Open Post | Tuesday, April 21st

Quick Hitter | 2021 JUCO DT Jamond Gordon
Charlie S

Last week the Sooners extended an offer to 2021 JUCO defensive tackle Jamond Gordon (6’4″ 280) out of East Mississippi Community College.

I exchanged a few messages with Gordon following the offer and he seems very interested in building a relationship with Oklahoma.

I asked him how long the Sooners had been in contact with him prior to the offer and he said: “Yesterday was the first day”.

In other words, his first contact with OU resulted in an offer. The Sooners staff must have liked what they saw and heard from him.

I asked him about his thoughts on OU and he said “They play good physical defense and they are a good team”.

To go along with the Sooners offer, Gordon also currently has offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, UCF, Mississippi State and Arizona. He will have two years of playing eligibility at his next destination.

While the relationship with Oklahoma is just beginning, Gordon told me he will ‘definitely be visiting’ and he is looking forward to continuing to build his relationship with Sooners defensive tackle coach Calvin Thibodeaux as well as hearing from others on the staff in the future.


Snippet from: Monday Notebook | Interior DL Outlook Post Gallimore, PMot’s Journey & More
– James Hale

It’s NFL Draft week and the Sooners will certainly be well represented by CeeDee Lamb, Kenneth Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Neville Gallimore.

Then you have senior cornerback Parnell Motley who had one of the most interesting careers that I’ve covered at OU. Motley was a phenom out of the gate, then a liability, then good again, then benched, and then the third corner before finally last year becoming the best corner in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country.

“My career at OU I think was amazing,” said Motley. “It was amazing that I was able to be part of the University of Oklahoma. It was a great traditional school. I was a fan of that school and those guys growing up. I was a fan of AD (Adrian Peterson) and all the famous guys that came through the University of Oklahoma and I know what it was like to play at that school. I was able to be part of this team.”

“I came a long way to get here considering where I came from and where I’m at right now, I’m just glad that I got a chance to be part of the University of Oklahoma. I live with no regrets so I live with everything that I went through at OU. They made the best of me and made me a better man today. I had a great career at OU and the years at OU I will never forget.”

Motley came out of the Washington DC area at Woodson High School and admitted adjusting to the quiet life of Norman took some getting used to. The coaches loved him because he never quit on himself or the team even when they benched him not once but twice and even when fans and media got on him. In the end, Motley’s patience paid off as he had a great senior year and stands a good chance to getting picked in the draft on the third day.

“I just looked at it as one last shot for me to give it all that I have got,” said Motley. “I decided to leave it all on the line and to focus on last year and give them the real me. I wanted to show them what I truly was because people don’t know who I truly am, and I wanted to show them the real me last year.”

“I went out with a bang and went out and played my best every snap and every play. I held my aggression and just made sure that I was on top of every play. That habit and mindset took me a long way making me into the great player that I am today.”

One of his best games this past year was the 25 point comeback against Baylor when in the second half Motely knocked the ball loose from Bears running back JaMycal Hasty that Pat Fields recovered after Hasty was off and running on a big gain.

“That game was a great game for me and that game along with the Iowa State game were the two best games that I played,” said Motley. “The atmosphere and energy in that game was so surreal. The things you go through when you are down 28-3 in a game. We didn’t give up at all and we kept the fight in us. For me to make a great play like that to get some kind of energy going in the second half possibly changed the whole momentum of the game even though we didn’t score on that series.

“I’m not sure that people know it but that play changed the whole effect of the ballgame. That play went a long way in doing that. I was just glad to be part of that game. That game was just so surreal coming back from 25. I always go back and watch that game. It’s games like that that I will be looking back at 30 years from now.”

Motley seemed to excel in the first year in the Alex Grinch defensive system which he feels is a great system for OU.

“I think it was great,” said Motley. “I think it was much simpler than the defense we were playing before. It’s not so complex, it’s really just black and white, read and react. There’s not as much to think of in Coach Grinch’s scheme and it gets the best out of players and those of us that did play last year he got us to a better place.”

“Grinch allows each one of his players to show his abilities. The ups and downs and whether you like it or not you are going to like him, you are going to like his aggression and the type of coach that he is. The Grinch effect is going to be much more effective in the future. This is a great defense and I’m glad that he came to Oklahoma. I hope that our defense improves over the years and all of those guys that I’ve been playing with over the years will be playing much better in the future.”

“We were just in year one of this defense and just imagine what this defense will be like in two or three years down the road. I’m very curious about how the guys are going to be doing. I’m just as anxious as you to see how these guys do this year. I wish I had one more year, I would have definitely come back to play with these guys. It’s crazy how time flies and I’m going to miss it a bunch. I’m gong to be watching these guys from the other side on some NFL team, but they will always know that I’m rooting for them.”

Counting with Motley, the defense loses it’s three best players in Gallimore and Murray yet Motley is confident that the defense is going to be good again.

“Coach Grinch had those second rotation guys playing throughout the season for times like this,” said Motley. “When their time does come they won’t be so anxious or nervous when they are playing a full game. That’s why Coach Grinch had those guys rotating. At corner every game we had three or four guys playing, especially at the beginning of the season, and that allowed everyone to show their abilities.”

“The Grinch effect is going to take hold much more next year. The guy are going to be improved and when these guys get back it’s going to be interesting to see how these guys do.”

Oklahoma has some key returnees in senior Tre Brown (5’10, 186) and Tre Norwood (6’0, 189), sophomore Jaden Davis (5’10, 182), along with freshmen Kendall Dennis (6’0, 174), Josh Eaton (6’2″ 175) and D.J. Graham (6’0 1/2, 178) will vie for playing time next year at corner.

“I think you are going to see tremendous growth next year,” said Motley. “Just the imprint I’ve left on these guys as we have grown up throughout the years in the secondary. Just look at how much better we got just this last year. These guys are a veteran group, they have more total experience than we had this past year.”

“I know these guys are going to lock it down. I know that Tre Brown and Tre Norwood are going to be captains of this team, and they’re going to lead these guys in a great way. I hope it pays off for them with a National Championship.”

Throughout the entire lockdown due to COVID-19 Motley has been back home in Washington DC still getting his work in while getting ready for training camp, whenever that’s going to be in the NFL.

“Man, without question I’m getting my work in,” said Motley. “I have a guy that I train with and we go out and run and he puts me through drills. They are trying to stop us from working but we try to work every day. We work through rain and through snow and it’s definitely going on. I’m just happy to be with my family and my friends and I’m just happy to be going through this thing that is going on.”

“I’m still going on in my journey and I’m just happy to continue to go on and to keep doing what I’m doing. We keep praying that everyone gets well and we can get back to normal life. I keep working to stay motivated because I know this thing could end tomorrow. I just keep going on and there is nothing that can stop me from being the best that I’m going to be. I just keep training and keep trying to do my best every day.”

One of the biggest mysteries and disappointments for OU was when Motley did not get invited to the NFL Combine. Here he had played so well his senior year and by all measures had been one of the best corners in the country yet he was not invited to the combine leaving him only to work for pro scouts at the OU Pro Day.

“I’m just glad that I got to work at the Pro Day before the pandemic,” said Motley. “There have been other guys across the country that have not been able to go through their pro days. So, I’m just glad that I got a chance to display any of my abilities in front of scouts and the pro personnel.”

“Actually, the process with the NFL scouts is still going well. I’m doing FaceTime calls with scouts and people in the NFL and that’s happening quite a bit. I was just glad that I was able to get my pro day in considering all this mess that is going on right now. It’s affected a lot of great guys who were not invited to the combine. For a guy like me, I was just very fortunate that I got a chance to be part of my pro day and was able to finish it.”

Motley has been off-and-on a four year starter at OU. You would think that much film on a guy, especially showing how much he has improved at OU, would be more valuable than a combine or pro day workout?

“Definitely, I have a ton of film and the pro guys now have a ton of film on me,” said Motley. “Coach Grinch and Coach (Roy) Manning have sent out a lot of film on me and both of them have been telling the scouts about my great senior year that I just had. We got the message out about P-Mot and that’s really what you need to do.

“They will be able to see how much that I’ve improved and how good that I am now. They will see that I’m a true fighter and whoever drafts me will get the best that P-Mot has to offer.”


Friday Note on Goodwine
– Super K

*** The Monkell Goodwine story has gone back and forth. It seemed OU had a really good shot. Then he released his top five and the Sooners weren’t in it.

You’ll recall that he told me that he felt uncomfortable with the fact that he was primarily being recruited by the DT coach and not the DEs coach. He took that to imply that OU intended to move him inside.

Cain and Lincoln addressed the issue and Cain took over the recruitment. I think spoke to Goodwine and he told me the Sooners were back in it and he would be officially visiting. He said he was excited to build a relationship with Cain.

I won’t go into the remainder of the details but fast forward a few days and…

And OU is out.

Again, not going to get into the details as Monkell wouldn’t want to say anything negative about anyone but I will say very clearly this was not Cain or Lincoln’s fault. They were moving OU back in the right direction.

Can things get back on track again later? Perhaps. But there is some work to do.

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2021 DB Jantzen Dunn Commits to Ohio State
– Charlie S

2021 DB Jantzen Dunn has committed to Ohio State.

Yes, he was the eyes Sooners head coach Lincoln sent out the other night.

Yes, he told Lincoln and staff he was heading to Norman.

Once word got out and Ohio State caught wind, they jumped into action and within a half an hour of him committing to OU, they were able to swing things back in their favor by slowing things down and then eventually getting him to commit to the Buckeyes.

So, with that said, Oklahoma still has two sets of eyes out there which represent two silent commits. You can scratch off the most recent set of eyes.


Sooners Saturday | Spring Game | What Was To Be
– Charlie S

This past Saturday was the scheduled date for the Sooners Spring Game.

The COVID-19 Pandemic forced the cancellation of the event which annually serves as one of the biggest recruiting events of the calendar year for Lincoln Riley and his staff.

WIthout the pandemic, the Spring Game would have been a little bit about football, and a lot about recruiting efforts.

The Spring Game typically offers the fan base a little glimpse of things football-wise…you get to see the young kids run around and get your eyes on such things as the QB Competition and who is lining up where when it comes to other positions.

Statues are unveiled, entertainment is provided and rings are awarded.

As far as importance in football terms…you all know the spring game is much less important when compared to the other 15 spring practices which were washed away, but it was still football.

As far as recruiting goes, that is a different animal.

Over the past several years, the spring game weekend has blossomed into a feast for recruiting junkies.

I know it has historically become one of our busiest weekends of the year here on TFB.

The Sooners bring in tons of recruits, so we spend the weekend chasing them down to get reactions to their visits.

Lincoln Riley has become accustomed to sending out multiple ‘eyes’ throughout the weekend.

This year we know of at least one recruit who was set to go public with his announcement while on campus for the weekend.

None of that was able to take place..

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Kind of a downer…but…

This leads me to start thinking about what comes next.

You know Lincoln and his staff are already formulating their next big deal.

Will the next thing be a big event during the summer should things clear up a bit and kids are allowed to travel, say around July?

Could Riley and company set up virtual events where the recruits, coaches and staff members all interact on a streaming service?

Will Oklahoma focus more on game weekend visits this year as over the past few years they have had only a limited amount of ‘big weekends’ during the season?

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The preparation for football will take care of itself. All the programs will be allotted the same amount of preparation and while the lack of spring ball will hurt some of the players progression, it is what it is.

But in regards to the recruiting, I have little doubt that Oklahoma will rise to the challenge that has been presented to them and come out with something that captures both the recruit’s attention as well as the fan’s attention.

The question is, what will the fireworks look like?

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