Sooners land a pair of football transfers
BY JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
5/09/12 at 3:53 AM
Maybe the exodus at Oklahoma has stopped.
Amid news over the weekend that wide receiver Kameel Jackson intends to transfer - he is the 12th scholarship player since last winter to decide he wants out - the exit door seems to have finally swung the other way.
OU reportedly has added two Division I transfers.
Cortez Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 196-pound cornerback from New Orleans, says he will transfer to OU from Arizona, and Jalen Saunders, a 5-9, 160-pound wide receiver from Elk Grove, Calif., will join the Sooners from Fresno State.
Saunders played two seasons in Fresno, catching 80 passes for 1,527 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman and sophomore. Last season, he caught 50 for 1,065 with 12 TDs.
Johnson played his freshman season for the Wildcats, where he made two starts, played as a backup and accounted for 16 tackles.
Johnson and Saunders are expected to sit out the 2012 season per NCAA transfer rules.
Coaching changes at Fresno State and Arizona initiated the transfers. The Bulldogs replaced Pat Hill with Texas A&M defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, and the Wildcats replaced Mike Stoops with Rich Rodriguez. Stoops was hired as defensive coordinator at OU in January.
Stoops was a major factor in Johnson landing at OU, Johnson told Rivals network website SoonerScoop.com.
"It helps me a lot," Johnson said. "I don't really have to prove myself, which it looked like I would have to. Coach Stoops already knows what I'm capable of doing and things like that."
Saunders told SoonerScoop.com he chose the Sooners for three primary reasons: having family in the Dallas area, not having to change his criminology major, and his friendship with OU wideout Kenny Stills. That, and the receiver-friendly Sooner offense.
"I talked to coach (Jay) Norvell," Saunders said. "His comparison was how they were using (Ryan) Broyles, just line me up all over the field. So I guess Oklahoma was the best fit for me."
Original Print Headline: Sooners land pair of transfers
John E. Hoover 918-581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
