The Football Brainiacs

Image via Soonersports.com

Good morning all! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

– Team is Focused: If practice is any reflection of how a game will turnout then the OU vs. Clemson game this year will be NOTHING like last year. Leading up to last years game all I heard from sources was things like, “the team doesn’t want to be here”…”these guys are just going through the motions”…in fact one person told me a day or two before the game that based on the demeanor of the players in practice and how they prepared the team was going to get “whipped”.

This year is another story…entirely. And I think Sooner fans will indeed see a completely different result. Win or lose, Oklahoma will come out ready to play. Since the start of bowl practice I’m told it’s been “very intense”. The upperclassmen have stepped up even more than usual and the young guys have responded well. It sounds like the team isn’t satisfied with just being there and I know that should go without saying given the stakes but…young kids in Miami…it’s easy to feel like, “we’ve done enough prep…let’s have fun”. Instead, I’m told these Miami practices are even more intense than the practices were back in Norman.

Again, win or lose, I think you are going to see a very different Sooner team than you saw last year. Clemson better strap up cause Brent Venables’ defense isn’t the only one that likes to hit. – (Super K)

– Jauan Williams: OU getting into the playoff has turned a few more recruit’s heads towards the Sooners. We already told you that the Sooners will host DE/OLB and TAMU commit, Mark Jackson in January. Another top prospect who may visit in January is 2016 offensive tackle, Jauan Williams (Washington D.C.). The Sooners already have one commitment from the D.C. area in cornerback, Parnell Motley. Williams told me that the trip hasn’t been set up yet but he is hoping to use one of his official visits to take a trip to Oklahoma in January. – (Super K)

– Erick Fowler: Another top prospect that OU will likely host in January is 2016 OLB/DE and LSU commit, Erick Fowler (Manor, TX). Fowler actually visited Oklahoma once before back in the summer of 2014. At the time, Oklahoma was one of the first schools to offer him. His commitment to LSU wasn’t a huge surprise. Manor grew up an LSU fan and chose the Tigers over Texas despite the fact that his step brother, Desmond Jackson, played for Texas. However, Erick isn’t your prototypical 6’4-6’5 DE that you normally see LSU play on the weak side in their 4-man front. I’ve seen Fowler on numerous occasions and he’s closer to 6’2 and built like a stand rush OLB (and can be a DANG good one). In other words, he doesn’t quite fit the scheme at LSU and in my past conversations with Fowler he’s told me that LSU hasn’t made it clear where he’d play.

I caught up with Fowler recently and he said that he’s planning a few trips in January which will include: LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and a possible trip to UCLA. Fowler would likely play Striker’s position at OU so Oklahoma really needs to impress upon him that they have a clear vision for where he will play, how he can be successful there, how that success has already been demonstrated and how there is a need (with Striker leaving). In my estimation he’s just what Oklahoma needs to continue to have a terror at that Striker position. – (Super K)