and then figures how many new guys would reach 85. And then he adds four, because there is always some attrition. We've already lost five. Before signing day, we'd lost four, including Knight, two early guys and Frison. Then it was announced that Hearne had left. There hasn't been a spring plus summer combined in the last 15 years when we didn't have at least a guy or two decide to transfer or quit football. So 87 or certainly 86 is a safe total number in February, assuming some ongoing attrition.

The staff was hoping for two or three more signatures on Wednesday, so they certainly have that much room. If some guy graduates from another school who can play and has eligibility left besides the one already on campus, I'll bet we take him if we think he can play. I don't think we've actually had 85 to start a season in years. Maybe that kid from Alabama who didn't want to greyshirt, hasn't signed yet.

Plaino, is it not true that they can 'borrow' a limited amount of scholys from the next years class if say they got 3 extra five stars wanting to sign an LOI at the last minute, for example?

I was thinking I heard something to that effect, albeit a long time ago, like 15 years ago.

 

[Plainosooner]

They can't borrow from the next class without greyshirting, but they can use guys who come in for the second semester on last years class if there were any unused. But when you get to August then there can't be more than 85 guys on football scholarship. And since they start these days getting to school in the summer, and enroll for summerschool, I'm pretty sure that those guys count, even if they get mad or figure out it's not for them, but since they've had their summer paid for, they count in the class. I could be wrong about that, but I don't think so.

If you have 86 in August, then somebody has to not enroll. That is what greyshirting is.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

They can't borrow from the next class without greyshirting, but they can use guys who come in for the second semester on last years class if there were any unused. But when you get to August then there can't be more than 85 guys on football scholarship. And since they start these days getting to school in the summer, and enroll for summerschool, I'm pretty sure that those guys count, even if they get mad or figure out it's not for them, but since they've had their summer paid for, they count in the class. I could be wrong about that, but I don't think so.

If you have 86 in August, then somebody has to not enroll. That is what greyshirting is.

While I've got ya here...do you have any hard numbers as to the record scholarships OU gave in one year before the 85 limit?

In the archives it reveals there were 140-145 guys 'on the team' in the mid seventies, lot of guys just wanting to be a part of the magic of that time.
I've been unable to determine how many might have been on full rides.
Help a bro out? Thanks

 

[Plainosooner]

I don't think anybody would know that. But I'm pretty sure we were giving mid 40s pretty routinely in the days before freshmen were eligible for varsity play and had their on team.

If you found somebody really old, there were an unbelievable number of guys in 1945 and 46 who tried out for college football teams, but most of those guys were going on the GI bill and not on an athletic scholarship. I've heard stories about the ;46 team when Bud was an assistant coach and Jim Tatum the HC. Lots of available guys returning from WWII. I think they may have had over 100 new guys in 1946. It was the turnaround year for OU football.

It's kind of like Plano football becoming great the year my family moved to Plano. It was a coincidence. John Clark got to Plano in '64 and it was also the first year the school district integrated. My arrival was a coincidence. The 100 plus guys was just a coincidence. Bud Wilkinson coming in '46 was the reason. It changed OU football forever. The talent was there. Tatum the first year, and Bud for the next 17 knew what to do with it.

Not sure of the exact amount in my class in 1969, but that was the Joe Wylie, Greg Pruitt class. I think it was about 43 or 44. It varied from year to year. In those days, there were no national limitations. The only limitations were from your conference. As late as my senior year, Joe Washington was an incoming freshman who'd signed an LOI with more than one school. There wasn't a national letter. So you wouldn't know exactly who was going to show up until they did in August. But there were no total limitations, only yearly limitations until after I graduated. I don't think the 85 limit came for close to a decade after that. But not sure.

My senior year, was 1972, the first year of freshman eligibility on the varsity. And within a year or two, freshman teams went away.

I suspect my time at OU was among the top class numbers. Before about 1963 or 64, college football was one platoon, and there wasn't the need for as many players. So except for those immediately after WWII years, the highest numbers would likely have been from 64 to 73 or 74.

 

[Plainosooner]

Here is a link to an article with some details of the 72 and 73 transitions on the 40th anniversary of freshman eligibility.

http://newsok.com/article/3704386

And one thing I'd add to the above. I've talked about this before, but in those days the Big 8 allowed 45 per year, but Independents, teams like Houston and Notre Dame not in a conference, basically had unlimited ships. I remember reading when I was in high school or early in college, that Houston had a class with 70 plus in it.

 

[sybarite43]

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...nal-signing-day-demetris-robertson-commitment