Open Post | Weekend, June 23rd – 25th
Posted on: June 23, 2023
First Batch of Sourced ChampU BBQ Notes | Sunday Morning
– Charlie S – Posted on: June 18, 2023
As you all know, the official visits will conclude this morning and most of the visitors will be heading home.
I spoke with a source who was around the event throughout the weekend and wanted to pass along a few notes that I found to be interesting.
First, let me say a few things…
“The event was great.”
“They showed a lot of love.”
“I could see myself fitting in here.”
“The SOUL mission is amazing.”
“Felt like home”.
Now, onto some of the notes of interest…
***QB Maj Jones made his way from Philadelphia to Norman for the second time this cycle and the source I spoke with mentioned that it appeared to be a rerun of what happened during his first visit…which is good news for OU you would think as at that time, Maj led me to believe that OU had built a substantial lead. Anyway, the source said that Maj really appeared to be enjoying himself and was able to connect with some of the other recruits there, and looked like he was just really happy to be there. Now, since I haven’t yet touched base with Jones following the visit, and a lot happened between his OU visits (Michael Hawkins committing to OU), I really can’t put a trending pick in here. Maj did OV to WVU and Cincy already and he was pretty impressed by the folks in Morgantown. He plans on making his commitment here in July as I reported previously so OU will know their fate here soon enough.
***Was told LB James Nesta not only spent a lot of time with the football side of the visit, but Skip Johnson and the baseball side got to put on a display for Nesta and his family. OU has a solid history with dual sport guys and that plays into their favor with Nesta to a degree as he is looking to play both football and baseball. I’m sure Brent and Roof will cross all the T’s and dot all of the I’s in their exit meeting with him today before he leaves. Nesta is a guy we will look to catch up with over the coming days to see where OU truly stands following the visit.
***Source said OU OL commit Isaiah Autry was ‘working the room really well’. Was told “didn’t matter who the kid was, Autry was gonna make the pitch for OU and he really was fun to watch.” Autry spent a lot of time with Kaedin Massey, Max Anderson and Bennett Warren so you have to look at that as a good thing to have such a positive and excited commit to be working on those other guys to join him in the class.
***Final note for right now is on OL Kaedin Massey who I mentioned above. Source said “That OL kid from Kansas is someone that was very receptive and very engaged with the staff. He was always asking questions when given the opportunity and his family was constantly talking with players, staff, students and the people in Norman throughout the trip.” Kansas State is up next for Massey this weekend and I cannot see him skipping that official due to proximity and all, but he is a guy I may have put in a trending pick for if that was not the last visit. Sounds like Bedenbaugh is positioned well here and it will be about holding off a final pitch here from Kansas State.
Happy Fathers day to all and we will drop more notes of interest when we get them!
Updates | This Past Weekend Visitors
– Super K – Posted on: June 19, 2023
Notes will probably trickle throughout the week as we get more information and in some cases more clarity.
***I spoke to someone about Sooners OT target, Bennett Warren. As we’ve noted, CJ (booo) has had him trending Michigan. I haven’t had him trending in any direction but just felt like it was one OU could win.
My initial feedback with someone yesterday was Michigan but I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel. Simple reason is I still think there will be some conversations in which certain people in his camp will explain to him and the family that OU is a better fit for his development. That’s what happened with Oregon.
Will it be enough? I still don’t know. I’ll try to follow up on it in the next day or so to see where things stand.
***I do think the Sooners did a good job with 2024 DL, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye. But was it enough to shake UGA’s grip on him. I don’t get that sense.
I think he’s still UGA’s to lose. They would need to drop the ball on his visit next week, IMO.
***On Caden Durham, I’m sure you’ve seen the media picks coming in for OU. I know the feeling on the visit from OU was also very good.
I don’t have a position on this just yet. I know quite a few people who are very close to Durham and they have yet to give me the green light that he’s truly in the boat. I think the question is whether it was a visit high and will turn into an imminent commitment or if things will settle and he will take his visits to LSU.
Keep in mind, Caden’s official visit to LSU isn’t scheduled until the fall. His upcoming visit is actually an unofficial (same deal with Bussey).
We should have more clarity on this one later this week, as well. All I can tell you now is that he and his family loved the visit but whether that will turn into a quick commitment or even an eventual one, I can’t say, just yet.
***Jayshawn Ross has gone completely quiet. As I mentioned last week in my weekend primer (HERE) source in the building at Nebraska seems fairly confident but I’m not putting a ton of stock into that until I got some additional confirmation.
I think right now, we just need to find out if Ross is setting up an official visit to Nebraska.
***On 2024 OT Kaedin Massey (Lyndon, KS), I think the Sooners took the lead here. Normally I’d trend it to OU but he still has the KSU visit coming and they are the Big 12 champs. So, in years past, I’d see the KSU visit as a formality. Can’t say that, currently. But I believe the Sooners put themselves in a competitive spot.
***I also like the spot OU put themselves in for in-state DB, Devon Jordan. I do believe this one is trending OU. I spoke to someone close to Jordan who told me that Devon’s original plan was to announce in the fall. I plan on following up this week to find out if that timeline will get moved up. If so, I sense it will bode well for OU.
***Things went well with 2024 DL Nigel Smith. When I asked sources how it went, they said they felt like he’d end up at OU. However, when I asked Nigel, he gave the visit an 8/10. I asked him if it exceeded or met expectations (gave him both options), he said it met expectations.
8/10 is a good score but wasn’t the 10/10, I expected. However, he has been on so many visits to OU and other schools that I think at this point, he’s seen a done it all.
***2024 DE, Zina Umeozulu (Allen, TX) was on campus and the reviews I heard were very good. I’d trend him to OU if it weren’t for the fact that his brother goes to Texas. That doesn’t mean he won’t go to OU but I need to get more confirmation because of how rare it is that brothers would attend rival schools. We are also trying to find out just how hard Texas is actually pushing in this one.
***Still digging on LB James Nesta out of North Carolina and Minnesota native DE, Wyatt Gilmore but we are hearing both visits went very well. – (Obviously Nest committed later in the week)
***Like I said, there is a lot of checking to do so as we get more information or clarification, we’ll bring it to you throughout the week. This is just an initial glance. Overall, very good visit weekend and I continue to hear commits will come out of this weekend but I don’t want to push you all too far in either (negative or positive) direction until the weekend high settles and we figure out what’s real.
Sourced | ’24 QB Samaj Jones Post Visit
– Charlie S – Posted on: June 20, 2023
We have checked around with additional sources at OU in regard to ’24 QB Samaj Jones who officially visited this past weekend for the ChampU BBQ.
In the Sunday morning sourced notes I wrote HERE…
“***QB Maj Jones made his way from Philadelphia to Norman for the second time this cycle and the source I spoke with mentioned that it appeared to be a rerun of what happened during his first visit…which is good news for OU you would think as at that time, Maj led me to believe that OU had built a substantial lead. Anyway, the source said that Maj really appeared to be enjoying himself and was able to connect with some of the other recruits there, and looked like he was just really happy to be there.”
With that in mind, additional sources have indicated that OU is feeling confident that Samaj will commit to Oklahoma.
Source said that in spite of the Sooners already having Michael Hawkins in the fold, they love Jones’ confidence and he appears to have a plan.
I am still not comfortable putting in a trending pick here because our information is currently only coming from one side of the story. Maj has passed on speaking on the record at this point and as we have seen at different times throughout this cycle, people around OU occasionally have a difficult time reading the room accurately.
However, If I were going to put in a trending pick based on the information I have, I would probably have it at 57% to OU. When you look at the facts, they point to OU. Maj came out to OU on an unofficial knowing full well that the Sooners were going to take Michael Hawkins if he committed to OU. Following Hawkins’ commitment, Maj still scheduled an OV and indicated he had no issues with competition. OU is by far the biggest brand pushing and fully engaged with him. Sources at OU feel like they are in a good spot to get his commitment following the official visit. So it all points to OU.
We will keep digging here to see if we can get anything from the other side of the equation, but the bottom line is, additional sources around OU have confidence in their chances to land the dynamic QB out of Philly. The Sooners will know their fate soon enough as Maj plans on announcing his decision in July as I reported back in March.
Caden Durham | Sourced Update
– Super K – Posted on: June 20, 2023
As you know, the Sooners hosted 2024 RB, Caden Durham (Duncanville, TX by way of OK) on his official visit this past weekend.
Everyone we spoke to about it said the visit went about as well as you could hope.
What I’ve been waiting to find out though is whether Durham was still planning on taking his unofficial visit to LSU this month.
His original plan has long been to take an OV to OU in the summer. Take an unofficial to LSU in the summer. And then take an official visit to LSU in the fall for a game and then announce a decision between OU and LSU.
The Sooners were obviously hoping he might shut it down after the OU official. However, a source over at Duncanville confirmed to me yesterday that Caden still plans on taking his unofficial to LSU this month.
So, OU had their chance to punch and they landed a good one. It was hoped that it would be a knock out but it looks like LSU is going to have their opportunity to punch back.
Next thing we will be watching is if upon his return from this unofficial he decides to continue to wait for his LSU OV in the fall or if he decides to wrap it up.
For now, it’s more hurry up and wait…
Justin Denson | Decision Date | Trending
– Super K – Posted on: June 20, 2023
This past weekend, the Sooners hosted 2024 DB Justin Denson (Providence, RI).
Denson has recently come off visits from Alabama, Florida and has a visit scheduled later this month to Michigan State.
Today Denson announced his top group of schools which included: OU, Alabama, Florida, Michigan State and TAMU.
He has set his commitment date for July 1st.
Spoke to a few different sources to piece this one together and it feels like Oklahoma is trending here.
I’ll put this one at 59.8/40.2 trending in favor of the Sooners.
Emmett Jones | Immediate Return on Investment
– Charlie S – Posted on: June 21, 2023
Yesterday the Sooners picked up their third wide receiver commit of the ’24 class as Dozie Ezukanma joined Zion Kearney and KJ Daniels in OU wide receiver coach Emmett Jones’ initial class.
Jones who was hired away from Texas Tech back in January has wasted no time in addressing the needs he saw in the receiver room in Norman.
He has absolutely been the hottest recruiter on the trail for the Sooners since his arrival in terms of numbers and the way he goes about restocking what has been a lackluster room has been quite impressive.
So far, without playing a game, the Sooners return on investment in coach Jones is looking to be quite substantial.
The Sooners began the cycle with a wishlist that included Kearney, Daniels, and Bryant Wesco among the top priorities. Jones landed two of the three with Wesco choosing to go to Clemson.
Jones quickly pivoted, found some new targets, and got a commitment from Ezukanma, who I really think is a sleeper in this class. I was talking to K last night and mentioned that I felt he could be a guy who turns out to be a real dude for OU, I just like his burst, size, and aggressiveness.
Coach Jones has not only added players through recruiting in the ’24 class, but he also has added a verbal commit from ’25 WR Gracen Harris to the fold.
Jones was also aggressive in the transfer portal. It was no coincidence that Andrel Anthony transferred into Oklahoma from Michigan at the same time Jones was officially announced as the new OU WR coach. Then, Jones went out and picked up Brenen Thompson who entered the portal after spending his freshman year at Texas.
The Sooners are still looking to add at least one more member to the ’24 class and Jones has the Sooners positioned well with several guys including Zion Ragins and TTU commit Ivan Carreon. There are several others out there that OU is monitoring as well.
Pretty impressive work by Jones in regard to retooling and restocking the room in five months.
Next up is seeing the ROI from Jones in regard to play on the field. He has a really strong track record of developing his receivers and if that continues at OU, there is a lot to be optimistic about for the Sooner faithful as they head into the SEC next year.
’24 ATH Xavier Robinson Sets Timeline
– Charlie S – Posted on: June 21, 2023
Sooners ’24 in state ATH/RB target Xaver Robinson has announced his intentions to make his commitment on June 27th.
As we have maintained all along, we did not believe there would be much drama with this one as long as the Sooners pushed.
The Sooners did indeed push as they hosted Robinson for an official visit recently and right now I like where OU stands with the big athlete out of Carl Albert in Oklahoma City.
Sourced | Team Notes
– Super K – Posted on: June 22, 2023
Earlier this week, spoke with a source about the team and here are a few highlights that stood out to me…
***Like James, I’m hearing similar on DaJon Terry in terms of what the staff expects from him. There was already a sense that the Sooners can have a tough front seven. But the addition of Terry has added to that optimism in a big way.
***Also, source says the staff is very pleased with their athleticism on the back end.
***One of the most interesting notes came in a discussion about the wide receiver room. There is a lot more excitement in the building about the potential of the wide receiver room than I would have expected.
***Here is the sense I got. First, they feel like there are a lot of good players and that when you get a lot of good players competing, greatness emerges.
***Also, they feel like whatever those players are will be even better with the development by Emmett Jones…
***But most interestingly, the staff feels like whatever the wide receiver room is will be enhanced by a much improved run game over last year.
***Source said, if you thought the OL was good last year, the staff expects them to be even better this year. And with the emergence of young but perhaps more talented RBs in guys like Sawchuk and Barnes, the Sooners expect their run game to improve…
***So source essentially said, even if the wide receiver room is only a “C”, it will be a “B” with the run game.
Updates | Zina, Devon Jordan and Taylor Tatum
– Super K – Posted on: June 22, 2023
A few notes here…
***First, as I mentioned in my post visit notes, I think the Sooners are now trending with in-state 2024 CB Devon Jordan. Prior to the visit, I was told that Jordan was planning on announcing his decision in the fall.
However, the impression I have gotten this week from OU is that they are expecting something a lot sooner than that.
Devon tweeted out that he’s going to drop his “Top 10 soon” and you don’t usually expect a top 10 this late in the recruiting cycle. I’m not sure if that top 10 will quickly be narrowed down to a top one.
So, I’ll say this, if he Devon were to do something in the near future, I’d have the Sooners trending. If this thing drags out then I’ll need to reassess from both his side and perhaps more importantly, OU’s side.
***As I mentioned in my post visit right up on Monday (HERE), I really liked what I was hearing coming out of the weekend for 2024 DE Zina Umeozulu. In that post I said…
“2024 DE, Zina Umeozulu (Allen, TX) was on campus and the reviews I heard were very good. I’d trend him to OU if it weren’t for the fact that his brother goes to Texas. That doesn’t mean he won’t go to OU but I need to get more confirmation because of how rare it is that brothers would attend rival schools. We are also trying to find out just how hard Texas is actually pushing in this one.”
Since then, Zina has publicly confirmed that he is indeed taking an OV to Texas this upcoming weekend. With his brother being there, it’s a hard pull for OU if Texas decides to push for a commitment.
I have heard that Zina mentioned to people he wasn’t going to end up at Texas but I don’t know if that was perhaps because Texas had recently cooled their recruiting on him a bit. Based on what we’ve heard out of Allen, that was the case. So, if they start to push again (and bringing him in on official certainly indicates that) then again, it’s hard to beat playing in-state with your brother.
We’ll put a pause on this one until we see what comes of Zina and Texas. As I said on Monday, I do think that if it isn’t Texas then the Sooners have a very good shot here.
***Also, some of you have been asking about any update we might have on Taylor Tatum. I did respond to a comment in a previous post regarding Tatum and I’ll share that here in case you missed it…
“All I can tell you is what I said earlier in the week, that the visit went well. But the status quo from prior to the visit is Tatum had silently committed to Lincoln. So far no one in the building at SC has told me he has decommitted. And, OU sources have told James and I (even as of yesterday evening) that Tatum has not yet committed to them. So, with the way recruiting has gone in this cycle, I’m a little concerned to get you all too excited until something more definitive happens behind the scenes. If I do hear that something definitive has happened behind the scenes, I’ll definitely let yall know.”
I’ll just add a bit to that…
James did speak with the baseball folks at OU and they said the visit with Tatum went really well and he’s been asking them follow up questions.
However, again, when I checked with OU yesterday they said the same thing we heard earlier in the week – that they felt like the visit went well enough to give them a chance but nothing has been made definitive to them.
Heard basically the same from my source close to Tatum.
If it was a situation where someone had originally silently committed to OU and then looked like another team had a real chance, I’d more readily comment because that’s a situation where y’all as fans want to be prepared for bad news.
However, this is the opposite situation. In this case, if Tatum picks OU then you’ll be happy irrespective of what we hear or say. But again, without having something definitive, we’ve been a little hesitant to put you all in a situation where you start to expect Tatum to jump in the boat and in case he sticks with his original pick, you end up frustrated.
If I do get something really solid on a clear direction for him (either tells USC he’s not coming or reconfirms his silent), I’ll pass that along.
Evening Updates | Wyatt Gilmore and Andy Jaffe
– Super K – Posted on: June 22, 2023
***First, we can confirm that Sooners 2024 DE target, Wyatt Gilmore (Rogers, MN) is no longer taking an official visit to Oregon.
Was told Oregon has a few other targets they are focused on.
Would imagine this one comes down to OU and Minnesota.
***Also, 2024 DB and recent OU visitor, Andy Jaffe (Clearwater, FL) has decommitted from Wake Forest.
You’ll recall that Jaffe made a trip to OU in early June and then followed that up with a visit to Ole Miss.
We are told the Sooners like where they are with Jaffe however it sounds like they are waiting to see what Michael Boganowski (Junction City, KS) decides to do before they push anywhere else.
Boganowski has his final visit coming up which will be to in-state KSU. I suspect the Sooners will know their fate with him soon thereafter.
So, for now the Sooners are ok to stay where they are and wait to see how that shakes out.
