I’m sure that all “rivalry schools” have intense recruiting
battles, but the two teams playing in this year’s Cotton Bowl have had their
share as well. Here is a chronological history of some of the interesting
battles on the recruiting trails:
2006:
- DeMarco Murray: Rumored to be going to TAMU, Murray signed w/ OU, had a great college career (all time TD leader at OU), and now stars for the Dallas Cowboys
- E.J. Shankle: An OU Commit for many months, Shankle, a WR, switched to TAMU a month before signing day. No real impact over the years w/ TAMU
2008:
- Jeff Fuller: This tall lanky WR was committed to OU for many months, before switching to A&M, where his Dad played. Fuller is now with the Dolphins (0 catches this year, so far)
2010:
- Corey Nelson: From Dallas Skyline (FB pipeline). Stuck with A&M until signing day, when he flipped to OU. Will be a Sr. next season, and a 3 year starter at LB
2011:
- Brandon Williams: Heralded RB from Brookshire. Signed with OU and played as a freshman, then transferred to TAMU and is sitting out 2012 due to transfer rules.
2012:
- De’Vante Harris (from Hutt’s school in Mesquite): Was a long-time OU commit, before switching to TAMU, where he started at CB (and played well)
2013:
- Justin Manning: His brother played for OU, and OU “assumed” he would too, but this huge DT committed to TAMU just a couple of weeks ago
- Kerrick Huggins: Interesting story. After Manning commits to TAMU, Huggins, another huge DT, switched from TAMU to OU (probably more playing time w/o Manning)
The year is not over yet. We’ll see what mystery and
intrigue the last 6-7 weeks of recruiting has in store. With OU and A&M
playing in the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas (where both schools recruit well), it will
be a race to the finish line!
Enjoy the ride!
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