 ,
 AP--

               In a shocking move that will have the rest of the Big 12 
playing recruiting
               "catch-up", OU has snatched a solid commitment from all-state 
wide out
                                  
               Delmer Shanks

               As a freshman, Shanks is expected to play in the "Opossum" set 
of OU's
               daunting new offense. 
               "The opossum spread is going to really fool people next year", 
Shanks
               explained in a phone interview from an Oklahoma Kwickie Mart.
               "In the possum set, we take the left tackle and line him up 
out with 2 or 3
               of our receivers. I lay up in the backfield, like a opossum, 
and then the
               center hikes the ball to the Tight End and then it's a hand 
off to either me
               or the quarterback.".
               When asked about why he commited to OU in the middle of the 
season,
               a usually slow time of year for recruiting, Shanks had this to 
say.
               "Well it was a no-brainer really.Skoalis going to be 
sponsoring OU
               athletics next year, so it just seemed like a natural fit. I 
really liked what
               they're gonna do with the uniforms, that sown-in dip ring 
they're putting on
               everyone's back pockets are gonna look real nice. They're also 
gonna do
               some neat stuff with the Switzer center too, gonna sell moon 
pies and
               stuff at the door."
               Shanks did not take any official visits to other schools 
before his
               commitment, though he did say Texas A&M and OU had expressed
               interest in him all along.
               "Yeah, they were plenty nice at A&M and Coach Slocum talked to
               momma a lot on the phone. He told her that this was gonna be 
the year
               they would pass more and that I would fit in real good with 
their high
               power pro-style attack".
               It turns out that Delmer's mother did influence his decision 
some. A
               laughing Shanks explains,
               "Yeah, we was out back pitching washers and momma come 
hollering
               outside...said Stoops promised her I would wear #8 at OU.
               We all been Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans for a long time, so we 
seen the
               importance of what they was saying. They don't honor you like 
that OU
               unless they done taken a real liking to you."
               As the interview came to a close, Shanks had this to say,
               "Keep an eye on us, cause we're gonna be pretty darn good next 
year.
               We got 11 man plays in the book where the whole line is gonna 
go out on
               pass routes and we keep the water boy in to block for the 
quarterback.
               Boomer Sooner."
               Only time will tell if schools like Texas, Nebraska and others 
can keep up
               with Stoops and his amazing program.
eric.gillaspie@enron.com, paul_pfeffer@bakerbotts.com