Bob Stoops: Beating Alabama in Sugar Bowl helped recruiting

Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Trevor Knight (9) and head coach Bob Stoops following a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Alabama finished with the No. 1 recruiting class yet again this winter, but it’s a loss by Alabama that helped Oklahoma on the recruiting trail, according to Sooners’ head coach Bob Stoops.

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Speaking at Big 12 Media Days in Dallas, Stoops said the win in the Sugar Bowl helped in recruiting blue-chip recruits in the month between the game and national signing day.

The marquee addition was five-star running back Joe Mixon who committed to Oklahoma two days after the Sooners defeated the Crimson Tide and effectively sealed his decision to attend Oklahoma over UCLA.

“It meant a lot; it did,” Mixon told 247Sports of the Sugar Bowl win. “Once they won the Alabama game, that shut the deal. Now I’m a Sooner. Let’s get it!”

The addition of Mixon was one of 10 recruits to commit to Oklahoma between the Sugar Bowl victory and signing day in February for a class that ranked No. 10 according to the 247Sports team rankings.

“I think that really did give us a boost in the last week or two of recruiting,” Stoops said via Al.com. “And then it also, I think, as much as anything, it inspired our players to really to build on it in the winter in the way we trained, the way we went into spring and we had a fabulous summer — one of the best. I’ve never seen my strength coach, Coach (Jerry) Schmidt, so happy because he can be hard to please and he’s really elated at the way the guys have worked.

“So I think it’s just really maybe our guys have built on it in a positive way, just the chemistry and their willingness to work when they see the benefits of it like that.”

Oklahoma has a small class of eight commitments at the time of Media Days, but that momentum should pick up as the Sooners are expected to be one of the top teams in the Big 12 and a challenger for the first College Football Playoff, where they may get to play Alabama again.

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