Open Post | Weekend, April 14th – 16th
Posted on: April 14, 2023
Big Board | 24K Linebackers
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 10, 2023
*Note this was written prior to Payton Pierce Committing to Ohio State
Continuing the roll out the class of ’24 Big Boards.
Today we will take a look at the Safety board.
You can find the Running Back Big Board HERE.
You can find the Wide Receiver Big Board HERE.
You can find the Offensive Line Big Board HERE.
You can find the Tight End Big Board HERE.
You can find the Safety Big Board HERE.
You can find the Cornerback Board HERE.
When you first looked at the Sooners 24K offer list for linebackers, it seemed like a pretty straightforward equation. At one point, it was widely assumed that OU would take two linebackers in the class, likely Payton Pierce and Davhon Keys. At least that was the way I figured it.
It’s recruiting. Things change. What was once assumed does not necessarily mean that will be how things play out.
Ted Roof, Brent Venables and James Skalski will bring in some good linebackers, it just may not be the two guys you expected at the end of the day.
Below you will find a list of the high school recruits that OU has offered to this point:
D’Angelo Barber – Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, AL) – 6’0 221
Michael Boganowski – Junction City Sr (Junction City, KS) – 6’2 195 *Being recruited as a Safety
Sammy Brown – Jefferson (Jefferson, GA) – 6’2.5 225
Jordan Burns – Pace Academy (Atlanta, GA) – 6’1.5 215
Myles Graham – Woodward Academy (Atlanta, GA) – 6’1 212 – Florida Commit
Timajay Hayes – Eau Gallie (Melbourne, FL) – 6’1 215
Thomas Heiberger – Jefferson (Sioux Falls, SD) – 6’4 210 – Wisconsin Commit
Khmori House – St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) – 6’1 205
Brian Huff – Valley View (Jonesboro, AR) – 6’3.5 221
Cayden Jones – Christ School (Arden, NC) – 6’4 205
Kristopher Jones – Mountain View (Stafford, VA) – 6’2 220
Davhon Keys – Aledo (Aledo, TX) – 6’0 215 – LSU Commit
Jordan Lockhart – St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) – 6’3 230
Kingston Lopa – Grant Union (Sacramento, CA) – 6’5 190
Payton Pierce – Lovejoy (Lucas, TX) – 6’1 225
Brayden Platt – Yelm (Yelm, WA) – 6’2 240
Demarcus Riddick – Chilton County (Clanton, AL) – 6’2 212
Tylen Singleton – Many (Many, LA) – 6’1 208
Tyanthony Smith – Jasper (Jasper, TX) – 6’1 205
Edwin Spillman – Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, TN) – 6’1 216
Naki Tuakoi – Fremont Senior (Oakland, CA) – 6’3 230
Justin Williams – Oak Ridge (Conroe, TX) – 6’2 205
Drew Woodaz – Jesuit (Tampa, FL) – 6’3 200
Ashton Woods – Walton (Marietta, GA) – 6’3 210
The big fish that many people had written in for OU is Payton Pierce. I am not here to tell you that he won’t sign with OU, but as I have been talking about over the last few weeks, this is not nearly the walk in the park many believe it to be. In chat on Friday, I mentioned that CJ and I connected on him earlier in the week, and based on what sources are telling us and CJ’s interactions with Pierce himself, right now, Ohio State is likely in the best position for him and Notre Dame has not exited the picture. The race has not been run to this point and Pierce mentioned that he ‘may’ make his way to Norman for the spring game. OU really needs to get him back on campus to slow Ohio States’ roll, in my opinion.
Then you look at Davhon Keys, who is committed to LSU. We believe Keys wanted to commit to OU, on multiple occasions, but the Sooners were not ready to take his verbal pledge at the time and he pivoted and committed to LSU. Could the Sooners reengage here at some point down the line? I think they could, the question I have is will they ever want to? That is to be determined.
Sammy Brown, the apple of everyone’s eye, was just in Norman for an unofficial visit and he has already locked in plans to officially visit OU in June. While OU felt like they put on a good show and Brown was very pleased with his trip to Norman, the Sooners are still facing a massive uphill climb to pull him out of his region as both Clemson and Georgia have proximity and deeper ties to Brown than OU does. The Sooners do have a big draw in Brent Venables and James Skalski, but this is a case of having to see it to believe it for me and I expect he lands at Clemson or Georgia when all is said and done. Still…shooters shoot and OU is doing everything they can to put their best foot forward with Brown and you never know what can happen.
A pair of guys to keep an eye on from California are Khmori House and Jordan Lockhart. The St John Bosco duo made their way to Norman earlier this spring and both backers were very impressed and enthused following their trips. They will be taking officials to OU in June as well. Lockhart is a guy that is highly coveted by a number of schools, including the hometown Trojans, but right now he is pretty open in his recruitment and he is a big fan of BV and company.
Drew Woodaz, Tyanthony Smith and Justin Williams are other guys I would keep an eye on as I expect each of them to make their way back to Norman for official visits. Woodaz, in particular, is a guy that fits the Sooners mold and OU made a big impression on his visit in March. Again, BV and James Skalski are big draws here for Woodaz. Smith has been a priority for the Sooners since early on (part of the reason for holding off Keys, IMO) and OU is very much in play there.
At the end of the day, the draw for linebackers to Norman has never been as strong as it is right now. The Sooners have a very young and talented group of backers and I expect them to add even more talent to that room in the ’24 cycle. Currently, I do not see any doors closed for OU with their top priorities, but they still have a ways to go to get their top guys in the room and close the door on other programs.
Sourced | Team Notes | Previous Scrimmage
– Super K – Posted on: April 11, 2023
I know James and Charlie have sufficiently covered last week’s scrimmage but I wanted to highlight a few things I heard that are worth emphasizing.
***Also, should note that the team and the staff did have the weekend off and returned yesterday for practice.
***We noted that Jayden Gibson had a big day during the scrimmage. I wanted to add that I did ask a source specifically about Gibson and was told that the staff is very pleased with not only how he’s performing right now but also how he’s been approaching things, in general. Doing things the right way and putting in the work to take the necessary step.
***Also, as we noted, Sawchuk had a monster day. Source tells me that while he did indeed have a great day, added that this is nothing new. I am told the staff feels like Sawchuk has had a great camp. Was also told that in general they are very happy with the RB room. It remains to be seen whether these guys can bring the vision that Eric brought to the zone scheme. But, I think there is little doubt that the athleticism has been significantly upgraded. Again, told the staff is pleased with this room and they seemed unsurprised by Sawchuk’s performance in the scrimmage – and it was good.
***Lastly, as Charlie and James mentioned, the Sooners have been banged up at the corner position, was told that Woodi had a fantastic scrimmage. Was told he was absolutely lock down. Woodi had contemplated departing for the league but the defensive players trust this staff and Woodi listened to their advice and stayed. I think it’s going to serve him and the Sooners well.
*For all the sourced notes from Spring Ball please check the Donor Board
Sourced | What I’m Hearing About the Offense
– Super K – Posted on: April 11, 2023
Last week, I offered some thoughts on the defense based on what I’ve been hearing (HERE).
While I’m optimistic about the defense being much improved, it’s harder to get a clear picture on the offense.
***One source summed it up pretty well in saying, “we have to have guys the other team has to game plan for.” Source went on to say that right now a guy like a Stogner is someone you have to game plan for but that’s not enough…
***As I mentioned in an earlier note, the staff likes the running back room and someone like Sawhuk has the kind of speed to give defenses nightmares. What they need from a guy like him is to be able to put all that together and become another weapon that the other defense has to game plan for.
***It’s the same thing on offense. Farooq is a good player but last year, he wasn’t someone the other team had to game plan for. They need that to change.
***In terms of the wide receivers, one source mentioned Nic Anderson. I asked if Anderson could become a viable number two target. Source said, “Nic can become the guy.” Am told he has the talent to be a primary target but like the rest of the WR room, it’s potential right now.
***Jayden Gibson, again, is another guy they are hoping can break out for them.
***I don’t sense any concern about the offensive line and I don’t think there is much concern about the QB room.
***The inability to get a clear answer on just how good the offense is going to be is, I gather, completely tied to the staff waiting to see who will emerge as a threat that the other team struggles to defend.
***So jury is a bit out on this but Stogner is a good start. I think Barnes and Sawchuk can become dangerous. They just need Emmett to continue to develop that WR room.
***If the defense is as solid as they think and the run game becomes a little more dangerous in terms of the home run threat, that along with Stogner and the consistency of a Stoops and a Farooq can be enough to give the WR room a chance to have some of these guys take the next step.
***It was welcomed news that the offense won the day in the previous scrimmage and hopefully the defense is as good as we are hearing. That certainly strengthens confidence in the development of the offense having to go against them every day.
Sourced Note | Cayden Green Standing Out
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 12, 2023
As you know, if you have been reading our sourced notes, we have been reporting that Cayden Green has been playing left tackle with the first team throughout spring camp with Walter Rouse being limited.
Green really seized control of the left tackle spot when Aaryn Parks missed some time due to being nicked up and to this point, Green has not looked back.
Last night, I spoke to a source who is among those who think very highly of Green. Source said “Green may not give up that spot to Rouse, at least not from an athletic standpoint. He’s all they (OU) expected and more.” Source added “He’s just not built like a true freshman.”
After touching base with additional sources, we still believe Rouse will be your starting left tackle for game one snap one, but that should not diminish the impact Green has made. Source said “Rouse, when he gets healthy, will likely be the starting left tackle, but Green may be the second team tackle or they may slide him back inside to guard to see if he can take a job there’.
I think in a perfect world, Bedenbaugh has an OL that doesn’t need Green when they are fully healthy and he would probably like to redshirt him, but it sounds like Green may make that a difficult call.
No matter how you slice it, the reviews coming out of camp about Green are really encouraging and his future is bright.
Don’t forget, the Sooners still have a pair of guys who project at tackle coming in for the summer in Logan Howland and Heath Ozaeta. Howland, in particular, is a guy I am very excited to hear about as I think he has an incredibly high ceiling and I believe he is one of the more underrated players in the ’23 class as a whole, not just OU’s ’23 class.
Sooners Marquee Matchups | Texas, TCU & Okie State
– Super K – Posted on: April 13, 2023
The 2023 season is looking like it will be the Sooners lightest schedule since…a long time.
OU’s out of conference schedule consists of Arkansas State, SMU and Tulsa. If OU can’t soundly beat those teams, might as well pack it up.
With a number of G5s interesting the Big 12 – teams like Cincinnati and UCF who the Sooners are scheduled to play – it waters down OU’s schedule even more.
Last year, the team that wasn’t being talked about that I predicted would be very dangerous was TCU.
If I had to predict a team that will surprise to the upside this year, it’s Texas Tech. The Sooners won’t have to play them.
While I don’t want to dismiss teams like WVU or Iowa State (heck, OU lost to WVU), I think the conventional wisdom is that the Sooners marquee matchups this year will be Texas, Oklahoma State and TCU. And perhaps in some cases, those are less about the actual teams and more about what those wins (or losses) represent to the fan base.
Against Okie State: I think this is probably the one where it’s more about OU beating Okie State in particular and less about the actual talent on Okie State’s team.
I haven’t done a deep dive into their roster but we do know that there was quite an exodus from Stillwater in the offseason. I don’t expect them to have the kind of talent to beat a well coached OU team with the talent superiority OU will bring.
Outcome? The Sooners should win this one. Again, if they can’t beat this Okie State team then either a Heisman level QB has emerged for the Pokes or Brent Venables job is serious jeopardy. The talent disparity should be too great.
Against TCU: I think TCU is dangerous again. The Sooners were without their starting QB for much of last year’s contest vs TCU and the OU defensive backs were discombobulated.
Those things should be resolved this year. And in fact, it’s TCU that is worried about the durability of their own QB. They really like Chandler Morris but he is slight in build and there is concern as to whether he will hold up.
Outside of that they’re losing a lot in the departure of speedster Derius Davis (NFL combine 4.36 40) and sure fire first round WR, Quentin Johnston. But they think that Morris’ superior ability (vs Duggan) to actual throw games open could make the talent they have go further and be more effective.
They also lose some talented running backs. And they’re losing their starting cornerback who also took home the Thorpe award.
Outcome? If the Sooners are in position to win the Big 12 by this game which is their final game of the season, OU could win this one. But for now I’m going to say TBD on this one as I still want to see what TCU folks are saying after spring ball is over.
Against Texas: To me there are a lot of folks who are missing the story line with Texas and that is the departure of Bijan Robinson on offense and some keys guys on the interior of the DL on their defense. Those were the two strengths of last year’s team and they masked some deficiencies.
Texas has an exceptional WR room and I’ll include Ja’Tavion Sanders in that. But Quinn Ewers needs to take a big jump this year or else he’s just going to have a frustrated WR room. But where Bijan’s departure becomes potential critical is in that Bijan not only masked some of the OL issues (the man could make something out of nothing) but he also took pressure off of Quinn.
Typically you’d expect a quarterback to take a big jump from his first to second year so Quinn could very well make up for Bijan and more. But my concern is that Quinn’s issues weren’t typical freshmen issues. It wasn’t that he was leaving the pocket too early or not knowing where to throw the ball. His issues were, as far as I could tell, basic accuracy. And as Lincoln Riley used to say, quarterbacks don’t improve that much in the accuracy department – you either have it or you don’t.
Outcome? I think the Bijan loss is going to be very noticeable and for now I’m going to give this one to Oklahoma. Brent knows he needs a big win here and I think with Texas run game potentially taking a big step back, Brent will hold the Texas offense in check enough to pull this one out.
QB Recrutiing Note
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 13, 2023
***As you know, last week the Sooners picked up a verbal commitment from ’24 QB Michael Hawkins.
If you have been following along, you know that OU hosted ’24 QB Maj Jones earlier this spring and he has set up a return visit for an official in June. I touched base with Maj following Hawkins’s commitment and he still plans on taking that visit at this time.
James has had some sources at OU indicate they are open to taking two QBs this class and he is told that Michael Hawkins is aware of that. On that note, OU is also still in communication with Michael Van Buren as well.
