Open Post | Weekend, March 4th – 6th
Posted on: March 3, 2022
Working List | March 5th Visitors
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 1, 2022
The Sooners will be hosting a couple of big visit weekends in March, the first being March 5th (the Second being March 26th).
Below, we have a working list of visitors we have confirmed for the March 5th weekend.
There will be additions to the list as there are a bunch of names who we are still waiting on confirmation from before throwing their names out there as ‘possible’.
Thee will also be a bunch of ’24 and ’25 kids and we will bring you some of those names closer to the weekend, but for the most part, we will be focusing on the 2023 class:
Again…the list will expand, so if you don’t see someone on there at this point, they likely just have not confirmed with us that they will be in town.
Obviously, we will update the list when appropriate!
Reminder…all of these visits are ‘unofficial’ which means the recruits and their families are footing the bill to get to Norman. Pretty impressive.
*OL Josh Bates – Commit
*WR Ashton Cozart – Commit
*QB Jackson Arnold – Commit – *Probable
*ATH Eric McCarty – Commit
*RB Richard Young – Lehigh Acres, FL
*RB Dylan Edwards – Derby, KS
*OL Cayden Green – Lees Summit, MO
*OL Wilkin Formby – Tuscaloosa, AL
*DL Kayden McDonald – Suwanee, GA
*DB Micah Tease – Tulsa, OK
*DB Moussa Kane – Blairstown, NJ
*DB Jayden Bonsu – Hillside, NJ
*S Tyre Young – Pittsburgh, PA – UPDATE: Now visiting March 26th
*LB S’Maje Burrell – Fort Worth, TX
*ATH Anthony White – Abernathy, TX
*LB Derion Gullette – Marlin, TX
*DT Edric Hill – Kansas City, MO
*EDGE Adepoju Adebawore -Kansas City, MO
*OL Miles McVay – East St Louis, MO
*DB Landon Hale – Yulee, FL
*DL Colton Vasek – Austin, TX
*ATH Mikal Harrison-Pilot – Temple, TX
Nick Evers | A Family’s Journey – Part Three | Giving Back
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 1, 2022
The past two and half months have been one of the most tumultuous periods in the long and storied history of the Oklahoma Sooners football program. One of the stories that I feel has not garnered enough attention is that of ’22 Oklahoma signee Nick Evers. Evers is an exceptional talent at quarterback and was a long-time commit of the Florida Gators prior to signing with Oklahoma.
I was looking to cover Nick’s journey to Norman from a different perspective as this was an unprecedented situation for all of the parties involved.
I was able to connect with Nick’s mom, Monica Evers, to get a sense of how it came to be that their son found himself at OU and what their journey, as a family, was like.
Monica was incredibly gracious with her time and I am going to present you all with a series of posts documenting their journey to Norman.
In PART ONE, we covered the ‘Speed Dating’ aspect of the compressed recruiting process between the Sooners and the Evers which led to Nick committing and signing with Oklahoma.
In PART TWO, we spoke about finding comfort and peace in the decision for Nick to head to Norman for his college career.
Here is part three:
With the rapid recruitment over and the decision made, Monica and I turned our conversation towards what the future may hold for Nick at Oklahoma.
A big part of her son’s future will be charted by the head of the program in Norman, Brent Venables, and that is not lost on Monica. In fact, it is just another positive aspect of the family’s journey in her opinion.
As we have covered, rather thoroughly, the consensus about Venables is that he is a genuine dude if he is anything and he seems to be able to relate with just about everybody.
When it comes to ‘everybody’ feeling like Venables is genuine, Monica believes the litmus test is the younger people and their opinions. She said “I think if any leader is smart, they are going to realize your toughest audience is going to be young people, contrary to what many believe’
She added, “I look at it this way, I look at young people as the closest thing to God because they’ve not been out of that realm for very long, they haven’t been on this earth as long. Because they don’t have a lot of earned wisdom, they rely on how things feel. I think it would behoove anyone who deals with young people, even just people in general, to know that you can’t fake it with young people. They will see right through it”.
As a long-time former coach of high school/early college-age athletes, and being a parent myself, I told Monica I could not agree with her more. We went back and forth on that topic, but we always came back to the same conclusion…it is much more difficult to fool the youth than it is the older people we associate with. People hear what they want to hear, and the older one gets, the more willing they are to almost blindly take what they want from any conversation and focus on that aspect of it, while many younger people have not honed that aspect of their social interactions and they are more in touch with their internal emotions of the conversation on hand. So while it may not actually be ‘fooling’ our older associates, they generally do not have the same visceral internal reaction that younger people do when they feel like something is not ‘right’.
Monica said “They go with what they feel because they don’t necessarily have that built-in wisdom of the world. They are gonna be like ‘This dude just doesn’t feel right…he talks about family, communication, and respect, yet he acts completely different. Nick has noted that about different situations. He has pointed out that certain places have spoken all those words yet acted completely different. They (the young people) aren’t easily fooled. They know it, they may not be able to put their finger on it, or eloquently express what they are feeling, or what is making them feel that way, but they convey it in different ways.”
We waded back into the recruiting realm as our conversation continued and Monica provided some terrific context to where this was heading. She said, “People say ‘Well you know kids can be duped with contracts and such’ and yes they can because that is an inanimate object and you can’t feel the words that are on the paper but they can get a feel for how you interact with them and how you come across to them.”
What really stands out about the new vibe in Norman is the fact that there is so much ‘buy-in’ early on from the kids. Having written a ton of articles and spoken to a large number of parents and recruits involved with OU over the last four years, it almost got to the point where I could write the articles without even having to listen to what they were saying. It had gotten to the point of a cliche that OU was ‘all about family’ and ‘they really show the love’ when one visits Norman.
I’m here to tell you, through conversations with people like Monica and recruits from across the country, that the vibe is entirely different. I guess the easiest way for me to put it at this point is…looking back, I wish I was more like the ‘young people’ over the last few years of covering OU. I heard the words of the people I was interviewing or sources I was talking to…but after hearing those same sources and people speak since Brent Venables has been in town…yeah, something wasn’t right. It felt very much like people saying what they felt they were supposed to say about OU. Today, right now, it’s a different feeling. Genuine is the best way I can describe it.
Monica said, “These kids, it’s not the parents who are in front of this feeling they get from the OU program, it’s the athletes, and because it is the athletes who feel this way, I am looking forward to witnessing amazing things coming from this program”.
She went on to say, “I mean you have a kid from Oklahoma, an in-state player, who recently accepted a PWO offer from Oklahoma over a full scholarship offer from another program…so what does that tell you? That tells you that he felt something and that starts with Brent Venables and what he is doing there.”
The overwhelming sense emanating from Norman is that Brent Venables is elevating the entire program with the way he goes about life. Not just football, but life.
She said, “They’re going to do big things here. These coaches are going to get the utmost out of this team, on and off the field, and I’m excited to just be able to be a part of it on the periphery and watch the kids and the program grow and evolve. I am excited for my son to be part of it all.”
One of the newer aspects of big-time college football that players and families are now presented with dealing with is the Name Image and Likeness opportunities that exist. NIL provides athletes the opportunity to monetarily capitalize on their name, image, and likeness, and for some kids, that is one of the prime focuses. For others, not so much. Consider Nick among the ‘not so much’ crowd. However, the fact that Nick was not basing his decision on NIL, it does not mean that he will not take advantage of it…in large part for the benefit of others.
Shortly after he signed with Oklahoma, Evers announced a NIL partnership deal with the ‘Make a Wish’ foundation in which all of the proceeds, 100% of them, will go directly to the foundation.
Monica walked me through the partnership. She said “Nick is a Brand Ambassador for the Make a Wish Foundation. Because this is a new thing in general, and a new space, they are trying to figure this out as they go. Make a Wish is a program that is in alignment with Oklahoma and their values so everyone is doing their best to make this flourish and compliance is on board with Nick using the Oklahoma branding and logo and whatnot.”
That is a pretty big deal as OU does not let every athlete use their imaging and logos in their NIL deals. Oklahoma has a pretty rigid vetting process to go through in order to use their branding, but in this case, it took no time at all for Evers to be given the green light.
She added, “Nick is still trying to figure out what this will look like as it is a work in progress, but any proceeds from his involvement with Make a Wish at any function or event or appearance will go directly to the foundation.” She continued, “The bigger picture may include other NIL opportunities on the periphery who want to work with Nick and OU to support a fundraiser or event for the Make A Wish foundation which would be something outside of the ‘Walk for Wishes’ or ‘Wish Night’ which is each chapter’s largest fundraiser. Giving back is his focus and this partnership with Make A Wish is a way to turn his good fortune into a benefit for others as well”.
Obviously, this is not something Nick had to do. He could have easily signed with some local car dealership, picked up a new truck or car, and happily gone on his way. But that was not in his DNA. Monica and her husband Derrick have been long-time supporters of Make a Wish and, again, some people may be surprised on what rubs off on their children or young people they support.
Monica said, “This kind of caught me off guard (the NIL/Make a Wish deal) I’m going to be honest. I didn’t recognize this was going to be on the table. I mean, Nick and his siblings have always been around all the events that Derrick and I have done in the past. We have been heavily involved with Make a Wish for years and right up until the start of COVID. Derrick sat on the board, I was a sponsorship chair for our chapters ‘Make a Wish Night’, we just had a lot of involvement. I mean, the kids would come to the events here and there, but it’s not like we would take them to every meeting or anything like that.”
She continued by saying, “It caught me off guard when he said he wanted to do this. Not because he is not a philanthropic person, but more because I didn’t realize he was paying much attention along the way. So I guess this is just a true testament that kids really do pay attention to what their parents, and those who support them, do.”
As mentioned previously, Nick is not a person who wears his heart on his sleeve. As Monica said ‘He’s just a chill kid’ so this was not something his parents necessarily expected, but I don’t get the feeling they were surprised when it was all set up.
Monica said, “He was not a kid who I would say had a load of questions about what we were doing at the time. But he was paying attention and observing. He spoke at a function I was working, which was a ‘Wish Night’. We had kids at the table who were dealing with life-threatening conditions, and I think that had a resounding impact on both him and his brother. They were kind of in the position where they were thinking ‘wow, these are kids just like us who are dealing with a life-threatening situation and that really resonated with them.”
She added, “So this NIL situation kind of came to Nick organically. NIL wasn’t, and isn’t, something at the top of his ‘wants’ list. He has said he just really wants to focus on football, but the way this has evolved, he is able to pair a passion project with his opportunity at OU.”
Giving back to others is a selfless act. Nick is not doing this for the notoriety, he is doing it because of his notoriety and that is not lost on Monica.
She said, “I am so grateful that he is going down this road and the way it came about. I am not sure he even realizes how much of an impact he will have for Make A Wish. Every chapter is responsible for their own fundraising, they don’t get much help from the National level and COVID really devastated the programs across the country. Now, just by donating some time and coupled with his visibility at OU, he is going to be able to make a real difference, and I could not be any more proud.”
There is one other thing that she hopes will come out of this partnership between Nick and Make a Wish, “My hope is that maybe some of his teammates see what he is doing and they join in because we can never have too many people doing something for others.”
That was where we wrapped up our conversation.
When I reached out to Monica, I said ‘Hey Monica, wondering if I could get 5 minutes of your time to have a quick talk about your and Nicks’s journey to Oklahoma’ to which she graciously agreed.
We set up the call a few days later, and 45 minutes following the start of the call, I hung up the phone and just sat there. My wife walked by the office, looked in, and asked me if something was wrong.
I replied ‘No, nothing is wrong. Actually, everything is right. I am just sitting here after having been reminded why I am so grateful to have a job that I love.’
Oklahoma had a coaching change and, in my opinion, they upgraded through integrity, respect, and right action.
That head coach hired a coach to his staff who picked up a really good quarterback. A top 10 quarterback in his class.
The Sooners, and Brent Venables, added a really great player, and more importantly, they added a really great person to their program who is backed and supported by some really great people who raised him.
‘Program Guys’…all of them.
Again…
I love my job.
Quick Hitter | 2023 OL Brycen Sanders
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 26, 2022
Earlier this week, the Sooners extended an offer to 2023 offensive lineman Brycen Sanders (6’5 280) out of Chattanooga, TN (Baylor School)
I caught up with Sanders following the offer to get some quick thoughts about the offer.
Sanders told me that Sooners offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has been in regular communication with him since October of ’21 and says they have a good relationship.
Sanders told me he would like to get to Norman later on in March, but he has not locked in the date yet (assume he is working on the big March 25th weekend OU will have).
We talked about where he sees himself playing at the next level and he said ‘I’m honestly probably a true guard, but I can easily play tackle and even center’.
I asked him if he had any connection with the current crop of guys from Tennessee at OU and he said he didn’t, but noted he played against Key Lawrence as a freshman.
When I watch his film I see a strong, strong high school offensive lineman with good feet and a mean streak. Reminds me a bit of Cody Ford with his versatility as well and his style of play.
Next Level Athlete Camp | Recruiting News and Standouts
– CJ Vogel – Posted on: March 1, 2022
Plenty of the state of Texas’ best laced up and put on a show at the Next Level Athlete camp Sunday afternoon in Richardson. There were plenty of notes from the camp regarding prospects interest in Oklahoma and Texas and I will dive into some of the camp’s top performers as well.
Let’s dive on in.
*** First off the bat, Arlington Lamar OL Isaiah Robinson was named the OL MVP of the camp after a very solid performance. This was the best I had seen of Robinson, who really took a step with his aggressiveness in the 1v1’s. Robinson has all the size in the world and if he can consistently show up with performances like this, he is going to remain a highly coveted prospect.
I’ll dive into his recruitment more later in the week, but Oklahoma and Texas are schools that are standing out early here and he mentioned his relationship with Bill Bedenbaugh in particular.
I’d like to see Robinson live in the weight room this offseason, I think some extra weight in the lower body would do wonders for him.
*** An athlete to keep and eye on moving forward is Argyle’s Riley Van Poppel, who was named the camp’s DL MVP. At 6’5″ and 270 lbs, Van Poppel showed off some furious hands at the camp, winning just about every 1v1 he took part in. With offers from TCU, SMU, Colorado, Nebraska and Houston, he certainly falls into the potential offer category for both OU and Texas.
*** Mansfield Timberview OL Andre Cojoe still has a lot of work to do technically, but he is as athletic as any OL in attendance and showed off some dominance Sunday afternoon. Definitely worth the take.
*** Allen had a slew of talent in attendance as well who seemingly all did well.
DT and I talked a bit about this when the camp first started, but DJ Hicks has to be pushing 265-270 lbs currently. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is looking more and more like his future will be at 3-tech instead of on the edge. Regardless, the athleticism at that size borders on cheat code for this age.
Hicks has a habit to get nicked a bit in these camp settings. Similarly to Alfred Collins, Hicks relies too much on bull rushing without a true pass rush move to get the best of the OL. Once he gets a few tricks up his sleeve, watch out.
2024 DE Zina Umeozulu had a successful showing as well. Length is the key factor for Umeozulu who had potentially the longest wingspan of the 2024 participants. Umeozulu’s future is definitely on the edge.
2024 Allen QB Michael Hawkins was the camp’s top QB, taking home QB MVP.
And the final Allen Eagle I wanted to mention was 2025 Davon Mitchell. Already at 6’3″ and 210 lbs, Mitchell was named the camp’s TE MVP. The coaching staff at Allen is very high on him as well, will be a national recruit.
*** Texas Tech QB commit Jake Strong was superb today. The Red Raiders have already begun loading up their 2023 class and Strong looks more and more like a steal each time I see him throw the ball.
*** A few names I wanted to shed some light on who also performed well at the camp today:
- 2023 Carthage OL Keystone Allison – 6’4″ & 275 lbs. Offers from North Texas and Alcorn State.
- 2023 Port Neches Grove OL Janson Ware – some of the most violent hands of any OL in attendance. Talented kid.
- 2024 Pine Tree DL Dealyn Evans – 6’4″ & 280 lbs as a sophomore. Baylor, UCF and Arizona State have offered.
- 2023 Keller Fossil Ridge RB Landon Chambers – Lone offer from Colorado State, was really impressive today.
*** DT can talk a bit more on these two but Keith Abney and DT McCoy had themselves two very strong performances.
*** The WR MVP went to 2024 Lorena WR Jadon Porter who was simply unguardable. Porter has two offers from Oklahoma State and Baylor, a list that will certainly grow following the performance he put on this weekend.
Unofficial Visitors | What a Difference
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 1, 2022
As the NCAA dead period has come to an end, programs around the country are set to host recruits for unofficial visits.
In the past, the Sooners have hosted ‘Junior Day’ weekends.
However, the size and scope of the events are much different.
All one has to do is take a look at one of the recent junior day lists (from 2020) ‘Second Junior Day’
Nice list…but one thing you notice is that they are all regional kids.
I went back to 2018…Alex King put a junior day list together…2018 Junior Day
Again…the vast majority were regional kids.
Now…when you look at this week’s visitor list HERE you see quite the difference…(March 25th weekend has potential to be even bigger)
You have visitors from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama to name a few places to go along with the regional visitors.
Mind you…this list, the one we have up, is not complete and we are only focusing on the ’23 kids at this point.
There will be a ton of ’24 kids heading to Norman from across the country as well.
This is one turn of events that should not be lost on you.
For years it seemed like every big time program across the country had kids coming in ‘on their own dimes’ for multiple visits while OU just never seemed to be able to pull it off at that same level.
Times have changed in Norman, and they will continue to evolve.
Now, I am not saying that this change will immediately lead to multiple commits from players around the country.
But it is a tremendous step in the right direction.
Very similar to what the guys over at Clemson *cough – Thad Turnipseed* were able to make happen and it paid off for them eventually.
TFB Late Night | New ’23 Offer | Tyler Turner
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 1, 2022
Earlier this evening the Sooners extended an offer to ’23 DB Tyler Turner (6’0 180) out of San Antonio, Texas (Brennen)
I caught up with him briefly and he let me know that he plans to head back (yes back) to Norman at some point during the spring. He will not be able to make it in this weekend, but he is hoping to possibly get back on campus when he heads to the UA camp in Dallas during his spring break week of March 14th-18th.
Turner has already visited Norman this winter as he made it to campus for the most recent Junior Day just prior to the dead period. Turner told me ‘Coach Hall is my guy and the campus is beautiful’.
One of the guys I trust most when it comes to evaluating a prospect is Alex King. As soon as turner tweeted out the offer, Alex text me ‘Big fan of Tyler Turner man’. He went on to let me know he saw him at a Baylor camp he was at and mentioned that he really stood out in his 1v1’s at the camp.
Alex also mentioned he was a fan of his film, and after checking it out, I can see why:
So while he is not able to make it in this weekend at this time, he is a guy that is actively looking to get back to Norman. He is definitely going to be a guy to keep an eye on going forward.
Quick Hitter | ’23 RB Dylan Edwards
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 2, 2022
The Sooners were expecting to host ’23 RB Dylan Edwards out of Derby, Kansas, for another unofficial visit this weekend.
However, after seeing this tweet…
I reached out to Dylan and he let me know that he will not be pulling a double visit weekend and he will not be making it to Norman this weekend.
Edwards was pretty short with his correspondence so I did not get much feel on what prompted the change of plans.
On the OU side, they were expecting him to be in town as recently as last night, so I don’t get the feeling that they slowed things down, but we will check on that front.
DeMarco Murray is still scheduled to be a busy man this weekend as the Sooners are still expecting to host the top running back in the country in the ’23 class in Richard Young.,
As far as where things go now with Edwards, we will be digging to find out if he will make it to campus later in the month. On that same note, I will do some digging around Tre Wisner’s camp to see if something has developed on that front as Edwards and Wisner seem to be linked a bit.
CHO23N | EDGE/OLB Big Board
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 3, 2022
Continuing to drop the Big Boards for the 2023 class.
Let’s take a look at the EDGE/Outside Linebacker targets.
***2023 EDGE/Outside Linebacker Big Board***
Malik Bryant – Jones (Orlando, FL) – 6’2 235 – Offered: 11/18/20
Tackett Curtis – Many (Many, LA) – 6’3 220 – Offered: 3/19/21
Tausili Akana – Skyridge (Lehi, UT) – 6’3 215 – Offered: 10/30/21
Tony Rojas – Fairfax (Fairfax, VA) – 6’3 205 – Offered: 12/31/21
Liona Lefau – Kahuka (Kahuka, HI) – 6’1 210 – Offered: 1/7/22
Derion Gullette – Marlin (Marlin, TX) – 6’2 220 – Offered: 1/20/22
Bobby Washington – Killian (Miami, FL) – 6’3 205 – Offered: 12/26/21
Prospects who could be included in this group who were previously listed on the ’23 Defensive Line Big Board:
Mason Robinson – McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD) – 6’3 217 – Offered: 11/5/21
Adepoju Adebawore – North Kansas City (Kansas City, MO) – 6’4 210 – Offered: 2/11/22
Nyckoles Harbor – Archbishop Carroll (Washington, DC) – 6’5 225 – Offered: 6/3/21
Bai Jobe – Community Christian School (Norman, OK) – 6’4 215 – Offered: 12/30/21
There are a few more from the Defensive Line Big Board who could bleed over to this room as well.
EDGE/Outside Linebacker Bottom Line:
At first glance of this list, the last four guys included, who were also on the Defensive Line Big Board are guys I would keep an eye on as OU is absolutely pushing for them.
In the top group, I think it is safe to take Malik Bryant out of the equation, but everyone else is still very much in play for the Sooners.
Gullette and Adebawore will be in this week, Curtis has been to campus as has Harbor. While OU is not the outright leader for those guys, they are still hanging around and communicating with all of them. I don’t get the feeling that Bobby Washington will leave Florida right now, but that is not set in stone and it is more of my gut speaking to me on that one.
I think, at the end of the day, OU lands Bai Jobe and then looks to add a combination of 2 more recruits to the EDGE/OLB room from the high school ranks. Starting off the class with Jobe, who is a tremendous athlete but very, very raw, will allow the Sooners some leeway to shoot for the stars here.
I think Miguel Chavis is positioned very well to have a solid class.
CHO23N | Linebacker Big Board
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 3, 2022
Continuing to drop the Big Boards for the 2023 class.
Let’s take a look at the Linebacker targets.
***2023 Linebacker Big Board***
Anthony Hill – Ryan (Denton, TX) – 6’2 228 – Offered: 3/1/20
Troy Bowles – Jesuit (Tampa, FL) – 6’2 210 – Offered: 12/9/21
Phil Picciotti – Pennridge (Perkasie, PA) – 6’3 225 – Offered: 10/21/21
S’Maje Burrell – North Crowley (Fort Worth, TX) – 6’1 215 – Offered: 1/31/22
CJ Allen – Lamar County Comprehensive (Barnesville, GA) – 6’1 217 – Offered: 10/21/21
Whit Weeks – Oconee County (Watkinsville, GA) – 6’2 205 – Offered: 10/27/21
Linebacker Bottom Line:
The Sooners closed the ’22 cycle with the best Linebacker class in the country. In my opinion, it wasn’t even particularly close. Kobie McKinzie, Jaren Kanak, and Kip Lewis all have incredibly high ceilings and, again, in my opinion, if developed correctly, they could each easily ascend to All-American status at their respective positions.
Brent Venables is regarded as one of, if not the best linebacker coaches in the country.
This is not all that complicated and it is one of the reasons why the Sooners are surging in Anthony Hill’s recruitment. Hill has been to OU multiple times, including recently under the new staff, and he plans on getting back to Norman again this month and I would expect there to actually be multiple visits down the line.
Now with that said, even if OU does not wind up with his signature, it does signify that OU can and will be involved with any and every linebacker they choose to engage with. Hill is one of the jewels of the class and he is being courted by everyone. So that will be a battle. OU can win it, but I am not ready to say they will.
I expect Bowles to visit. Picciotti has already visited and will be back this spring. Burrell is visiting this weekend.
I expect OU to take one true linebacker this class with the possibility of taking two very much on the table as the quality of their offers is very high. I don’t know that there are guys on here that you would not accept a commiutment from.
Burrell is a guy Alex King basically found and started pushing before he had any major offers. He now holds around two dozen offers from all around the country including offers from Ohio State, Tennessee, USC, Utah and Texas. Kid is really, really good and I will be interested to hear his thoughts following his visit.
