Open Post | Weekend, July 26th – 28th
Posted on: July 26, 2019
On the Road | From the West Coast | Notebook
– Super K
I’ve been out here on the West Coast for a couple of days to see some players. I’ll be headed home later today. Here are a few notes to tide you over.
***Rome Odunze – went by to see 2020 4-star WR, Rome Odunze (Bishop Gorman HS) and wow, that’s an impressive young man.
Very sharp. Stands around 6-2 and is a lean 200 lbs. He looks like a 100m sprinter and apparently he is. Was told by one of the staff members at Bishop Gorman that Odunze broke the Bishop Gorman 100m record.
He is headed to Oklahoma for an unofficial visit this weekend. He tells me that he will make a decision shortly thereafter. Oklahoma was a bit late to the game but the fact that he almost immediately set up a visit and will be accompanied by his parents says a lot, in my opinion.
The biggest draw for him is Oklahoma’s offense and the quarterback play.
Oklahoma’s fate will likely be tied to how this weekend goes. If it goes really well I could see him ending up at OU or at least pushing his commitment timeline back to take an official.
***Jacobe Covington – Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, AZ) was in LA for the past few days practicing and I went to one of their practices.
I spoke with Covington briefly before practice but got wrapped up speaking with Kelee Ringo and Quentin Somerville after practice so I wasn’t able to finish my conversation.
What I saw from Covington in person was impressive. We all know he has the build Grinch likes but what I saw was a guy who can get in and out of his breaks and a track the ball really well. He plays all over the secondary for Saguaro. Really liked his practice attitude. He showed up plenty of times in team, closing on the ball from an inside DB (nickel or safety) position. And, in 1 on 1s, he was reading body language and breaking hard to break up or pick off passes.
I have checked with folks on the OU side and they are indicating that OU has pulled back a little when it comes to Covington. It’s not for anything related to his ability, I’m told it’s more about the fact that they felt Covington was planning making an earlier commitment.
He has since then announced his commitment date for October. I did speak with Saguaro head coach and he actually told me that OU is still pressing pretty hard. He did say that the Sooners staff had expected Covington to make a commitment earlier in the process. But, instead, Jacobe decided to take things into the fall.
My guess is that, if the Sooners have decided to move on (and again, according to Covington’s coach they still recruit him), I wouldn’t be surprised to see things rekindle and see Covington on the sideline for a game this season. Washington seems to be the team to beat.
***Kourt Williams – Charlie already passed on my note here. I chatted with Kourt on Sunday and he let me know he was making his commitment. As I mentioned on the Donor Board, we did not expect the choice to be OU. Williams committed to Ohio State on Wednesday.
***Quentin Somerville – this 2021 DE out of a Saguaro High School was extremely impressive. Somerville has extremely violent hands, he’s explosive off the ball and he turns the corner. I can’t say enough good stuff about Somerville.
If he grew two inches, he’ll be a five star. He’s about 6’2 235 lbs right now. But he’s young. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him grow a little more.
For those of you who don’t know Somerville, he’s actually originally from Oklahoma and grew up a huge OU fan. And, he is a bad man.
He holds a number of offers but interestingly, not one from OU yet. He has, however, visited Oklahoma and says he loved the visit.
I imagine the concern is his size but given OU’s struggles recruiting on the defensive line and the type of defensive Grinch runs, I’d think Somerville is a guy you want to offer before too long. Also, again, I think Somerville isn’t done growing. He’s barely 16 and you can tell he’s still stretching out.
Saguaro has a number of division one players and they’ve got some nice looking tackles but man, Somerville was getting the quarterback all morning. He plays with an edge. Super nice young man off the field but has this no-nonsense Okie edge on the field. He’s not going to sit there and talk a lot of crap on the field but a couple of times the tackle started jawing and he kinda just looked at him and was like, “shut up…you suck”.
He’s a heck of a football player but also entertaining to watch. I laughed a few times. Weird comparison but he kind of reminded me Russell Crowe in the Gladiator movie. He’s good at what he does and while he doesn’t say much, when he does, it’s right to the point, it’s biting and he can back it up.
Notes From Prime 21 Camp & True Buzz Event
– CJ Vogel
I was out at the True 21 camp hosted by Deion Sanders this past weekend in Arlington, Texas where some top talent was on display.
*** Texas High LB Clayton Smith looked real smooth in coverage at middle linebacker. He was often tasked with covering 2022 Nolan Catholic RB Emeka Megwa in the game I watched and did more than hold his own.
Whether the plan for Smith at the next level is to have Smith in the middle or the edge, his athleticism and fluidity will certainly work in his favor for either position.
*** I exchanged words with North Shore QB Damatrius Davis and his mother about his recruitment. While Oklahoma isn’t showing much interest after getting their guy Brock Vandagriff earlier this summer, his mom made sure to make it known that she will not allow him to firmly close the door on any school.
*** 2022 North Shore CB Denver Harris will end up being one of the top corners in the country for his class and is already booming on the recruiting trail. Oklahoma tossed their hat in the ring for Harris on June. And it’s a real good step in the right direction that they did.
I’ll get more in depth on Harris later in the week, but he is someone that gets very excited about a school when attention is reciprocated.
*** 2021 Denton Ryan WR/CB Billy Bowman Jr. was working at the nickel position in the 7-on-7 portion I watched. He still worked at receiver in the individual drills, but his willingness to move to the defensive side of the ball will work wonders for his recruitment. Oklahoma has yet to become a real threat in his recruitment but with Denton just over two hours from Norman, I’d be surprised to not see an Oklahoma appearance on the sidelines this fall.
*** 2021 Southaven, Mississippi wide receiver Isaiah Brevard was very impressive during 7-on-7. At 6-foot, 3-inches, he has frame that fits the Oklahoma offense. Perhaps a name to store away if the Sooners do indeed come calling.
*** Sticking with the wide out position, K added a note earlier in the week about two Florida wide receivers, Agiye Hall and Mario Williams. Hall was named the Offensive MVP of Prime 21 and though I was unable to catch up with him at the camp, it’s clear he has the Sooners high on his mind according to K’s post.
Update | 2021 DL E’Maurion Banks | Insider Note
– Charlie S
Earlier this week I caught up with Sooners offer, 2021 DL E’Maurion Banks as he prepared to head up to Norman for the Champ U BBQ on Saturday, July 27th.
Banks is very excited to be returning to OU and he is bringing his Mom and Dad and his uncle and his uncles wife along with him to the event.
Family plays a very big role for Banks as he has three brothers and two sisters and the fact that OU is a short two hour trip from his home town of Wichita Falls could prove to be a big factor in his decision.
Banks (6’4″ 260) heads into his junior year at Rider HS with one goal, and that is to win State. When I asked him about his upcoming season, Banks said “The goal is to win the state. We look good as a team. We can win it all this year.” We talked a little about the squad and I asked him which was the more dominant side of the ball and he said: “Everybody will say our defense is good, but I think we have all the right pieces”.
As we were talking I asked him about his football history and if he had the opportunity to play any other positions aside from his defensive line spot and he said “I’ve always played DE but I can play any skill position! Played some running back, Tight End, Quarterback at times.”
The big guys love to have the rock in their hands, don’t they?
As far as his recruitment goes, Banks has picked up all the major offers in the region. He holds offers from OU, Texas, Texas A&M, and TCU along with offers from Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.
I would expect that list to jump with some national offers as his high school season progresses and the out of region schools take notice.
In regards to his relationship with the Sooners, Banks told me “The first person I connected with from OU was Coach Thibbs. He came down to our practice one day and then I came up to OU and connected with all the coaches, Coach Riley, Coach Grinch. I feel a real good connection to them all.”
In regards to which school is recruiting him the hardest at this point, E’Maurion said, “Has to be OU, we are always talking”.
Banks is in no hurry to make a commitment however and when I asked him about a potential timeline he told me “I really don’t have a clear timeline….just when it feels right”. He added, “I may even take it to signing day, but we will see”.
In regards to what he is looking for when he gets back to Norman this weekend, Banks said, “I’m not really a picky person, I’m just looking to take it all in and enjoy the day and get to know some more people.”
As I mentioned above, Banks is a guy who I think will see his recruitment go national this season as he has the frame and skill set to be an elite defensive lineman.
If you would like to read Charlie’s ‘Insider Note’ which accompanies this post, please check the Donor Board.
Inside the Numbers | Wide Receiver
– Charlie S
The Sooners are loaded with talented players at the wide receiver position.
Last cycle they landed three five-star guys in Trejan Bridges, Jadon Haselwood, and Theo Wease.
All good right?
The reason I say maybe is because I went in and looked at the numbers…
Currently, the Sooners have ten wide receivers on scholarship. They also currently hold verbal commitments from two players for the 2020 class.
Scholarship Wide Receivers
*Nick Basquine WR 5’11” 202 RSr.
Trejan Bridges WR 6’1″ 184 Fr.
Jaquayln Crawford WR 5’10” 175 RFr.
Jadon Haselwood WR 6’2″ 206 Fr.
Mykel Jones WR 5’11” 191 RJr.
*CeeDee Lamb WR 6’2″ 191 Jr.
*A.D. Miller WR 6’3″ 194 RSr.
*Lee Morris WR 6’2″ 215 RSr.
Charleston Rambo WR 6’1″ 175 RSo.
Theo Wease WR 6’3″ 202 Fr.
2020 Commits
Trevon West WR 6’0″ 165
Brian Darby WR 5’11.5″ 192
With AD Miller, Lee Morris, and Nick Basquine exhausting their eligibility, and CeeDee Lamb widely speculated to head to the NFL following his junior year, that leaves you with eight WRs on the roster next year…
Then you add in the possibility of Charleston Rambo having a big year and leaving early, or potential dives into the portal from some guys…the numbers get low real quick.
The Sooners do have the luxury of using the ‘Tight Ends’ in the slot often in their offense and they also have walk-ons like Drake Stoops and Finn Corwin on the roster.
But with the potential to be at six scholarship wide receivers on campus come the spring tells you that the need is there for at least two more pass catchers this cycle!
Jonah Monheim | In-Person | Notebook
– Super K
Earlier this week, I stopped by Moorpark HS (Moorpark, CA) to see Sooners 2020 OL target, Jonah Monheim.
Monheim has been extremely quiet about his recruitment and was very kind but was open about the fact that he preferred to not talk much recruiting.
As a side note, apparently he did speak with the media early on and had a bad experience where his words were twisted and it caused a stir with some of the schools recruiting him.
I did get a chance to watch him move around and speak with him though, so I’ll pass along my notes from that visit.
***He’s bigger than I thought. I assumed he was a 6’3 interior guy. I do believe he will play inside but he’s closer to 6’5, in my estimation.
***He moves well enough to play tackle but probably doesn’t have quite the length you tend to look for.
***But his movement is elite. Takes excellent angles. No wasted movement when he’s pulling. Runs well. I was pretty impressed.
***Also, high academic young man. He’s very sharp..Harvard material. That’s what you look for in a center, which is where I think he may end up. There was a lot about him that reminded me of Creed Humphrey though I can’t say one way or another whether he is as strong as Creed – not many human beings are.
***In terms of his background, he’s a Cali kid. Family is originally from California and doesn’t seem to have any family ties out this way. His father played football at UCLA. Mom went to USC. He didn’t comment on how that might impact his decision but it’s certainly something I took note of.
***As you know, Charlie reported that Jonah would be visiting OU this weekend for the BBQ. I asked Jonah to confirm that directly and he said he preferred not to. Again, he wanted to stay away from too much discussion of his recruitment which I respected (though I had to prod him a bit).
***He also didn’t want to say when he will be announcing. Myself and Scott Schrader (covers USC) were there together and we asked him if it’s safe to assume he is down to OU and USC. He wouldn’t answer that but it’s my sense that it’s going to be one of those two schools.
***I asked Jonah what it was that draws him to Oklahoma and he said, “Good relationships with the coaches and the players. I like Norman a lot – good place. I like a lot of things about the culture and how they do things there – good program and everything”.
***Jonah has been to Oklahoma twice already. He took an unofficial visit to OU and then took his lone official visit to Oklahoma, as well.
Sourced and My Take
***Our sources on the OU side feel very good but it sounds like the folks on the USC side feel really good, as well. I don’t know if SC feels confident because of Jonah’s ties to USC or if he’s given them an indication that they should feel confident. But our sense from OU is that they feel confident because Jonah himself has given them some reason to feel confident.
***I can’t ignore the fact that the in-state/in-city school feels confident because they would presumably have enough ties to the Moorpark program to get a sense of what Jonah is really thinking. I mean, thinking of it in reverse, it’s rare when OU doesn’t have a good read on a kid from Oklahoma. So, it’s probably safe to say the same thing about USC as it pertains to their in-state kids. However, that can also lead to a school making assumptions – assuming that an in-state kid is going to end up at the in-state program.
***I do think we also have to consider the fact that his mother went to USC and being from California, I’d image he wants to end up back out there.
***He has been to the USC campus quite a bit. So, he has a lot of comfort there.
***I should also note that he has a former teammate from the 2019 class who signed with SC.
***Having said that, the culture at OU…the culture of offensive line development and winning is something that I sense he is very drawn to.
***Also, going to USC from Moorpark isn’t really like going away to college and he mentioned liking Norman, in general.
***The other thing one has to consider is the fact that USC is struggling right now. The stability just isn’t there. OU is in the opposite situation. The future couldn’t look much brighter for the Sooners.
***Also, for Jonah to be taking yet another visit out to OU – all of which come within the span of only a few months – that’s pretty telling. That’s two unofficial visits – two visits on his own dime.
***Having said all that, I will readily admit that much of my confidence that the Sooners can land Jonah is coming from our sources.
ChampU BBQ Visitor List | Updated July 25th – 8:45 pm
– Charlie S
Below is a working list of the visitors we have confirmed (or otherwise noted) who will be at the Champ U BBQ on July 27th.
The list will go through changes as the event approaches and we will update throughout the week!
2020
2020 OL Noah Nelson (OU Commit) 6’8″ 295 – Gilbert, AZ
2020 OL Nate Anderson (OU Commit) 6’5″ 285 – Frisco, TX
2020 OL Andrew Raym (OU Commit) 6’5″ 285 – Broken Arrow, OK
2020 RB Seth McGowan (OU Commit) 5’11.5″ 215 – Mesquite, TX
2020 WR Brian Darby (OU Commit) 5’11.5″ 195 – College Station, TX
2020 LB Brynden Walker (OU Commit) 6’3.5″ 230 – Oklahoma City, OK
2020 ATH Davon Graham (OU Commit) 6’1″ 175 – Keller, TX
2020 LB Edgerrin Cooper (OU Commit) 6’1.5″ Covington, LA *Possible
2020 TE Jalin Conyers (OU Commit) 6’4″ 220 – Gruver, TX
2020 ATH Mikey Henderson (OU Commit) 6’1.5″ 235 – Carrolton, TX
2020 WR Rome Odunze (OU Offer) 6’2.5″ 200 – Las Vegas, NV
2020 OL Jonah Monheim (OU Offer) 6’5″ 280 – Moorpark, CA
2020 DL Noah Arinze (OU Offer) 6’5.5″ 240 – St Louis, MO
2020 JUCO DT Quay Mays (WVU Commit) 6’1″ 290 – Northwest Miss CC
2020 JUCO DE Justin Jackson (Colorado Commit) 6’3″ 250 – Northwest Miss CC
2020 RB Jase McClellan (OU Commit) 5’10.5″ 202 – Aledo, TX – Added July 25th 8:45
2021
2021 DL Ethan Downs (OU Offer) 6’4″ 240 – Weatherford, OK
2021 WR Cody Jackson (OU Commit) 6’0″ 170 – Richmond, TX
2021 DL David Abiara (OU Offer) 6’4″ 230 – Mansfield, TX
2021 DB AJ Green (OU Offer) 5’11” 185 – Tulsa, OK
2021 LB Kendal Daniels (OU Offer) 6’4″ 190 – Beggs, OK
2021 DE E’Maurion Banks (OU Offer) 6’4″ 260 – Wichita Falls, TX
2021 DB Jakailin Johnson (OU Offer) 6’0″ 170 – St Louis, MO
2021 ILB Kendrick Blackshire (OU Offer) 6’2″ 250 – Duncanville, TX
2021 DL Travion Ford (OU Offer) 6’2″ 205 – St Louis, MO
2021 RB LJ Johnson (OU Offer) 5’10” 204 – Cypress, TX
2021 RB Camar Wheaton (OU Offer) 5’11” 190 – Garland, TX
2021 ATH Daejon Reynolds – 6’2″ 195 – Lawrenceville, GA
2022
2022 ATH Raleek Brown (OU Offer) 5’7″ 165 – Stockton, CA
2022 CB Maurion Horn (OU Offer) 5’11” 174 – Broken Arrow, OK
2022 ATH Gentry Williams (OU Offer) 5’10” 160 – Tulsa, OK
2022 WR Caleb Burton (OU Offer) 6’0″ 165 – Del Valle, TX
2022 WR Armani Winfield (OU Offer) 6’2″ 180 – Lewisville, TX
2022 LB Kobie McKinzie (OU Offer) 6’3″ 227 – Lubbock (Texas) Cooper
For multiple daily posts, Insider Notes, More Sourced Practice Notes, member chats with TFB staff, James Hale’s Notebooks, TFB Sessions (5-minute audio talks) and much more, please check the Donor Board!
