Open Post | Tuesday, December 15th
Posted on: December 15, 2020
Sooners Sunday Brunch | Early Signing Week
– Charlie S Posted on: December 13, 2020
The Sooners had the weekend off on the field, but the coaches and support staff likely used the time off to prepare for this weeks early signing period which begins on Wednesday and closes on Friday.
*** Currently the Sooners have 15 commits in the 2021 class:
QB Caleb Williams
ATH Billy Bowman
WR Mario Williams
LB Clayton Smith
DL Kelvin Gilliam
WR Cody Jackson
Jalil Farooq
DL Ethan Downs
DB Latrell McCutchin
DL Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge
DB Damond Harmon
DB Jordan Mukes
LB Danny Stutsman
OL Cullen Montgomery
DL Isaiah Coe
*** Of those 15, there are a number of guys who we expect to enroll early: Isaiah Coe, Cody Jackson, Latrell McCutchin, Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, Clayton Smith, Caleb Williams, Mario Williams.
*** As for early signing period potential commitments? You have OL Savion Byrd announcing and signing on the 16th (Wednesday) with the school of his choosing (more on that below) and OL Bryce Foster announcing and signing on Friday the 18th to the school of his choosing.
*** When it comes to other recruits OU is pursuing heavily at this point you have OL Tristan Leigh, RB Camar Wheaton and DB Jardin Gilbert. Leigh, Wheaton and Gilbert will not be announcing their decisions until a later date (Wheaton the 23rd of December, Leigh and Gilbert the 2nd of January) but that does not mean the players won’t sign with the school of their choosing and keep it quiet until they publicly announce their intentions.
*** As of the time I am writing this, there currently does not appear to be much brewing in the way of potential ‘Surprise Additions’ for the Sooners so the suspense in that regard is a little low and most of the attention of the early signing period will be on where Byrd and Foster choose.
*** We expect each of the 15 current commits to sign in the early signing period at this time (always subject to change, but I don’t see it).
Let’s circle back to the remaining targets who are currently uncommitted to OU…
*** Spoke to K last night about Savion Byrd and he had a little more info to provide. As we mentioned over the last week, SMU appears to be the main competition for his signature at this time. We had not previously put much stock in the SMU talk, but as K did some more digging, it certainly looks like they are in fact legitimately in the picture here.
The latest information we have is that while SMU is in the picture, K was in contact with some sources around the SMU program and we can tell you that Savion has not told them (as of Sunday) he is choosing them at this point. As you know, he had previously indicated to people around OU that he was going to head to Norman. SMU not getting the word from Byrd at this point is somewhat telling in our opinion.
Based on all the information we have to this point, we still are cautiously optimistic about OU’s chances here, but obviously we do not feel as strongly as we had prior.
*** On Bryce Foster…sources around OU continue to be very optimistic about their chances with Foster and so are we. Foster has an official top 5, but this one really comes down to an OU versus Texas A&M battle.
Communication is still good between OU and Foster but I will always maintain that Aggie is a threat right up until the moment he signs.
*** Tristan Leigh was in Florida this week visiting the swamp on a self guided visit. We have not spoken to him or people around him at this point following the visit, but we believe they (Florida) would have a very high hill to climb to even get to level with the Sooners. Still very optimistic about Leigh landing in Norman when he makes his public announcement on the 2nd of January.
*** Then there is Camar Wheaton. Really basing this one on circumstantial evidence and bits and pieces of information K has gotten from sources around Camar.
Wheaton has chopped his list down to OU and Bama. While K was the first to give Bama a shot here (everyone else had it down to OU and Texas) we have not heard much in regards to Wheaton from our Bama sources. These sources are the same guys who kept us on top of the Jase McClellean recruitment last year. This year…doesn’t sound like there is much there.
Wheaton has been to Norman on multiple occasions, the last of which was the gathering that Caleb Williams and his father put together in July.
OU sources believe they are in a good position for Wheaton, and so do we.
So right now, as things stand on Sunday, I see OU signing up to 17 publicly in the early signing period (depending on Byrd and Foster).
At this time I also believe there is a distinct possibility that 2 additional players (Leigh and Wheaton) will sign with OU and announce their decision on the dates they have already publicly acknowledged as their decision day.
Obviously, things can change, and the one instance we will be checking on this week in particular will be Leighs trip to Florida. Both K and James have a good handle on that situation.
But right now, the only target I feel like OU in on the outside looking in on is Jardin Gilbert who will likely stay home and sign with LSU (of course that is also subject to change).
Should be a fun week for the Sooners!
Flashback | Iowa State Progress Report
– Charlie S
As the Sooners prepare to take on Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game, I wanted to start the week with a refresher of what went down on the field back in early October.
OU is looking for their 6th consecutive Big 12 Championship and 14th overall while it is Iowa States first shot at the title.
I’m going to list the grades and talk a little about what is different this time around, but you can find the full Progress Report Here.
QB: High 4* (Last week High 3*)
RB: Low 3* (Last week High 3*)
WR/TE: High 2* (Last week High 3*)
OL: Low 3* (Last week High 2*)
DL: High 2* (Last week 3*)
LB: 3* (Last week 3*)
DB: 1.5* (Last week 3*)
Special Teams: High 2* (Last week High 2*)
Let’s take a closer look at some of the positive areas and problem areas from that game…
Rattler played a really good game…his receivers did not help him at all. But the fact that Rattler played well against the Iowa State defense that early in the season is something OU can build on for the Championship game. Hope he plays to the same level or better.
The running back room was down one huge piece as Rhamondre Stevenson was not yet eligible. In the game, the backs biggest problem was not recognizing and using the running lanes. They were out running their blocks and not using their vision to pick the correct holes and lanes. Having Stevenson back should be a big plus for the Sooners as this in one area where you have a difference maker being inserted into the lineup for OU.
The Receivers had a rough night for the most part. As I said in the progress report ‘The drops/whiffs are unacceptable. Period.’ This is the one where Theo Wease dropped one of the prettiest passes you will ever see. You have to hope they work more to get open and catch the ball when given the chance. They need to pick it up.
The offensive line got better as the game went along. The one player who had a very good game for OU along the OL likely won’t see much time. As I said in the progress report ‘By the way, if you’re about the PFF grading life…Anton Harrison was the 2nd highest graded player on the entire team against ISU.’ Harrison has not seen the field much of late. Now, all is not lost as prior to the Baylor game, the OL had shown improvement and if they play the way they had been before Baylor, OU should be able to get the offense going. If they play as they did against Baylor…phew…rough seas ahead.
The defensive line had their roughest outing of the year against Iowa State. If you go back to the progress report, you can see how down on the group I was at that time. I can admit when I make a bad call on the group as a whole, and it certainly looks like I was way over my ski tips when I said ‘The OU defensive line is an average group personnel wise so when they put out a 3* ranking, it’s reflective of what was probably a good night for them.’ This is an area where not only do the Sooners add a difference maker in Ronnie Perkins, but they have progressed to the point of being the best unit, by far, on the entire Sooners team. Isaiah Thomas gave OU a chance to tie or win the game at the end when he forced a fumble late. The addition of Perkins and hopefully a healthy 2 deep should have OU in a better position to contain Bryce Hall who had 139 yards on the ground.
The linebackers were OK in the first matchup and it reflects in the original progress report. Bonitto had a nice game and it will be nice to have him back after he missed the Baylor game.
Now we get top the secondary…this is where I gave out my first ‘Nebula’ rating ever. Bookie got it. He played perhaps the worst game any OU DB has played since Dakota Austin was out there tackling blockers like they were ball carriers against Houston. It was not just Bookie however, the entire secondary, aside from Jaden Davis all received a 2* or lower ranking with Pat Fields earning a 1*. This is the matchup where OU needs to really step up their play. They cannot have a repeat, or anything remotely similar, of the display they put on in October. If they do, OU will be in for a long night. It will be interesting to see what adjustments the Sooners are able to make.
So to sum it all up…OU should get a boost by adding Stevenson to the run game and Perkins to the defensive line. Both of those areas underwhelmed in the first meeting and I believe they could be the keys to the game along with the play of the OU secondary.
Snippet from: Monday Notebook | Grinch on Early Signing Day
– James Hale
The next wave of Sooners
The early signing period is starting on Wednesday the 16th and runs through Friday the 18th, and OU does not expect any surprises among the 15 players committed to them. The Sooners are very happy with the defensive players that they have committed and expect to sign. Rush End Clayton Smith (6’4, 220) of Texarkana (Texas High), Texas gets rated higher the more people see him. Now, Smith is a high four-star.
Four-star defensive end Kelvin Gilliam (6’3, 250) of Highland Springs, Virginia is one of most celebrated recruits that the Sooners will sign. His three-star best friend cornerback Damond Hermon (6’1, 178) of the same school will also sign on Wednesday.
Defensive end Ethan Downs (6’4, 240) of Weatherford, Oklahoma earned a four-star for his outstanding play this year and looks like, along with Gilliam, that he’s going to be a great pass rusher at OU. Another outstanding prospect at defensive end is four-star Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge (6’7, 240) of Portland (Jefferson), Oregon, who has the most unique body type signing with the Sooners.
OU is putting together an outstanding DB class with Harmon in it along with four-star cornerback Latrell McCutchin (6’1, 176) of Austin, Texas, working back into shape coming off an ACL injury. OU has a great safety prospect in recently earned four-star Jordan Mukes (6’4, 192) of Choctaw, Oklahoma, coming into the class, who has the body type that Coach Grinch is looking for on the back end.
Linebacker Danny Stutsman (6’2, 1/2, 215) of Winter Garden (Foundation Academy), Florida, is a much better player than his ranking indicates even though he was just bumped to four star territory. Defensive tackle Isaiah Coe (6’3, 305) of Iowa Western didn’t get a chance to play this year, but he will look to follow in the footsteps of his good friend Perrion Winfrey who comes out of the same school.
OU has put tougher a very good defensive class and done so through COVID-19. No official visits, no traveling to evaluate prospects, and no eyeballing prospects in person to size them up in person.
“I think time will tell,” said Coach Grinch. “I certainly think in some ways, as unique as this year has been with the use of the FaceTimes and that, in some ways, despite the fact that we’re not seeing these guys in person, like we otherwise would have in certain pockets of the year. It’s almost trust the process and made us even more comfortable with doing that more often, as opposed to maybe a once a week thing.”
“You kind of do it. It just becomes second nature, and I think part of it is their willingness and ability to do that. There was such a long period of time where no one had a whole lot going on, and so they’re sitting at home; you’re sitting at home. So, in some ways, you kind of have more conversations, and maybe more real conversations over the course of time.”
“So, that’s been a unique thing in terms of learning guys, or getting to know guys in a different way. I guess trying to find a positive in all this, maybe in a little bit of a deeper way, too. No, I think recruiting, it’s always one of two things. One, obviously you want to recruit a high-level guy, and you want to do everything possible to get an elite guy in the program. The second thing, is the hedge against risk, is making sure that that individual you bring in here is not boom or bust.”
“So, that’s where we’re at in 2020 as we transition to 2021, is how much do you know, and be honest with yourself in terms of what you know, and what you don’t know? Then quite frankly, you don’t always know everything about every guy. All the NFL does, from the combines, from scouts, area scouts, they have a whole section of their organization completely devoted to this thing. Interview them, I mean, they learn a lot more about players than we ever do, and they make mistakes.”
“So, that’s one thing that you’re constantly in the back of your mind making sure that you bring the right guys in, because it’s not ultimately the ones you don’t get; it’s the ones that you bring in that are good enough to produce at a place like an Oklahoma. So, it’s that combination, and it will continue to be until we can leave campus, and that is to make sure that we’re bringing in the right guys. So, time will tell, but very excited about where we’re at now at this point.”
When Coach Grinch arrived in Norman during the recruiting period two years ago, he made it perfectly clear that he felt OU had to sign players that were bigger, stronger, and faster in the secondary and with more speed and power in the front seven. Now that he’s been in the program for a little while his thoughts haven’t changed much in this area.
“Yeah, and what you can’t do is you can’t simplify it to the point where everybody that’s 6’2” we’re going to recruit and say, ‘OK, that’s the one attribute that we want.’ I’m 6’2,” and I shouldn’t play at Oklahoma. So you don’t want to simplify it to that extreme. It’s the same thing as saying, ‘Well, this kid’s really fast.’ OK, well that’s part of the conversation. Not every fast guy deserves to be at Oklahoma.”
“So, with that it’s trying to build the case for the individual, and then sometimes you fall in love with a guy, and you’ve got to build a case against him. That’s part of the risk element of things, and that’s the appropriate thing to do, but does he check the necessary boxes from an academic standpoint?”
“That’s been a key factor. Again, in other years, it’s a little different. Now if you struggle in the classroom, is it because he’s on Zoom? Some guys, this is a unique situation for a high school junior, senior, type of thing. How did they finish the semester last year? So that’s not even as, I guess, telling as maybe in years past.”
“No, you’re dependent on a lot of things. You’re dependent on do they play multiple sports? Do you have the video of them playing basketball? OK, do you see some explosion? Did they have track times? Well, they didn’t run track last year because of things getting canceled. Well, maybe they did before. OK, what is their sophomore track time if they didn’t have the junior year track time? Then you kind of play the game in your head, ‘Well, OK, if they ran that this particular year, you’ve got to assume a little bit of maturation, and they’ll be a little bit faster.’
“So, you’re trying to connect dots. And as I describe it, I don’t mean to make it sound like this is a dramatic process, or it’s a matrix, but you don’t want to do is oversimplify it, and you’ve got to be honest with yourself. I just keep thinking about it, and we’ve talked about it as a staff: If you don’t know, don’t pretend like you know, because a lot of times that’s when you get yourself in a trap.”
“We always are conscious about it, well, who’s recruiting them, and that’s the responsible thing to do because that generates a market for an individual. However, this year maybe we saw him; maybe they didn’t. You know, maybe we actually had a better evaluation of them because we saw them in junior basketball. It was a tight window, and maybe they didn’t, and vice versa is true. Right?”
“This is the guy we identified. We didn’t get a chance to see him in January because you can only go so many places. We had every intention to go see him in the spring. What if when I’m at School A, they were at School B, and this individual’s there? So, no, it’s very unique, and once again, I just keep going back to that be honest with yourself. Don’t pretend like you know something that you don’t, and make decisions on that, again, to the best of your ability.”
