Open Post | Weekend, March 18th – 20th
Posted on: March 18, 2022
4-Star DL out of SEC Country Eyeing a Visit
– Super K – Posted on: March 15, 2022
I’ve been down in the Alabama and Georgia area seeing some players. As you know, this is an area where coach Bates has a number of contacts.
I spoke with 2023 4-Star DL, Kelby Collins 6’5 280 out of Gardendale, AL and he tells me that he plans on getting out to OU in April.
Under the old staff, I would have taken that with a grain of salt. But after visiting with some folks, you can tell the Sooners are going to get a lot more visits from SEC territory recruits.
Sooners Connection to SEC Area DB
– Super K – Posted on: March 15, 2022
This note should give you a sense of the kind of connections this staff has down SEC territory.
Last week, I was planning on getting over to Munford, Alabama to see Sooners 2023 DB target, Sylvester Smith (5’11 195, Munford, AL) Unfortunately Smith was out (will look to see him sometime in the next week or so) but I did speak with Smith’s coach.
Coach told me that Smith will absolutely be taking a visit to OU. The coach added that he (the coach) and Todd Bates go way back, “Bates is a good friend of mine. We went to high school together.”
So Smith is definitely somebody you’re going to want to keep on your radar.
Venables, OU Visit Among Takeaways for 2023 LB Derion Gullette
– CJ Vogel – Posted on: March 16, 2022
I stopped by Marlin on Wednesday to chat with 2023 linebacker Derion Gullette who was in Norman over the past weekend.
Before jumping into the recruiting bit, I wanted to throw some background on my first time seeing Gullette in-person. My first reaction – sheeesh. Legit 6’3″ and can run very, very well. I stood by as Gullette went through track workouts Wednesday afternoon and the potential is off the charts. Gullette was working on 4×1, 4×2, 100m, 200m, throwing shot and long jump while I was at school.
The kid is an athlete.
Now let us get to the visit.
Gullette told me he met with HC Brent Venables early in the trip for a one-on-one meeting where the two hashed out personal lives and really were able to get to know one another. During the meeting, Gullette told me the two rarely brought up football and really got to know one another as it was their first face to face meeting.
“Honestly, it was surprising, because I never met him,” Gullette said about his first time with Coach Venables. “We had only called, texted and messaged before. Actually getting to meet him in person, he was very energetic. You could tell how passionate he is about what he does and the game of football itself.”
“We actually sat down and had a heart to heart conversation about what he sees in me and what he sees in the program.”
An obvious common theme among linebacker recruits this cycle is the history of development Venables has had at the position in the past. Gullette is no different.
“It means a lot honestly,” Gullette said about Venables’ development. “Where he has been at on the highest stages, like competing for a National Championship and sending guys to the NFL, that is crazy because he is a defensive guy. I know what he can do for me.”
Aside from BV, Gullette was able to meet the majority of the Sooner staff as well. He told me he was able to meet with Jay Valai, Joe Jon Finley, Todd Bates, and DeMarco Murray.
On the visit, one of the biggest takeaways for Gullette was the academic portion of his visit. He said he hopes to become a coach when his playing days are over and really took a liking to the pitch the Sooner support staff was able to put together for him.
As for future trips, Gullette has a busy month ahead. He mentioned a tentative schedule to see LSU, Ohio State, and Alabama in the coming weeks with a possible weekday trip south to see Texas for a spring practice.
Right now, I got the vibe that this recruitment will likely come down to Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas. Though that can certainly be flipped upside down depending on how the visits this month go for the talented backer.
Gullette does not have a firm timetable in place for the time being, but he did mention wanting to cut down his top schools list before making any sort of decision. A commitment will likely come well into the summer if I was a betting man.
The Sooners certainly made a strong impression on the visit and their continued push for Gullette has been noticed by his camp. Expect OU to be a big player here for the foreseeable future.
Working Visitor List | March 25th Weekend
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 16, 2022
The Sooners are set to host some exciting prospects this week (March 18th-19th) in ’24 DL David Stone and the FSP group from the Pacific Northwest which includes ’23 DL Jayden Wayne.
They will shift gears and hold another large-scale visit weekend the following week (March 25th-27th) with a heavy focus on the ’24 and ’25 classes.
Below is a working list of those who have either announced they will be coming via social media or those we have confirmed independently.
There will be many more additions to this list and, as usual, there will be some kids who will not make it in.
We will update this post and bring it to the top every few days!
‘23 OL Brycen Sanders – Chattanooga, TN – OU offer
‘23 DL Kayden McDonald – Suwanee, GA – OU Offer
‘23 S Tyre Young – Kingsland, GA
‘23 LB Caleb Otlewski – Melissa, TX
‘24 DT Hevin Brown-Shuler – Atlanta, GA – OU offer
‘24 DE T.A. Cunningham – Johns Creek, GA. – OU offer
‘24 DE Xadavien Sims – Denison, TX – OU offer
‘24 DL Jeremiah Beaman – Birmingham, AL
‘24 CB Kaleb Beasley – Nashville, TN – OU offer
‘24 CB Jordon Johnson-Rubell – Bradenton, FL – IMG Academy – OU offer
‘24 S C.J. Heard – College Park, GA – OU offer
‘24 S Kenyan Kelly – Denison, TX – OU offer
‘24 WR Ka’Davion Dotson – Duncanville, TX
‘24 WR Kennedy Brantley – Melissa, TX
‘24 OT Trevor Goosby – Melissa, TX
‘24 ATH Dax Collins – Poteau, OK
‘24 ATH Jaylen Mbakwwe – Pinson, AL – OU offer
‘24 ATH Mario Craver – Pinson, AL
‘24 ATH Joseph Emilien – Jennings, LA
‘25 WR Dakorien Moore – Duncanville, TX – OU offer
‘25 RB Ravian Larry – Idabel, OK
‘25 RB Cayden Knighten – Wynnewood, OK
‘25 ATH Ryan Grayson – Beggs, OK
‘25 ATH LaMason Waller – Hesperia, CA – OU offer
’23 DB Caleb Downs | Possible Visit
– Super K – Posted on: March 17, 2022
Spoke to 5 star DB Caleb Downs (6’0 185, Hoschton, GA) at last weekend’s Pylon tournament in Atlanta.
He let me know that he’s trying to make it out to OU for a visit next weekend. Again, in previous years I would have taken that with a grain of salt but with the way this staff is getting guys on campus, I could see it happening.
Valai has been recruiting downs for a while (at Bama) and even made one of his first recruiting trips to see Downs once Valai arrived at OU.
It is clear Valai and Downs have a strong relationship. However, Downs has some serious ties to UNC which include not only a brother who plays on the team but an uncle who is a staff member.
I’ll try to swing by and see Downs at his school so I can get a little more in-depth with him to see just how big of a threat UNC is. I would imagine they are a serious contender.
Also, I should note that I was told by someone in the area that Downs is a day one starter.
Quick Hitter | Visitor Note – ’23 DL Kayden McDonald
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 17, 2022
You may recall back in February we dropped a note that ’23 DL Kayden McDonald was planning on visiting Norman for the March 5th weekend:
‘***As I mentioned in the defensive tackle Big Board post, Kayden McDonald (6’4 320) out of Suwanee, GA, was scheduled to be visiting in early March.
I have touched base with Kayden and I can confirm he will be making the trip to Norman for the March 5th junior day.
McDonald is a good looking interior defensive lineman who is coveted by programs around the country and it should not be lost on you that this is quite a significant shift in recruiting for OU as he is making it to Norman on his own dime even before spring ball starts.’
McDonald was not able to make the trip due to personal reasons, and usually, when that happens, it takes a while for the visit to get rescheduled.
That is not the case with McDonald.
I touched base with him this morning and he let me know that he will be heading to Norman for the March 26th event.
I will add him to the Working Visitor List | March 25th Weekend but felt this needed an update of its own. That’s a pretty big visit.
Staff Continues to Impress | Roof, Venables & Kelly | S’Maje Burrell Recruitment
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 17, 2022
The Sooners staff continues to receive rave reviews following visits to campus by recruits and their families. The accolades are staff-wide, every time I speak to a recruit of their parent/mentor, it seems like a new name is brought to the forefront as a positive influence for the Sooners.
Following the big March 5th elite junior day event, I shared some correspondence with ’23 LB target S’Maje Burrell‘s 6’1 215 out of Fort Worth, TX) father.
I’m going to drop you the opening salvo of our conversation, which began with a pretty generic question from me to Mr. Burrell. After an introduction, here is how the beginning of the conversation went:
Charlie: ‘As a parent, did anything stand out to you? Any coach make a big impression?’
Mr. Burrell: ‘I thought the visit went very well. As a parent, one of my top concerns is ensuring my son is in good, SAFE hands, and making sure the environment is conducive to that end. During the visit, I was impressed with the hospitality of the entire staff.’
‘My wife and I never felt suffocated or as though the staff felt like it was a task to be assigned to us. In fact, each person had a wonderful conversation about themselves that did not even revolve around football. I enjoyed how the coaches were able to interact with us, even if they weren’t defensive coaches.’
‘I’d say that Coach Roof definitely stood out to me because that would be S’Majè’s position coach. His knowledge of the game and his knowledge of life was just phenomenal.
‘Of course, Coach V stood out as well. I have followed his work for a while now and enjoyed seeing what he has produced while at Clemson. I’d been told of how intense he was regarding the game and LIFE, and we were able to experience that first-hand.’
‘I also must add Caleb Kelly to the list of those who impressed me. This young man is amazing. With all that he has been through with football, I could tell he loves and appreciates the game and OU deeply. So much so, that it is easy to get mad at the game because it didn’t love him back (injuries) the way he loves it. What I took from him is the same belief I have, hold, and carry as a veteran police officer to up and coming police officers: there is an obligation that the veteran has, to help shape, mold, and instill quality attributes in the newcomer on behalf of the profession/sport that we love so much. Caleb embodies that completely.’
So, after my initial question, that is the full response I received back, without any additional prompting. That was on March 6th. We have shared additional correspondence but I think this is a pretty telling sign of how a visit to Norman impacts people.
Caleb Kelly, a kid who has been ‘on the job’ for less than two months is out here making strong, meaningful connections. The four horsemen are just mounting up and they are already having an impact.
One of the biggest cliches about recruiting, particularly in regard to Oklahoma recruiting over the past 5+ years and even back to the Bob Stoops days has been ‘OU just needs to get the kid on campus to have a shot here’ has never rung more true.
I truly believe that OU under Brent Venables will have a shot with any and every kid that they get on campus. That is one reason why OU suddenly being able to get all these unofficial visits from kids from across the country, on their own dime, is a huge deal for the Sooners recruiting.
