Open Post | Tuesday, March 9th
Posted on: March 9, 2021
5-Star DB Jacoby Mathews Talks Sooners
– Super K
2022 5-star DB, Jacoby Mathews recently dropped a top six which included: LSU, Florida, OU, Texas, Mississippi State and Alabama.
We recently spoke to a source regarding Mathews top group of schools. Also, one of our partners is down in New Orleans this week and spoke with Mathews about OU.
Mathews says he feels prioritized by Oklahoma and that, among other things, seems to be a big draw, “I don’t even know any other coaches except coach Riley and coach Grinch so I feel like those are the only two important people I need to talk to. To know that those two are talking to me, that’s the best fit for me”.
Mathews added that with Oklahoma there is a trust factor both in terms of who is recruiting him (the top guys in the program) and OU’s product on the field, “I feel like I can trust them. They have success in their program every year. So, I feel like that’s a staff I can trust.”
In speaking with a source I was told the following:
LSU and Florida are likely the current leaders but wasn’t sure by how much. Was told that OU and Texas “are like like 3a and 3b”. The sense we got is Mathews might like to leave the state.
Source said they feel that Bama has too much young talent which could keep Mathews from going there. No clear path to get on the field.
2022 Denton Ryan CB Austin Jordan Talks Top Three
– CJ Vogel
It was rather perfect timing when K and I planned my weekend around the metroplex last week. 2022 Denton Ryan CB Austin Jordan dropped a top three of Oklahoma, Texas and Ohio State on Wednesday, and I was scheduled to head over there on Thursday.
So let’s dive in to my conversation with Jordan.
“Communication with the coaches,” said Jordan about why he narrowed things down to those three schools. “Once again, we talk almost every day. All those coaches have good personalities and talk about stuff outside of football.”
As I am sure most of you are aware of, the Sooners are still awaiting their first defensive back in the 2022 class. Jordan has been in contact with former teammate and Sooners’ early enrollee Billy Bowman Jr. who has been giving him an inside look at the program through spring workouts so far.
“Billy, he’s been showing me the workouts they’ve been doing and how he’s surviving it. He said it’s hard, but he’s doing well.”
In addition to Bowman Jr., Jordan added the coaching staff has been really after him. DC Alex Grinch, CB coach Roy Manning and head coach Lincoln Riley have all been in contact with Jordan for quite some time.
I’m not great at geography, but I believe Norman is about an hour closer to Denton than Austin is, and Jordan pointed out proximity as a big positive in evaluating schools.
When I asked Jordan what about Ohio State was intriguing to him, he said “they are basically DBU. They produce corners – that defense, in general, they produce first-rounders.”
Perhaps even more so than proximity, Jordan hounded on the importance of being developed into a NFL DB. Said he hopes to eventually be a first-round draft pick and going to a school that will help put him in that position is a big part of his recruitment.
MY TAKE
I got the sense that Oklahoma is running in the 1b to Ohio State’s 1a. I got the sense Texas is running well behind both schools.
I do expect this recruitment to last quite a while. Jordan said he hopes to visit all three schools before a decision like I mentioned. I do think the Sooners have a lot of good things going their way, but the idea of developing at tOSU may be just enough for him to end up in Columbus.
Recruitment Wide Open for 2022 Allen OL Neto Umeozulu
– CJ Vogel
The gates at Allen opened up for the first time in quite some time and I was able to head over to see the stocked cupboard of talent which includes 2022 OL Neto Umeozulu.
Umeozulu is a rather quiet kid but his recruitment is anything but under the radar. With 31 offers, Umeozulu is in contact with a great number of coaches day-in and day-out. Among the schools he listed as ones pursuing him the hardest, he listed Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State, Texas, Baylor, and Texas A&M.
Oklahoma has been successful at Allen in the past with Theo Wease, Lee Morris, Bobby Evans, and EJ Edoma-Ogar all in the last couple of years. Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, with the help of Lincoln Riley, is doing his part in making sure the pipeline remains firm with Umeozulu.
I asked Umeozulu about the track record Bedenbaugh has had recently of developing offensive lines and getting guys drafted.
“I’m going to go somewhere I can strive,” Umeozulu said. “People who know me, they know how I am and I have to be in the right environment to play my best. So wherever I feel has the best connection with me, where I feel like I can get it done at that program, that’s where I’ll go.”
Umeozulu only listed three virtual visits that he has taken: Alabama, Missouri and Oklahoma. For the time being, he said he is going to pause the virtual visits to focus on his SAT and ACT, so the Sooners did a good job of getting in when they did.
Umeozulu said he hopes to take his official visits to some of the schools out of the region. He said he will unofficially visit schools he can drive to just so he can have a wider range of knowledge with all of the schools that are recruiting him.
Again, I didn’t get a good sense of where things were heading with Umeozulu, as I got the sense he is completely open to all options at the moment.
Spring Game Date…But You Already Knew That
– Charlie S
The Sooners officially put out the date of the 2021 Spring Game last night…
As James first reported HERE, back on February 3rd, Saturday, April 24th is now public knowledge as the date of the Spring Game.
‘Speaking of spring practice, it will get underway on March 22nd, with the spring game set for April 24th. OU usually works out every other day, so they will get in five practices, and that will leave nine practices for the month of April, with the final practice going to the spring game.’
Right now, OU will follow the capacity guidelines for fans in attendance. That will likely have little to no impact on the number of people in attendance and the guidelines will likely be different by that time anyway.
Any way you slice it, April 24th is a day to look forward to!
Snippet from: Monday Notebook | Sourced Offseason Notes
– James Hale
OU continues to march down to their seven-week off-season cycle that will end the week before the March 22nd spring start date. The grind is on, and the players continue to push each other. Freshman defensive end Ethan Downs (6’4, 252) is a leader in the weight room as a freshman because his motor is always going, and he goes at the max of what he can do every day with every rep.
With Creed Humphrey taking his talents to the NFL, the weight room leader is up for grabs. I’m told ewcomer Robert Congel (6’3, 315) loves the weight room, which you would expect from an experienced offensive lineman. Sounds like Junior Marquis Hayes (6’5, 349) is having a great off-season and is trying to more of a leader with Humphrey gone.
Word is that Junior wide receiver Theo Wease (6’3, 192) has a more mature attitude this off-season and is putting in the work. I’m told Junior running back to Eric Gray (5’10, 205) and loves to work, which is not lost on his new coaching staff. Gray has also proven to be very skilled in the passing game, as he runs good routes out of the backfield and is very good at catching the ball over his shoulder on the wheel route.
Sounds as if sophomore big receiver Austin Stogner (6’6, 262) is 95 percent healthy and has impressed the coaches with his work ethic and determination following a tough injury for him. Looking for another positive? A growing leader on this team is junior H-Back Jeremiah Hall (6’2, 253), who is encouraging others, propping guys up when needed, and busting his butt. He is also a leader in the weight room.
I’m told junior defensive end Isaiah Thomas (6’5, 267) has become the unquestioned leader of the defensive line. The players respect Thomas and love how hard he works, and they know he never gave up on himself as a player. They see the results and know that he made the most of it once he was given the opportunity and now is a starter and a key player on a surging defense. He is also on the fast track to the NFL, and the players appreciate the work that he puts in and continues to put in.
