Open Post | Tuesday, March 27th By: The Brainiacs Posted on: March 27, 2018

– Branson Bragg: Oklahoma has been pursuing 2019 Crandall (TX) OL/C, Branson Bragg, for some time. Bragg, who was officially the first offer of the Lincoln Riley era, was offered by Oklahoma on June 8th, 2017, and has since been up to Norman on a couple of occasions.

Recently, Bragg named his top eight schools and the Sooners were one of those schools.

I spoke with Bragg shortly after he dropped his list, and he noted that Oklahoma is a major player in recruitment. When I asked him about Oklahoma, he said, “The prowess of football at OU, specifically the O-line position, speaks for itself .” Bragg went on to say, “Coach Bedenbaugh is definitely among the best, and the pull for OU is more than just the athletic side of things.”

Oklahoma and Bragg have such a good relationship that I’d expect them to be in it to the end. I would also believe that Stanford, Texas A&M and Texas would be at, or near, the top of those eight listed. Bragg really has placed a priority on academics as well so those schools, along with Oklahoma, make a ton of sense.

Stanford is the dark-horse and one to watch here, in my opinion. I hope to have more to bring you all later this week.

 

 

– Garrett Wilson: As you all know one of the big recent visits that happened was Garrett Wilson making his first trip up to Columbus for an unofficial visit to Ohio State.It’s well known by now that Garrett grew up in Columbus rooting for the Buckeyes. Both Texas and Oklahoma are clearly in the picture with Wilson. I’ve been wondering however, if Ohio State was going to be a real contender or just a school that Wilson liked when he was young but ultimately was better as a childhood memory than a reality.

I chatted briefly with Wilson this past weekend but plan to have a full conversation with him.

Two takeaways from my initial communication with him.

1. The Ohio State trip met his lofty expectations. Again, I thought there was a chance that it could be a visit that ended up being good but not quite what he imagined. That was not the case. Garrett said it was every bit as good as he had hoped and imagined.

2. Wilson said he will indeed take an official visit to Ohio State. That visit is expected to happen later this spring as Wilson would like to make a decision by early summer.

Bottom line here is, Ohio State did what they needed to do to be a threat in this one.

Again, I hope to have more with Wilson later. – (Super K)

 

 

– Defensive Analyst: We reported that Lincoln Riley was interviewing former Notre Dame and Nebraska Defensive Coordinator, Bob Diaco, for a defensive analyst position back on March 15th. Bob Diaco

Yesterday, head coach Lincoln Riley made his hire official.

Diaco also served as The University of Connecticut’s head coach.

Diaco, a former player at Iowa, has several ties to the staff in Norman. Kerry Cooks served as the Defensive Backs coach under Diaco at Notre Dame, and Ruffin McNeil was the Head Coach at ECU while Diaco was the head man at UCONN.

As far as Defensive Analyst hires go, this would appear to be a homerun. Diaco will not be actively coaching players on the field, rather he will help break down film, both OU’s and opponents, for game and practice preparation. Also, it adds another voice to the defensive side of the ball, which as we have mentioned before, is something Lincoln Riley is adament about having as he prepares for his second season as Head Coach. – (Charlie)

 

 

– Fast Five: Spring break practice notes. We have additional notes up on the Donor Site, here are five we hope you enjoy.

– Was told there is a lot of group A and group B type of swapping at several positions. Especially, in the defensive backfield. Source noted that the cornerback position is as strong as it gets saying, “CB has so much competition and it is deep. Motely and Norwood are the obvious starters right now, but Brown and Parker are going to push those two going forward.”

– Free safety is somewhat of a battle, I was told. Source said, “Robert Barnes and Chanse Sylvie are both playing well so far. Chanse has been in the system longer, but Robert is special, not only in talent, but also the fact that he’s a leader. He is always looking out for his teammates…helping.” Source added, “DB is just so deep that naming the one’s and the two’s is going to be really difficult for the staff. Some good talent will have to sit.”

– Found it interesting that Charleston Rambo has been talked about playing the slot with some injuries at that position, but my source says he has yet to see Rambo at the slot. That’s not to say it won’t happen, as it is only week one of spring ball, but I was told that Myles Tease has looked good there and that Grant Calcaterra has really impressed this spring as well.

– As far as LB’s go? The starters have been Curtis Bolton at the WILL, Ryan Jones at the SAM (will talk more about him), Kenneth Murray at the Mike and Mark Jackson/Addison Gumbs at the Jack backer. Source added Draper and Bolton swap a ton at the WILL and the competition there will be very fierce going forward to see who will backup Caleb Kelly during the season.

– Speaking of Ryan Jones. As reported, he has moved from safety to the SAM spot at the linebacker position. I was told Jones is raw, but learning fast. Once he polishes things up, source believes he will be a really good player going forward. Source said the athleticism on the defense, especially at the LB and DB positions, is something the Sooners haven’t had in a long time. – (Brandon)

 

 

– New University President: Yesterday, The University of Oklahoma named James L. Gallogly as their President Designate. He will begin officially serving as the President on July 1st, 2018.

Now, while it may not be as sexy to you as recruiting tips and spring practice notes, it is newsworthy.

Over the years, we have heard how important the relationship between long time president Boren and long time athletic director Castiglione was in building the foundation for a highly successful athletic department. The trio of Boren-Castiglione-Stoops seemed to work in perfect harmony, much to the benefit of OU football in particular.

With Stoops and Boren having retired, there will undoubtedly be a lot of eyes on one of, if not the premier AD’s in the country, Joe Castiglione, as the calendar pages continue to flip.

President Gallogly takes over at a time when conference realignment may seem to be on the back burner, however, he will be charged with helping the university make a decsion in the not too distant future regarding conference affiliation when the Grant of Rights among the Big 12 conference members expires in June of 2025.

It will be interesting to watch as it all unfolds as time passes. Hopefully, for all parties involved, OU Football will continue to prosper under his watch. – (Charlie)