Open Post | Weekend, July 30th – August 1st
Posted on: July 30, 2021
Interior Defensive Line | One in the Boat
– Super K – Posted on: July 29, 2021
***This week, the Sooners added 2022 DL, Cedric Roberts (Pflugerville, TX). A nice pick up in my opinion. Roberts is a guy with the kind of upside OU can work with.
***The Sooners did miss on Jadon Scarlett this week. You were sufficiently prepared for that one.
***Chris McClellan and Gabriel Dindy are of course still available and certainly still takes for the Sooners.
***On the Chris McClellan front, as I mentioned earlier in the week, we feel like Ohio State has the lead in this one. The last time I spoke with Chris in detail was just before his trip to Ohio State and I felt like Florida was a stiff contender as well. But based on what we heard after the Ohio State visit, I feel like they are going to be the team to beat.
***The Sooners may have a shot at gaining some ground on the Buckeyes this weekend. Chris let us know that he will “probably” be in town for a return visit. It doesn’t sound like Mom and Dad will make it in though. We will report back over the weekend if/when we’re able to confirm he makes it in. If he does make it in, this is going to be an important visit.
***On the Dindy front, I’ll reiterate something I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m still not convinced that TAMU is as big of a threat here as it may seem to most. My reasoning is pretty simple, I think for Gabriel to end up somewhere other than OU is going to be about Gabriel’s finding a place that he really prefers. If he doesn’t have a strong preference then I think his parent’s preference will be OU and he will go along with that.
***That is why, as I’ve said before, I feel like Alabama is going to be the team to watch for OU. There is still a long way to go in this one but my bet is this will be an OU vs. Alabama competition.
***We know the Sooners have also been in hot pursuit of 4-star DL Hero Kanu. Kanu will be back in Norman for an official visit this fall. We will be checking with him as the time gets a little closer.
In Depth with Malachi Nelson | Next in Line
– James Hale – Posted on: July 27, 2021
OU recently earned the verbal commitment from 2023 five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson (6’3, 180) of Los Alamitos, California, who talks about his commitment to OU.
“It was a crazy time with COVID, but I enjoyed every single minute of my recruitment with OU,” said Nelson on my radio show Total Show on KREF Radio. “I think he (Coach Lincoln Riley) reached out to me at some point midway through my freshman year. From that point, we just continued to develop the relationship.”
“At the end, everything ended up working out how it was planned. It’s exciting now to finally have all that recruiting stuff over with. Now, I can just focus on high school and my development to the next level, where I am going to continue that at the University of Oklahoma. I am really excited about that.”
Most of the recruitment of Nelson was done through COVID, which means no unofficial visits.
“No, I think it was kind of a really cool time,” said Nelson. “I used COVID to get stronger and focus on working on what I was able to do. We were somewhat limited, but I felt being able to get into a couple of gyms was a good time for me.”
“I think my family actually got to see what they needed with OU. We had multiple Zoom’s with them and their staff, and I could see them. It was like watching them with tours through their campus, which is what moms and dads like to see. I think it helped me through the whole recruiting process. I don’t think it was hard at any time through the entire recruiting process.”
“OU’s Zoom calls were great. I really think they took the time to not only recruit me but also to recruit my family. Their Zoom calls were next level, that is for sure. They were showing something different with each Zoom about their campus, and that was always refreshing that they kept coming up with new things to show us.”
“OU excited my family, and they did such a good job that when-push-came-to-shove that we had to pick OU. Again, I could not be more excited.”
OU has had the best quarterback play in the country under Coach Riley with Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray and a Heisman runner up in Jalen Hurts, and that was not lost on Nelson.
“That was a huge factor,” said Nelson. “You look at it from my perspective. For most players, their dream is to play in the NFL, and sitting back at the end of the day, I was saying to myself, where can I go to get the most prepared to play in the NFL?
“I felt that was Oklahoma. I mean the proof-is-in-the-pudding what Lincoln has been able to do with quarterback after quarterback. I am just excited to get on campus and start learning from Coach Riley. I want to get started learning under him, and from what I’ve been told he’s is the best offensive mind in football. It’s exciting to have that guy want you and to have the opportunity to play for that guy.”
“OU is going to have three starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and that’s insane. Those are all guys that I look up to. I have had talks with them, and they have helped me with my decision. I am excited to follow in their footsteps.”
Nelson got to know Murray and Hurts at the first BBQ, and he got to know both of those guys a lot more.
“The BBQ was a super, professional event,” said Nelson. “It’s the best recruiting event that I’ve ever been to. The NFL players who came back and the older alumni guys who poured into the varsity guys were fantastic. All those guys were so honest with me about what to do in recruiting.”
“The NFL guys were telling me hey ‘even if you don’t go here, be sure you focus on your grades or focus on this’, and I just thought that was great. That was big for me because going up there, I knew that Oklahoma was probably the front runner.”
“All I was looking for when I went up there was if I felt comfortable at Oklahoma. I wanted to make sure I was comfortable on the campus and things like that. The team made me feel comfortable, and if there is anything I need when I am there, I will get a lot of help finding it. It was an exciting weekend, and I am glad it happened.”
Nelson was on the visit with his best friend and his best receiver, five-star Makai Lemon (6’0, 180). Both families are terrific friends and had planned to make this trip together for a long while. Now Lemon says he will announce his decision in early August.
“We had planned that trip together for a long time,” said Nelson. “It was a big thing. We have talked about playing together since we were young, and we have always talked about playing college football together. I think he enjoyed the visit just as much as I did.”
“He actually has his commitment date for August 7th. That is coming up on us now, and I am doing my best to bring him home. We will see how everything works, but I know that he and his family enjoyed the visit as much as me and my family did.”
As you might expect, Coach Riley’s offense is one that Nelson has always wanted to play in.
“It’s an exciting offense to watch,” said Nelson. “It’s an offense where Coach Riley puts guys in positions to succeed. He does different things with Spencer than he did with Baker, that he did with Kyler, that he did with Jalen. That is just him being that elite coach that he is.
“I am very excited to play in that offense. I have no worries that he will put me in that offense to succeed. We have talked about it on multiple occasions, and it’s just an exciting offense. Coach Riley is the guy that makes it run, and he just puts us in a position to go out there and not think and just play great football. I feel that is what a great coach should do.”
Los Alamitos is a great training ground for players, and Nelson feels he is getting the best training to go to the next level.
“We are a well-rounded team,” said Nelson. “My freshman year, I split time, and then my sophomore year because of COVID, we ended up playing only six games. I really haven’t played a full season yet. I am excited to finally get that season in and show what we can really do.”
“We have talented guys across the board. It’s not just Kai and me at all, we have a good defense and a good offense. We have the O-line, and we have everything to be a good football team. It’s going to be exciting to watch this year. I’m excited to finally get my full season in, and we will be exciting to watch.”
Nelson has heard all the reports about OU and Texas jumping to the SEC, and it doesn’t change his thinking at all that OU may be changing conferences.
“Yeah, that is exciting,” said Nelson. “I think the SEC is arguably one of the best conferences in the nation. They play great football in that conference. You can’t shy away from that, and you can’t miss that opportunity. That will be big for Oklahoma to go there and compete with the best. We will look forward to that.”
Mayfield came up through the excellent youth program in Austin, Murray had his celebrated dad as a quarterback coach, and Hurts grew up in his dad’s high school football program. For Nelson, he has wasn’t always a quarterback.
“Growing up, I didn’t play quarterback at all,” said Nelson. “I played running back, and I wasn’t very good. I wasn’t very good at a young age, and then we lost our quarterback because of age he went up, and I stayed on the lower team. They ended up putting me at quarterback, and I was like, ‘alright let’s see what I can do.’
“I liked it because I had the ball in my hands on every play. I loved that pressure, and it’s the same today. I just love that feeling on the field that everybody is watching you. I have the keys to the offense, and I love that. I love the pressure and all that stuff.”
“After that move, I maybe played a little on defense, and then when I was 12 years old, I told my parents to tell people that I don’t play football anymore I just play quarterback.”
Nelson hit 85 of 115 passes for 1,513 yards and 23 touchdowns against four interceptions in six games.
“I’m definitely a pro-style quarterback,” said Nelson. “I mean, who cares about the label. I don’t like to run necessarily, but I can definitely make plays with my legs to get the first down when it calls for it.”
“I think being smart and in the right mind when you are in the pocket is the most important thing. I think realizing when you are in the right situation is the most important. I mean I don’t consider myself a duel threat by any means, but I can run if needed to.”
Now that COVID is behind teams that are vaccinated, Nelson’s workouts have returned to normal.
“I have been staying pretty local,” said Nelson. “I have been getting with my receivers and throwing a bunch this summer. It’s going to be our first full season, and we will have to stay healthy the entire year. We need to stretch every day and be ready to go.”
“We are on a break right now, but we come back August 2nd. We are excited to get rolling; all of us are. We are doing well, and we are all doing our part to get ready for the season. I am doing a lot to prepare for the season, and we are going to be ready to go.”
Nelson announced on CBS.com, and does he get a 15-yard penalty for this?
“That was a super exciting time,” said Nelson. “They asked me to do it and said we were going to go live and make it official. I think I said after the broadcast that a lot of people knew that I was going to Oklahoma. It was exciting for me and my family to do that show and make it official. I was excited for my family and all my friends that got a chance to watch it.”
“That was fun to do that show, and it was great all my family and friends got a chance to see it.”
Weekend Visit List Updated | Some VIP’s Heading to Norman
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 29, 2021
As you know, the Sooners are set to host another visit weekend this weekend.
While this weekend is not on the same scale as the June version of ‘ChampUBBQ’ the addition of Chris McClellan who K talked about this morning and the continued confidence in Gentry Williams showing up make this an even more important event.
Super K already covered the McClellan part so I won’t really go into that other than to say OU could do themselves a big favor by putting on a nice visit for him and working towards additional visits at the very least.
As far as Gentry goes, in speaking with James, he is sensing that OU is making some gains here and ‘OU likes where things are trending here’. James also points to the connection between Micah Tease and Gentry as a positive factor for OU at this time.
Adding Helms and Sexton to the list of commits who will be in town is also a positive for Oklahoma as there will now be at least six commits on campus this weekend.
22 RB Camden Royal – 5’10 175 – Minneapolis, MN
’22 DB Commit – Robert Spears Jennings – 6’1 195 – Broken Arrow, OK
’22 DB Commit – Xavion Brice – 6’1 175 – Arlington, TX
’22 DB Commit – Jayden Rowe – 6’3 210 – Tulsa, OK
’23 DB Target – Micah Tease – 5’11 175 – Tulsa, OK
’23 OL Target – Andre Cojoe – 6’6 330 – Arlington, TX
’23 OL Target – Joshua Bates – 6’3 280 – Durango, CO
’22 K Commit Gavin Marshall – 6’2 190 – Frisco, TX
’23 TE Jaxon Howard – 6’4 245 – Minneapolis, MN
’23 DB Braylon Johnson – 6’0 155 – Highland Springs, VA
’23 OL Harris Sewell – 6’4 290 – Odessa, TX
’23 DB Braxton Myers – 6’1 185 – Coppell, TX
’24 EDGE Zion Taylor – 6’2 210 – Pearland, TX
’24 DL David Stone – 6’4 240 – Oklahoma City, OK
Added July 29th
’23 WR Ashton Cozart – 6’3 180 – Flower Mound, TX
’22 TE Commit – Kaden Helms – 6’6 222 – Bellevue, NE
’22 OL Commit – Jacob Sexton – 6’5 285 – Edmond, OK
’22 DB Korbyn Green – 6’1 173 – Owasso, OK
’23 WR Sedrick Frazier – 5’9 160 – Edmond, OK
’22 DB Gentry Williams – 6’0 170 – Tulsa, OK
’22 DL Chris McClellan – 6’3 295 – Owasso, OK
As usual, there will be changes to the visitor list. Some will not make it in and some others will show up.
We will do our best to keep you updated.
Kaden Helms | OU Was a ‘No-Brainer for Me’
–James Hale – Posted on: July 28, 2021
One of the biggest positions of need for the Sooners in recruiting is tight end, and H-back and OU received some great news at those positions when three-star Kaden Helms (6’5, 222) of Bellevue (West), Nebraska, committed to the Sooners.
“My biggest thing about being part of the Sooner family is that I felt the most at home when I was down there on my visit,” said Helms on my radio show Total Sports at KREF Radio in Norman or sportstalk1400.com. “I get along with Coach Riley and Coach Joe-Jon (Finley) really well. I got to know all the players.”
“I just like the atmosphere when I was down there. it was a no-brainer for me.”
Helms knew about Oklahoma’s need at tight end and H-back, and the Sooners started recruiting him early.
“Yeah, I would definitely say so,” said Helms. “Obviously, they are a prestigious school, and I was high on them the whole time before they offered me. In the back of my head, I was always thinking Oklahoma.”
“For me, the biggest thing I just needed to get down there and see everything. Once we got there and saw how great OU was, we decided to make the move.”
Helms trainer and mentor is Yano Jones, who has been with the Bellevue native throughout his entire athletic career.
“Oklahoma is going to get a young man that is very passionate about what he does,” said Mr. Jones. “He is very knowledgable, and he knows the game. Kaden is an individual that can get in and out of breaks. He is good at running routes, and your tight-end coach and your wide receiver coach may end up fighting for him for their positions.”
“Kaden has the amazing ability to play receiver; he is that versatile of a player. He can read defenses, and one of the things he is really good at is how he gets in and out of his breaks. His stems and his routes, and he knows how to stack. Kaden understands he has to catch the ball, and he attacks the ball when it’s in the air.”
“So, this young man, when I tell him that he is going to do this workout today, he gets himself into the situation where he is ready to get after it. When I set up a workout plan for him, Kaden is always prepared to do it. He works so hard that are times that I have to keep him from coming over the garage; that is what we call our workout area because he is always working on getting better.”
“That’s is just the way that Kaden wants to approach his career because the goal for him is not just for him to get to Oklahoma but to contribute right away. I think he is doing everyone that he needs to do to prove that with is high school coaches, as well as with me with his extracurricular training.”
Helms is another big receiver that is more of a receiver right now than a natural tight end.
“I feel I can really do both,” said Helms. “I think I bring a lot to the table with my versatility. In high school right now, I am playing both wide receiver and tight end. I am moving all over the field in our offense.”
“That was something that Coach Riley really expressed that he liked about me. He was stressing to me that he wants me to be a versatile receiver for him once I get down too, Norman. I would say I do both.”
Just like most teams that work out of the spread offense, Helms is working in an offense that is very similar to what OU is running.
“We run a lot of spread offense right now, but we have our goal line stuff as well where we run some tight end. Even when we are out in the middle of the field, we will get into some tight end sets. We are in some 12 personnel sometimes because we have another tight end on our team that just committed to Auburn (Micah Riley-Ducker).”
“I do block from the tight end position, so it’s not something that I have to think about. I block all the time at the line of scrimmage.”
Helms will grow into a legitimate tight end at OU.
“I think he will easily put on, knowing the strength and conditioning coaches at OU; being a former coach myself, I think he will easily put on 20 pounds,” said Mr. Jones. “He’s also going to improve his speed. Right now, he is sitting at about 4.59, and we can legitimately get his speed lower than that. I think he can break the 4.5 barrier with his work ethic.”
“With the 20 pounds of muscle that he will probably gain, and along with the workouts plus nutrition plan that will be put in place for him at OU, he will get bigger, stronger, and faster in college. You look at his frame right now, and you compare Kaden with that kid from Florida (Jeremy Pitts). I am telling you he is ahead of that kid.”
“Just knowing that he still has one more year of high school, so when you think about getting this year and then a year or two at Oklahoma with that strength coach (Bennie Wylie) who is an amazing individual. Wow, that is going to be so beneficial for Kaden. I had a chance to talk to Coach Wylie, and he is a very spiritual individual, and I see some amazing things that he has done with his players at OU.”
“I hope that you get three years out of him. If Kaden gets in there and does what he does from a standpoint of focus, it will be hard, but I think the kid is special. I don’t think I’ve seen a kid with this size and this athleticism in the Nebraska area in a long time. I work with some of the top players in the metro. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid at 6’5, 220 run a 4.6 and move athletically like he can.”
“In fact, I can look back at any player that has come through the area and say with confidence that we have never had an athlete like Kaden.”
Helms has always liked Oklahoma, and when he got a chance to hang around the program that sealed the deal for him.
“I was ready to sign when I had a talk with Coach Riley at the end of my visit,” said Helms. “He was talking about his values and why he coaches. For a lot of coaches nowadays, their goals are to coach their way into the NFL, but his goal is to work with these younger individuals and form them into better men and better people.”
“He really likes that part of the game. Just knowing that he’s not really planning to go anywhere was important to me. I get along with all the staff, and they made me feel at home.”
“Another thing is that Norman is my vibe. The town is not too chaotic, but if you want to go out and do something with your friends, you can go out to Oklahoma City 30 minutes away. Oklahoma was a perfect fit for me.”
Coach Finley was a very good player at OU, and he’s played a few years in the NFL, and that experience played well for Helms.
“Coach Joe-Jon and I talk every day. Today I sent him some clips of my 7 V 7 games, and he gave me some pointers. He always sends me pictures of him and his family out on his boat. I love coach Joe-Jon.”
Helms was also impressed with the NIL possibilities at OU.
“I think it is a really good thing for the players, but I worry that it will affect teams negatively if they don’t handle it the right way,” said Helms. “I really like that at Oklahoma; they really preach using the NIL for more of a team purpose than an individual statistic. I really liked that.”
“They want the team to benefit instead of certain individuals. It’s going to be a good thing at Oklahoma the way they are handling it.”
A huge trust between OU and the Helms family has developed.
“During the visit, it was amazing to see the family-like atmosphere,” said Mr. Jones. “When we had a chance to do the Champ U BBQ, that was pretty significant. Those guys that came back that are in the NFL or were great former players came back and just enjoyed each other’s time. Kaden and I had a chance to sit back, watch them interact with each other, and easily fit in with the families and players who attended the BBQ, which gave us a strong sense of family atmosphere.”
“I think that is important, and there was also a strong spiritual side that we were able to witness and be a part of. That was especially true when I met with the strength coach, that was pretty significant. His passion and his dedication to God and Jesus Christ, and I know those things are important to Kaden and his mom.”
“I wanted to make sure that he steps onto a place where the coach and the staff keep him connected with God and keep him grounded for personal and professional reasons. That was a strong draw for Kaden to OU, along with the competition level that he is going to see on the field.”
“We always say in coaching that iron-sharpens-iron and Kaden and I had the conversation about what if OU next year signs a four-star or five-star tight end? We always think about ourselves that life is all about competition. Life is about pushing yourself to be the best that you can be.”
“If your goal is to look for opportunities to go to the NFL, why not welcome the competition that you are going to see at OU? To have individuals who come in and push you day-in-and-day-out and coaches that will push you to be the best player you can be is a major plus. Joe-Jon Finley has been great talking about that. You talk about where he has been and what he had done during his career. It is great all the things that he brings to the table.”
“That and Oklahoma being so close to the Midwest where his friends and family can watch him play, and now they can throw the Horns Down. A lot of the Husker fans are upset that he never really considered Nebraska, but we wanted Kaden to pick a school that he’s comfortable with. It’s not about anybody else but him and how he felt. He prayed on it, and in his heart, OU was where he wanted to be.”
“My principal even called me and gave me the Boomer! We are just excited for him, and we are going to be switching channels between the Huskers and the Sooners all the time. Now, however, when they play the Huskers, we will have to be Boomer Sooner!”
The problem for the Huskers is that they are having trouble holding the best players in their state like Helms.
“I never really considered Nebraska,” said Helms. “I really wanted to experience college life outside of the state. I wanted to get out and meet new people and see new faces. I never had Nebraska in my top three or four, and their coaches knew that from the beginning.”
“I can’t wait to get up to Norman and start being a Sooner.”
Helms and three-star Jason Llewellyn (6’5, 240) of Aledo, Texas, give the Sooners two much-needed tight end types and don’t ‘be surprised if OU doesn’t take one more big body receiver in 2022 or at least two more in the 2023 class.
