NORMAN, Okla. -- With the patient approach the Oklahoma coaching staff has taken toward the 2013 recruiting class, most people knew the summer would be eventful. It certainly didn't disappoint as OU picked up several commitments, lost one of its star offensive standouts and put itself in position to try to make some moves in the rankings in the fall.
As several high schools across the country start classes, here's an in-depth recap of the Sooners' summer recruiting:
Norvell adds two more
Coming off the best wide receiving class on paper with the 2012 group, there were questions about what OU receivers coach Jay Norvell would do for an encore.
The Sooners haven't landed a home-run receiver just yet, but OU did pick up two quality, three-star prospects this summer.
And both Austin Bennett (Manvel, Texas/Manvel) and Jordan Smallwood (Jenks, Okla./Jenks) show the importance of summer camps. Neither had an OU offer before attending a summer camp. Now they're both Sooners commits. Smallwood impressed at OU's camp in Norman in early June and was offered and committed three days after the event. Bennett, a former Arkansas commit, has a banner day at an OU satellite camp in the Houston area. An unofficial visit a week later sealed the deal for OU.
It appears OU is targeting one more big-time wideout for the class. Two prospects that stand out are ESPN 150 members Laquon Treadwell (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee) and Torii Hunter Jr. (Prosper, Texas/Prosper). Both are expected to visit the campus in the fall.
Kish nabs his first commit
The one assistant being talked about most for OU's 2013 recruiting class is linebackers coach Tim Kish. In his first year with the Sooners, some fans are still trying to wrap their heads around what he is searching for at the position.
OU should be gunning for at least two or three linebackers and picked up a big one on June 14 in ESPN 300 linebacker Dallas Jesuit's Jordan Mastrogiovanni.
Mastrogiovanni has strong OU ties and has been a fan for a long time. Less than a week after his unofficial visit, he pulled the trigger on a verbal pledge and looks like he will be an ally on the trail with other targets.
Byrd saves the day
It was one commit. Just one. But it certainly didn't feel that way when Fresno (Calif.) Central East four-star safety Hatari Byrd committed to OU on July 31.
July 30 might be known as Black Monday for OU as the program received one bad news nugget after another regarding players on the team. The blows continued that night when Delray Beach (Fla.) American Heritage-Boca Delray running back Greg Bryant decommitted from OU. Bryant, ranked No. 30 in the ESPN 150, was OU's top-ranked commit.
OU fans needed some good news and got it the following day with Byrd. The good news with Byrd continued in the upcoming days, too. After initially saying he wanted to take official visits to other schools, Byrd has said he will not take any other official visits unless he feels he has to following his trip to OU on Oct. 26.
With that weekend being the Notre Dame game and two of his teammates -- four-star defensive backs L.J. Moore and Johnny Johnson Jr. -- also coming along, it's hard to envision it not being a special weekend for OU.
USC no longer the bane of OU's existence
One of the best bits of news of the summer had nothing to do with OU. When USC accepted the commitment of Houston Alief Taylor four-star defensive end Torrodney Prevot, the Sooners could stop looking over their shoulder.
Prevot is USC's 18th and predicted final commit of the class. OU went hard after California kids but came up short against the Trojans as 16 of USC's commits have OU offers.
Now that USC is out of the picture, the Sooners are back in it and in a big way. We've already seen it once with Byrd, and the Sooners are in the mix for several West Coast recruits.
One recruit who would bolster OU's class immediately is Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton four-star cornerback Cole Luke. USC had interest, but there is no more room. Texas is also going to give OU a good run for its money regarding Luke, whose uncle is former Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson.
Prospects to watch in the fall
• Moving forward, you cannot talk about OU's class without mentioning Dallas Kimball four-star defensive tackle Justin Manning. Although the stars have not aligned recently for Manning to be able to see the campus, the Sooners are in the thick of the race for his commitment. Manning's older brother is former OU defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger. Manning has been impressed with TCU and Texas A&M this summer, but OU will be there in the end.
• All frustration regarding Kish and linebacker recruiting would go out the door if OU can steal Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian linebacker Mike Mitchell. Mitchell was dominant at The Opening in setting a SPARQ national record and had favorites of Florida, Texas A&M and Ohio State. However, OU has joined the race following a recent unofficial visit.
• Does OU want a second running back? And if it does, perhaps Adam Taylor (Katy, Texas/Katy) is the answer. Taylor wanted to commit to LSU in the spring but was told he had an uncommittable offer. The Sooners will likely test the waters with Taylor in the fall and should get some help from Matt Dimon, Taylor's teammate and OU commit.
• Another situation where a teammate could play a role is at San Antonio Reagan. OU earned the commitment of four-star offensive tackle Matt Beyer during the summer. And now Beyer said the Sooners are looking at three-star tackle Sterling Korona. Korona committed to Duke this summer.
• Patience will be the name of the game with junior college tight end Beau Sandland (Woodland Hills, Calif./Pierce CC). Sandland is visiting OU on Aug. 24 but has said he is going to take all five of his official visits. He is OU's No. 1 target at the position.
• OU is still targeting defensive backs for this class, and is looking at the state of Florida again. The Sooners could kill two birds with one stone in Miami Southridge cornerback Lamar Robbins. Robbins has developed a great relationship with OU defensive backs coach Mike Stoops and said last week his gut is telling him it's almost time to commit.