Recruit Reactions | Sunday and Monday (Updated Mon., 3:28 pm)

We’ll try to keep updating this as we get more info on recruit reactions from this weekend

Jamal Danley: Most of you know by now that Danley committed late last night. That should leave one more spot on the offensive line for Jalin Barnett.

Josh Wariboko: I did see Wariboko and his brother Max at the game. I’ve talked to some sources around him and apparently Wariboko is still interested in perhaps leaving Oklahoma. Not sure there will be a spot saved for Wariboko anyway.

Will Sunderland: As most you also know, Will Sunderland pulled the trigger this past weekend. That means there is one (maximum of two) safety spots left.

Anthony McKee: Anthony McKee made it in and had a great time! He’s already made it back to Ohio. He left early this morning. I asked him if a commitment to Oklahoma could be coming soon and he said, “I’m really thinking about it…like forreal I love it up there”. Needless to say OU made a major impression on him.

Rahshaun Smith: Caught up with the stud 2016 OLB/DE and it’s clear OU is sitting very high on his list right now. You’ll recall that Smith is old friends with Charles Tapper and is from Baltimore as well. Rahshaun loved the visit and loved the defensive front. He said he loved how comfortable everything is in terms of the proximity of everything. But the special connection he has to Oklahoma led to this great quote, “It’s easier for me to see myself playing here because I can see it through Charles’ (Tapper) eyes so I have a clear picture that I can be successful here”. He didn’t say OU leads but he didn’t shy away from it when I asked him if they do. He also said he has the best relationship of all the college coaches that are recruiting him (and there are a lot) with coach Montgomery.

Neville Gallimore: I’ll try to catch up with Neville and his coach later but one of our regular sources spoke to Neville and Neville told our source that OU was now his top school. Again, we’ll try to have more info on Neville later but it’s hard to imagine that Neville wasn’t thoroughly impressed after watching that defensive front. Neville was thought to be a bit of an Ohio State lean before this trip but with his relationship with coach Montgomery and the momentum OU has…and the lack thereof for tOSU…I’m not surprised to hear that OU made the jump.

Cassius Peat: Cassius sent us the picture below. Cassius clearly had a great time. He told me he, “loved it!” Cassius said “it was an awesome experience for my first visit” and said the pass rush really stood out to him. He did say that he’s still going to take more visits so I don’t expect a decision to come soon but OU definitely made a big time impression. Peat has told me in the past he’d love to visit multiple times and given his family’s resources that can definitely happen.

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Kendall Sheffield: I did see Kendall Sheffield at the game last night so I can confirm he was there. However, I didn’t get a chance to catch up with him and to be honest I don’t anticipate being able to. Only thing I can tell y’all is that he was there and his father was actually wearing an OU hoody…if that means anything haha.

Justin Reid: I did talk to Justin last night at the game but we really didn’t talk recruiting so I’ll try to catch up with him shortly. I know Drake spoke to him as well so hopefully he will have an update. I was told by a source that Justin is very high on OU and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say OU leads.

UPDATE (2:11 pm): I talked to Drake and he had a chance to spend some time with Justin Red yesterday. Said Justin appeared to be having a great time. Justin said the atmosphere was amazing. Also when Drake asked Justin if he was “liking OU right now”, Justin responded by saying, “that’s an understatement!”

UPDATE (2:14 pm): Madre Harper: 2016 CB, Madre Harper who we mentioned in the Open Post did indeed make it to the game. Alex King caught up with him. Here are Alex’s notes on Harper:

He really enjoyed the visit and said it made him want to suit up and play. Said that he (Madre) and Mike Stoops spoke quite a bit and Stoops told him that he’ll try to make it down for a game in a couple weeks when OU has a bye. Madre’s parents also said they enjoyed the visit and wouldn’t mind coming back.

UPDATE (2:17 pm): Interesting recruit that was in attendance yesterday was Carl Albert’s Dillon Lohr. I personally find this interesting because perhaps they are looking at this big athlete as a potential inside linebacker.

UPDATE (2:18 pm): Was able to exchange a couple messages with Keisean South. South said he was on the plane and getting ready to depart so hopefully I’ll be able to get more for y’all later. But he did say, “the trip was great!” He did tweet out a number of pictures including the one below with the caption “with the man”. If I’m OU I’m watching my back at the end of the season. Coach Jerry Montgomery’s value to this team has been astronomical in my estimation.

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UPDATE (8:55 pm): Shane Buechele: Alex caught up with OU’s 2016 QB target, Shane Buechele. Buechele said the visit went very well. He had a lot of fun. He and Heupel spoke extensively before and after the game. Apparently Buechele’s mother really liked the visit as well and her and Heupel seemed to click. In general the visit went as well as it could. Not sure yet on a commitment timetable but I’ll ask Alex to check on that.

UPDATE (9:00 pm): Haven’t gotten in touch with Deberry but we spoke to a source and were told that “OU will be there at the end”. Also was told that Deberry’s father really likes Oklahoma and that if he had to choose for his son, it would likely be OU.

UPDATE (9:35 pm): Just got off the phone with Keisean Lucier-South and all I can say is “wow”. Did not expect him to be that high on OU but he really raved about it. He told me that he liked it so much that it surprised even him. He said one of things that stood out that you don’t necessarily find at schools like UCLA and USC is the way the whole town gets behind the program and is built around the football team.

He also said that he really enjoyed spending time with the players. Chuka was his host and it sounds like those guys did a great job of recruiting Keisean. South also said that he has a great connection with Jerry Montgomery, and while coach Kish is one of the people recruiting him, his strongest connection on the staff is with coach Montgomery.

In talking to Keisean about Oklahoma you get the sense that he was just really really excited about the atmosphere and the trip in general. I asked him if going far away from home would be a problem and he said not at all. He said the remaining trips he plans on taking are Michigan, Oregon and perhaps Florida. Obviously Eric Striker’s pass rush ability made a big impression on him. He’s being recruited to play the stand up LB position and he said that’s where he wants to play. It seems Michigan (another school he is high on) is actually recruiting him to play weakside defensive end in their even front. He said that doesn’t necessarily weaken their pitch to him but he did say that he prefers standing up.

To end the conversation Keisean said that OU will be there in the end. Again, it was really clear in talking to him that he had a fantastic time and OU put themselves firmly in the small group of schools he’s seriously considering. Lastly, I have to tell y’all this is one impressive young man to talk to. He’s clearly very intelligent and thoughtful. I was thoroughly impressed with him and the way he seems to carry himself. Add his quickness and great length and you have a very complete football player.

UPDATE (Mon., 9:37 am): Cassius Peat sent me another pic that he really liked and thought y’all would like from his trip this weekend. Again, Cassius still has some trips to take but OU is in this one strong. This weekend couldn’t have gone much better. And Striker’s play on the field, his intensity, his name, etc. is unbelievably valuable.

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UPDATE (Mon., 9:42 am): Just getting back home from Norman but had a chance to chat with Justin Reid early this morning. As I had heard (and mentioned above) the visit went amazingly well. The exact words he used were, “it was pretty sick” and “I loved it”. I got a sense that Justin was tempted to commit. In fact I asked him point blank why he didn’t since he seemed to enjoy the visit so much and he said, “My dad wants me to wait and take all my visits before I commit.”

UPDATE (Mon., 3:28 pm): Just got off the phone with someone VERY close to Neville Gallimore and he made no bones about it. OU leads. Was told the visit wasn’t just “good” it was “good good good”. I’ll likely have more later in this week but wanted to pass this along.

 

As I get more updates I’ll add them here…

134 Comments

  • rphokc says:

    wariboko…….perhaps I missed it, but don’t recall anything related to him on wanting to leave (perhaps) ok…….it’s a shame ’cause all he has to do is pull the trigger and he’s in
    barnett……..was he there?
    montgomery…..he may turn out to be the best recruiter overall………his name comes up on ol, dl and lb’s apart from the position coaches

  • Shelby is a Patriot says:

    Sounds like the day was pretty successful, then.

    • Super K says:

      Extremely. OU is in REALLY good shape with a lot of these kids now. This is just my opinion, but I’ll be mildly surprised if Neville and Reid aren’t Sooners when it’s all said and done.

  • Mark slavin says:

    Of the one’s you talked with outside of McKee who would you guess might commit next?Also Barnett seems awfully quiet on social media compared to other kids

    • Super K says:

      Not sure about next but id bet OU eventually ends up with at least Gallimore and Reid

      • Fear The Magic says:

        Take those two..throw in DeBerry (and or Peat ) and Im a happy camper.

        Also did Haughton make it in and if so any feedback?

        • hOUligan says:

          Yessir. Gallimore, Reid, at least 1 of the ILBs, hopefully a couple, DeBerry and I would be ecstatic about our D recruits with Big O & Sunderland already in the house. Oh, and throw in Haughton and another CB, too.

  • Zack says:

    Are we recruiting McKee as an olb? For some reason I thought he was a mlb.
    Also I really hope we made a big impression on deberry and KLS those are 2 guys that could have a bright future on opposite sides of the ball.

    • rphokc says:

      oui said deberry had a great visit but shortened due to travel logistic problems……still in the mix

    • hOUligan says:

      Wondering if he is being recruited as a ‘Striker backer’ as he is similar size, 6’1ish and 200#. That MSU is after him says a ton.

  • DrLov says:

    Montgomery needs a pay raise! Other schools will soon be calling. Need to take care of him,

    • Super K says:

      Completely agree. Can guarantee there will be schools coming after him. He’s an impact coach.

      • Zack says:

        If they have to they should give him the co DC job since mike obviously isn’t worried about job security.

      • rphokc says:

        I don’t know what his coaching aspirations are but you’d think dc at least…….not a bad place to learn under mstoops ……also, kish and bjw are getting up there and probably hanging it up before long

      • Scott says:

        Can’t name any other school better than OU for DL, obviously you think Bama/LSU but no openings over there, A&M is hot but there already recruiting great

    • boomersooner says:

      right? this guy is getting up there into blake griffin man crush land for me…wait

    • Fear the Magic says:

      Hell yeah he does! In fact Im thinking of personally contributing all the $$$$ Im saving by not paying for TFB info and putting it towards a “Keep Monty Fund”!!

  • Cole says:

    I really want them to get DeBerry and KLS. Two kids who will dominant in three years.

  • Ed Cotter says:

    Thanks for the recruiting update. Great to see Danley and Sunderland in the fold. Now let’s get Barnett and finish with our OL recruiting and get some stud LBs.

  • Boom says:

    Gallimore has always been my main target on Dline. K, with the LB’s that were in attendance, could you point out which ones would be Jack, ILB, or OLB. Love to have Reid too.
    BTW – Cotter said that Ross had a game on Saturday which is why he couldn’t make it. His game was re-scheduled which caused him to miss.
    Harper, yep let’s reel that one in too.
    I still miss Whitfield.

    • Ed Cotter says:

      Will see what I can find out from Ykili, but he plays pretty much every Friday of OU home games through the Baylor game. After that is playoffs. Best case would be the Bedlam game, as playoffs should be done by them for his school. Probably gonna commit before that to USC, but if he is still uncommitted by Bedlam, he may be very much in play. Not holding out much hope though.

  • Tyler says:

    Was Kendall Sheffield on an official? If it was an unofficial, do you see him taking an official visit with OU this season? I really like that guy and hope we can pick him up!

  • Caleb Miller says:

    Did Malik Jefferson come?

  • Zack says:

    Who is this I can’t figure it out based on his twitter. It’s says “hungry and humble”

  • cpearc00 says:

    Any word on how Guarantano liked his visit?

  • Steven White says:

    Montgomery needs to be getting a big raise after this year.!!!!!! I am also curious if we would trade Kish for Venerable if he looses his job after this season? Would V come back if he lost his job? I would love to have V recruiting our LBS.

    • Steve Cooke says:

      No offense but NO to Coach V. He is the reason we are scrambling for LB’s.

    • hOUligan says:

      V’s time at OU has come and gone. OU needs youth. I really think part of Kish’s problem and why Montgomery is able to be the guy that has the relationship is he is the youngest member of the staff and better able to relate.

      • Boom says:

        Guys, just a note from the other side of the fence. Not sure where you are in your careers but Kish is in his late 50’s and he doesn’t care if “he” gets credit for the recruit or not. He may want Monty to get the credit so he can continue his rise in the ranks. You may call me crazy but how many times do we hear BJ Wright with a big time recruit in the house. It’s always M Stoops. All coaches recruit regardless of position. There are plenty of GA’s that are busting their butts but you rarely hear of them.
        If it makes you feel better, continue your base on Kish but remember, if he wasn’t doing a good job, Bob wouldn’t have him on the staff.

        • hOUligan says:

          Agree, Boom. The LB play is good. Kish can coach and am sure once the kid is on campus, they build a good relationship. But you cannot deny almost every one of these kids talks about the great relationship he is building with Coach Monty. You could say Monty sets the hook and brings them in. So I would like to see young hungry coaches brought in. And, for the record, I am WAY over the fence and about to retire so more youth can be brought in. ; )

  • Zack says:

    Iman Marshall tweeted out that ou will get his final official. Shouldn’t be a surprise with texsa sucking like usual.

  • Will Narramore says:

    Iman Marshall, 5 star CB out of Cali says hes taking his 5th official to Oklahoma instead of Texas. What are our chances with him?

  • LLAdamJ7 says:

    Not that Stoops is close to retirement or anything, but if there is one guy on this staff who I would love to see as our next head coach it would be Montgomery.

    • Zack says:

      Like I said the other day I hope they keep this staff together for a long time. I don’t think heupel and gundy would leave. But I hope the others decide this is a special place and the school pays them well to stay here.

    • SoonerfanTU says:

      Way too early for that kind of talk.

  • Zack says:

    So is it safe to say Sheffield’s dad is a fan of ou?

    • Stephen says:

      Crystal Ball has him all but set on TAMU. Those renovations and media hype are going to be hard to compete against.

    • vargo05 says:

      The picture I saw of Kendall Sheffield and Stoops, Kendall was wearing an OU shirt of some sort as well.

  • RBear says:

    Can’t thank your staff enough for the excellent job they do in bringing us the latest Sooner-related news on all fronts- especially the recruit updates. Keep up the good work.

  • Zack says:

    Holding out hope for deberry and KLS. Hopefully we can get jefferson on board but we can’t tell everyone they will be like striker we’ve got to sell some to be the next lofton or Nelson.

    • Stephen says:

      I think we’re leading or right there with DeBerry, hoping the same for KLS. The more I look at who we have a real shot with, the more I realize this could be a very special group defensively. Someone mentioned Malik Jefferson, I think we’re tied with Texas on that one with TAMU ahead. We’ve complained about not getting highly rated LB’s, here’s our shot.

    • hOUligan says:

      Nah. We tell KLS he’s the next Griss!!

  • Ryan says:

    For the longest time we struggled getting top defensive recruits to visit, much less rave about our defense. It was all SEC for them. It is incredibly refreshing to finally see the excitement that our defense, not just our offense anymore, is bringing once again to these top notch recruits. Traditionally, OU had always been built on defense and I’m glad to see that it is back.

  • Drew says:

    Who was it again that Malik Jefferson is really tight with? Is it KLS? If so, I’m liking our chances with both of them even more.

    • Drew says:

      Oh, and any updates on Newsome? Just saw he was at the Texsa game w/ Jefferson, didn’t know where we stood with him.

      • Zack says:

        Well hopefully he doesn’t think ou won’t play him early. Even though we haven’t seen much of quick and mead in the last 2 games, it appears we will use them more in the next few weeks considering we need more than 3 receivers.

        • hOUligan says:

          I’d say there’s no doubt that OU will play you/frosh early. Quick and Mead have both been in. You just need to make a play and show you are ready for prime time. Newsome should see there is opportunity at receiver if he’s ready to play.

    • lovethemsooners says:

      I’m more skeptical now in landing Jefferson after what went down with Frank Shannon. They are related, and I not sure Shannon has a lot of positive things to say about OU right now.

      • Drew says:

        True, but I do feel Shannon’s more upset with administration than the football team. Also, if KLS is the guy that I’m thinking of (in that he and Jefferson appear to be a package deal), our chances just rose immensely after this weekend IMO.

        • Zack says:

          If they are a package deal, I’m unaware of that but it would be cool if so because ou is probably the only school they’re both considering. I thought McNeal and jefferson would end up at the same school.

        • JB says:

          It’s not KL-S. Keisean is from CA anyway.

  • Chris White says:

    Random but necessary! Can we get the word out to start yelling “Chuuuuuka” after Ndulue makes a play like we did for Rufus Alexander? Chuka is turning into a serious playmaker!! Oh and great work here guys.

  • Dana Rogers says:

    Free wheelin here sos bear w/… here’s the thing. Keisean Lucier-South; 5*, 4*, 3*, whomever; we’ve all seen the make or break. Suspect it gets down who wants to be a Sooner (for whatever reason) and who want to go some place else (for whatever reason).

    In the end it will be the young man who puts forth the most effort to reach his potential that will succeed on the field and in life.

    To that end I’ll trust coach (all) to find the right “person” to be a part of our great tradition.

  • Jeremy Phillips says:

    Out of the 2016 guys, i expected we might get something out of Guarantano this weekend, has anyone spoken to him?

  • lulzer says:

    Nancy loves OU. I’ll say it again, with the family being familiar with the school, Garret’s success, Amber loving it in Norman…Shane is all OU.

    • cpearc00 says:

      I’m surprised Shane hasn’t pulled the trigger with all those family ties to OU.

      • Brian says:

        Maybe they have Shane #2 on the board after Guarantano…?

        • cpearc00 says:

          I haven’t watched any film on Shane yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was third after Guarantano and Patterson. But still, that’s all the more reason Shane should jump to commit since he has an offer.

          • Zack says:

            They also like Keaton torre, I think the 4 for 2016 might be more even than we expect. Guarantano is rated high but his team had a poor showing on national tv vs a top 10 team in the nation so we will see how he does after that.

  • Tyler says:

    Was on the same flight as Neville this morning to Detriot. He is a massive human being!

  • Brian says:

    From the remaining uncommitted visitors this weekend, who ends up committing?

    McKee
    Reid
    Gallimore
    Peat
    Rankin
    Harper (2016)
    Beuchele (2016)

    • Zack says:

      If rankin were wanting to, I think we would tell him it’s his spot or barnetts but that they will let Barnett decide. I know they wanted at least one juco and the got Danley.

      • hOUligan says:

        My guess is it was Danley or Rankin and Danley pulled the trigger. Saving the last spot for Barnett and if he bolts, Tyler Moore is back on deck.

        • Zack says:

          Unfortunately I think we waited too long on moore. When he was first brought to our attention here, it was said that ou and texas were his top 2 and it may come down to who got to offer first. I believe texas offered and he left us out of his top 6.

          The good thing though is we have options and 2 months ago we only had 2 commits on the oline but we knew it would fill up quick. Now were looking at 2016 and can focus on getting after those top recruits.

    • Mark slavin says:

      I’ll go with McKee being next commit.

  • hOUligan says:

    Want them both, but point blank…if OU only takes 1 more safety…Haughton or Reid? At one point, thought we would get Haughton. Looking more like Reid, now. Cannot lose either way. Both great young players. Weigh in.

    • Katyboomer says:

      Is Reid big enough to move down if need be? On his flim he hits like a LB that’s 4sure

      • hOUligan says:

        Like the film on both but Haughton is around 6’2 and Reid 6’0, so like the size Haughton brings over Reid but Reid does bring it.

        • Zack says:

          I think it depends on who’s site. At the opening I believe Reid measured at 6’2 but he may not be a long 6’2 where haughton has long arms and looks taller.
          To answer your question though I say haughton is probably a better safety but Reid does have the pedigree that can’t be argued. I want both and whitfield and just put them all on the field. Kind of like with Hayes and striker playing rush linebackers on Saturday but both were safeties at one point.

    • Stephen says:

      Doubt they deny both. Reid over Haughton, though.

  • kt-raida says:

    Wariboko with a pretty bland “OU visit went great” tweet. I think you missed that boat buddy.

  • hOUligan says:

    Hey, K. Interested in your mention of Lohr being at the game. At 6’1 205 with sub-4.5 speed he is an interesting prospect. Official or unofficial? Which brings up a question. What’s the difference, especially to a guy like Lohr who can drive down. How does the staff handle having ‘officials’ alongside ‘unofficials’?

  • Scott says:

    Montgomery is probably at the best DL school in the country. I can’t see another program making him the D-Coordinator not nearly enough experience. OU will give him a competitive raise that’s for sure. I generally think he loves his players and that’s enough to stay at OU. Could we give him Co/DC title?

    • Doobie74OU says:

      That probably depends on how bad he wants the title of DC. You are probably right about being a DC at a BCS school but he may get some looks from smaller schools. I think D-line coach at OU is a way better job but if he wants to run his own show then he may jump at a chance as a stepping stone. I hope he stays for awhile though!

    • Zack says:

      You think michigan doesn’t want him back? They may not pay HC well but they could give him a $2million increase by making him a HC. Is he ready for that jump? Who knows but he’s a very good recruiter and those kind of coaches keep climbing with the exception of a few like Cale gundy who seems to really love his job and doesn’t appear to want the OC job.

  • Scott says:

    Anything on Guarantano, 2016 QB is extremely important — feel like one of our targets may pull the trigger soon, beginning of JR year is about that time for QBs

  • Zack says:

    KLS posted this with “future squad??”

    Who’s in the middle?

    I see left to right: KLS, Overton, ? , Monty , gallimore and deberry

  • Tiger6 says:

    Just rewatched gallimores tape again. I don’t know if I have ever seen a defensive lineman as quick and agile as him before. Its incredible. He doesn’t use strength and size particularly well, but I can only imagine what type of terror he will be after one hear in the OU strength program.

  • Doobie74OU says:

    If we don’t wrap up a couple of these OLB prospects after the game they watched from Stricker I WILL BE TOTALLY SHOCKED! Who wouldn’t want to be OU’s next great “STRICKER BACKER!” Defense is just plain SICK!

    • Hotrod33 says:

      Some of these guys are a little bigger and Striker and have some length to them with the quickness they possess it would make them very dangerous on the edges. With Mont working the dline like he has these next few years could be very killer for opposing offenses to go up against.

  • Shelby is a Patriot says:

    I like what I hear!

  • John Garner says:

    Thanx for the good news about Gallimore. Definitely more encouraging than the report provided by 247 Sports. Can you give us more background on Dillon Lohr out of Carl Albert? Saw a report here that he was invited to and attended the big game.

  • RBear says:

    Hopefully, some of these highly sought after kids are also keeping in touch with each other after their visit(s)- playing the “what if” game and envisioning the dynasty they could be a part of.

  • Caleb Miller says:

    Do you know anything about 2016 5* Caleb Kelly? Rivals has him as a 100% lock to OU. Haven’t heard his name much.