Open Post | Weekend, May 14th – 16th
Posted on: May 14, 2021
What’s Next for the Linebacker Room?
– Super K
With the recent commitment of 4-star LB, Kip Lewis, to go along with Kobie McKinzie, the Sooners now have two linebacker commits.
But Odom has the Sooners in on a number of other targets. Additionally, given Jayden Rowe’s size, who knows where he will ultimately end up.
I’ve been asking around to get a sense of what the plan is moving forward for the remainder of this linebacker class.
The name that keeps coming up is Ish Harris (Pilot Point). Harris is set to return to Norman this summer for his official visit. I’m told the reason Harris is so intriguing as a possible addition to this class is he’s not only talented but he gives the Sooners flexibility.
Harris really can be taken more as an athlete. He’s a guy who can and does play multiple positions but could obviously fit well in the linebacker room.
Xavier Simmons out of North Carolina was a guy that the Sooners were in on heavy. We are working to confirm whether they will continue to push for an official visit from him.
Harold Perkins is going to be interesting. I get the strong sense that Lincoln Riley is really leading the charge here. So, I don’t know how serious this one will get. His plan is to visit OU this summer but with Lewis in the boat I want to reconfirm if that is happening.
The Sooners were also in pursuit of Justin Medlock out of Manvel but again, not sure that’s going to move forward any longer.
There are also multiple talented guys that the Sooners had offered but haven’t pursued heavily like Martrell Harris and Jeremy Patton.
Odom has a good problem. The world is currently his oyster. But again, I think you’re going to see the most focus on Ish Harris and the hope is they’ll be able to put on a great show at the BBQ and bring him in.
2022 Frisco OL Cole Hutson Calls Lincoln’s Recruitment Style “Textbook”
– CJ Vogel
Last week I stopped by Frisco to catch up with 2022 Frisco OL Cole Hutson.
Hutson has been a busy man over the last couple of weeks with unofficial visits and self guided tours to Oklahoma for their Spring game, Texas A&M and Texas. With June coming in quick, I wanted to get a sense of where things were with Hutson leading up to his three scheduled official visits for the month.
Hutson told me he has three official visits locked in – Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M:
- June 11-13 – Texas
- June 18-20 – Oklahoma
- June 25-27 – Texas A&M
“I am really excited to get out there and see campuses,” Hutson said. “Especially to see coaches face to face. That’s really my big thing, to see them and feel like it is home.”
As we know, Hutson made it to Norman for the spring game and really enjoyed his trip.
“It was really cool,” Hutson said. “It felt really normal because there were a bunch of people there. I saw a lot of my friends there that go there and play football. So it was really cool to see them and talk to them for a little bit.”
While only 20,000 or so fans were allowed into the stadium to watch the spring game, Hutson raved about the atmosphere.
“The atmosphere was great. It was energetic, it was live, it was kind of what you would expect for a game… It was really cool to get that tiny bit of insight and see that tiny part of (what it’s like on game days).”
It’s a broken record by now, but the offensive line development from Coach Bill Bedenbaugh is something that is standing out to Hutson.
“It’s really big for me,” Hutson said about finding a school and coach that that can mold his game into an NFL caliber player. “Coach B’s track record has kind of shown that. He is always progressing.”
The selection of former Sooner C Creed Humphrey to the Chiefs was something that he was tracking and keeping an eye on throughout the draft.
“It’s really cool to see that. You look back and you see that ‘Hey, he bought into the program for those four years.’ And Coach B invested into him and that’s what I am really looking forward to talking to coaches about.”
As for the boss man, Lincoln Riley, Hutson says he has a special relationship with him that differs from other recruits.
“He is a great person and a great coach,” Hutson said. “I hear the same thing over and over again that he is so personable. I feel that and I feel that I am wanted by him and he wants me. He cares about me and he cares about my family.”
Hutson went on to say that Lincoln Riley’s way of recruiting is “a textbook example of how recruiting should be.”
Towards the end of the month, I would expect to see Hutson narrow down his list to about four or five schools. I have no reason to believe the three schools that already have OV’s locked in will not make the cut.
Seeing and meeting coaches in person is going to go a long way in this recruitment. Hutson is a very personable guy and easy to get along with. Whichever staff is able to connect with him the most will have the edge in my opinion.
With that said, I wouldn’t expect a decision until around August or a few weeks into the season.
I won’t declare a leader in this recruitment, as I do believe the visits are going to separate some schools from the pack. But the Sooners have to like where things sit currently. They received Hutsons’ last visit and he raved about both Coach B and Riley.
I’m not sure if I like the positioning of the official visits for OU but that may just be me being picky. Regardless, I’d be surprised if OU was not in the final two or three when it is all said and done.
Quick-Hitters | Sooners Held off a Push & OT Sets Visit
– Super K
***This certainly won’t be the last but it sounds like the Sooners held off a pretty strong push from Texas for Raleek Brown.
Was told Brown was planning on visiting Texas but I’m told that is no longer happening.
There are going to be a lot of these battles before this one is said and done.
***I am told that extremely talented 2022 offensive tackle, George Fitzpatrick (Englewood, CO) has set his official visit up to OU for the big BBQ weekend on June 18-2oth.
You’ll recall I went out to see Fitzpatrick work out in Colorado and was extremely impressed by his build and flexibility for such a big guy. Can’t emphasize enough how good of a pure athlete he is for a person that size.
Fitzpatrick did a self-guided visit of Norman earlier this year so this will be a return visit. Hope for good weather that weekend, folks!
The New Guys | Freshman Projections
– Charlie S
The Sooners are expecting a handful of new faces to arrive when the team reports back to Norman in less than three weeks.
Six additional signees will be entering the program to go along with the other 10 newcomers who made their way to Norman for the spring semester.
Let’s take a look at who is coming in and what their potential impact is for OU in the ’21 season.
OL – Savion Byrd – 6’5 295 – Savion was the lone high school offensive tackle that the Sooners landed in the ’21 cycle. As a freshman, I do not expect him to see much playing time and he is absolutely a redshirt candidate. I also think he may begin his career in Norman as an ‘offensive lineman’ as opposed to an ‘offensive tackle’. He has the build and feet to be an elite guard in my opinion as well as a standout tackle. He will be a project that Bedenbaugh will enjoy working on.
DL – Kelvin Gilliam – 6’3 250 – Of the incoming guys, in my opinion, Gilliam is the one guy who will most likely have the best opportunity to make his way onto the field. Gilliam will likely initially line up somewhere behind Jalen Redmond at DT. He will have a chance to impress in the summer and throughout fall camp and make his pitch to get on the field. Gilliam played a spring season and was named Virginias Football Player of the Year after he recorded 48 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. Added note of importance: Gilliam also maintained a 4.16 GPA in the classroom…so he’s a smart one.
WR – Jalil Farooq – 6’1 200 – Farooq is a guy who could surprise and avoid the redshirt as the numbers at receiver may call for him to play more than four games. Before he even steps on campus, Farooq is one teammate’s injury away from realistically competing for a spot in the 2-deep. He will get an opportunity to impress in the summer and fall camp, but I think he likely picks up the redshirt unless something happens numbers-wise.
DB – Damond Harmon – 6’1 178 – Harmon, who happens to be Gilliam’s teammate also had a stout spring season.
The difference between Gilliam and Harmon in regards to potentially playing early…Harmon is walking into a very deep and established secondary room, no matter if he starts at Safety/Nickel/Corner. I believe a redshirt is in his future for his freshman year, but he could certainly see time in four games before they shut him down for the year. In my opinion, Harmon likely ends up with Coach Grinch for his career as a safety or nickel and he is certainly a kid to be excited about as he brings a lot of athleticism to the game and has a dog mentality.
LB – Danny Stutsman – 6’2 230 – Stutsman is walking into a stacked linebacker room and is likely heading to a redshirt season as a freshman unless…
Danny has put a ton of time getting his body ready to head to Norman and he has the mentality of heading to Norman and immediately competing for playing time. He has told me he will do whatever it takes to get on the field, whether at linebacker, special teams, or being a holder (he was only half kidding when he said that…kid wants to be on the field). Right now, his main path to seeing a lot of time is to be a special teams assassin. I would not be shocked if he makes himself an invaluable member of the special teams unit, keeping the redshirt off of him.
OL – Cullen Montgomery – 6’5 315 – Cullen was perhaps the most likable and open recruit of the class for the Sooners. Once he committed, he put his nose to the grindstone and was a dogged recruiter and cheerleader for the Sooners ’21 class. There is most certainly a redshirt in his future as he will need to get to Norman and reshape his body and learn the techniques necessary before he sees any meaningful time on the field. He is a pretty blank canvas for Bedenbaugh to work with and eventually I see him making his way into the rotation at guard down the line. Great kid and will be a great teammate.
Visit Note | 2023 Running Back
– Charlie S
You can add another big name to the June 18th visit weekend as the Sooners will host 2023 running back Richard Young (6’0 190) out of Lehigh Acres, FL
We have previously mentioned that other recruits from Florida mentioned Young would be visiting, but until this evening, we had not been able to confirm that with him.
Young confirmed he currently plans on joining the Florida contingent that will be visiting Norman which includes ’23 WR Brandon Innis and ’23 ATH Treyaunn Webb.
This is a big chance for the Sooners to make an early impression on a running back recruit who many consider to be the top player at his position.
I have added him to the ‘June 18th Summer Visit Weekend | Working List | Updated: May 13th’ post which can be found right here.
