Open Post | Weekend, January 28th – 30th
Posted on: January 28, 2022
Junior Day | Visitors of Note
-: Charlie S – Posted on: January 27, 2022
Putting a list together of the guys OU is expecting to make their way to Norman this weekend for the Sooners first Junior Day.
I will say the list is not going to be massive and after talking to a bunch of recruits, it sounds like March 5th will be another Junior Day type of event.
There will be some serious talent rolling into town this week still as you know we have already mentioned the likes of Tre Wisner, Micah Tease, and Jackson Arnold.
This list is by no means complete and there will be additions as well as some guys who cannot make it who are currently on the list:
Jackson Arnold – QB – Denton, TX – OU Commit
Josh Bates – OL – Durango, CO – OU Commit
Tre Wisner – RB – Waco, TX
Micah Tease – ATH – Tulsa, OK
Bai Jobe – EDGE – Norman, OK
Jacobe Johnson – ATH – Mustang, OK
Ashton Cozart – WR – Flower Mound, TX
Jaydon Chatman – OL – Harker Heights, TX
Logan Reichert – OL – Kansas City, MO
Cayden Lee – WR – Kennesaw, GA
Knijeah Harris – OL – IMG Academy
Derrick LeBlanc – DL – Kissimmee, FL
Whitt Weeks – LB – Watkinsville, GA
Erik McCarty – ATH – Mcalester, OK
Will update when we have more information!
’23 QB Jackson Arnold | The Commitment
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 25, 2022
The Sooners picked up a huge commitment yesterday from ’23 QB Jackson Arnold (6’1 195) out of Denton, TX
I say ‘huge’ in regard to the commitment for several reasons, which I will get into a bit down below.
Shortly before he announced his decision, I was able to catch up with him to ask him about making the call for OU.
I asked Jackson why OU and why now? He said “OU is the place to be no doubt about it. I knew it was a special place the moment I stepped onto campus. The previous relationship I had with Coach Lebby helped make the decision even easier.”
Being a recruit in the ’23 class, we all know there is a lot of time between now and his signing day. I asked him if he considered himself ‘done’ with the recruiting process or if he still planned on keeping his options open. Jackson said ‘I pretty much see myself as done with the process unless something crazy happens like a major coaching change or something. But I don’t see that happening.”
I spoke to some people around Guyer and asked if they felt that Arnold is a guy that they believed would be an active recruiter and each of them indicated that they believed he would be a very active recruiter.
I asked Jackson if he viewed himself as a guy who would be active on the trail and if there were any guys he was already working on and he said, “Haha I think you already know the answer to that! But for real, I’ve already started recruiting Peyton (Bowen – ’23 Safety committed to ND) and some other receivers.”
It sounds like the Sooners new staff got the exact guy they needed to help rebuild that once stellar ’23 class. Not only is Arnold a baller on the field, but he is also a guy that recruits want to play with and has the personality and desire to be an active recruiter.
This brings me to another reason why this commitment is huge for Oklahoma.
Mike Roach knows his stuff in the recruiting circles, particularly in the DFW area. That Tweet above is just one indication from the Texas media (probably the only acknowledgment you will see outside of TFB Texas) of just how significant this move was for OU.
Arnold gives OU a recruiting lightning rod in the DFW area. An area that is absolutely packed with talent in the ’23 class.
As Darius said, Arnold is a ‘Super competitive kid that comes from a high-quality program. He consistently displays moxie out on the field when things break down and he’s got a lot of that “it” factor to him that folks love to talk about.’ That goes for on and off the field and that can only help OU with recruiting in the region.
Look at some of the names in the DFW region in the ’23 class and you will get a better idea of what I am talking about:
***DE – David Hicks – Allen
***LB – Anthony Hill – Denton Ryan
***WR – Ashton Cozart – Flower Mound Marcus
***S- Ryan Yaites – Denton Guyer
***DB – Peyton Bowen – Denton Guyer
***CB – Chance Rucker – Denton Ryan
***CB – Javien Toviano – Arlington Martin
***WR – Johntay Cook – DeSoto
***CB – Jayvon Thomas – South Oak Cliff
***CB – Malik Muhammad – South Oak Cliff
***OL – Markis Deal – Naaman Forest
***DB – Jamel Johnson – Arlington Seguin
***OL – Isaiah Robinson – Arlington Lamar
***CB – Deldrick Madison – Duncanville
All those guys listed above are guys that OU has either offered or have an interest in.
Securing Arnold doesn’t mean OU will get all of them or even any of them. The Sooners will still have to do the leg work and recruit them all.
But having the best QB in the state of Texas in the class doing his share of recruiting for you is never a bad thing. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
By locking up Arnold, every member of the OU staff was given another arrow for their quiver to pull out on the recruiting trail when needed.
Arnold will be in Norman this weekend for Junior day and he will be looking to start the process of building this class.
You give Ted Roof more arrows…phew…well, that’s not something you want to have happen if you are trying to recruit against the Sooners.
Quick Hitter | ’23 RB Tre Wisner
– Charlie S – Posted on: January 25, 2022
Quick note I thought you all would appreciate on ’23 RB Tre Wisner (5’11 180) out of Waco, TX.
As you likely know from our previous reporting, the Sooners have long been a favorite for the stud running back. He has been to Norman on several occasions and was very close to committing to OU at one point. That momentum cooled, momentarily, when the staff changes went down in Norman.
I was checking in with him a few minutes ago, asking if he would be in Norman this weekend for the junior day, and he confirmed he would be. That is obviously good news, but he added a note that I think you will all enjoy.
We were going back and forth and I asked him if Sooners running back coach DeMarco Murray has stayed strong with him throughout the changes. Tre said “Yessir! That’s my man, always and forever. He is a true role model in all aspects of life!”
Remember when folks were questioning DeMarco’s recruiting chops? That was before he landed Eric Gray from the portal and Gavin Sawchuk, Jovanate Barnes out of high school and got DeAndre Moore to remain committed. Oh, he also played a huge role in retaining Jake Taylor along with a few others. Good times.
Sourced | Team Notes | Winter Workouts
– Super K – Posted on: January 26, 2022
***I know you’ve been seeing some of the tweets from the big guys about the challenging workouts Schmitty has had the players going through but I want to offer you some details to perhaps clarify what it all means…
***One of the issues some had with Schmitty’s workouts during his first tenure at OU is that there was perhaps too much emphasis on conditioning. In a sport like football, explosion is the premium trait. The game is played in short spurts.
***Wiley’s staff actually emphasized (and I sense overemphasized) conditioning as well. As one source said, there wasn’t enough emphasis on speed and explosion and too much emphasis on conditioning. Once source asked, rhetorically, “Did you ever see receivers separate? We weren’t a fast team.”
***I’ve had two very pleasant surprises so far with this new staff. First, coach Venables is clearly not going to be as stingy as he made it seem in his first presser with high school and portal offers. In my estimation that is a very good thing…
***Secondly, I was told yesterday that Schmidty seems to have modified his methods and there is now less emphasis on conditioning and more emphasis on speed and explosion…
***In fact, I was told there is a lot less conditioning work (longer runs, etc) under Schmitty and co than there were under Riley. Sources indicate that Schmidty and his team are emphasizing technique and shorter explosive runs/movements with proper recovery time. More on that in a moment.
***One of the reasons you’ve seen a lot of offensive linemen who are in pain is because Schmity is emphasizing greater strength and simply put, these guys were not physically developed as well under the previous regime. They are being pushed in the weight room to a different point. This isn’t about them puking running up and down the field. This is about building a powerful base and that process is obviously taxing.
***So in terms of scheduling, it sounds in the approximately 1.5 hours of the players workouts, a big emphasis (maybe 50 minutes of the workout) is allocated to lifting. The rest of the time is speed and conditioning and while there is conditioning, again, the emphasis on speed and technique is heavy. I gather that they alternate between speed and conditioning so on speed days, running and technique is first and weights after that. On endurance days that’s flipped.
***It also sounds like Schmidty has significantly added to his brain trust. I’m told that former Nebraska and Vanderbilt head strength and conditioning coach, James Dobson who was recently hired by the Sooners is a major major part of the S&C program now. I haven’t confirmed this yet but I get the sense he’s a significant part of the S&C programming.
***What hasn’t changed is Schmidty’s commitment to accountability. He doesn’t berate the kids and there isn’t a bunch of yelling. You either do it right or do it again. There’s nothing else to discuss.
***There is also no favoritism shown. Everyone is treated the same. The sense was that wasn’t necessarily the case with the previous regime.
***Additionally, Schmidty still puts a heavy emphasis on doing what you’re supposed to do without excuses. If you say you can’t go because you’re injured, you better really be injured.
***Many of you will recall that I quickly turned bearish on the previous regime and left plenty of hints regarding it. So far, I’m very encouraged by what I’m hearing about Schmidty 2.0 and the staff he has brought with him.
Sourced | Note on New Transfer Tyler Guyton
– CJ Vogel – Posted on: January 27, 2022
I was out at Manor High School this morning where I was able to speak with Head Coach James Keller.
Keller was the head coach at Manor during Guyton’s high school days.
Guyton has a basketball background and was relatively new to football when he committed to TCU out of high school. He is very raw at the position but possesses tons of athleticism. At 6’7″ and 340 lbs, Guyton is a massive prospect who has a rare ability to move at that size.
I was told OL Coach Bill Bedenbaugh jumped all over the opportunity to land Guyton when he originally entered the portal. Luckily, Guyton has plenty of time to get his technique and pass protection down as he likely will not be thrown into the fire immediately.
Regardless, the upside for Guyton is very, very high. Bedenbaugh has a new project to mend and mold and if it all goes well, he will find himself on the line very soon. Impressive addition out of the portal for the Sooners.
Josh Conerly | Update
– Super K – Posted on: January 27, 2022
***As you know, the Sooners recently hosted 5-star Josh Conerly (Seattle, WA) for an official visit.
I checked in with Conerly’s father. I got the sense that the visit made OU a real possibility for them.
***Conerly came just before OU had brought in their on-campus recruiting director and they still have some hires to go. So I can tell you that the visit wasn’t quite as organized as it would be or will be. But despite that Conerly’s father said, “Coach B and coach Venables were A+”
They loved the facilities (especially the dorms). I think the Sooners really hit a home run with their NIL presentation.
Conerly isn’t signing until March so there is still some time in this one.
***Based on what I’m hearing the schools to watch are USC, Oregon, Michigan and now potentially Oklahoma. Some feel Conerly is likely to stay on the West Coast so that his family can make it to all his games. I’m told that’s important to him.
***However, what NIL thing does is help players help their family with travel.
***We believe the Sooners are in this one but I’m hoping to get a confirmation of that later today. I’ll report back when I hear.
