Open Post | Tuesday, April 16th
Posted on: April 16, 2019
Spring Game Visitor Notes | Tyree, Dumervil, Branch, Bryant
– Super K
Some of these notes I’ll flesh out more in more complete posts but wanted to get some quick updates on some key players.
***2020 OL, Akinola Ogunbiyi made the drive back home to the Houston area, yesterday. The big thing in this one was winning over mom and Aki said, “she loves Norman”.
He didn’t pull the trigger and part of the reason for that is he has some additional OVs he’d like to take. But OU is in a good spot.
***Interestingly, due to weather delays, Chris Tyree’s flight was cancelled so he actually ended up staying an extra day in Norman.
I’ve exchanged some texts with Chris and his father and again, visit went well. I felt OU was in a good spot for him but he did take a recent visit to Notre Dame. So, once I speak with him on the phone I should get a better sense of whether Oklahoma sealed the deal or if there is still work to be done.
***2020 DB, Lathan Ransom flew home yesterday. Again, more on him later but from his day…
“We got a lot of what we needed [on this trop]. Coaches and facilities, everything was top notch. Really got a feel that Coach Grinch is going to do something special.”
Still more visits to go here. They have upcoming trips to LSU, Texas, Florida, and Ohio State.
With that said they’ll have a better idea of things after that.
Lathan said via text, “It was definitely a great experience. Helped me get a good feel for them”.
He did say he’s hoping that when he visits Austin, Texas won’t remember that he did this…
***Source tells me that OU moved into the top two for 2020 OL, Marcus Dumervil who flew in from Ft. Lauderdale.
Team they’ll have to contend with is Alabama.
***I spoke with 2020 DB, Brian Branch (Tyrone, GA) earlier today. He broke down the visit and I’ll have quotes up.
Bottom line though with Branch is he is going to be making a decision fairly soon and OU is in his group of top three schools.
If he leaves the SEC, OU will be tough to beat.
***Spoke with speedy 2020 WR, Gary Bryant Jr. (Corona, CA) over the phone last night.
This was his first visit to Oklahoma but it sounds like it won’t be his last. Bryant told me he will return to OU for a game in the season.
This is another one where OU knocked it out of the park. Full update coming.
***A quick note on the weekend as a whole. It was a big success. Great businesses know themselves and they are able to figure out how to communicate who they are. OU is a championship program but I think what adds to that is the comfortable home-like feel that people get in Norman and around this staff.
Because of how big some these players are, it’s easy to forget that they’re kids moving away for the first time and that authentic family atmosphere makes them and their families feel good about the idea of living there.
Lincoln does a tremendous job of communicating through words and actions this aspect of Norman and OU whether it’s through his personal authenticity, letting coaches bring their kids to the facilities, the great work of the OU players, etc.
Snippet From James: Chang of Pace | Monday, April 15th Notebook
– James Hale
*** For Jalen Hurts, coming to OU has to be an eye-opening experience no matter how cool and poised he is. Even as good as Oklahoma is, Alabama has been better and Hurts, over the last few years, has played a big part in that. Alabama is led by Nick Saban who is one of the most disciplined coaches in college football and his way of doing things has worked for him at an elite level.
*** Oklahoma has been very good as well and they are going about it in a different way. Coach Riley is disciplined and has shown that discipline many times but he does laugh and crack jokes and is just a different coach than Saban.
*** So here is Hurts the perfect Saban quarterback, stoic and poised and all business on the field but now at Oklahoma where he has learned that it is okay to laugh on the practice field and it’s okay to have a little fun.
*** After Hurts one-yard touchdown run early in the second half he and his offensive lineman sprinted to the middle of the end zone and took an imaginary picture and he admitted after the game that if he was still at Alabama that probably would not have happened.
*** “My center Clayton (Woods) asked me what I thought of that,” laughed Hurts. “I just thought about it and said let’s go take a picture over there after we score. I told him ‘hey I would not be doing that over there (Alabama). I know my old coach, Coach Saban, would have probably given me a chewing for that one.’ I’m a team guy and my team wanted to have a little fun and do that. So I said okay. I want to put my team first and team goals first and that’s why we did that. It was a spring game and we were just having a little fun, you won’t see us do that in a real game when I get this blue jersey off.”
*** OU under Coach Riley runs a modern-day program that is always live on social media and in front of the media. Hurts is finding out he has more liberties here as the quarterback than he did at Alabama and he’s beginning to grow and I’m told he is really beginning to enjoy being part of the Sooner football team.
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Josh Eaton Visiting Sooners
– Super K
2020 CB, Josh Eaton tells me he will finally take his first visit to Oklahoma.
Eaton says he will be in Norman this weekend. He will be accompanied by his uncle. A lot of people aren’t aware of this but although Eaton has family ties to Louisiana and lives in Texas, his uncle lives in OKC.
Eaton has been wanting to visit Oklahoma for a while now and it sounds like it will finally happen.
Teams to beat in this race currently are Texas, LSU and TAMU.
With Manning in the boat and OU looking good for some additional DBs, the numbers here are going to get very tight as Oklahoma’s new defensive staff looks to upgrade their overall secondary talent.
Spring Game Visitor Update | 2020 Edge Antwaun Powell
– Charlie S
*** Caught up with 2020 Edge defender Antwaun Powell yesterday morning following his official visit to Norman for the Spring Game this past weekend.
I have spoken with the 6’3″ 235 lb Powell on a couple of occasions and I am set to speak with him again in the near future to do a spotlight piece on him but we did exchange some texts throughout the visit and into this morning.
Powell is a guy who was quietly very high on OU coming into the visit and Sooners Defensive Line Coach Calvin Thibodeaux and Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch have done a really good job with him. From the sound of things, they further established themselves as a real player in his recruitment.
Powell said that the highlight of his trip was not the game, not the dinner at the Chesapeake Arena, but just the chance to spend time with the staff and the team. The game and dinner and other events ‘were very cool’ according to Powell, but the sense of comfort and that ‘family feel’ is what stood out to him the most as he was reflecting on his visit.
I asked him if after making the trip from Virginia and seeing what the travel would entail should he choose to go to OU if distance would be a factor, Powell said “No, it’s not a big deal because you are treated like family. It’s very comfortable.” He added, “Coach Riley said it’s a home away and he is right”.
As far as where things stand in his recruiting process, he does not have a timeline set and he currently has no other visits planned.
As I said I will be in touch with him to get a full spotlight piece on him, but the Sooners certainly seem to have made a big push in his recruitment and will remain a player for his signature throughout the process, however long he takes it out.
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