Skip to content

Oklahoma adds RBs to help replace Mixon, Perine

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Oklahoma might have filled its running back void.

247Sports lists Trey Sermon of Marietta, Georgia, and Kennedy Brooks of Mansfield, Texas, as top 15 running backs in the Class of 2017 rankings. Both are part of a highly ranked class coach Bob Stoops announced on Wednesday.

The Sooners also have added a junior college running back, Marcelias Sutton.

Running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon chose to leave school early, creating the opportunities for new talent to emerge. Perine became the school's all-time career rusher during the Sugar Bowl last month. Mixon set the school record for all-purpose yards in a season.

''Now, they're gone,'' Stoops said. ''Somebody has to get those carries. It definitely is attractive for those (new) running backs.''

Sermon and Sutton are among 11 early enrollees who already are on campus. Stoops said it's among his best classes at Oklahoma since he arrived in 1999.

''On paper, this might be one of the top two or three classes we've had since I've been here,'' he said. ''It's a really hungry group, and a deep class that covers all of our positions in a really positive way.''

The Sooners also have added three receivers with 247Sports four-star composite rankings to help deal with the loss of Biletnikoff Award winner Dede Westbrook. Marquise Brown from College of the Canyons, CeeDee Lamb, from Richmond, Texas and Charleston Rambo from Cedar Hill, Texas, are all on board.

Other things to know:

Top 25 Class: Yes

Best in class: S Robert Barnes.

Best of the rest: ILB Levi Draper, DE Addison Gumbs, CB Justin Broiles, OG Tyrese Robinson, CB Tre Brown.

One that got away: LB Jacob Phillips switched his commitment to LSU in the past week.

How they'll fit in: The running back position is wide open. Abdul Adams is the most experienced returning back, but the talented newcomers will be hard to hold off. Oklahoma had issues in the secondary last season, so Barnes and Broiles could get early looks.

---

For the full list: http://www.soonersports.com/pdf9/5223409.pdf?DB-LANG=C&DB-OEM-ID=31000

---

More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox