Super K’s Recruiting Summary (UPDATED Saturday 11:35 am)

In this edition of the “Recruiting Summary” I’ll actually provide some new or clarifying information as well as a summary of some notes we’ve passed along:

Juwan Dowels – I’ve had a lot of people write in and ask about Juwan Dowels. I’ve been tight lipped about it because I felt it was in his best interest from a recruiting stand point to not divulge what was happening. But the information got out yesterday so I’ll try to clarify what happened and is happening in hopes that the truth will prevent any negative perception of Juwan. In terms of talent Juwan was at the top of Oklahoma’s board after Tee Shepard. It was my understanding from two sources that he graded out the highest on Oklahoma’s evaluation. However, as has been leaked now by a number of folks, Juwan isn’t eligible just yet.

The people around Juwan have tremendous respect for Oklahoma and specifically Coach Mike Stoops and his ability to develop cornerbacks. One of those people is my friend, Stanford Samuels, who I’ve mentioned before when I posted his impressions of Juwan’s ability (Stanford is a former FSU CB who played us in the 2000 NC). For those who didn’t see that write up you can read it here: https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/?p=2508. Needless to say Stanford and others around Juwan believed that Oklahoma was the best place for Juwan because they believed in Coach Mike’s ability to turn the small but “super explosive” Dowels into an elite cover corner. So Oklahoma was sitting in a REALLY good spot with Juwan.

Last week Juwan and an Oklahoma coach had a discussion about his academic situation and it seemed they were going to remain in the hunt for Juwan. There were even plans to take a trip to Miami. In fact the initial change in visitation date from Jan. 17th to Jan. 31st was NOT initiated by Oklahoma. It was initiated by Juwan. For whatever reason the Oklahoma coaches changed their mind earlier this week and Oklahoma did indeed back off due to the concern that Juwan may not be eligible by signing day.

However, the story isn’t quite done yet. There does seem to be a discrepancy between the academic grades/numbers that Oklahoma has received and the actual grades/numbers that have been reported to Juwan by his counselor. I do not know how this happened, however I do know that there is work being done to get clarification on it. Once things are finalized one way or another I will pass the information along to you if I’m given the “ok”.

I know it’s easy for readers who don’t know much about these kids to assume that if someone has eligibility issues they are underachievers, etc. What you have to understand first of all is that when a GPA for a young person is taken into account by the university it is a core GPA. In other words a player may have a 2.9 GPA (which is mostly B’s with a few C’s – not bad) but the core GPA may be a 2.5 (which is a mix of B’s and C’s in the core courses and does not include any potential weighting). Additionally, in competitive football cities elite players are often moved from school to school. Juwan is one of those people. He was not originally at a prestigious private school like American Heritage. And in fact even at American Heritage they have a two-tiered curricula. This issue of transferring and players being moved around is a long subject that would require it’s own post but those moves affect things as well.

Some might think it’s not my place to defend these kids and I’m not saying every kid is perfect. I’m just saying there are often times things that readers don’t understand about a young man and their circumstances. And these are 17 year olds who are subjected to a high degree of public scrutiny. I know that Oklahoma is dealing with academic eligibility issues with other players and you may have noted that I tend not to talk about it. It’s not because I don’t know. It’s because I wouldn’t want people talking about my little brother that way. I know that’s just part of this news world and I know that these athletes are benefited by the publicity. My father taught me that it’s better to mistakenly assume the best in 100 bad people than to mistakenly assume the worst in one good person and sometimes I fear that putting out information about a kids academic situation could lead some to assume the worst in a good kid. As a new blog and as new bloggers it’s something we’re still trying to navigate. Anyhow sorry for the long-winded and perhaps unnecessary addition to this part of the update but with the information getting out there I felt it necessary to clarify things.

Jonathan Thomas – Others have reported and we have as well, that Oklahoma and Jonathan have parted ways. He’s a great kid and we wish him well. Don’t be surprised if you see that young man in the league one day. UPATE (5:50 am): This morning Jonathan reached out and told me that UGA is coming by to see him today! Very exciting news for a great great kid!

Steven Parker – A reader sent me an article that some of you may have read from the TAMU Rivals site. The article included quotes from Steven Parker that seem to have alarmed some people. I can tell you that I know Steven’s father. I’ve spoken to him on many occasions even as recent as this past Sunday. I obviously can’t divulge everything I’m told and obviously nothing is done until it’s done but I still fully believe that Oklahoma has reason to be optimistic here. If Steven ends up somewhere else it will be a big shock to me. And just fair warning so that we don’t replicate the situation that happened with De’Chavon Hayes – that was a situation where he was very close to committing to Oklahoma and I had reported we were confident OU would land him and the morning he was going to make the commitment to OU, he let me know he had changed his mind to ASU but asked me not to divulge it; and I did not, however I did attempt to leave some clues a couple days before his commitment date but it would appear most folks didn’t pick up on that. So fair warning, if I start to sound less confident at any point you should take that as reason to be alarmed because it means I’ve been told something that I cannot divulge haha. But for now I’m still optimistic.

Lukayus McNeil – As I reported yesterday, Lukayus McNeil’s coach informed me that Oklahoma dropped by the school to visit Lukayus. In fact HC Coach Stoops made the visit himself. Clearly OT is a priority. Lukayus appears to be down to Oklahoma, Indiana and Louisville. McNeil’s coach wasn’t able to tell me how good Oklahoma’s chances are but he said Oklahoma is definitely in it. My best guess is it’s going to come down to whether distance matters too much. If it doesn’t matter enough then I’ve got to think Oklahoma is in a great position. If it does then obviously we’re not in such a great position.

Tristan Hill – Tristan is the underrated Mustang, HS OT that we featured last month. We are big fans of Tristan’s ability and we believe he can play BCS ball. Since the feature North Carolina State has started showing a lot of interest in the 6’6 OT. And they will be coming by to visit Tristan this coming Monday. I have also heard that Baylor and Washington St. are intrigued by Tristan as well though a visit has not been scheduled. But here is the interesting news, Coach Bedenbaugh called Tristan yesterday. The initial conversation was brief because it during school (lunch time) but Coach Bedenbaugh scheduled a time for the two to speak later. I didn’t get a chance to catch up with Tristan last night (I was hanging with my nieces!) but I’ll get an update for y’all soon. I don’t know what is going to come of this or the degree of Oklahoma’s interest but we were happy to hear that he’s on Coach Bedenbaugh’s radar :).

Courtney Garnett – I confirmed with Courtney that everything is good to go for his visit this weekend. We will be watching that one closely. Courtney will be accompanied by his teammate and OU commit, Joseph Paul.

Deondre Clark – Ms. Dorshell, Deondre’s, mother tweeted out earlier this week that they will be taking an official visit this coming weekend to Oklahoma. That was great news for OU. It’s been widely reported that while Deondre likes LSU, his mother would like him to stay closer to home. Last night Ms. Dorshell did tweet out some praise of LSU DL coach, coach Brick Haley. Not sure how to read that but it’s obviously not a good thing for OU. I’ve talked to people “in-the-know” about the Clark situation and everyone sort of feels like there is a good chance he will end up at OU but at the same time no one is willing to really commit one way or another because of Deondre’s fascination with LSU and his longstanding relationship with coach Haley and the LSU staff. I know JY is a huge fan of Deondre’s game so he’s definitely hoping we can land the talented DE/OLB.

Dominique Robertson – Dominique is a JUCO OT and a new Oklahoma target. He let me know that Oklahoma stopped by to visit him yesterday morning. JY did a write-up about Dominique that we’ll have up for you later today or this weekend.

Jordan Thomas – We got word earlier this week that DB Jordan Thomas would be visiting this weekend. Jordan has been committed to Northwestern for quite some time. I haven’t spoken to Jordan but the word from inside the program is that while OU doesn’t think this is an impossible flip, they aren’t necessarily super optimistic either. So I’m in wait and see mode on this one. Don’t have enough information to really make an educated guess one way or another.

A number of y’all have asked for a list of visitors this weekend. I’m not sure my list is exhaustive but what I’ve got so far is:

Steven Parker, Deondre Clark, Curtis Bolton, Jonathan Alvarez, Joseph Paul, Courtney Garnett, Jeffery Mead, Jordan Thomas and Carson Meier. If anyone sees anyone I’ve missed or left off please note it in the comments section below and I’ll add it to this post. Thanks!

UPDATE (5:06 pm): As Steve mentioned in the comments below, it does appear that 2015 TE Hale Hentges out of Missouri is also visiting Oklahoma this weekend.

 UPDATE: (6:07 pm): Have confirmed with Alex Dalton that he did make the trip to Norman this weekend.

UPDATE (Saturday 11:35 am): Talked to my source that told me earlier in the week Oklahoma wasn’t confident about flipping Jordan Thomas. He said the most recent sense he got from OU after talking to them was that they were feeling more confident as the trip got closer. Still nothing solid but just wanted to let y’all know what I was told.

 

92 Comments

  • Rob turner says:

    Is Jordan Thomas coming?

  • Gary Carden says:

    Very good info. I just discovered this site and I am impressed at the level of information you provide. Good job!

  • madbrad says:

    Dowels and Gary Simon are very similar in regard to talented Florida DBs with grade risks.

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Hopefully everyone on campus makes a good impression and we hit a jackpot this weekend. Some really must have’s visiting.

  • Steve Johns says:

    Hopefully, the Sooners can land Dre. Thanks for another great piece on OU recruiting!

    • Super K says:

      Thank you for reading Steve. And appreciate your sending us film of players you come across.

  • lovethemsooners says:

    Great website fella’s! There are pay sites out there putting out less quality and quantity than you guys. Thanks!!

  • Michael Pendley says:

    That tweet could go either way. It could mean the Clark family has decided on OU, so Clark’s mother sent out that tweet to kinda say thanks your a great guy but, OU is a better family decision. Or it could mean the obvious that they are trying to make a way for him to attend LSU.

  • Cory Reedy says:

    This site is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Thank you Brainiacs!

  • SoonerfanTU says:

    Awesome post. Thanks for all of the info. Agree with some of the other comments, this is quickly becoming the first OU site I check each morning.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      That is very much appreciated!

    • Ace Rix says:

      Me too.
      The information you obtain here is incredible.
      You can tell these former FB players really “know their Gridiron stuff” yet have a gift to translate their thoughts into writing.
      Also appreciate how they protect their contacts…both the recruits and the coaches.
      Just a unique site and so glad they cover OU sports.
      Keep it up guys!

  • bjwalker82 says:

    Hey fellas, isn’t Jermaine Roberts (Texas committ DB) coming today as well?

  • SoonerBredCD says:

    “So fair warning, if I start to sound less confident at any point you should take that as reason to be alarmed because it means I’ve been told something that I cannot divulge haha. But for now I’m still optimistic.”

    Noted… and now I’m officially alarmed. The fact that you are already covering your bases is a subtle sign that you are, indeed, sounding less confident.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      fwiw, I think you’re reading a bit too much into it re: Parker.

      • SoonerBredCD says:

        I’d agree, if he didn’t already forewarn us that he left little clues (for those reading in between the lines) about the Hayes situation. Makes it hard not to be sensitive to every little subtlety.

        • Jordan Esco says:

          Fair point.

          fwiw, I don’t think it’s K trying to imply anything secretive. As he’s said a number of times, he’s confident OU lands Parker. But in this “business” everyone hedges a little bit and while I cannot and wouldn’t speak for him, IMO that’s all he’s doing here.

  • Leroy Jenkins says:

    Wait…what did the Rivals say about Steven Parker and TAMU? Clark and Parker need to understand that family needs to be #1, OU has really emerged nationally once again, and Mike Stoops is a fantastic DC. Sometimes I think recruits get this “idealized” view of other schools, which may not be the best fit for them and their family. Oftentimes grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

    And I’m glad you noted about academics. It’s a shame that sometimes academics keep kids from a scholly, but at the same time it looks like many athletes are getting in with an abysmal reading level. It’s a real shame for guys like Dowels or Jonathan Thomas, who you’ve mentioned are good guys putting in the academic work now to correct past mistakes. I know “reading level” is different than transcript issues, not saying that; just saying that this CNN article from a researcher at UNC really opened my eyes to that side of things.

    Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/us/ncaa-athletes-reading-scores/index.html?iref=allsearch

    • I also think that playing time is increasingly becoming more important to recruits. They want to play immediately.

      • Leroy Jenkins says:

        True story. I’ve noticed many guys on OU are team-oriented, all the credit to the coaches and character of the players.

    • bjwalker82 says:

      I think the shine of A&M has worn off this season. College football is so moment to moment and the hyperbole can sometimes get out of control.

      I agree with you re: Academics. While I don’t advocate denying a kid an opportunity based on some arbitrary bureaucratic decision about their academic achievement, a line has to be drawn to maintain the integrity of the institution (and higher learning generally). It also is a disservice to the kid if they are in college and read at a 5th grade level. We can’t allow these kids to be shuffled through just to play college football for us and then vanish from our thoughts once they graduate or drop out. That would be shameful.

      Many of these kids (an overwhelming majority in fact) will not “go Pro.”Bob (unlike Saban) points out to his kids frequently “It’s better to get your degree” than to go Pro early, because you never know.

      • Leroy Jenkins says:

        Sadly, I don’t think the shine has worn off TAMU at all. Briefly looking at their 2014 verbal commits list tells me all I need to know. Plus their defense was so bad last year kids say, “They were awful, so I can go play right away.” That’s got to be running through Parker’s mind, even though their probably bringing in other highly rated safeties as well. Their program will be good for a long time.

        And re: academics, I hope that CNN story might be a spark for change. I’m glad Bob emphasizes getting a degree and is honest about the chances of going pro. I had no idea the lack of education was that bad.

        • Eric Hoffpauir says:

          Yup, A&M is bringing in a top 5 class right now. Maybe that slows down or reverses itself a little now, but they are still doing pretty well.

          • bjwalker82 says:

            True, but like you said their D is awful (was near the bottom of D-1). Top 5 classes don’t guarantee success. They’ll be breaking in a lot of guys on O and D next year (new QB, no Mike Evans) probably still won’t beat Bama or LSU, took a Herculean effort to get past Duke. In any event we’ll see how it works going forward. I’m not trying to trash A&M, Sumlin is a great coach and good guy. Their program will do fine.

  • ohiosoonerdevildog says:

    Isnt Alex Dalton coming as well? Or no?

    • Jordan Esco says:

      I’ve seen some reporting that, yes.

      • ohiosoonerdevildog says:

        Ok good. I dont want Urban Creyer to swoop in late and grab him from us. I know a few people that have seen him play and they say he plays with an edge and nastiness to him that they havent seen in awhile.

        • Daryl says:

          From the highlights I saw I believe nasty is a good term for his game. My favorite highlight was when his QB threw an int and next thing you know Dalton pulls a Ronnie Lott and just kills this DB. We need that guy and that attitude.

          • ohiosoonerdevildog says:

            Absolutely. Throw that in with the mentality Bedenbaugh has brought to the oline and you are looking at a bunch of junk yard dogs begging to be unleashed on some helpless souls.

        • Sonny Schovanec says:

          Dalton is solid. IMO when a kid commits he’s giving his word. Kids that de commit from OU late are kids that I wouldn’t want in my fox hole anyway.

          • ohiosoonerdevildog says:

            Absolutely. You are either 100% with the OU tradition, and if you are not have fun somewhere else.

          • Sooner Ray says:

            Lay your life on the line or get the hell out of my hole! HAHA! Love it.

  • Michael Pendley says:

    Hey guys any way you guys could start a fan forum any time soon? Would be a way for sooner fans to discuss topics etc…

    • DrZemus says:

      Part of my agrees with Michael, but it’s like Google, who been successful because of the simplicity. If more features are added, who knows what affect that will have. I kinda hope the main site is kept clean and basic – as it is. If it ain’t broke…

      • Michael Pendley says:

        I see your side, but if they do it the right way it wont be cluttered like “other” sites.

        • bjwalker82 says:

          I think the issue with that is these guys would have to moderate it and that might become too much for them. As they’ve mentioned many times, they have other jobs and this is just a hobby. I’m like you, I want that. But I’m cool with it as is too..

          • I couldnt agree more.. I still want it though 🙂

          • Clint Lenard says:

            This is why they would have moderators that would do it for free.

          • ccmosaic says:

            Agree fully with this assessment. It would be nice to have a forum. Yet the negative is that someone is going to spend a lot of time deleting negative posts and etc. Eventually they would have to charge. Though I would pay for this site. I love the idea that people with connections to football outside of just being a reporter are giving us the scoop.

      • Clint Lenard says:

        Google hasn’t been successful because of simplicity. Google is involved in everything, including eyewear, self-driving cars, internet access, computers, mobile software (OS) and devices, etc, etc.

        TFB needs a forum, because as someone who’s been involved in building communities for over a decade, communities matter, which is why, ironically, Google has tried their hardest to take Gmail, Search and various other properties and integrate them into Google Plus, their competitor to Facebook.

        Google is the far from ‘simple’, they’re the MOST complex set of properties found online. I have many friends that work for Google that once worked for FB, MySpace and other social networks. Why would such a simple website hire so many social networking developers to their company? Their success comes from NOT being ‘simple’. A simple user interface doesn’t mean that they have THOUSANDS of scientists working on their search algorithms every day. Their entire company is built around communities, which is all Mikey Tyler is asking (forum).

        • DrZemus says:

          Touché on the simplicity, no argument there. I was speaking more from a user experience. Even so I would love to see 1000’s of Brainiacs bringing us what we want. But I’m also happy with what we have.

    • Sonny Schovanec says:

      “start a fan forum” “way for fans to discuss” Huh? Is that not what this is?

    • Super K says:

      We’ve definitely talked about that and thought about it. Definitely something we’re considering bud. And we’re definitely open to hearing y’alls suggestions and making them a big part of our consideration as we work to rebuild the site this offseason. Thanks!

      • Sonny Schovanec says:

        I like your format here. Some of those fan forums on the Corporate sights are nothing but negative grip sessions about the coaches, kids, play calling etc.. I quit reading them. Ignorance running rampant. The sight that Jordan came over from had a “sound off” from a sooner fan before the Sugar wanting the Sooners to get hammered by Bama so Stoops and Huepel would get fired.

        • Sooner Ray says:

          I’m still scratching my head over that one. Who can call themselves fans and want your team to get hammered to justify change? If we were going 2-10 every year I get that but with our record, doesn’t make sense.

        • JY says:

          That’s our biggest hangup. One of the biggest reasons we started this up is we wanted a place where the negativity wasn’t prevalent. The good thing is that since we’re free, we don’t have to answer to subscribers. The whole I should be able to post what I want since I pay ten bucks a month argument. With that, if we can figure out how to police a board, it may come to fruition. It’s a place we want to keep clean and respectful.

      • Gladdman says:

        I am not sure that I would like to see forums here. I am a “lurker” on Land Thieves and Sooner Fans.com and what bothers me is how so many posters are negative to other posters. Do not understand one OU fan calling another “Stupid” or any other of many negative names.

        • Sonny Schovanec says:

          Amen Gladdman. I’m the same way. I come here for ball talk. If I want Comedy Hour I read the message boards on some of those Corporate sites.

          • Gladdman says:

            Yeah, no kidding. Only problem I have with this site is that I gobble up everything new and then have to wait until late in the day or the next day for new stuff. Borderline going cold turkey. LOL

      • Awesome man! I’ll be glad to help in any way I can

      • Pokerman says:

        I love this site but since new posts are scattered throughout all the threads it is nearly impossible to see what has changed since my last visit. Would be nice if posts that were made since the last visit were flagged somehow.

  • bjwalker82 says:

    Shame about Juwan. Hopefully he’ll eventually don a Sooner uniform. If not, we wish him the best.

    • Super K says:

      Hope so too! But if not just want to see him land somewhere he is happy.

      • Ace Rix says:

        Any idea on WHEN we’ll find out something definitive on whether or not Juwan will come to OU?
        Thanks and fingers crossed this works out for the Sooners

  • Stephen says:

    Is Michiah Quick coming, or are we really not a destination for him anymore?

    • Jordan Esco says:

      OU is very much still a destination for me, many believe the favorite, but he will not be in Norman this wknd.

    • Sonny Schovanec says:

      Quick took his official in Oct..

    • Ed Cotter says:

      He’s at USC this weekend and then Quick, his parents and his position Coach at Central, Tony Perry, are going to make a decision. I like the fact that Coach Perry is going to be involved. He loves what Mike is doing at OU and the fact that Byrd and Moore are at OU helps. Tee Shepard also played for Perry at Central. As long as Perry keeps cranking out the ballers, the Sooners will be in the mix for ’em.

  • I dont like the word “Optimistic” used when talking about Parker coming to OU lol. When you guys were first posting about him i dont think that word was ever used.

    • Jordan Esco says:

      I won’t speak for K, but one thing you (or really everyone) has to understand is that there is a delicate balance to this whole covering recruiting game. You want to give your readers the info they want — and in a perfect world that few others have/are giving — but you also want to respect the kids/parents/coaches and not ruin a kid’s moment by putting something out there before it should be out there.

      BARE IN MIND, I’m not necessarily saying the latter part of that applies here. So before anyone goes running off saying the FB are saying Parker is ‘in the bag for OU’ I just want to be perfectly clear.

      People are going to read into things how they want to read into them, so a word like “optimistic” might read positive to one person and potentially negative to another.

      There’s no perfect way to do this, but if you go about it w/ integrity and the right intentions (which I firmly believe is how FB is operating) then at the end of the day hopefully people appreciate that.

  • boomersooner says:

    i love this. it’s awesome you guys give the kids their own page, to single them out showing their skills, but its also great to have a place to put it all together. thank you guys

  • Steve Cooke says:

    I believe 2015 TE recruit Hale Hentges is in for an unofficial visit.

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Thanks for the updates K, Good weekend keeps getting better. Now we just hope it turns into money!

  • Indy_sooner says:

    Late to this update. Really bummed we did not land Dowels although I am confused as to how he can qualify at UGA and not OU. I thought SECs admissions were more stringent. If he goes the JUCO route, I hope the coaches stay on the lad

  • Shelby is a Patriot says:

    I completely understand what Juwan Dowels is going through in terms of grades. I’m a senior in a high school and was focused on other things my first two years, so my grades were never as good as they could’ve been. I had no idea how vital your freshman and sophomore year is when it comes to your GPA.

  • Atlantasooner says:

    TE Hale Hentges footage on Rivals (cannot find anything public) is very good. With a scarcity of TE prospects in state and in Texas for 2015 so far, OU should offer this kid and make him a focus.

  • billy vessels says:

    Thanks for the info. First rate all the way.