Sooners Kept Bonitto's Secret

Rumors swirled for weeks but the news of Nikolas Bonitto's signing never actually broke, that was until he announced his commitment to Oklahoma during last week's Under Armour All-American game. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound four-star defender picked the Sooners over Louisville and Texas and immediately came clean about his Dec. 20 signing with Oklahoma.

It was well kept by Oklahoma, something Bonitto appreciated.

"The coaches did a really good job, it was good to see," Bonitto said of the Sooners job as secret keepers. "I’m really happy to be a part of (things at Oklahoma)."

It was also a secret that Bonitto played his part in aiding the mystery.

"It was really tough, a lot of schools really tried to put the pressure to sign in December. They tried to put the pressure on me," he said just days before his announcement. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet though."

Bonitto's commitment, and prior signing, is one of the more intriguing stories of college football's early signing period and how coaches might handle new scenarios. For Bonitto himself he said that the early period, even though he may have signed is something he isn't sold on.

"Maybe I would say it’s good for kids who are going to school early but I don’t really like it, it’s putting a lot of pressure on kids to a school they may not want to go to," he said.

But with all of that behind him Bonitto talked, following the All-American game, about his choice of the Sooners and how the Sooners went from a seeming afterthought in his recruitment to the school that landed his signature.

"It was just good, being around those guys, practicing for the bowl game, those guys, it was really good," he said.

"Coach (Mike) Stoops made me a real priority since the beginning of my junior year. He stuck with me through the whole time and he sees me as a big star coming into Oklahoma.

"They see me as a SAM linebacker, I’m real comfortable with that. I played a lot of defensive end in the first few games and then they moved me to middle linebacker and other spots through the season."

But as far as his final thoughts on the Sooners and his future in Norman?

"Oklahoma they lit."

Rivals.com's Rob Cassidy interviewed Bonitto at the Under Armour All-American Bowl.