The Football Brainiacs

– Bobby Brown: To say the visit with OU couldn’t have gone better with Bobby Brown and his mother, Ericka, would be an understatement. From the church service with coach Thibs on Sunday to the time Brown’s mother spent with other OU families, Oklahoma clearly made Brown and his mother feel at home.

Earlier this week I spoke with Brown’s mother and it’s clear that Riley’s sincerity and genuine care for his players stood out to, “He told Tre (Bobby) that he has no idea how good he can be and where he will be in a few years, but he wants to help him get there.”

She added, “You can just tell he means it. He cares.”

“He cares” was a something 2018 Texas A&M commit, Deshaun White, emphasized to me about Riley when we spoke. That statement is becoming something not uncommon to hear from recruits.

Another example of the staff showing Brown’s family just how family-oriented OU is was Ericka getting a chance to spend a lot of time with Calvin Thibodeux’s wife, Lincoln Riley’s wife, Dr. Mackey, Mrs. Hansen and Mike Stoops’ wife.

Ericka felt at home with them and she took note of what that would mean for Bobby over the next few years of his life, “Most know I am a single parent and have been for a long time. Just knowing those five women will be around him, while at OU, makes me feel so much more comfortable with the university. I mean nothing against the coaches and school, because I love it, but I know those women will care for him like I would. That is something I want for him cause I won’t be there all the time.”

The togetherness of the staff and their families is something that is well documented, but when you hear a parent that passionate about what OU has, it can only be a good thing.

Lastly, Ericka spoke about how her and Bobby have prayed a ton about where he will commit on November 2nd. Ericka, as we noted in a previous post, makes sure her family attends church every Sunday. Their faith is their backbone and, as she put it, “God has a place for Tre and I won’t say where I want him to go because that is in God’s hands.” That said, she did say that OU is close to home and she would love to have Bobby close because of how close their relationship is.

Still, with visits to Alabama (October 21st) and FSU still on the horizon, the Sooners will need to continue to stay aggressive in Brown’s recruitment.

Regardless of where Bobby Brown signs, his official visit shows, not only the family atmosphere, but the faith aspect that Riley and company have put in the culture at OU. Oklahoma did all they could. Will it be enough? We will know on November 2nd. Just a month and a half away. – (Brandon)

– Leon O’Neal: Earlier this week I chatted with Leon O’Neal and he reconfirmed his interest in taking an official visit to OU. I’m told that O’Neal was set to speak with coach Riley and coach Cooks via FaceTime last weekend but an issue came up (sounded like a phone issue).

I’m told they plan on rescheduling a time to speak for this weekend.

Because the DB numbers are so tight I did check with a source on the OU side to find out if there would be room for O’Neal. I was told that they don’t have much room left but if O’Neal demonstrates real interest and wants to take an official visit, OU will bring him up on an official. Also, assuming a spot is still available, he is a take for the staff.

Difficult to gauge this one because it’s hard to know what’s going to happen with TAMU. At one point O’Neal was TAMU’s biggest recruiter but when one of your school’s own Regents comes out calling for you to be fired (which is what happened to Kevin Sumlin), it’s no doubt going to spook a lot of recruits. – (Super K)