Jr. Day Visitor Notes and Quotes

Image from https://twitter.com/OU_CoachNorvell

We’ve been trying to catch up with as many visitors from yesterday’s jr. day as possible. Obviously, we couldn’t catch up with all of them but did get a chance to chat with a few.

Will Sunderland (DB) – This one was interesting because I actually asked Will before the jr. day if he might commit this weekend and he was adamant that he would not. However, when I asked him afterwards if he considered it while he was there, he said “yeah a little bit!”

James Lockhart (DE/OLB) – James was pretty tough to read. I asked him how he’d compare the visit to other schools he’s been to and what he really emphasized was that this was a time to learn about Oklahoma. He said, “I learned a lot of facts about OU compared to other schools…OU has a lot to offer”. But when I asked him if he’d consider taking an official to Oklahoma he said, “I don’t think I’ll take an official visit there.” I don’t know if that’s because he feels like it’s close enough to get to and he’d rather take visits to other places or what. He did say he doesn’t plan on committing anytime soon so I’d guess the Oklahoma coaches will try to read the situation and figure out if there is a legitimate chance there. If so they might stay in for the fight.

Darrion Daniels (DL) – Darrion was pretty straight up about the whole visit and where Oklahoma stands. He said the visit was really good. But he also said that because Oklahoma plays in the Big 12 and because Oklahoma was his first offer “they will always have a shot”. In the context, the way I read that was Oklahoma is a legitimate player in his recruiting which is in some ways is the best you can hope for this early on when it comes to big time recruits. I asked him about his relationship with coach Montgomery and he said that they talk every Thursday which is more than he talks to other coaches. He said he feels like his relationship with coach Montgomery is “really good”.

Keaton Sutherland (OT) – This was Keaton’s first time to visit Oklahoma and he said it met his expectations in most ways and in some ways it exceeded his expectations. He said he enjoyed the trip enough that if he had to make a decision right now Oklahoma would be one of his official visits. That might not sound like much but again it’s part of the recruiting process. You make sure the initial visit is good and plant yourself in the recruits top 5 or 6 and then with hard work you hopefully are standing there at the end.

Connor Lanfear (OT) – Connor is currently a Texas commit. He said that he feels Texas is a premier program. But he said “however with the coaching change I also felt that it was smart for me to visit the other powerhouse universities”. I asked him if Oklahoma made an impression on him at the jr. day and he said “Sure! And they made a BIG impression.” He continued by saying “winning is demanded at OU and it’s part of the tradition…it was great!” He also said it’s too early to be certain but depending on how things go he’d “love to take an official to OU”.

Kahlil Haughton (DB) – Kahlil picked up his offer at jr. day and it sounds like Oklahoma made some moves with him. When I asked him about the visit he said that he “definitely loved Oklahoma!” He also added, “The coaches were friendly and very involved! We got a very thorough visit of the campus and facilities and it was very nice.” I asked him if he had any childhood favorite schools and he said he kind of rooted for Baylor and Texas which I took to mean he doesn’t have a strong sense of loyalty to either school…which is good for us. I asked him if committing crossed his mind and he laughed and said he definitely liked the trip a lot but he’s still trying to adjust to the recruiting process.

Darreyl Patterson (DB) – For those of you not familiar with Darreyl he is a DB/RB out of Lawton. We’ve had our eye on him. In fact we had Broyles and Stanford Samuels take a look at his film a couple weeks ago. They were both impressed though they thought at this point he may project better as a safety. The OU coaches believe he can play both CB and safety. Coach Stoops and co. seem very interested in Darreyl and Darreyl made it no secret that he is very interested in the Sooners. He loved the jr. day and loved the one-on-one time with coach Stoops. Interestingly, I spoke to Darreyl just a few days ago and he didn’t have an invite to the jr. day. But that obviously changed pretty quickly. Coach Stoops told him they will continue to evaluate him and then discuss an offer in the spring.

 

47 Comments

  • Cory Reedy says:

    Great stuff….as always.

  • Won says:

    Ain’t nobody cover the Sooners like the Football Brainiacs crew yo!
    #lockdown

  • Shelby is a Patriot says:

    Awesome! I wish we would’ve gotten a commit but I realize it’s still early!

    • Sonny Schovanec says:

      yeah no worries. recruiting is not a Sprint it’s a marathon. I predict the Star gazers will get excited about this years class (2015) it will be one of OU’s best in recent years as far as top rated recruits are concerned.

  • John Garner says:

    Thanx again! Great stuff.

  • Seymour Glass says:

    The Brainiacs. Hanging ten on the Sugar Bowl wave. Good grief. Where do I get my Brainiacs t-shirt and decoder ring? Great job FB! I want to be just like the Brainiacs when I grow up.

    • Super K says:

      Lol

      • blaster1371 says:

        Dude !!! A Brainiac t-shirt would be cool! It would be like a secret society— only other “members” of this site would know what it means!!! Put the proceeds towards the Boys and Girls Club or Make a Wish Foundation or the program at the children’s hospital where Stoops has involved himself.

        • beavmiester says:

          It wouldn’t be secret if it were on a t-shirt! I’m thinking tattoos on the upper forearm. Temporary tats are acceptable. Soon, tFB will be taking over the college landscape. Influencing the college football playoffs since 2014, muahahahaha!

          • Sooner Ray says:

            Oh it would be a secret for a little while. I was talking OU football with a buddy the other day and he was encouraging me to get a twitter account so I asked why I needed one and his reply…….there’s a guy on there that goes by FB Brainiac that puts out a lot of good info. All I could do was laugh and say I talk to that dude on line all the time!

          • blaster1371 says:

            I stumbled across Football Brainiacs about early November when I googled a recruit’s name. I think it’s better than a few other long lived sites, especially the one for sooner fans at ESPN. Still have another that many have abandoned but I can’t quite do that as I’ve had some good football conversations there

          • Sooner Ray says:

            Blaster, you know I, among several others, followed Jordan over here for what we believe to be justified reasons and I also have “friends” who remained behind that I still enjoy talking to. I just find myself spending more time here now because the information is fresh and it’s football which is all I really care about anyway. I’ll be hooking up with ya at either place.

          • blaster1371 says:

            I stumbled across Football Brainiacs about early November when I googled a recruit’s name. I think it’s better than a few other long lived sites, especially the one for sooner fans at ESPN. Still have another that many have abandoned but I can’t quite do that as I’ve had some good football conversations there.

  • SoonerfanTU says:

    Did Sunderland grow up in Oklahoma? Is he an OU fan, osu fan, neither? That stuff can certainly play a role.

  • Rees Bear says:

    Thanks for the updates, keep ’em coming- great jobs guys!

  • Ed Cotter says:

    Thanks for the updates. Usually don’t pick up commitments until after the March Jr. Day after guys have gotten out to other schools as well. But OU hasn’t had four commitments this early either. Keep up the great work. FB. Boomer!!

    • CoachStauder says:

      Don’t tell that to Nebraska, aTm, Bama, etc… Most top schools get kids to commit at JDay. OU is not very good at it. Seems as though something needs to change there.

      • Gary Robbins says:

        Agree with you. I thought OU would get 1 commit from either Barnett, Sunderland, or Weathersby on Junior day. A commit could have provided a little momentum going into NSD.

        • blaster1371 says:

          Really thinks so about NSD momentum? I see the two being complete separate; the 2014 class is not influenced by any early 2015 commit.

      • Ed Cotter says:

        Guys like Barnett and Sunderland are elite prospects and usually don’t commit this early. I at least like the fact that OU has changed up some of their respective recruiting practices and offering more guys sooner. I can’t remember the last time OU offered two QBs at the same time. Heupel usually puts an offer out to one guy at a time.

        • Sooner Ray says:

          That 2 QB deal kinda set me back also…..doesn’t fit the MO. Think they’re hedging a bet there?

          • Ed Cotter says:

            I believe that OU is really trying to make a go at the zone read, which is why they went after Hansen for the 2014 class, instead of the higher rated PP kid out of Norman, who would have committed in an instant had he been offered. The QBs OU has offered are all dual threat guys. Get one and we are set. Not a bad plan. I am very surprised that OU hasn’t offered the kid out of Florida that is supposed to be the best HS QB in the nation for 2015. Probably see him as a tough get and they like any of the other three just as much and feel they are easier to get. Just my thought.

      • blaster1371 says:

        I interpret a recruit who commits this early as a kid that is just holding their place at a school they really like while they continue to learn what else is out there. I get that impression from the fact We are seeing more and more decommits across college football over the last few years. Another factor that I think plays into it is as they go to junior camps everyone gets a better feel of how they stack up against equally sized players and everyone gets a better idea of where they stand. Coaches see who the potential studs are and maybe a player that thought he was the shizzle learns he could stand to benefit from a red shirt year and perhaps another learning his position rather than get thrown right into the fire and getting his head kicked in.

      • Sonny Schovanec says:

        Like what changes? OU’s Jr. is no different then the schools you mentioned.

        • Sonny Schovanec says:

          I think as OU gains some momentum like they are on now, more commits will put them in the position to tell recruits “if you snooze you lose”. For whatever reason A$m has a ton of recruiting MO, Bama is turning away kids (Sims) that a lot of teams would love to have. Maybe OU needs to go Gary Barnett at Jr. Day.

          • Sooner Ray says:

            I can see all sides of this argument. Hell, most juniors are more worried about who their girlfriend is gonna be next week and having a big time offer can land you the hot cheerleader at the junior prom. If a kid commits as a junior, he’s trying to get his name out there or you were going to get him no matter what……in my really know nothing opinion.

    • blaster1371 says:

      Agreed. I’m not sure if OU offers many this early either. I think they like to wait for a real football evaluation at football camp when the players get some coaching (see how quick they pick things up), get some kind of physical evaluation ( for potential physical growth as they are all still puppies) and how they do against better talent ( many have simply been the biggest or fastest on the field).

  • beavmiester says:

    Thanks for the update guys. Lanfear would be a huge win. Regardless of commitments, it sounds like it was a successful weekend. Looking forward to the dividends down the line!

  • PLAW0720 says:

    Sounds like Lockhart is going to be a stretch based on his tweet indicating a position change.

  • Martin says:

    Anyone else stoked? I wish Sunderland and Barnett would commit early, and then OU can head down to TX and cherry pick a few top LB/DL/OL!

  • KellyB says:

    This is for 2014 recruiting, but is anyone worried about Steven Parker and Auburn? He said following the visit, “I thought it was going to be just another visit. It ended up making my decision a whole lot harder than it had to be.”

  • soonerjunky says:

    If Steven Parker commits will this cause Sunderland to look elsewhere?

    • Sooner Ray says:

      Depends. If he believes he is elite, competition will mean nothing. If he questions his ability against what is already in place then he will look for a team that will ensure him a starting spot. If he want’s to be a SOONER, there are no handouts here.