Whatever credibility or lack thereof we choose to give recruiting services and/or star ratings, the fact is that the Big 12 is in decline and until OU heads to the SEC or Big 10 or Pac12, recruiting for OU and the teams in this conference will have a lower ceiling than the other three conferences.
I also think that picture is a reflection of where the bulk of the talent is in this country. The region between Louisiana and Georgia is just loaded with talent, that OU really has trouble tapping into. Another area is California. OU has had some success cherry picking kids from that state, but it's not even considered a drop in the bucket when you look at the totality of the talent out there. Texas has tons of talent as well, but OU shifting focus to a more national strategy I think is hurting OU from signing a good majority of the kids from OUs traditional recruiting bread-and-butter. One thing that will always hurt OU is being in an overall talent dead state. OU joining the SEC would make it much more attractive to kids in that area of the country to come play for the Sooners. Right now, why would kids in that area turn a cold shoulder to SEC schools and come play in the Big XII??? It ain't gonna happen.Whatever credibility or lack thereof we choose to give recruiting services and/or star ratings, the fact is that the Big 12 is in decline and until OU heads to the SEC or Big 10 or Pac12, recruiting for OU and the teams in this conference will have a lower ceiling than the other three conferences.