NORMAN (AP) — Consider this a sign of how coach Bob Stoops feels about his Oklahoma program, even after disappointing season marked by injuries and five losses:

When the Sooners announced their recruiting class for 2010 on Wednesday, it featured 28 players from high school and not a one from a junior college.

“We didn’t recruit a whole slew of junior college guys. We only had a few here and there that we felt were what we were looking for,” Stoops said. “We didn’t have a whole bunch because we like the guys and we liked the maturity that we gained by the end of the year. ... I didn’t feel that we were in a dire situation that we had to get someone like that, so that’s why we only went after a few guys.”

Fighting through injuries to 2008 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford, star tight end Jermaine Gresham, four starting offensive linemen and numerous others, Oklahoma was forced to rely on its younger, unproven players during an 8-5 season that finished with a victory against Stanford in the Sun Bowl.

Still, the Sooners feel the need to add experience during the final stretch of recruiting.

“You have to have kind of a state of real desperation in order to have to go that route,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “We feel that the good young guys that we have coming up in the program and the kids that we have recruited will fill those needs.”

Stoops brought in a balanced class featuring six defensive linemen, five offensive linemen, five defensive backs and only one quarterback — Blake Bell of Wichita, Kan.

“We met every one of our needs by position the way we needed to with the number of guys, the number of signees, at each of those positions and addressed just the graduation and guys departing through the year,” Stoops said. “I felt like we really got great talent in all of those positions.”

Stoops said there were no surprises — even if one linebacker who was expected to be on the list was replaced by another who wasn’t supposed to be there. Corey Nelson, The Associated Press’ Class 5A defensive player of the year in Texas, took the spot that figured to be filled by Jarrett Lake of Jenks — the player who had to sit out last season due to being ruled ineligible there.

“A little bit more drama than ideally you would prefer,” said Venables, who officially got word of Nelson’s plans the previous afternoon.

Stoops said Nelson, who had committed to play at Texas A&M;, started showing interest in Oklahoma around the bowl game — about the same time the Sooners reached what he called a “mutual decision” to withdraw Lake’s scholarship offer. Stoops cited issues with transcripts as playing a role with Lake.

“I don’t want to detail what the reasons are but in the end there’s issues that we were concerned about, and he understood those,” Stoops said. “There’s still some unresolved issues there that we, in the end, weren’t comfortable with.”

Bell, a 6-foot-6 quarterback, participated in the Under Armour All-American game after throwing for 2,752 yards and 32 touchdowns last season.

“We know he’s got a great upside, but we like what we’ve seen already, though. We like the way he throws the football,” Stoops said. “I’d like to see what those experts had to say about Sam Bradford back a few years ago, too, and how raw he might have been.

“In the end, you like what you’re working with and the winner he is.”

Stoops said Bell would be brought up to speed as quickly as possible once he arrives on campus, and there’s no concrete plan for him to redshirt this fall just because Landry Jones took over as the starting quarterback following Bradford’s injury.

Bell is one of three recruits from Kansas, joining 6-foot-3 receiver Justin McCay from Shawnee Mission and 6-foot-4 defensive lineman Geneo Grissom of Hutchinson.

Stoops also plucked running back Roy Finch from Niceville, Fla., and tight end Trey Millard from Columbia, Mo. He said Millard has the same versatility as past Sooners Matt Clapp and Brody Eldridge, who could play fullback, tight end or H-back.

The rest of the players came from Texas (17) and Oklahoma (four).

Venables characterized the defensive linemen as explosive, the linebackers as speedy and the defensive backs as versatile enough to play multiple positions.

“I think all of them are athletic enough and physically along enough that they have a chance to compete and be in the two-deep and help us right away,” Venables said. “I would not be surprised if at least half of them can get out there and do just that for us.”