Open Post | Tuesday, January 21st
Posted on: January 21, 2020
The Latest | Alfred Collins
– Charlie S
Just a quick note from CJ Vogel who touched base with Alfred Collins following his unofficial visit to Austin this past weekend to meet the new defensive staff at Texas.
CJ has perhaps the closest connection to Alfred out of all the reporters and he shoots it straight as you know. For a long time CJ was quite adamant that OU was in front, but over the last month or so he felt as though Texas had stepped to the front.
Earlier this month, Collins told CJ his plan was to unofficially visit his four finalists (which at the time was OU, Texas, Baylor, and Alabama).
Yesterday Collins mentioned that Baylor had fallen off with the departure of Matt Rhule and he was down to three (OU, Texas, Alabama).
Now, as far as additional visits go, Alfred said he plans on making his way to Norman and Tuscaloosa in the coming weeks. However, the catch here is that Alfred’s mother told CJ that right now, there are no plans on taking any more trips.
So the waters remain as murky as ever in that recruitment.
Dre Butler | Initial Update
– Super K
As you know, the Sooners hosted 2020 JUCO DL, Dre Butler, this past weekend.
I spoke with Butler’s high school coach who also accompanied Dre on the visit and got some interesting insight into Butler’s journey.
Here’s a brief overview of things…
***Butler started playing football as a senior in high school. Like Charles Tapper, Butler was actually a basketball player.
***And though Butler played high school football in Georgia, he’s actually originally from Maryland – like Tapper.
***In fact, Dre’s mother still lives in Maryland.
***So far Dre has taken two official visits and has three remaining.
***The first was to Maryland and learning about his background explains why Maryland is a player in this recruitment. Again, Dre’s mother still lives there.
***The Sooners had the second OV. I’ll detail more in a subsequent post but I think OU did everything they could to make sure this visit went as well as possible. Coach said the visited exceeded their expectations.
***His remaining visits are Auburn, Oregon and a mid-week visit to possibly FSU or Tennessee (they are still undecided).
***Auburn sounds like they are a very real player in this recruitment. I think proximity to Atlanta helps. Also, it’s clear the production Auburn has had at that position in the past few years will play a factor.
***I do think OU did a heck of a job really making their case as a defense who is on the come up and showing Dre how someone like him – a player who is still new to the game – can easily, learn Grinch’s system.
Quick Hitters | Junior Day & More
– Charlie S
Couple reactions and notes from Sooners Junior Day…
*** Caught up with 2022 offensive lineman Jacob Sexton (6’5″ 300 Edmond, OK) who had a big day. Sexton picked up an Oklahoma offer and thoroughly enjoyed his time in Norman.
I touched base with him about the trip and asked him what stood out to him while in town. Obviously the offer was huge so I asked him about how it went down and he said “Well when we walked in, Coach B was standing by the door and after I signed in we went upstairs to talk to coach Riley. We talked to him for about an hour and as we were about to leave he told me that I had received an offer from Oklahoma!”
Sexton also said the fact that everyone on staff and around the program was very kind and helpful is something that stood out to he and his family.
Jacob plans on being back in Norman for camp and additional visits, but it does not sound as if a commitment is imminent. Sexton said “I plan on enjoying the recruiting process and I want to be sure whichever school I pick is 110% right for me”.
*** Also checked in with 2021 visitor Jordan Mukes (6’4″ 192 Choctaw, OK) who had rave reviews in regards to the time he got to spend on campus.
Mukes had a great day and said “It was a wonderful experience, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the coaches.”
Jordan didn’t pick up that OU offer just yet, but he said the Sooner staff laid out a plan for him. Mukes said “They plan on having me back on campus very, very soon. They told me they would come by in the spring and some of my games and as far as an offer goes, it’s something they talked about possibly happening in the spring.”
When I asked him about what stood out to him, he said “The staff. Most definitely. They were all cool and funny. I really loved everything up there, it’s really set up to help the players”.
*** Sooners also got 2022 elite athlete Gentry Williams (5’10” 160 Tulsa, OK) and his family back on campus.
Williams gave the visit some high reviews as he said “I had a lot of fun today. It was a great experience with my family”.
One of the things that stood out to him was the Sooners decision to suit the recruits up in full uniform which is something OU had not done prior (and a much-welcomed move by all accounts). Williams said, “It was cool, we were the first group in the Riley era to put the uniforms on during a visit.”
Williams wasn’t all about fun and games and he was pleased to be able to connect with OU corners coach Roy Manning. He mentioned that it was great to be able to further develop that relationship.
*** On an unrelated note, I received several more inquiries in regards to Jaquayln Crawford who submitted his name to the NCAA Transfer portal a while back and if he would be returning to OU.
Sources reconfirmed what we reported when this rumor first popped up which is that Crawford will not be a part of the Sooners program going forward and another source even mentioned he is likely headed to a JUCO in the near future.
Early Look | 2020 Running Backs
– Charlie S
To start the 2020 season, the Sooners Running Back room will have a different look compared to the 2019 season.
As OU opens the 2020 season, Oklahoma will have a new leader of the room as Jay Boulware is no longer with the program. Boulware was in charge of the running backs in Norman for the past five years.
The Sooners will also return junior Kennedy Brooks who was the featured back for most of the 2019 season (aside from Jalen Hurts) but it is behind him where additional changes will be noticed.
Co-starter (in name) Trey Sermon (Sermon) suffered a season ending injury (ACL) so he will likely miss spring and summer workouts at the very least and Rhamondre Stevenson (senior) is currently appealing a suspension that could cost him up to five games.
TJ Pledger (junior) got the chance to see a lot of time in the Peach Bowl (and represented himself pretty well) and redshirt freshman Marcus Major should be a full go in spring ball following his own season ending surgery in 2019.
Oklahoma also brought in Seth McGowan as an early enrollee for the 2020 class and at this point, it looks like he could find himself thrown into the rotation as the fourth back to start the season at the very least.
During a season in which the Oklahoma offense was largely QB run based with Jalen Hurts, the running backs still managed to put up impressive yards per carry averages even with the lower carry totals:
Kennedy Brooks: 155 carries for 1011 yards which was good for a 6.5 yards per carry average with 6 touchdowns
Rhamondre Stevenson: 64 carries for 515 yards which was good for a 8.0 yards per carry average with 6 touchdowns
Trey Sermon: 54 carries for 385 yards which was good for a 7.1 yards per carry average with 4 touchdowns
T.J. Pledger: 10 carries for 65 yards which was good for a 6.5 yards per carry average and 1 touchdown
Marcus Major: 10 carries for 28 yards which was good for a 2.8 yards per carry average
Whoever takes over the running back coaching duties will be handed a room which has a mix of good talent and experience along with some exciting young backs in Major and McGowan.
However, as thing stand today (without any further attrition), the Sooners will likely begin the season with some serious question marks behind Kennedy Brooks.
Does Trey Sermon make it back in time to start the season completely healthy? Does TJ Pledger stick around and earn himself more carries? How long will Rhamondre Stevenson be out? Does either Major or McGowan seize the opportunity to insert themselves into a prominent role for OU following spring and fall camp?
One thing is certain, with a new running back coach, the rotation of the backs will be different. Boulware had a curious rotation that seemed to lack rhyme or reason at times so I would imagine there will be a renewed sense of energy in the room for a guy like Pledger who may feel like he will get a fair shot at getting on the field.
The situation can, and will, change based on who the new coach is along with recoveries from injuries, appeals of suspensions, and possible attrition. But the early look at the running back room shows that the position should be just fine for the most part but there is still a slight chance that things could go sideways in a hurry and OU could be looking at Kennedy Brooks, a redshirt freshman, and a true freshman to start the season in a worst-case scenario.
