Weekend Open Post | April 19th – 21st
Posted on: April 19, 2024
Spring Game Working Visitor List | Updated: 4:33 PM Blidi No Longer Visiting
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 18, 2024
The Sooners are set to host a large number of recruits and transfers for their Spring Game.
Below you will find our working list of the recruits and transfers expected to be in Norman this weekend.
This is a working list, some of the names listed will inevitably not make it to campus and there are recruits who are not listed that will be in town.
Right now we will focus on the Transfers who will be in town as well as the 2025 class.
There are a ton of ’26 and ’27 kids who will be heading to Norman as well.
2025 Commits
QB Kevin Sperry – Denton, TX
WR Elijah Thomas – Checotah, OK
OL Owen Hollenbeck – Melissa, TX
OL Ryan Fodje – Bridgeland, TX
DT Ka’Mori Moore – Lees Summit, MO
DT Trent Wilson – Upper Marlboro, MD
DB Maliek Hawkins – Frisco, TX
DB Marcus Wimberly – Bauxite, AR
2025 Offers
OL Darius Afalava – Lehi, UT
OL Jordan Coleman – Cedar Hill, TX
OL Antonio Ogumoro – Elgin, OK
OL Logan Schram – Boerne, TX
ATH Dakotah Terrell – Pocola, OK
DB Courtland Guillory – Spring, TX
DB Trystan Haynes – Midwest City, OK
DB Omarion Robinson – Little Rock, AR
EDGE Max Granville – Sugar Land, TX
Transfer Portal Targets
OC Branson Hickman – SMU
DT Philip Blidi – Indiana
DT Damonic Williams – TCU
DT Jermayne Lole – Louisville
Update: 4:33 pm
Indiana transfer DT Philip Blidi has tweeted out that he will not be in Norman this weekend.
NOW…that can be looked at in a couple ways…one is that Blidi has chosen his school (would be LSU if this is the case) and he is ready to shut things down…OR…more likely IMO based on recent events…OU has decided that it’s worth it to risk the biscuit and focus on Williams and Lole and a couple of others (like Toia from UCLA) than lock themselves in with Blidi.
High stakes poker either way folks. Will update if we get anything reportable to add.
Spring Ball Depth Charts | A Cat and Mouse Drama?
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 12, 2024
Over the last few days, I have had a few conversations with sources and other people about the upcoming Spring Transfer Portal window.
What started out as a discussion about the portal really evolved into a discussion about roster management for these coaches and players.
Large-scale cat-and-mouse games are going on. Battles are being fought with egos and feelings on one front versus solid rationale and what would actually be most beneficial to the players on the other side.
Coaching staffs are doing their best to massage some egos to enhance their chances of keeping talent (both young and old) in the fold while at the same time keeping an eye out for some off-ramps to clear up some room on their roster for talent that they would like to acquire.
Some players are in a position where they are making decisions about their future based on how they feel things are going through spring and where they see themselves on the depth chart of their current team. They are also taking NIL into account and some of them are being approached by different programs who are promising that the pot of gold lay on their campus where the rainbow ends. Other players do not yet know that they will be entering the portal, but some programs will show them the way and escort them out the door.
This leads us back to the depth charts. Programs are actively manipulating their depth charts in the spring in order to best facilitate the retention of certain players. Coaches now have to read the room and make decisions on what they do in the spring that best serves them in the fall in regard to roster management. There is a feeling that “If I can get through these next two weeks, I am in the clear and when fall camp rolls around, I can work with a legit depth chart because these guys are locked in and can’t go anywhere after May 1st”.
Now, most of the manipulation has nothing to do with who will actually be starting for most of these programs in the fall, but it has to do with retaining depth…experienced depth in particular. Chances are if there is a young guy who does not see a path to the field this season, or believes he can get a better NIL deal elsewhere and that is what he is looking for, they are gonna leave and the program really can’t do enough manipulation to get them to stay because they can just leave in the fall anyway. But when you start talking about guys with 1 or 2 years left, guys that the teams are counting on to provide quality depth, the cat-and-mouse game really kicks in.
Throughout spring ball, the goal for the coaching staff is to make that guy feel good. Make sure he believes he is going to get all the snaps or at the very least, be in a position to have a major role…a role that HE prefers and envisions to be best for himself…even if that role is not what the staff feel is best for him.
The players are evaluating their lot in life throughout spring as well. Have they fallen into a trap? Where do they fit in? Is there a younger guy playing in front of them? Are they going to get enough of a showcase for their liking to propel them to the next level? Is the promise of NIL elsewhere worth the risk to leave? Did they make the right choice in the fall portal whether they chose to arrive at a new school or stay at their original school?
With no real rules and no restrictions for multi-transferring, we will likely see some really crazy re-entries into the portal across the college football landscape.
So while we all enjoy discussing all the sourced notes and the media viewing opportunities when it comes to talking about depth charts…no matter what team you follow, I can assure you some cat-and-mouse games are going on behind the scenes and the depth charts will provide a more accurate picture when fall camps start ramping up.
Portal Question Answered
– Super K – Posted on: April 16, 2024
Yesterday, some of you were asking about Sooners WR Jaquaize Pettaway and the possibility of him transferring.
I did ask about him specifically and was given a bit of a general answer…
***Essentially was told that the Sooners know who is essential to keep and you are unlikely to see anyone essential enter the portal…
***There are plenty of folks they’d like to keep but they also know which of their rooms are deep and will be fine either way and which ones are not.
***I wasn’t told an absolutely no on the possibility of Pettaway looking around but certainly didn’t get the sense that OU felt it would definitely happen.
***The general message, for what it’s worth is, they’ve learned a bit of something from the Green situation and it’s unlikely anyone leaves who they can’t replace.
Team | Quarterbacks | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: April 16, 2024
I’ve been asking around about the team. Here’s what I’ve heard on the QB situation…
***It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jackson Arnold is QB1 and barring some major event, he will be QB1 going into the season.
***In terms of what I’ve heard, the comments I got back were measured. He has all the talent in the world but I’m told they’re continuing to bring him along.
***I’m told the guy who is indeed pushing him the most is young Michael Hawkins. I’m told Hawkins has been extremely impressive and I was told that either way Hawkins is likely to have some sort of role in the offense, this season.
***I would assume that means some situational running roles.
***It does sound like Hawkins is the clear number 2 and Arnold is the clear number 1 at this time, but Casey Thompson will get his chance at QB2 in summer and fall.
***I spoke to Charlie last night about this and I was commenting on how last year all we heard about Arnold was glowing praise and this year the comments, again, are a bit more measured.
***I noted that I think it’s just a matter of perspective. The way you view a freshman is very different than the way you view QB1. For QB2, the eyes are less critical and see the upside. But when you get passed that phase – as Arnold is in – it’s all about being that guy so it’s like Brent has said before, you expect excellent and you see what needs to be fixed.
***Arnold is charged with leading a team to the playoffs, so he’s being pushed to his capacity and the staff knows his capacity is substantial.
News From the Portal | Louisville Jermayne Lole Visiting & Sourced Note
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 16, 2024
***I can confirm that the plan is for Oklahoma to host Louisville defensive tackle Jermayne Lole this weekend.
***Lole played the first 3 years of his career at Arizona State from 2018 – 2020.
***Lole missed all of 2021 at ASU and then transferred to Louisville where an injury limited him to two games in 2022.
***He played 12 games for the Cards in 2023 but spent most of the year coming back from injury.
***We will do some more digging on him, but I spoke with a source who simply said “This one feels a lot like the DT (DaJon Terry) deal.”
***Now, I am not saying this is in fact like the DaJon Terry deal, but my source did keep trying to point me in that direction.
***As we previously reported, OU will also be hosting Philip Blidi (Indiana DT transfer) this weekend, so things will be in motion for OU as they are getting active in the portal.
Three Things I’m Looking For in the Spring Game | Defensively
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 18, 2024
The Sooners wrap up spring ball on Saturday with the Spring Game.
By the time that rolls around, OU will have gone through 14 practices, 12 of which were padded with a couple of scrimmages and several other additional ‘live’ periods.
We all will be watching the spring game with specific things on our minds…here is what I am looking for on Saturday.
1. Pressure from the EDGEs. Specifically from the EDGE room. Yes we will see a couple blitz packages (nothing too exotic) and different personnel packages…but I want to see some life from the ‘EDGE-men’ as they like to call themselves. If the OU OL has truly been as rocky as some have portrayed it to be, it should be some slight work to get pressure on the edges, no?
2. Linebackers not named Danny Stutsman making plays. Again, pretty basic stuff. The OU linebacker room has loads of top shelf talent…far too often we have seen linebackers not named Dany Stutsman dazed and confused and playing what seems like a step behind or getting way too far out over their ski tips as they bust in emphatic fashion. We have heard rave reviews about Dasan McCulloughs play inside and Kip Lewis, Lewis Carter, Sammy Omosigho, Jaren Kanak, Kobie McKinzie…yeah there are some athletic dogs in there. Looking to see if they can play a scrimmage within their roles at high speed.
3. Having to cut this down to 3 was tough, as my third choice came down to a battle between zone coverage and personnel communication. I’m going to ride with the communication. During camp, we have heard that Zach Alley, on multiple occasions, has really gotten into the defense for not executing personnel switches and poor communication. There is no reason for the defense on Saturday to get caught with their pants down and not have the right personnel or experience poor communication. The defense should be pretty bland, but I am sure Alley will try to test them with some different packages. As far as the zone play…yeah, we will all be watching that so I didn’t really think it was something I needed to point out.
Interested to read what the community will be paying attention to.
Three Things I’m Looking For in the Spring Game | Offensively
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 19, 2024
Earlier this afternoon I wrote about three things I will be paying particular attention to defensively in the Spring Game on Saturday.
Let’s now take a look at three things I will be looking at closely on the offensive side of the ball.
1. With what will likely be a depleted wide receiver corps, in regard to depth and some missing pieces, I want to see Jackson Arnold go through his progressions to find the best option on any given play. Now, a lot of his ability to go through his progressions will depend on how the offensive line holds up (as well as counting on solid snaps) but a hurried Arnold could give us a quick look at how effective he is with his pocket presence. The one thing I really do not want to see is him forcing the ball. Playing with what may be a suspect offensive line at this point (it will get better, I promise) and some weapons on the sideline, could lead a QB to make throws he normally would not attempt. I don’t wanna see that.
2. Bauer Sharp and Deion Burks have received a ton of praise for their play throughout the spring. Lets see it! Nothing gets the blood flowing like big plays on offense from your playmakers. Sharp has been lauded for his athleticism and Burks has been referred to as the next coming of Hollywood Brown. So let’s see it. Sharp is a guy that I can tie into my first topic on this list with Arnold as he could be the guy who has the most targets throughout the game if Arnold and the other QBs are under duress and at the same time, if Burks has a knack for getting behind the defense, he could be targeted frequently. Would love to see a big play or two for each of these guys.
3. Look…I don’t expect the offensive line to come out and be dominant. We have not heard about them having even one massively impressive day throughout all of camp yet and I really don’t expect that to be the case on Saturday. I would like to see them be competent at the very least, however. If they are competent, we should get a very small glimpse, or bare bones outline, of how the offense will attack this season. I’m very interested in seeing what the tempo is like and what the WR splits are like. Personnel packages are also something I will be paying attention to, particularly if the OL struggles as it will be interesting to see how much 12 personnel Littrell calls for in an effort to buy some more time for the QBs or running room for the backs.
What are you looking at when the offense takes the field?
