By Kenton Brooks

Phoenix Sports Writer

Gus Jones didn’t waste time on making the biggest decision of his life so far.

One day after the Wagoner High School linebacker made his trip to the University of Oklahoma, he made a verbal commitment to play for the Sooners on Friday.

“It fit me and I thought it would be the one. I didn’t want it to slip away,” the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder said after making visits to Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State and Arkansas.

“The thing that impressed me about Oklahoma is their coaches,” Jones added. “They’re a lot similar to our coaches here. We run the same kind of defense and I kind of compared (Wagoner defensive coordinator) Guy Gaylor to Brent Venables (OU’s defensive coordinator). They’re both hardcore and I like that. They’re really competitive.”

Jones also had offers from North Carolina, OSU, Texas Tech, Missouri and Wyoming before choosing the Sooners.

The soft-spoken Jones is expected to play linebacker, the same position he’s played for coach Dale Condict and the Bulldogs.

“He’s very big with a physical presence,” Condict said. “The thing that jumped out at the college coaches was Gus’ great effort. He’s always trying to make plays. He also did himself a favor in the weight room by adding strength and speed. I’m excited for him.”

Jones was one of the area’s leading tacklers in 2007. An All-Phoenix selection last fall, Jones finished with 168 tackles including 20 for a loss in helping the Bulldogs to the Class 4A state semifinals. He also caused three fumbles and had five sacks. As a running back, he gained 975 yards rushing and scored 15 touchdowns.

Condict accompanied Jones and his parents on his five-hour recruiting visit to Norman earlier this week.

“Coach Venables visited with us quite a long time,” Condict said. “He showed us everything. We met with their academic people. We also toured their indoor facility and got to watch some highlight videos. Gus’ parents spent time with (head coach) Bob Stoops.

“It was a very informative visit and it made a lot of sense for Gus and his family to make the move and commit to Oklahoma.”

With Jones committing to Oklahoma, that brings the total of area players on the Sooners’ roster to four. The other three — all from Muskogee High School — are defensive end Jontae Bumpus, defensive lineman Stacy McGee and wide receiver Jameel Owens.