3, 2, 1: Stoops on Signing Day

For college football coaches, signing day is often a full-day affair of last-minute recruiting pitches, anxious waiting for final targets to decide, and hoping all of their commitments' letters of intent roll through the fax machine without a hitch.

On Wednesday, Oklahoma's coaching staff had wrapped up a No. 7 national class by 9 am.

Bob Stoops spoke to the media about, in his words, "one of the best classes we've signed in probably 19 years."

Here is what was learned on and off the field from the Sooner head coach.

1. Class of 2017 skill position players will be counted on right away.

Oklahoma's offense will need to replace the production of Dede Westbrook, Joe Mixon, and Samaje Perine.

That means replacing the only Biletnikoff winner in school history, the single-season all-purpose yardage leader, and the program's all-time leading rusher.

The good news for Sooner fans?

Coaches are throwing around some high praise for their skill position signees:

"I think this is probably the best receiving class that we've brought in, at least on paper, to this point... Marquise (Brown) to be able to hopefully replace some of the speed and explosion with lost with Dede (Westbrook). A guy that can go run with anybody in the country right now." - Lincoln Riley

"We love the way (Cedarian Lamb) goes after the ball, his competitiveness, he's got that exceptional quickness." - Bob Stoops

"All three of these guys (Lamb, Rambo, and Brown) will make an impact next year." - Bob Stoops

"We feel like Marcelias (Sutton) can come in and do a lot of really good things. He's different than (Mixon and Perine). He's incredibly explosive - one of the most explosive players that I've ever recruited or seen in person... Very, very dynamic. Can do a lot of things for us." - Lincoln Riley

"CeeDee Lamb and Charleston Rambo, you're talking about two of the most dynamic high school receivers in the country." - Lincoln Riley

2. The Oklahoma defense will move to multiple fronts including both three and four down linemen.

When Mike Stoops returned to Norman as Oklahoma's defensive coordinator, he brought a new three-man front with him. During his first stint in Norman, the Sooners ran essentially an exclusive four-man front. However, the second time around Stoops utilized guys like Eric Striker at outside linebacker in a stand-up edge rusher type role.

However, it sounds as if the winds are changing again and the Stoops brothers are returning to the four-man front that they ran when they first came to OU.

"Because of all the spread we get, we just feel overall we're going to do more. We're going to base out of a four-man front and jump into the odd occasionally, as opposed to being a primarily odd and jumping into a four-man front. That's something we're going to concentrate on in the Spring. Again, with the among of passing that we get, we feel it will allow us to get more pressure just from a four-man rush." - Bob Stoops

Although, each did emphasize that they used both before and would continue to use both in the future.

"We still want to be more multiple in our defense and try to get our players on edges more and create more vertical penetration. It's all about trying to fit your defense to the players you have. We're going to try to implement more of that - to more spread out sets that are more passing situations. We're going to try to play both fronts as much as we can." - Mike Stoops

3. Ricky DeBerry has been moved to inside linebacker.

With the loss of Jordan Evans at inside linebacker, the Oklahoma defense will need a fill a major void in the middle of their defense. For awhile, it looked as if they would bring in Levi Draper and Jacob Phillips, which provided confidence in the position going forward. When Phillips switched to LSU in the final days before signing day, all of the sudden the inside linebacker corps becomes thin.

Many have wondered if it would make sense to move of one of the talented edge linebackers stuck behind Ogbo Okorownkwo and Caleb Kelly on the depth chart.

Stoops confirmed that a former Rivals250 outside linebacker Ricky DeBerry would be making the move to the middle.

"We're going to also look this Spring at Ricky DeBerry (inside) instead of outside." - Bob Stoops

1. Chris Robison is already learning under the tutelage of Baker Mayfield

On June 26, 2015, Chris Robison committed to Oklahoma and hasn't wavered since.

"Chris became a leader in this group early." - Bob Stoops

One of the more enticing aspects of the Sooner program was their nationally-celebrated, gunsling, confident, Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback, Baker Mayfield.

With Robison having a similar demeanor and playing style to the current OU quarterback, there's no shock that the early enrollee has already planted himself firmly by Mayfield's side to learn from as a mentor.

"I know that's going on, that's just how Baker is. I know that Chris will gravitate towards (Baker). He did while he was being recruited." - Lincoln Riley

Riley mentioned that some guys in their last year wouldn't take time to help an incoming freshman, but that Mayfield's genuine appreciation for Sooner football would never allow him to do that.

"This program is important enough to (Mayfield) that he not only wants it to be good, obviously, this year, but also in the coming years. He cares about the future of it." - Lincoln Riley

2. The Oklahoma coaching staff is fueled by doughnuts.

With all 27 of the Sooner signees sending their letters of intent in by 9 am, the tension in the OU coaches office turned towards something we all can relate to.

"We had a lot of doughnuts in (the coaches office). I had to fight my way around. That was the biggest test today. To back off the doughnut table." - Mike Stoops

1. Lincoln Riley creates a "slash" position for Kyler Murray

The 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers had a problem. They were happy with their starting quarterback, Neil O'Donnell, but they also had a backup quarterback from Colorado by the name of Kordell Stewart that they felt was too good of an athlete to keep off the field.

Eventually, Bill Cowher's coaching staff found a way to get Stewart on the field in a variety of ways - running back/wide receiver/quarterback. He found so much success on the field that Stewart's nickname eventually became "Slash" for all of the different positions he could play.

There are rumors that redshirt sophomore Oklahoma backup quarterback and former SEC Offensive Freshman of the Year at Texas A&M, Kyler Murray, run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash in Winter workouts. Heisman Trophy finalist Baker Mayfield returns for his final season in Norman, so if Murray is to get on the field, offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley would have to get creative - something he takes pride in.

On Wednesday, he was careful not to dismiss the notion of Murray as a quarterback, but he also didn't dismiss the idea of him seeing the field either.

"(Murray)'s future's too bright at quarterback to do too much, but once we get to the season if there's an opportunity that presents itself for him... that's certainly something we'll look at." - Lincoln Riley