Open Post | Tuesday, January 26th - The Football Brainiacs

*** I know there are some people wondering if this is still happening, as far as we know, nothing has changed and we expect him to be a Sooner here in short order.

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Bookie | Update
– Super K

***Starting to become more optimistic that Bookie will return for the spring.

***I am told that he will return but I’m hedging a bit because I haven’t confirmed if he’s actually made it back to Norman. But I’ve heard that the staff is under the impression he is going to return.

Snippet from: Monday Notebook | The New Guys
– James Hale

Here are my thoughts on each of the 15 players who have joined the program (was written before Keshawn Lawrence announced) and what they will do next year, and while my thoughts may change from what I see this spring, these are my thoughts as of right now.

Caleb Williams, QB, (6’1, 210) from Washington DC (Gonzaga High): Williams has worked it out to be a dual-enrollee at Oklahoma and Gonzaga High, something the high school in 200 years has never allowed before.

“I am going to be a full-time student at both places,” Williams recently said on SI.com. “I want to give special thanks to Gonzaga for all they’ve done for me. The administration, for even allowing me to do this, because they’ve never done this—ever. I really appreciate Gonzaga for doing this, and obviously OU for also allowing me to do this. All, the NCAA, for giving me the clearance for dual-enrollment at both places and to be able to play right away at OU.

“That means now I finally, officially get to start learning the playbook and get into the lab with Coach (Lincoln) Riley, all the strength coaches, like Coach Wylie and all of them.

“I’ll also get to be with all my college professors now. It’s pretty cool to be in this position, it’s pretty tough, it will be really tough doing double school with a new playbook—especially in college—but this is a dream. I recognize this is going to be crazy tough, but the road is really easy when you chase your dreams.”

“This has been my dream, to be in this position, and I smile every time I look at my schedule or think about it. I have a little smirk on my face. This is what I’ve always wanted, and it’s a big step towards my continued pursuit of this dream that I have.”

“OU it’s happening….Make sure you stay healthy, stay positive, and make sure you wash your hands.”

OU signed Spencer Rattler just two years ago, then the number one passing quarterback in the country. Both were ranked as the number one player in the country at various times, with Rattler coming in at 11th on signing day and Williams at sixth. Both love football, and both work hard. When he can, Rattler will head back to Arizona and work with his QB guru Mike Giovando at Elev8QBacademy. Williams has his QB guru as well that he calls Coach Mark who will work with him two to three times a day when he is back in Washington DC.

When Williams moved to Norman, he joined a high-intensity gym and found guys to throw to in 2022 four-star commit Talyn Shettron (6’3, 185). The guy is innovative, while Rattler has his way that works for him. Both train like bandits and make it work.

Rattler will be the starter this year, but Williams will make it tough on him. OU will try to redshirt Williams, and before all of you hit me with that crazy in this day and age, remember the coaches still play the recruiting game knowing they have four games to play with each year, which is so valuable for a coach like Coach Riley. Williams will be the backup quarterback, and if anything happens to Rattler, he will be the QB, but if Rattler is healthy all year, he will get his four games but not burn the year.

Mario Williams, WR, 5’11, 178, Plant City, Florida: Four-star recruit rated the fourth-best wide receiver in the country. Williams has a great chance to come in and help OU right away because he can play the slot as well as outside, and his type of receiver is needed in the Sooner offense. I expect that he will have a good spring and be a factor next year.

Cody Jackson, WR, 6’0, 175, Richmond (Foster), Texas. A four-star recruit rated as the 107th best player in the country and the 18th best wide receiver. Jackson was the first player to commit to the Sooner 2021 class, following in the footsteps of his mentor CeeDee Lamb. Jackson never wavered, and even though it will be tough to break through at receiver next season, Jackson gets a chance this spring to show he’s ready. I expect Jackson will redshirt next year, but we may feel different about it after spring.

Isaiah Coe, NT, 6’3, 305, Iowa Western Community College: Coe is a three-star recruit rated as the 27th best junior college player in the country and the 5th best defensive tackle. Coe will come in to get a feel for D-1 ball this spring, but he is big and strong and is a good player. He will help next year behind his buddy starter Perrion Winfey.

Clayton Smith, RE, 6’4, 220, Texarkana (Texas High), Texas: Four-star rush end, Smith was ranked the 43rd best player in the country and the 2nd best weakside defensive end. OU loves Smith’s ability, and they can’t wait to get their hands on him. With Jon-Michael Terry headed to Tulsa, there might be an opening, but freshman Brynden Walker (6’2, 251) looks legit, and former four-star talent Joseph Wete’ (6’4, 233) will look to make his mark this spring behind starter Nik Bonitto (6’3, 238). OU DC Alex Grinch says you have to be elite to play ‘Rush End’ at OU, and Smith will get every opportunity to show that he is this spring.

Ethan Downs, DE, 6’4, 240, Weatherford, Oklahoma: Downs is a four-star athlete ranked as the 10th best WDE in the country and the 168th best player in the land. He has a great motor and comes to a position that can use one more player in the rotation behind junior Isaiah Thomas (6’5, 267), and sophomore Marcus Stripling (6’3, 250). Freshman Reggie Grimes (64, 266) will look to make his presence known this spring, and Downs will be looking to do the same.

Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, SDE, 6’7, 240, Portland (Jefferson), Oregon: Rawlins-Kibonge is a four-star athlete ranked as the 270th best player in the country and the 17th best defensive end. OU does not have a player like Rawlins-Kibonge, but he is raw and is the least experienced among all the defensive ends coming in or already on campus. The former basketball standout is just learning how to play the game and will probably redshirt this year, and his education process starts on Monday in the first meeting with defensive end coach Jamar Cain.

Latrell McCutchin, CB, 6’1, 176, Austin (LBJ), Texas: The one-time five-star corner before an ACL injury, McCutchin came back and had a great senior year finishing as the 238th best player in the country and 17th best corner as a four-star athlete. The OU staff was thrilled when McCutchin committed to OU, and they feel he can be a great one. Corner is like running back, as the best players play and he will get a chance in the spring to show what he can. OU has several good corners back, so he will probably redshirt this year, but again he will get a chance to show if he is elite and deserves to be on the field.

Jordan Mukes, S, 6’4, 192, Choctaw, Oklahoma: Mukes is a four-star safety that played corner this past year in leading Choctaw to the Class 6A state championship game. Makes is ranked as the 357th best player in the country and the 26th best safety, but Cale Gundy first saw him a couple of years ago and called Coach Riley and DC Alex Grinch on the way back hyped about him. OU always seems to be looking for a great safety, and Mukes has the size and length the coaches always talk about. He will get a chance to prove he’s ready this spring. I think he will redshirt, but depth is an issue at safety, and Mukes might earn a chance to get into a rotation.

Micah Bowens, QB, 6’0, 195, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman), Nevada, Penn State Transfer: A former three-star recruit. He had offers from Oregon, West Virginia, Ole Miss, North Carolina, BYU, and Arizona. Bowens is very quick and explosive in the pocket and has 4.5 speed. He has a good arm, but mechanics need work, and right now, he might be a better runner than thrower. He is definitely a work in progress and did not play a down at Penn State llast year. He could be the backup while Williams redshirts this year, but both will be in the mix to help the team next year.

Robert Congel, OG, 6-4, 321, IMG Academy, Transfer from Arizona: I think this falls under the category you can never have too many good football players. OU didn’t necessarily need another offensive guard/center in the program, but when he entered the portal and contacted Oklahoma, Congel was talented and experienced enough to pique OU’s interest. In two years at Arizona, he started 13 of 15 games with seven games at left guard, five games at right guard, and one at center. That kind of versatility will be very valuable to OU this upcoming season, and he will jump in the mix with UCLA transfer Chris Murray (6’3, 297) for the starting center job. He will also push starting guards Marquis Hayes (6’5, 349), and Tyrese Robinson (6’3, 335) for playing time.

Wayna Morris, OT, 6’5, 320, Grayson, Georgia, Transfer from Tennessee: Six days ago, Morris committed to OU and announced that he was transferring to Norman, and came on my radio show Tuesday to talk about it. We have not heard from him since. We at TFB all believe that he will be a Sooner, but the fact he has gone dark lately is a little discouraging. He missed so much time last year due to COVID that he also struggled academically. He has remained eligible, but OU had to agree to take him, which they did. Over the weekend, the word was he was waiting on some paperwork from Tennessee, which I heard OU received. Now, we are just waiting to hear that Morris is in Norman and ready to go, and at press time, I do not have that clarification.

Ben Harris, QB, 6’0 1/2, 189, Midwest City (Carl Albert), Oklahoma: Harris is a preferred walk-on quarterback that comes to OU with impressive credentials. Harris quarterbacked the Titans to four-straight Class 5A state titles. Harris was 52-2 at Carl Albert and finished his prep career with 9,440 yards passing, 1,086 rushing, and 99 touchdowns. Harris has offers from Pittsburgh State and Oklahoma Baptist.

Ralph Rucker, QB, 6’0, 170, Lovejoy, Texas: Rucker is another preferred walk-on quarterback that Coach Riley saw on tape and fell in love with, and asked him to be part of his program. Rucker played three sports at Lovejoy as he also wrestled and played baseball. He was named the 7-5A MVP at quarterback this past year. Rucker chose OU over Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky.

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