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Sooners are Big in Alamo City

For the second year in a row, it does appear San Antonio is going to be Oklahoma South when it comes to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

The Sooners have five signees in the game and a few crucial, realistic targets. If you thought last year’s group was special, this one might top it. In fact Oklahoma might be ready to land an Army bowl commitment for the first time since Joe Mixon in the 2014 edition.

The game will air on NBC at Noon (CST) on Jan. 6 from the Alamodome in San Antonio.

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You wonder what a couple of weeks of not being hounded by coaches will do for O’Neal when it comes to his recruitment. OU, Texas A&M and Clemson appear to the be the real finalists here with Georgia lurking in the distance. The Sooners pushed hard in December, didn’t work. Will OU and O’Neal reconnect this week with all the signees together?

You can circle Perkins as the most important signee of the early period for OU. Not only is Perkins signed, sealed and delivered, he’s also enrolling early. It was a huge win for defensive ends coach Calvin Thibodeaux, and now we’ll see where Perkins stands against the best of the best at his position following a great senior season.

IMG can be a tough one to figure out because there were so many talented backs that it was difficult to gauge what Pledger did as a senior and whether it was good or underwhelming. Army game should be more of the same with so many good backs, but maybe Pledger can set himself apart during practices to get a few more touches in the game. He’s also enrolling early.

Oh boy, this is the one OU fans are watching. The man known as ‘Bookie’ is expected to make his announcement during the game. Radley-Hiles is down to OU, Clemson and Florida State at this juncture with everybody holding out hope the visit to Norman two months ago is still carrying the day. Radley-Hiles is smallish in size, but he has sensational ball skills.

Simpson was announced as the final member of the Army squad on Wednesday evening so just like that, he has to pack his bags and get ready. It’s going to be nice to see OU’s two high school tackles in Simpson and Brey Walker in this type of environment. Both have worlds of potential and now would be a great time to start really showing it.

The confidence is there for Tatum, now it’s time to see the production on a stage like this. Again, there were times when Tatum was easily the most dominant player on the field. And times when it felt like he sort of disappeared. With his size and ability, he can’t disappear. He was denied his chance at The Opening so you know he has been waiting for this.

How much of a realistic OU target is Taylor-Stuart? It’s a valid question. Understand the Sooners made his final six, but that’s about the only legitimately indication we’ve seen in months that OU is actually a player in this one.

Tuliaupupu spent the majority of his senior season not giving one thought about recruiting, but now OU is trying to make its move. Following a solid in-home visit in December, the Sooners are hoping to get him to Norman in January. This would be one guy where maybe OU’s signees can start working on him a little early and get those positive vibes flowing.

The debate has raged on for more than two years. Is Walker a five-star prospect? It has gone back and forth for two years. Let the debate end after this event. Walker can separate himself from the rest of the field with an impressive performance in practice and during the game. OU wants to see that from Walker so we’ll see what his mindset and production will be.

All eyes will be on Bookie, but at least one of them will always have White in the peripheral. The Sooners have gone as all-in with White as humanly possible and now are hoping all that hard work pays off with him flipping from the Aggies. This game will give White an opportunity to showcase how much he has improved in 12 months and why OU is so focused on trying to land his signature.

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