The Final Piece for 2017

Oklahoma's 2018 recruiting is in full swing but the Sooners recently had something special fall in their lap, a defensive lineman who is expected to help the Sooners in Baker Mayfield's final run at a title, rather than, perhaps, Kyler Murray's first?

That's right, Oklahoma's latest commitment, three-star defensive tackle Dillon Faamatau, is a potential member of the class of 2017.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive lineman has been committed to USC for the class of 2018 since April 30 but when word began to leak out that he could be a 2017 eligible prospect defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux acted quickly.

"Oh man, coach Thibs came out straight and honest. He told me Dillon, 'we need you, I’m not going to leave any gray areas'. He broke down the roster, the depth chart. I believe everything that coaching is telling me – he wants to help me in being a better player and also being a better man," Faamatau said.

"That’s what coach was telling me, I’ll be out (of school) by July and I’ll be able to play this fall."

As a defensive line coach Faamatau said he trusted and liked Thibodeaux's pitch but when he heard it from Oklahoma's two key decision makers on all things defense it seemed to have cemented the idea in his mind.

"I talked to the head man [Bob Stoops] and his brother Mike Stoops and that’s all they could really talk about it," he admitted.

Again though it wasn't just one person that made Faamatau feel at home, it was a group effort for the Sooners. One notable salesman was Oklahoma senior safety Steven Parker. And while Faamatau liked the pitch during his official visit last weekend, he is also a big fan of his future teammate.

"I have to say for the most part (what I loved about the trip) would have to be the team. Everyone is very friendly OU is the team of Oklahoma, everyone really revolved around OU football. The coaches and the players, everyone was just really family oriented," he said.

"My host was Steven Parker, that’s a for-sure first-rounder right there.

"Honestly what the players said, it's basically kind of what the coaches pitched to me, everything you get from the coaches, the players, everything you get from us, it’s the truth, it’s honest. They were saying coaches are going to treat you like a brother, like a son, everything you have is the honest truth. I’m really needed to help them as far as the defensive line goes.

"They were saying you’ll be a big key to us, I really bought into that. I thought they were trying to gas up my head, but that’s really what it was."

But even though the visit went so well Faamatau wasn't ready to decide before leaving Norman - when he could have signed his letter of intent with the university while on campus.

"I told coach Thibs, honestly what kept me from signing was coming home and telling my family. Let them know my opinion about the school," he said.

"Once I knew I had their 100-percent support, it didn’t take me too long to be Boomer Sooner."

So after going home and clearing things up with his parents he immediately called Thibodeaux and immediately let him know he was 'in the boat', right?

Not exactly.

"Coach Thibs was telling me ‘I want to coach you big man, you can be my guy’ and he was saying I really want to coach you. I feel like coach thought I might still have some areas of doubt," he laughed.

"I just had to let coach Thibs get on his toes (before telling him I was committing)."

Really the final two pieces of uncertainty for Faamatau surround when he'll sign his letter of intent with the Sooners, and what his relationship is like with hometown USC at this point.

According to Faamatau his signing is still being ironed out but the Trojans shouldn't be an issue.

"Really SC left me in the blue, not once did they hit me after I committed."