De’Chavon Hayes Note (Update Wednesday 8:35 pm)
Posted on: December 3, 2013
I know y’all probably don’t like our position on where OU stands with Joe Mixon but we’ve got some good news on the stud JUCO RB, De’Chavon Hayes, front. For those of y’all that didn’t see our original post on Hayes last month here it is: https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/?p=697
De’Chavon visited ASU this weekend and though the trip went pretty good it sounds like OU still has an edge over ASU. Hayes loves Coach Gundy and loves the fact that Coach Gundy is very clear about where he sees De’Chavon and what his expectations are. The decision is going to come down to OU vs. ASU and, as we said, OU has a bit of a lead right now. A decision could actually come within the next 2-3 weeks. We’re not ready to say “money in the bank” yet but we’re very very close. OU fans have reason to feel good about this one!
Please take the time to read our original write-up on De’Chavon if you haven’t. It’s worth it. He really is a special talent that can make an instant impact. And he is a GREAT young man. If OU is fortunate enough to get him we believe he will represent Sooner Nation very well. And right now we believe OU is in the drivers seat.
UPDATE (8:35 pm Wednesday): We have heard the report from Rivals. Our initial report came directly from De’Chavon. We know De’Chavon and and he called us on Sunday before he called anyone else. We know him well enough to know that since we spoke to him on Sunday he has been going back and forth on the decision. We still feel confident with where OU stands but he’s a young man making a big decision and he has every right to go back and forth as many times as he wants. Again, we aren’t ready to say “money in the bank” but OU fans have reason to feel good about this one. Coach Gundy called him tonight. He loves coach Stoops and coach Gundy. And the fact is that our coaches do not give him the “they (other school) have too many RBs” line. We can’t say the same about other schools around the country. He knows that Oklahoma develops back better than anyone in the country. But he also knows that he has a good opportunity at both schools. When he does commit. Stay tuned because we’ll be one of the first to know.
35 Comments
We have no one on the roster like him right now. He’s a back I would have thoroughly enjoyed blocking for.
Awesome. I was a little disconcerted when I read that Mixon was a long shot if one at all but this gives me some hope. I want that lightning in a bottle playmaking freak like Finch is. People can say what they will about finch but he finds ways to make plays. I mean I have only seen a few other guys with that sort of quickness. Absolute great news. I still believe Ford could be an All American by the end of his OU career. But you can never have too many good RBs. I have noticed a trend in getting bigger WRs or WR/TE hybrids also….perhaps they are wanting to go back to more of a power running game in the next couple of years? Just seems they have been adding a lot of size.
Good post Jared. That’s the beauty of Hayes. As JY pointed out he has some of Finch’s qualities but a lot more size. Probably more top end speed as well. He’s nice.
Definitely think more top end speed. While not many RB’s can match
Finch’s ability in tight spaces, with his quickness and acceleration,
one of his weaknesses is top end speed, and I think mainly because of
his short legs. While I obviously haven’t seen Hayes in person or
against D1 athletes, his top end speed seems more of the NFL class than
anyone on our roster next year.
Agree. He really is complete in that he’s got good enough size and balance to be physical but he’s also sudden and has long speed. Also a swell kid!
Definitely a guy who reminds me of CJ Spiller.
Yeah, he’s probably faster than Damien by just a bit, with Clay’s size and Finch’s wiggle.
Just like an offspeed pitch giving hitters fits in baseball, a steady diet of Ford, Perine and Ross, coupled with the change of pace that Hayes has, would give defenses nightmares.
Really hope y’all are dead wrong on Mixon. However, as much as I would like *scratch that* “LOVE” to have Mixon, I am not in the least concerned about our RB situation. This is one area that I think OU will take a while to drop off on- as long as we have Gundy at the helm.
He has consistently demonstrated an uncanny ability to develop RBs at any level, more importantly, RBs that can actually do something at the NFL level. Hell, even Bama hasn’t been able to do this given their FBS success (see Trent, Ingram et. al.) If D’cH can keep himself clean, he will do very well here. That being said, I still want ( hopefully a more mature) Starks as well. Bring both of these and let’s close this thing up quickly.
On the size thing, physicality is a plus when it comes to injuries IMO. I love the physical backs we are getting. Ford and to some extent Ross absolutely ABUSED guys this year!!
When Ross gets out of the doghouse he’s going to be nasty. Ace has a post about him coming up. He got to see Ross up close a lot. And I agree, while Mixon is good – he’s not a program changing back by any stretch. And for Oklahoma fans, unless a guy is the second coming of AD then there isn’t much to worry about. I know a lot of people think getting Mixon is about recruiting momentum but Oklahoma is recruiting great and they are getting the right guys.
Speaking of Alex Ross, how far away is he from getting out of the doghouse? I watched him play @ Jenks and he’s a good blend of power and speed.
He’s pretty much out. He’s doing all the right things. He’s just a very confident young man.
Yay, I’m with Super K. He’s going to turn some heads.
I want this young man in Norman. He is No. 1 on my tailback list.
Is he a 3 to play 2 guy?
He’s a 2011 guy so he’s 2 fer 2
He’s 3 for 2
hmm..his rivals hs profile has him in the 2011 class which means 15 would be his 5th year…different guy from Virginia?
perhaps he greyshirted?
Not sure JD. But I know he’s 3 for 2. We know him.
I’d be willing to bet that he’s got room to grow on his frame. He’s a hitter and likes to deliver. This would be a great get for OU. Hmmm a fast, elusive back with high end speed and isn’t afraid to run over people. Nice:-)
His coach said he’s definitely got room to grow. good eye JJ
Can’t be a bad thing for him to see the impact Williams has made this year. Just as long as he doesn’t make same mistakes he could do very well.
In the zone read style offense, his speed would be lethal. One on one’s with the safety are mismatches all day.
It’s hard to make comparisons sometimes, but I saw a lot of DeMond Parker in De’Chavon Hayes. Am I off base?
I think that their speed is comparable. DeMond may be a bit bigger, but Hayes is a touch smoother.
And hopefully he holds onto the ball better than Parker did. Or was that Gerald Moore that used to drop the rock just when the offense was moving down the field???
“We’re not ready to say “money in the bank” yet but we’re very very close.”
From the recent posts I have read, in 2-3 weeks we might be rich! lol Ready for some of these dominoes to fall. Thanks for the update on Hayes.
Yeah we feel like there is an excellent chance that Hayes will be in the fold this month and Parker may be as well.
Have you heard anything about us losing out on Hayes to ASU?
looks like we may be losing out on Hayes to ASU? Have you heard anything Different?
Rivals just posted an article saying we were clearly 2nd. Straight from the horses mouth.
Hayes is a horse? Will the NCAA clearinghouse be okay with that? 😉
Hey y’all we’ve added an update above!
Announcing on Friday. Heard anything lately? Not feeling confident on this one