Though the recent departure of four-star cornerback De’Vante Harris (Mesquite, Texas/Horn) is a big blow to Oklahoma 2012 defensive backs class, it hasn’t really impacted the Sooners' standing in the rankings.

The Sooners dropped to No. 10 in the latest ESPN class rankings released on Thursday. But once again, it was a case of what another team did more than what OU failed to do.

California had a huge recruiting weekend, picking up one big-time commit after another at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and vaulted from No. 19 to No. 8.

In the last set of rankings, it was Georgia who scored some quality prospects to jump OU.

While it’s nice the Sooners haven’t fallen too far behind, it would be nice for OU fans if they had something to celebrate.

Nothing has changed with OU’s class, where clearly the strength of the group is on offense. The Sooners’ top 11-ranked recruits are on offense, including all four in the ESPNU 150.

And if the Sooners are going to make a leap up in the rankings, it will most likely happen because of the offense once again as OU is in the hunt for third-ranked prospect Dorial Green-Beckham (Springfield, Mo./Hillcrest) and offensive tackle Zach Banner (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes), ranked No. 123. Green-Beckham's final five are OU, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Alabama, while Banner's top three are OU, USC and Washington.

The Sooners are also in the mix for a couple of three-star running backs in David Smith (Midlothian, Ill./Bremen) and Boston College commit Akeel Lynch (Athol Springs, N.Y./St. Francis). Both are making official visits to OU this weekend and Smith has narrowed his choices down to OU or West Virginia.

On defense the name to watch is cornerback Brandon Beaver (Compton, Calif./Dominguez). A four-star defensive back, Beaver is ranked No. 20 at the position and is making an official visit to OU next weekend.