The Football Brainiacs

– Darrell Simpson: As you all know, the Sooners have long been in the driver’s seat for talented 2018 OT, Darrell Simpson (Justin, TX).

Simpson has made numerous visits to OU including a visit for one of this past winter’s jr day. Simpson’s father confirmed that they will be at OU this weekend for the spring game.

It’s feeling more and more like a matter of when, not if. As I mentioned earlier in the week, our sources tell us that Simpson is looking to make an announcement soon.

If Oklahoma can bring Bryce Bray and Darrell Simpson into the fold to go along with Brey Walker, it’ll be another fantastic class for coach Bedenbaugh and the Sooners. – (Super K)

– Miles Emery: We continue to hear that the Sooners are in a good spot for 2018 DE, Miles Emery (Overland Park, KS).

Emery had previously told us that he hoped to make it to OU for the spring game. However, we checked with him earlier this week and he said he is taking the ACT this weekend. So, we don’t expect him to make it to Norman this weekend but he says he will try to make a return trip soon.

I sense the Sooners feel pretty good about a defensive end and it may be Miles. The reason I say that…

– Izaih Filikitonga: 2018 DE, Izaih Filikitonga (Euless, TX) visited OU earlier this year and he picked up an offer from OU. I checked with Filikitonga about whether he will be at the spring game this weekend and his answer was interesting. He said, “never got the invite”.

Could obviously just be an oversight but, again, it could be that the Sooners like where the stand with guys like Emery and Redmond. – (Super K)

– Michael Thompson Jr: The Sooners are hoping to reel in Missouri area guys like Trevor Trout and Ronnie Perkins. Another Missouri prospect who tells me he’s been hearing from the Sooners a lot is 2018 DT, Michael Thompson (St. Louis, MO).

Thompson says he won’t be able to make it to the spring game this weekend but tells me that he will “for sure” visit the Sooners.

It’s still early as Thompson says he doesn’t plan to make a decision till signing day. Thompson has already visited LSU, Iowa, Ohio State, Alabama, Louisville, Ole Miss and Michigan.

The Sooners continuing to recruit Trevor Trout and Thompson seems to indicate that they’d still like another big interior linemen despite the commitment of Tulsa’s Jordan Kelley. – (Super K)

– Cameron Rising: Cameron Rising will be in town this weekend for the Sooners spring game.

But perhaps the biggest news regarding Rising is the fact that OK preps QB, Casey Thompson let us know that he will make his final decision next week. Thompson is expected to commit to Texas. Rising was planning on visiting Texas for the UT spring game next weekend so it remains to be seen if that trip will still happen. – (Super K)

–  Byron Hobbs: Earlier this week, I spoke at length with the mother of 2018 LB, Byron Hobbs (Ft. Worth, TX). Hobbs has already visited Oklahoma once and will be back in town this weekend.

The scoop here is that Hobbs is planning on announcing sometime this summer however, his mother did say that an announcement could come at anytime and I get the feeling they have things narrowed down quite a bit. OU is somewhere in the top group but it sounds like some other regional schools like Texas and Oklahoma State have been recruiting Hobbs and his family a little harder than the Sooners. So Oklahoma will need to really make a strong impression this weekend. I expect that to happen. Hobbs and his mother both said that the first visit to Oklahoma was impressive but my sense is that Hobbs has a school in mind that has replaced OU as the favorite.

This visit will be important for OU and their fate with Hobbs. – (Super K)

– Kalon Gervin: I caught up with 2018 Notre Dame DB commit, Kalon Gervin (Detroit, MI). Gervin long had interest in Oklahoma. In fact for a time the Sooners looked to be the favorite.

Since Gervin is committed to Notre Dame he asked me to keep the contents of our exchange private but I’ll just note that Oklahoma is recruiting Gervin hard and he seems open to the pitch. Keep an eye on this one… – (Super K)

– Team Note | The Safety Battle: The departure of Ahmad Thomas has left a vacancy at the safety position. The two favorites to fill the spot are Will Sunderland and Kahlil Haughton. Sunderland’s physical gifts have never been a question. Since he was in high school he’s always been bigger and more athletic than other guys and sources close to the staff continue to talk about his potential due to that size. Sunderland’s struggle has always been his ability to be assignment sound and that remains the question. If he can prove his reliability in that regard to the staff, he has a great chance to win the spot.

On the other hand, Kahlil Haughton is an assignment sound guy who has plenty of athleticism in his own right but seems to not let it all out on the field. Our sources say, “Kahlil still isn’t showing everything”. Haughton was a heat seeking missile in high school. He played fast and physical. It sounds like the staff is waiting for him to be that guy again. Sources say, “he’s in the right place. He does his assignment. He gives you consistency but there’s more there that just isn’t coming out”.

You get the sense that Haughton gives the staff more consistency but Sunderland gives the staff more playmaking ability right now.

An interesting thing to keep an eye on is that apparently Will Johnson has taken some reps at safety during spring ball. My guess is they just want to make sure they build some depth since OU doesn’t have a ton of safety prospects on campus.

It will be interesting to see whether Robert Barnes can come in and push either Haughton or Sunderland. It’s rare for a freshman to make an impact at the safety position but Barnes is physically college ready and being the son of a former NFL player, he’s well versed in the game. – (Super K)

– UPDATED (Friday, 11:07 pm): Received word that Kapri Doucet is not expected to play in the spring game tomorrow. It looks like he is considering a transfer. We should know for certain sometime next week.

Also, as many of you may have noted, Byron Hobbs has committed to Texas. Hobbs will not make the return trip to Norman. If you read between the lines in the note above, the Sooners got a little out-worked here. They came in second to Texas. Apparently Texas was in regular communication with Hobbs and his family. – (Super K)

– UPDATED (Sunday 10:35 am)

Kapri Doucet officially announced he is transferring, something TFB alluded to Friday.

Although his departure will be noticed in the position battles, there is some excellent depth at the LB for the Sooners. Best of luck to him wherever he lands. –  (Ryan Lewis)