Open Post | Weekend, December 10th – 12th
Posted on: December 10, 2021
Quick Hitter | Ahmad Moten
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 7, 2021
Was able to touch base with ’22 DT Ahmad Moten (6’3 290 out of Fort Lauderdale, FL) who was offered by OU this morning.
Moten let me know he would be waiting to sign his NLI until February.
He also mentioned that an OV to OU would be ‘Lit’.
So I would not expect OU to rush him to town this weekend but rather set something up following the new year.
Messin With Schmidty
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 7, 2021
As many of you have heard, Brent Venables is adding former OU Head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Oklahoma Jerry Schmidt to his staff in the same position.
Schmidty was with the Sooners from 1999-2017: He left OU in 2018 to take the same position at Texas A&M.
Harroz and Castiglione said they were bringing Venables in to prepare the Sooners for the move to the SEC…so Venables went to the SEC and took one of their guys and brought him back home.
Credit the guys over at SoonerScoop with this note. Our own JY mentioned he was hearing OU was going to bring back Schmidt yesterday morning, but we were not able to confirm at that time.
Super K spoke with a source about the hire earlier this evening, source said ‘That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because Bennie was too soft on the guys’.
One thing is clear…Venables is serious about toughening up this team to prepare them for the transition to the SEC. Just remember, it is a journey to get to that point, not a sprint.
With that said…I will leave you with this…
Team Vibe | Sourced | Post BV Announcement
– Super K – Posted on: December 8, 2021
***Without being able to speak to the players, it’s tough to get a gauge on how the various players on the team are feeling about the hire and where their heads are at.
***But, I was able to chat with some sources who offered their reads on how the players, in general, seem to be reacting to the news.
***Probably the most promising thing one source opined is that the vibe seems to be that players hold Venables in such high regard that they are excited. “That name holds so much that people are excited to see what it is and what it’s going to look like.”
***One source said that for players who didn’t feel they were performing up to their perceived potential they, “want to find out if they were the problem or if it was the (previous) staff”.
***I’ve really only heard one name recently who seems to be seriously considering entering the portal and he isn’t someone who played much at all.
***Obviously there are still a lot of unanswered questions so that can change but for now it seems like people are either excited or in a wait and see mode.
***Also, I did try to get some insight into what Caleb Williams is thinking and as James had previously noted, I’m also hearing that he is very much open to staying but it’ll be contingent on the OC or I suppose at this point, how he connects with the Lebby.
2022 Recruiting Class Status
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 8, 2021
Gathering as much info as we can on the current commits in the Sooners ’22 class following the former dude fleeing to California.
I will update as we get more info in regard to each players status:
2022 current commits:
RB Gavin Sawchuk – Locked in
WR Nicholas Anderson – Source indicates he is likely to stay, Stoops and Gundy checked on him
OL Jake Taylor – Locked in
OL Jacob Sexton – Locked in
TE Kaden Helms – Locked in
TE Jason Llewellyn – Locked in
DL Cedric Roberts – On board, wouldn’t say ‘Locked in’ yet, but expect him to be part of the class
LB Kip Lewis – Locked in
DB Gentry Williams – Solid
DB Jayden Rowe – Locked in
DB Xavion Brice – Expecting an in-home today or tomorrow (Wednesday or Thursday), will be visiting Texas this weekend, very much in question IMO on both sides of the equation.
DB Robert Spears-Jennings – Locked in
Decommits Following Riley Leaving:
DL Gabe Dindy – I don’t see him coming back
LB Kobie McKinzie – OU doing in home today (Wednesday), could open the door, I don’t expect a flip back though at this time…more below.
OL Pancake Hunter – Not likely
DL Derrick Moore – Not happening
RB Raleek Brown – No
Sourced | Status of Caleb Williams
– CJ Vogel – Posted on: December 8, 2021
Hello my friends, I must commend you all on how you handled the recent coaching search. As a veteran, you guys showed real promise and I must give a round of applause.
Anyways, back to some news.
I spoke with a source regarding the status of Caleb Williams and whether or not he will return under the new staff or look elsewhere (potentially west).
The source indicated to me that at the time, Williams is “50/50” about returning to Norman under the new staff.
However, as of late, there is momentum in the “staying” category and that is where my source is leaning for the time being.
Williams has been a visitor at the introductory press conference and made an appearance at the most recent OU basketball game where he received a standing ovation.
It goes without saying, but we will see a final decision before school starts back up for the January semester.
Quick Hitter | Potential Player Retention
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 8, 2021
The Jeff Lebby hire as offensive coordinator, though not officially announced by OU, appears to be having a positive effect on at least one Sooner player who entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the regular season.
Sounds like Lebhy has caught the eye of wide receiver Theo Wease.
Not saying he will definitely stay, but we are hearing the Lebby hire caught his attention in a good way.
File that under ‘Things you like to hear’.
Update | Kobie McKinzie Post Venables Visit
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 8, 2021
Ok, so I mentioned I didn’t plan on speaking with Will Truby (Kobie’s father) this evening, but when I reached out to him to set up a call, he was gracious enough to call me at that very instant.
I cannot tell you how rare and how incredibly refreshing it is to have a recruit and his family be so unbelievably forthcoming and transparent throughout the entire process.
As for the visit…
Will could not overstate how impressed they were with Sooners head coach Brent Venables. Having no prior relationship with Venables, the family, from Will to his wife and Kobie, all did some research on Google about the man. As you all know, if you Google Brent Venables, one of the first things you will see is videos of him being extremely animated on the sidelines and his ‘get back guy’ having to pull him back.
There was no need for a ‘get back guy’ on the visit as Will mentioned how cool, calm, and collected Coach Venables was but he definitely has an air of confidence about him.
One of the things that stuck out to the family was how Coach Venables was able to speak about his credentials and accomplishments without coming off in an arrogant manner. Will said, ‘You and I both know when we go on interviews and the employer asks you to speak about yourself, most of the time we come off like idiots…that is not the case with Coach Venables. He simply spoke about the skins on his wall in a matter of fact manner…no BS and no hype”.
Coach Venables came with a selling point in mind. That point was that on his defense, it is all about the middle of the defense. Two DTs, one MLB, and two safeties. Will mentioned that having Coach Venables come into his home, and pitch his son as the focal point of his defense, with all that he accomplished, was just about the most impressive thing they have seen throughout Kobies recruitment.
Will said ‘If you have a son who is a linebacker, this is the guy you want coaching him. There may not be anyone, currently in coaching, who has a better reputation as a linebacker coach or really any other position…I don’t know that you can equate anyone more with any position than Brent Venables and the linebacker position’.
So getting to know Venables and really engaging with him for the first time was a success. Everyone was pretty wowed by the coach.
As for the status of Kobie’s recruitment? He is committed to Texas. There is currently no decision to be made. Did OU do enough to get back in this? Based on the conversation with Will, they did help themselves certainly, but the decision still is solely in Kobie’s hands.
As with every recruitment, there can be times within a family when not everybody is on the same page at the same time. Eventually, everyone generally winds up on the same page as the desire is to have the recruit, in this case, Kobie, have the best experience he can have in college ball while keeping an eye on his prospects for the next level.
One thing that did come up as we were wrapping up the conversation…OU would like Kobie to take a trip up to Norman this weekend.
As things stand tonight, Will characterized the chances of that happening as ‘possible’ rather than ‘probable’.
If this one stands as is, and Kobie signs with Texas on the 15th, it won’t be because of a lack of effort from the Sooners. Venables ‘knocked it out of the park’. The circumstances and timing of how the departure of the previous staff affected Kobie’s recruitment really put the Sooners in a difficult spot.
Will mentioned he will let me know if Kobie decides to make the trip up to Norman this weekend.
Again, Will Truby will always have a membership on this board as he has been incredibly insightful and gracious with his time and forthright with his information. Truly appreciated.
Expanding the Program | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: December 9, 2021
***Last night I mentioned that the Sooners are going to be looking to spend more money on support staff and whatnot.
***For a program like Oklahoma, the Sooners have been really behind the bigger programs in terms of support staff and a number of other amenities and things for their players.
***I will tell you that I’ve heard Lincoln had been making a number of demands that went unanswered. I think the administration knows they can’t make that mistake again.
***I’m told to look for the Sooners to double the size of their support staff.
***I was also told there may be some office expansions and redesign.
***In general, based on what I’ve been hearing, I get the sense that the penny-pinching days of OU may be over. And good riddance. While I do think the Sooners needed to do a better job in some of their hires in the past, that doesn’t change the fact that OU was understaffed and simply wasn’t able to poach off certain very talented support guys because they aren’t paying enough.
***I’m also hopeful they’ll do something to get the Sooners players tastier meals. Long story but the food issue for the football players at OU is a big one and I’m convinced is part of the reason the Sooners don’t look like some other programs. I guarantee you Bama and Georgia have chefs making some tasty food for their players. It’s hard enough to make yourself eat to grow so you’ve got to make that process as easy as can be. You want to provide your players with meals that make them not want to eat fast food and whatnot.
Kip Lewis | Full Steam Ahead to Norman
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 9, 2021
Yesterday I mentioned that Coach Venables would be down to see Sooners linebacker commit Kip Lewis.
Touched base with him following the visit and he let me know it is ‘full steam ahead to Norman’.
Big time keep for Venables and the Sooners here.
Chris McClellan | Circling Back?
– Super K – Posted on: December 9, 2021
I’m hearing that the new Sooners staff are circling back to Chris McClellan.
We got the sense the previous staff had cooled on Chris. But with Schmitty back in the program and presumably some additional development coming on the DL, Chris has the body type and quickness you’re looking for.
Don’t be surprised if Chris sneaks on campus at some point. If he doesn’t then fair to say he’s locked in to Florida.
Pair of Official Visitors Confirmed
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 9, 2021
As we mentioned yesterday HERE Jeff Lebby sent out his first offer as the Sooners OC. He delivered it in person to ’22 QB Nick Evers (6’3 188) out of Flower Mound, TX.
In that post, I mentioned that OU was trying to get the recent Florida decommit to campus this weekend, and if they did, things could move along very rapidly as Evers is planning on signing on the early signing day and he will be an early enrollee.
Lebby and Oklahoma did not stop there with the offers to former Gators commits as they extended an offer to Jayden Gibson (6’5 185) out of Winter Park, FL…who happens to be very close with Evers.
Sources confirm with Super K that Gibson will also be taking an official visit to Norman this weekend.
So, shaping up to be a nice little weekend with at least 2 potential official visitors.
Lebby getting right to work!
Update | More on McClellan
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 9, 2021
Touched base with Chris earlier this afternoon following K’s Chris McClellan | Circling Back note from earlier today.
In that note, K wrote:
‘Don’t be surprised if Chris sneaks on campus at some point. If he doesn’t then fair to say he’s locked in to Florida.’
Well, it’s no longer a surprise as McClellan let me know he will be in Norman on Friday for a visit and leaving on Saturday.
Chris added that he has been in touch with Sooners head coach Brent Venables and is looking forward to seeing what he has to say in person.
So, while getting him on campus is a good thing for OU, it does not necessarily indicate that this thing is a wrap.
McClellan will be flying down to Gainseville to meet with the new Gators staff on Sunday morning, so there is a good chance that this one will come right down to signing day no matter how it ends.
