The Football Brainiacs

Image of Erick Fowler via 247 Sports

– Erick Fowler: One of several visitors on campus this past weekend was 2016 OLB Erick Fowler (Manor, TX). Fowler already has a number of offers, and this weekend he picked up another from the Sooners. We caught up with Erick and it’s pretty clear Oklahoma made a tremendous impression on him. For starters, he talked about the fact he wants to play the Jack LB position in an odd front. That’s where he plays in high school, and he feels that’s the position that suits him best. OU is one of the few schools in this area that runs a 3-4 defense.

Outside of a trip to Houston for a camp, this trip to Norman was the first time Erick has been outside the city of Austin. That fact alone created a situation where the Oklahoma trip made a huge impression on him. For him it wasn’t just a trip to a school he’d never seen, it was his first trip to a school and to another state which is something he will clearly never forget.

Erick has a relative that currently plays for Baylor, so he’ll be visiting there later this week. Additionally, his step brother is Desmond Jackson — a DL for Texas — but in talking to Erick, we don’t get the sense he’s a “fan” of any one school. It sounds like he’s looking for a place he fits and loves. And the Sooners clearly did their job, because after a weekend Norman, Erick said “I loved it!”

– Malik Jefferson: We didn’t talk to Malik personally, but we’ve gathered some notes about his trip from some folks that did talk to him this past weekend. Malik came in on Saturday and wound up staying overnight. He came down with his mom, and on Saturday he attended some team meetings. Sunday, he and his mother were given a tour of the facilities. The word we received was a little mixed. One source said that the mother and Malik absolutely loved the trip, and that Bob Stoops made a huge impression on both. In fact, we were told that Malik wants to come back to OU for an official visit with his whole family.

Another source who spoke to Malik didn’t necessarily say the opposite of that, but the impression was a little more tempered. He told us that Malik really enjoyed the trip and perhaps more than anything was surprised by how much better it was than he expected. He said the family clearly liked Coach Stoops, but Malik also has a tremendous amount of respect for Charlie Strong and some others. It does sound like Malik is working on a Top 8-10 list and after this weekend OU is on that list.

Most folks, including us, felt that Texas or Texas A&M would win the services of the extraordinary 2015 LB. And while that may still remain the case, this trip was important for OU. Why? Because making a good impression on him and his mother before the CFB football season starts means that OU is relevant in Malik’s recruiting. And while they may not be the top choice at the moment, if OU has the big year they are expected to have with Texas and TAMU having decent years, OU could put themselves in an even better position to surprise. Norman may not be in the state of Texas, but it’s still close to home.

– Bob Stoops: Coach Stoops was working this weekend! It’s clear he wanted to make sure he was involved with the recruits who were on campus. We were told he spent a lot of one-on-one time with them, and that he personally made the offer to Erick Fowler.

– Darius Anderson: 2016 defensive lineman Darius Anderson was scheduled to be in Norman this weekend, however he rescheduled for this coming Wednesday.

– PJ Mbanasor: OU commit PJ Mbanasor was on campus as well and, as usual, he had a great time. He said he got a chance to pick up some OU gear while he was in Norman (shirt, visor, socks). He said it’s always great being around the coaches and he’s looking forward to making it back for the Tennessee game.

– Will Sunderland: As noted before, Will Sunderland was also on campus Saturday. Honestly, we really don’t reach out to Will regarding his recruitment because as we said…this is just a sit back and wait situation. As long as a spot remains available, Sunderland will be a Sooner.

– Samaje Perine: The amount of raving about Samaje coming out of the first few days of practice is unreal. The team will go full pads for the first time today. They’ve been in uppers the past 2-3 days, and it seems no one wants to tackle Perine! A couple days ago, he apparently collided with someone trying to tackle him and he (Samaje) hit a guy so hard they had to do a concussion test on the defender.

– Dorial Green-Beckham: Just a quick note on DGB. Was told that on Saturday DGB made one of the most spectacular one hand catches you’ll ever see. Word is he was covered perfectly and somehow went up and grabbed the ball one-handed. Everyone went crazy. Have been told that covered or not, if you just throw the ball up to this young man…he’ll find a way to come down with it.

– UPDATE (10:55 am): It would appear 2015 ATH & recent OU offer DeAndre McNeal did not make it to Norman over the weekend, but just tweeted out that he is now at OU on an unofficial visit.

I'm at OU #BoomerSooner

— The DeAndre McNeal (@DeAndreMcNeal3) August 4, 2014

– UPDATE (10:57 am): Interesting note from Rivals’ Adam Gorney

There are some surprising schools on the official visit list for five-star DT Rasheem Green including #Oklahoma and #Alabama. More coming.

— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) August 4, 2014

– UPDATE (2:03 pm): Despite recent reassurances, Jamile Johnson announces he has decommitted from OU.

I'm officially re-opening my recruitment !
I'm No longer committed to Oklahoma !

— . (@MilJohnson) August 4, 2014

– UPDATE (3:58 pm): As most of you know by now, OU was in pads for the first time today and with that comes the infamous Oklahoma Drill. While we no longer get hardly any video of practices, Sooner Sports TV was generous enough to release some footage of today’s action. And while it’s not a lot — the video itself is only 1:49 and it’s not just highlights — it is better than nothing…..so enjoy. (I’ve linked to it there, but will embed here as well for those who are able to see the video)