Open Post | Monday, February 20th By: The Brainiacs Posted on: February 20, 2017

– Jr Day Review: It’s pretty simple. The jr day was a success. I don’t judge the success of a jr day by the number of commits, though the Sooners did land two top 2019 prospects. It’s more about whether the staff exceeded the expectations of the players and a planted a seed for the near future. Based on my initial exchanges and conversations with prospects and their families, the Sooners did just that.

I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, in the past year or so the Sooners have taken their skills as hosts to another level. I’m sure the facilities are a big part of that equation but I continue to hear parents say things like, “they’re the most organized staff”, “coach Stoops knows exactly what to say”, “the stability means a lot and you can see it in everything they do”… – (Super K)

– Ahead of the Curve: We are often quick to criticize the staff when they are behind on recruiting trends. So, it’s only fair that we take a minute to compliment the staff on being ahead of a trend. For a while jr days were these massive invites that sometimes drew too many kids to manage. They were more of an large scale open house. Oklahoma was one of the first regional schools to move to a invite-only jr day that was much smaller and selective. This allows Oklahoma to focus their efforts and ensure that the players get plenty of attention. Other schools in the area have followed suit. – (Super K)

– Visitor Notes: We will be posting notes throughout the week so let’s get started.

Starrland Baldwin: 2018 CB, Starrland Baldwin picked up an OU offer…

Believe it or not the Sooners are the first FBS offer for Starrland Baldwin but that should change shortly. Baldwin’s father tells me that the Sooners have had their eye on Baldwin but wanted to verify his size. Baldwin’s father said they absolutely loved the trip and added, “it couldn’t have gone better…I’d be happy to see Baldwin there. They treated us like family. There really isn’t anything they could’ve done to make it better and we were so just happy to get that offer”. I’d keep an eye on Baldwin. Regardless of how things progress with Baldwin’s recruitment, expect the Sooners to be in this one for as long as they choose to be.

Leon O’Neal: This picture which includes 2018 DB Leon O’Neal is just oozing with talent…

O’Neal already holds an Oklahoma offer along with offers from a host of other schools. I exchanged a few messages with O’Neal. He’s visiting Texas next week and I’ll get a more complete update with him after that since he will, at that point, have had a chance to visit OU, TAMU and Texas and he will likely have a better idea of how they all compare. But his initial reaction was, “the visit was awesome! OU is investing a lot of money in their facilities and they’re about to shake things up fast!”

Jalen Green: I spoke to a source on the OU side about 2018 DB Jalen Green who also visited Oklahoma this weekend. I’m told the vibe the Sooners got from Green was excellent. The source said that Green’s mother absolutely loved the trip and “if it were up to her he (Green) would be at OU”.

Calvin Avery: Oklahoma fans are hungry to land that big time defensive tackle that, as of late, has eluded the Sooners. 2018 DT, Calvin Avery (Dallas, TX) could be that guy…

Avery made it clear just how great the trip was telling us, “it was nice…I’m telling you I wanted to commit but I’m waiting”.  The Sooners made Avery feel at home, “I can real life see myself there”.

Avery said he fought the urge to commit but the Sooners are in a great position here.

Jordan Kelley: Oklahoma has found another potential “War Daddy” in-state. 2018 DT, Jordan Kelley (Tulsa, OK) made his way to Norman this weekend. Kelley was offered by Oklahoma and Kelley has told us that he grew up a Sooners fan.

Kelley said he isn’t sure yet when he will make an announcement but I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes sometime soon after he visits Texas (next weekend).

Patrick Fields: Oklahoma had some ground to make up with 2018 in-state DB, Patrick Fields. TCU had made a strong push and Texas, who Fields will visit next week, has also been a hot name for Fields. But OU may have put themselves back on top…

Fields said about the trip, “I loved it…Steven (Parker) and Justin (Broiles) told me Cooks is a man of his word which meant a lot. Also there’s an opportunity to play right away at safety”.

I asked Fields when he’d like to announce a decision. To that he said, “before summer. I’m ready to be done with the process…it’s a huge blessing don’t get me wrong but there’s too much attention for me”.

Again, Fields is another prospect slated to be at next week’s Texas jr day. He says after the Texas visit he may be ready to make a decision but added, “I may want to visit TCU one more time”.

One school to keep an eye on for Fields is Stanford. Stanford has yet to offer but Fields has said that it’s a school that would really capture his attention. Fields older brother is at Cornell and has said that a Stanford education is the type of education that “sets you up for life”.

Should OU land Fields I think they’ll have in him a real leader that can help build the Sooners 2018 class. He’s sharp and talented and well respected by his peers.

Rafiti Ghirmai: 2018 OL, Rafiti Ghirmai also visited the Sooners this weekend. Ghirmai holds offers from programs like Texas, Baylor, Florida and others.

The Sooners have yet to offer Ghirmai. Here’s the deal. The Sooners like Ghirmai and have a connection the talented OT as his brother is a student at OU. But with Brey Walker already committed it would appear the Sooners only have room for one or two more tackles and Oklahoma is the likely leader currently for Texas’ top OT, Darrell Simpson (Justin, TX).

Keaontay Ingram: 2018 RB and OU offer, Keaontay Ingram (Carthage, TX) tells me he wasn’t able to make it to Norman this weekend but did say he plans to reschedule the visit.

Jalen Knox: A 2018 RB that didn’t make it to Norman is Jalen Knox (Mansfield, TX). Knox said about the trip, “it was amazing. I love it there”. He’s still waiting on an OU offer and said coach Boulware’s message to him was, “not to get discouraged by them not offering right now”.

Knox is a guy OU clearly likes so we’ll see if an offer is, at some point, extended. Should that happen, I think OU will be tough to beat. – (Super K)