Report Card Time in Oklahoma

In the midst of the week leading up to the Super Bowl, full of boisterous and unnecessary predictions, I'm reminded of just how nonsensical this aspect of the sports culture is. When did discussing the cultural sandbox, the funhouse mirror to our society, become an endeavor of tarot cards, crystal balls, and erroneously predicting the future? Even the most educated, experienced, rationale, and researched pundit can miss wildly in their prognostications - while Paul the Octopus can correctly predict every match in the 2010 World Cup.

These recruits are human beings. They're people. Not just that, they're often teenage people. As a former teenager myself, I can verify that I'm a different person now than I was then and I'm assuming it's the same for most of you.

Attempting to have any confidence predicting how physical and emotional maturity will affect a recruit is an illusion. Judging a class is sometimes difficult to do even three or four years after they sign the dotted line, attempting to arbitrarily do so just a day after signing day would be asinine.

With that said, let's grade the 2016 Oklahoma football recruiting class.

Position coach: Lincoln Riley

Key returner: Baker Mayfield

Key losses: Cody Thomas (Baseball), Trevor Knight (Transfer)

Signee: Austin Kendall

The Sooners were left baron at the quarterback position outside of Baker Mayfield for the 2016 season with the announcements of Cody Thomas leaving to play baseball full-time and Trevor Knight transferring to Texas A&M.

Oklahoma completed the swap with the Aggies when their former signal-caller, Kyler Murray, announced he would be transferring to Oklahoma. The SEC Offensive Player of the Year will have to sit out 2016 due to transfer rules, which leaves the Sooners with Austin Kendall as their sole backup with eligibility.

It didn't take long for Lincoln Riley to earn the pledge of Kendall after he was named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma. He found a high-profile quarterback who was prodigious in a similar scheme while in high school at Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson, and one who is also an early enrollee and already on campus learning behind Baker Mayfield.

For the situation Oklahoma was in, there's not much more you can ask for - except perhaps a second JUCO quarterback as insurance.

Grade: A-

Position coach: Jay Boulware

Key returners: Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, Daniel Brooks, Alex Ross

Key losses: None

Signee: Abdul Adams

Running backs coach Jay Boulware has hinted at the possibility of losing both Perine and Mixon to the draft after next season, as both will be three years removed from high school and NFL Draft eligible. With Brooks and Ross going into their senior season, the Sooners are looking at possibly Rodney Anderson and now Abdul Adams being heavily relied upon in 2017.

Adams, a 4-star originally from Washington, D.C. before transferring to North Carolina, is an explosive back with versatility and great hands out of the backfield. He's an excellent complement to Anderson's one-cut-and-go style, and familiar with offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who has been recruiting Adams since his time at East Carolina and he was one of the first offers made after his hiring in Norman.

Oklahoma was able to find an explosive back that catches the ball out of the backfield well and expands their recruiting footprint.

Grade: A

Position coaches: Cale Gundy (Inside) and Dennis Simmons (Oustside)

Key returners: Dede Westbrook, Jarvis Baxter, Michiah Quick

Key losses: Sterling Shepard and Durron Neal

Signees: Mykel Jones, Zach Farrar, and Adrian Hardy (Athlete)

The departure of one of Oklahoma's most accomplished receivers in school history, Sterling Shepard, left a large hole in the Sooners offense that won't be replaced by a single player next year, and definitely not from a true freshman.

However, the production can be made up for in the aggregate. Dede Westbrook and Jarvis Baxter return as seniors likely entrenched in starting roles, while Penn State transfer Geno Lewis also likely figures into the picture. Not to mention Michiah Quick, Jeffery Mead, Jordan Smallwood, Dallis Todd, Dahu Green, A.D. Miller, and John Humphrey, who are all waiting to break out. Dennis Simmons and Cale Gundy brought Mykel Jones, Zach Farrar, and Adrian Hardy to the audition.

It was a roller coaster to ultimately land two-thirds of this position. The saga of Velus Jones, Oklahoma, and USC, was a quagmire the Sooners found themselves lumbered with the wide receiver prospect right until the very end. Also, longtime four-star JUCO commitment Ryan Parker and OU parted ways. With signing day rapidly approaching, Simmons and Gundy were sitting with one wide receiver commit, high school quarterback Adrian Hardy.

The commitment of Farrar out of Southlake Carroll provided the Sooners with a more polished receiver in the class, but it was ultimately the signing day announcement of Mykel Jones, the Rivals100 wide receiver that seemingly appeared from nowhere, which lifted this position group and saved them from the Sarlacc Pit of a bad grade from a junior writer at a recruiting website.

Grade: B-

Position coach: Bill Bedenbaugh

Key returners: Orlando Brown, Dru Samia, Jonathan Alvarez

Key losses: Ty Darlington, Nila Kasitati, Derek Farniok, Josiah St. John

Signees: Ashton Julious (JUCO), Ben Powers (JUCO), Erik Swenson, Johncarlo Valentin, and Logan Roberson

Oklahoma appeared to find its bookends along the offensive line for the foreseeable future last season as redshirt freshman held down the fort at left tackle - starting all 13 games, while true freshman Dru Samia started the team's final nine games at right tackle. Rivals250 offensive tackle Erik Swenson will add depth and size to the position; the former Michigan commitment stands at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, and carries very little bad weight.

In fact, Bill Bedenbaugh made it a point to beef up his unit. Every signee comes in at least 6-foot-5 at an average of 320 pounds. 4-star offensive guard Johncarlo Valentin's ability to move at that size may give him the highest ceiling of a group that has an abundance of size. Ashton Julious and Ben Powers bring immediately help and inexperience to a depleted interior, and Harrah's own Logan Roberson is the wild card of the group if he can continue his trajectory of improvement.

Overall, Bedenbaugh brought in a group that contained the massive frames that you can't coach and will rely on his own ability to evolve their games.

Grade: B-

Position coach: Diron Reynolds

Key returners: Charles Walker, Matt Dimon, Jordan Wade, Matthew Romar, D.J. Ward, Marquis Overton

Key loss: Charles Tapper

Signee: Amani Bledsoe

While the Sooners only signed one true defensive line prospect in the class of 2016, it's important to remember two things: the 3-man front requires less depth along the line and there was only one scholarship departure following the 2015 season - DE Charles Tapper. However, Oklahoma was still attempting to bring in extra defensive linemen right up until signing day, so it's hard to argue that this all went according to plan.

Diron Reynolds brought in Rivals250 defensive end Amani Bledsoe to carry the position for this class, and "Moose" is not a bad guy to have for that role. The Rivals250 Kansas native stands at an impressive 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, which obviously makes him bigger than your prototypical high school defensive end and a great fit for the Sooners beefed up three-man front.

Another reason for the small class, is the amount of talent along the defensive line the Sooners have coming back next year as redshirt freshman. Neville Gallimore, DuVonta Lampkin, Kenneth Mann, and Gabriel Campbell all still have four years of eligibility remaining (not to mention Marquis Overton, who played as a true freshman). Any defensive lineman brought in this class was likely going to redshirt anyway.

However, depth in the trenches being a key to success is a football axiom that should not be tempted, and the monster 2017 class that is expected in Norman better come to fruition. The pursuit of three-star defensive lineman Marcel Southall to the very end also implies the Sooners were aware this class could have used some more depth.

Grade: C+

Position coaches: Mike Stoops (Outside) and Tim Kish (Inside)

Key returner: Jordan Evans

Key losses: Eric Striker, Devante Bond, Dominique Alexander (NFL), Frank Shannon, and P.L. Lindley

Signees: Emmanuel Beal (JUCO), Kapri Doucet (JUCO), Caleb Kelly, Mark Jackson, Jon-Michael Terry

No position was as decimated this offseason more than the linebacker position at Oklahoma. The losses of outside linebackers Eric Striker and Devante Bond to graduation were expected, but when Dominique Alexander announced he would be leaving for the NFL Draft early, it forced the Sooners to bring in a large, talented, but experienced class to revitalize the position..

Coaches Mike Stoops and Tim Kish were tasked with bringing in experience to help immediately. In comes the Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna "Loony Tunes" duo of Emmanuel Beal and Kapri Doucet to bring maturity and depth to the position that returns only Jordan Evans with any significant playing time.

However, the jewels of the class came from the high school ranks with a pair of U.S. Army All-Americans, five-star Caleb Kelly and four-star Mark Jackson, plus Semper-Fi All-American Jon-Michael Terry. Kelly and Jackson are ferociously athletic pass-rushers, which will give them an opportunity to push Obo Okoronkwo and Ricky DeBerry for immediate playing time. Terry, one of the first Sooner commitments of this class, draws rave reviews from anyone who speaks of him as a person and an athlete. Do not be surprised if said reviews continue the instant JMT steps onto campus.

This class had potential and experience, but it was a position in desperate need of a spark, and Fresno (Cali.) Clovis West linebacker Caleb Kelly, the nation's No. 14 overall player, the first Oklahoma defensive five-star since R.J. Washington, propelled this position group from an unknown to one of the strongest pieces of this class.

Grade: A

Position coach: Kerry Cooks

Key returners: Steven Parker, Ahmad Thomas, Jordan Thomas, William Johnson, Dakota Austin, and P.J. Mbanasor

Key loss: Zack Sanchez (NFL)

Signees: Jordan Parker, Chanse Sylvie, Parnell Motley

Missing out on Oklahoma legacy Jared Mayden on signing day was a tough pill to swallow, but the Sooners still brought in a collection of highly athletic defensive backs to add to a group that returns almost everyone. And with only Ahmad Thomas and Hatari Byrd as seniors next year, the OU secondary is in prime position to remain solid for a few years while this class becomes acclimated to the college game.

Secondary coach Kerry Cooks clearly targeted athletic corners, Jordan Parker and Parnell Motley could both legitimately play wide receiver if called upon, to match up with the prolific pass-catchers the Big 12 continually puts out. You saw the benefits reaped from Jordan Thomas being able to cover Corey Coleman one-on-one and both Parker and Motley fit the mold of turn-and-run corners, as opposed to face-up zone guy like Zach Sanchez that struggle when forced on an island.

Chanse Sylvie came into the U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio as a relatively unknown three-star, but earned a starting safety spot through his impressive showings throughout the week. Sylvie is a technically sound, sure-fire tackler, but also an explosive hit waiting to happen when the opportunity presents itself. Athletic, cerebral, physical safeties do not grow on trees, which makes Sylvie one of the great finds by the Sooner staff of 2016.

It wasn't a large class. Remember, at one point Oklahoma was turning down four-star defensive backs from committing. It wasn't a perfect class. A few elite corners to pair with Parker slipped through their fingers like Mayden. Yet, Cooks found what he needed in three very solid prospects.

Grade: B+