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Oklahoma Football Recruiting 2017: 5 must-have recruits for Sooners

By Connor Muldowney

Jan 2, 2017; New Orleans , LA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops reacts on the sidelines in the first quarter of 2017 Sugar Bowl against the Auburn Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; New Orleans , LA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops reacts on the sidelines in the first quarter of 2017 Sugar Bowl against the Auburn Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; The Oklahoma Sooners celebrate winning the Big 12 Conference Championship after defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; The Oklahoma Sooners celebrate winning the Big 12 Conference Championship after defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Tyler Taylor, 4-star ILB (Buford, Ga.)

Losing Jordan Evans, a 98-tackle contributor in 2016, and with Emmanuel Beal becoming a senior this season, the linebacker position group will be a need for Oklahoma. The defense wasn’t exactly the Sooners’ strong point last season, which is why most of the must-have recruiting targets remaining are from that side of the ball.

Oklahoma gave up over 40 points four times in 2016 and that was one of the main reasons the 11-2 Sooners weren’t selected as a playoff team by the selection committee. In fact, when the chairman was asked what the Sooners needed to do differently, he explained that they needed to be a complete team.

Enter, Tyler Taylor. The four-star inside linebacker from Buford, Ga., might not be the No. 1 target left on the board, per say, but he is a realistic option at the position and if the staff is going to miss on Marvin Wilson, they can put all their eggs in the Taylor basket.

Taylor’s recruitment has been interesting, though, as he looks to be trending toward LSU at the moment with Georgia right up there, but Oklahoma will be fighting until the very end — as well as Ole Miss which received an official from him on Jan. 27.

Next: Predicting where top 25 uncommitted recruits sign

The four-star linebacker would be a nice depth addition who could potential start a year or two down the line and restore the Oklahoma defense in the middle. He’s ranked the No. 251 overall recruit and No. 25 inside linebacker.

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