Image via scout.com
Secondary recruiting is vital this year. OU needs to continue to amass truly elite cover guys in the secondary that give them flexibility in the various coverages they’ll need to run to slow down the Big 12 offenses.
And to that very point, it probably doesn’t get much better than Kahlil Haughton. In fact, Haughton may be one of the most important recruits in this entire class for Oklahoma. He is an open field striker with great length. He needs time to fill out, but has the frame to carry the size you want in order to maintain a physical backfield. And, most importantly, he brings elite man coverage ability. Haughton also comes from a program where they run a variety of secondary coverages, so he has a good football IQ and is used to communicating with his veteran secondary to make on-field calls.
Oklahoma currently only has one 2015 safety prospect committed in Will Sunderland. And at 6’2 – 6’3 and almost 200 lbs, there’s no telling where Sunderland may end up as he continues to develop.
I caught up with Haughton last week to discuss where things stand with Oklahoma, and when we can anticipate a decision. He let me know that a decision will come shortly after his season is over. Midway just won their first round playoff game last Friday, so obviously their season is still on going. Kahlil said he expected to announce his decision, “late November or early December.” So it sounds like we could hear something from him in the next two weeks or so.
While the OU/Baylor game certainly wasn’t the most pleasant for Haughton to sit through, he says he hasn’t decreased his interest in Oklahoma. Kahlil is still considering OU, Texas Tech, Arkansas & Baylor. He was actually in attendance last week for the OU/Tech game as well. In talking to Kahlil, I feel good about where OU stands. It’s not a done deal yet, but the Sooners appear to be in good shape.
Fortunately, Kahlil really likes the University of Oklahoma. In other words, whether the team is up or down doesn’t seem to have as much of an effect on him because he seems to genuinely love the university, the fans, and the town of Norman.
33 Comments
Good we need him
I agree. Seeing what we have at Safety right now I think Kahlil could be starting along side Parker even as a true freshman.
mentally he’d be ready but I think physically he’ll need a year in school to develop. Great frame by right now is very very thin
Is Kahlil cool with a RS year and not playing right away. He is pretty much at the top of the ‘must sign’ list, as you said.
It’s not just the talent we need. We need Mike to figure out what the hell he is doing across the board. 10-12yd cushions on every WR on 3rd and 3 vs Baylor is just mind-boggling retarded. Our DBs (Sanchez aside) are big dudes, and he’s recruited big guys for a reason. Somehow, he has no idea how to deploy them. He’s inconsistently clueless on hiw to deploy the 3-4. I know “inconsistently clueless” sounds weird, but I mean sometimes Mike is perfect and others he’s completely lost. I’d rather he be 100% lost and scrap his chrrent philosophy than sometimes nail it and have false confidence.
Is it fair game to finally ask if Kahlil was that secret visitor months ago?
It was Kahlil
Just for clarification it was Haughton not McKenzie?
I don’t think anything about Mckenzie is “secret”
It would be cool and maybe settle the natives if we received an update on:
KLS, DeBerry, Jefferson, Wheeler, McGinnis, McKee or any of the other LBs that have been mentioned.
McKee set to announce on his Bday, 12/21. Last I heard, Jefferson and McNeil were announcing in Dec., too. Wondering if Houston is still planning on making it in. Seems he was visiting for Ostate. Lot of LBs in play and have to believe OU is going to get 2-3.
Lol
Wasn’t Kahlil and was a rather ho-hum guy. Not sure why it was such a big deal.
K, great news and appreciate the update. Cover Ss are at a premium so let’s hope Mike is building something special in the upcoming years.
Based on his strengths, who would you compare him to that is playing college now.
I still get the feeling he’s going to tech. But I’m starting to doubt that unless he really buys into dingleberrys future like stidham and fehoko did.
Haha touché.
If Haughton commits would they take both Reid and Ezekiel Turner? Or just one more?
Great question. I’m sure they would still take Reid if he wants to end up at ou.
While on the subject of safeties can we take Sunderland off the list? Dude just tweeted out about auburn showing some love in the mail…meanwhile he hasn’t convinced any recruits to jump on board…
Take him off because of a Tweet? Then that means we must add every player that has ever tweeted something good about OU to our commitment list. Doesn’t make much sense, now does it? Just because he liked something he got in the mail means he’s going to decommit and go elsewhere? The constant overreaction to a 17-18 year old kids Twitter accounts is beyond bizarre, and pathetic as well.
That wasn’t the logic behind it. But he is committed to ou was the point..if these kids want to enjoy the recruiting process that’s fine just don’t commit. Also the fact that he hasn’t been recruiting some of these players openly on twitter (like Mckenzie for Tennessee or Mack for tamu)
Also it’s the fact that according to many they think Sunderland is not as valuable as Reid or haughton or even whitfield.
Did he change his commitment? No. Chill out. You don’t mention that he retweets stuff from OU fans. Why is that? I saw the tweet. It’s nothing. He’s not going anywhere. BTW, it’s the coaches job to recruit kids, not the other recruits. Nothing says he has to do it. I haven’t seen Overton, Jacobs, Mann convincing others to commit. Should we get rid of them too? You’re wayyyyyyyy overreacting to a picture of an envelope.
You still missed my point. It’s just that he’s not even top 5 for the safeties were after. Haughton and Reid are better. Tell and holiday are better and the juco guys we recently offered are better.
Well, Tell and Holiday aren’t comkng here, so get over those two right now. Will has great potential. Not sure how you can’t see that. Not to mention HE is the one who is committed. Not Reid. Not Haughton. Not the JUCO. And sure as hell not the Cali safeties. He’s a top 250 player and you want him gone when we have no other safeties committed. If we had 3 or 4 kids already committed with others beating the door down, I could see some logic in your thoughts. But we don’t. He’s better than any safety commit we’ve had in years, besides Parker. If you can’t see that than you were probably one of the people so excited over Ahmad Thomas and Hatari Byrd. How are they working out right now?
Thomas is probably just out of position. Byrd just needs to put in more work and could probably stand to be coached better. But Byrd flashes. He definitely shows up and closes quickly. I think it’s just taking him some time to understand the defense.
BTw, that wasn’t the point of your original post about Will. You complained about a tweet and him not recruiting. Not sure how that morphs into a talent issue.
Sorry I didn’t realize I was talking to will’s brother. My comment didn’t morph at all and I know you’ve been around here awhile but maybe you missed my previous comments months back saying that I wasn’t impressed with what I’ve seen of this from this kid. And yeah the safeties we have currently have not been very good but there’s nothing that proves a HS senior can do much better (hence Steven Parker getting exposed as well)
I think they’d take them all. Reid and Haughton would likely RS if only for physical development reasons (Haughton is prob 170 lbs but has a long frame). Turner is someone they might be able to put into Q Hayes spot with Parker at FS and then spin Ahmad Thomas down to LB where I had envisioned him early on. Remember there is still a need for a nickel spot as well.
It’s not just the athletic gifts, it appears to me from afar that Khalil is exactly the kind of well rounded young man with character you want to represent your school and found your program on. The fact that he can see value in a program without getting washed up in the weekly ups and downs is another testament to this.
Exactly. Also runs a number of varied coverages in HS so has a high football IQ.
Coaches offered 2016 safety from Edmond Santa Fe Calvin bundage. Looks good but I suspect they will convert him to linebacker seems to have the frame similar to Evans.
http://bit.ly/11CLBPT
Are you saying Sunderland can maybe move to OLB if he’s going to continue to develop?
Out of curiosity, has there been any word about Vontre McQuinnie? Is OU still interested in adding him if he can qualify academically? I wasnt sure if he was ever going to amount to a LB or DB prospect, as most of us thought LB and he said safety, but he did seem to be very enamored with the Sooners and I wonder if we’d still take him if his interest is still there. Unless of course we feel Ahmad Thomas is now basically fulfilling that role as a DB being converted to an in the box LB/S hybrid.