Open Post | Weekend, April 16th – 18th
Posted on: April 16, 2021
Quick Hitter | Chace Biddle OVing in June
– CJ Vogel
Oklahoma will be hosting yet another big visitor in June.
2022 Garland safety Chace Biddle tells me he will be taking his official visit to Norman on June 18, for the Sooners’ big weekend.
Biddle, currently rated as a composite 4-star, is ranked as the No. 7 safety in the country.
He has a top seven which consists of Alabama, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Michigan, TCU and SMU.
Gavin Sawchuk Locks in Official Visit
– Super K
I’m told that 5-star running back, Gavin Sawchuk has his official visits scheduled, including his official visit to Oklahoma.
It appears he will be taking his official visit to OU on the big June 18th-20th weekend. As we’ve previously noted, Barnes will be attending that weekend, as well. Both Barnes and Sawchuk know that the Sooners would like to take both of them.
Sawchuk also has visits scheduled in June for both Notre Dame and USC. I’m told Notre Dame isn’t much a threat in this one. Sawchuk is coming off of a self-guided visit to USC. So, this SC trip will be a return trip.
We like where OU stands but obviously, visits can make or break you, especially in a time when kids haven’t been on campuses in a long time and they are putting so much weight on a single visit.
The Sooners do have the advantage of having already had the Sawchuk family on campus just before last year’s lockdown. And they were really blown away by that visit.
OU out for one DE but Setting OV for Another
– Super K
Sooners 2022 DE target, Cyrus Moss (Las Vegas, NV) recently cut his list down to a top-five which included: Clemson, Notre Dame, Oregon, Florida and Arizona State.
While the Sooners seemed to be a real contender early, my sense is that Oklahoma may have slowed the recruitment down quite a bit as they focus on Omari Abor, Kenyatta Jackson, Derrick Moore, and others.
On the plus side, I’m told the Sooners are working on setting up an official visit for 4-star DE, Derrick Moore (St. Frances Academy). It does not sound like the OV is expected this summer. Moore’s high school plays a national schedule so getting an in-season visit can be tricky. It doesn’t sound like he will make it in for the big Nebraska weekend.
I’m told right now the Sooners are working to get Moore on an official visit for the September 11th game against Western Carolina.
Fast Five | Team Notes | Sourced | 4.14.21
– Super K
***I think the chatter I’m hearing via sources on Tennessee transfer Eric Gray is starting to get louder. Starting to hear things like “elite” and “difference maker”. Apparently, he busted another big play earlier this week. The word is he has changed the room.
***The addition of Gray isn’t just good in terms of upgrading the talent, it’s also been big for the numbers. I’m told Seth McGowan has been out nursing a tweak. Not sure when he will be back.
***Also told that Stogner continues to be in and out. Have heard that Willis may be out these days as well, but didn’t get additional confirmation on that as to why.
***Still more praise for Mario Williams. “Matchup problem. He’s just so quick and the acceleration, man”. Word is Mario made things pretty unpleasant for a particular CB, yesterday.
***Hearing that DJ Graham’s return to the field was short-lived. Heard he is out again. With him and Woodi still out, Latrell is getting a lot of reps and continues to grow and develop.
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Significant Update on Jovantae Barnes Visit
– Super K
As we’ve reported, 2022 RB Jovantae Barnes (Las Vegas) is scheduled to be in Norman in June.
We had originally reported, per Jovantae that:
a) the visit would be an official visit
b) the visit would be the weekend of June 11th-13th. With respect to the dates, as you already know, the Sooners moved their big event to June 18th-20th so the change to his visit schedule was noted.
However, I’m now told that the visit will not be an official visit. It will be unofficial.
Jovantae is flying into Austin with his coach and possibly some other players on June 18th. They’ll do a quick unofficial at Texas and then drive up to Norman for the BBQ on the 19th and stay until the 20th.
After that, they will visit a number of additional schools. I don’t have the list but it will be schools like Alabama, Florida, etc.
Jovantae tells me, “I know I want to take my visits in June as unofficials and then drop my top schools and go from there”.
In other words, after what he calls “a field trip in June” of visits all over, he will narrow things down.
My suspicion is he will either find one school on the trip that stands out and commit or, he will have a few schools and then take officials.
In my opinion, the only school that really has a chance to make such an impact that he could commit shortly thereafter would be OU. And that isn’t to say that the other schools won’t do a good job on the visits. But Oklahoma is the school that is in such close striking distance that after communication with Barnes on multiple occasions, I get the sense that every single thing checks off at OU but he just doesn’t know what it’s like to be in Norman in person.
Gentry Williams | Sooners Visit Plan
– Super K
5-star DB, Gentry Williams is gearing up for June visits and the Sooners are expected to be one of his stops.
I recently checked in with Williams to find out what his plans are as it pertains to getting back on campus at OU. He said that his visit in the summer will likely be an unofficial visit.
He plans on being in Norman the second weekend of June. So, last I heard he was not intending to be at the BBQ. That, in my opinion, is probably a good thing. Should give him more one on one time with coach Manning and help further build that relationship.
Gentry added that he will likely take his official to Oklahoma during the season.
After a visit to Tulsa a while back, we noted on here that we feel USC is a real threat in Williams’ recruitment saying (link to receipt):
I think USC is very much a school to watch in this one. They seem to have not only built a very strong bond with Gentry and his family, but he tells me they’ve laid out a very clear plan for both his on-the-field and off-the-field development. He was actually on the phone with USC DB coach, Donte Williams just before I arrived. He’s not only being recruited by the USC staff, he’s also being recruited by USC DB commit and fellow 5-star, Domani Jackson.
I know there is a sense that this one is going to be a slam dunk for the Sooners. I didn’t get that feeling. Obviously, the Sooners have a very good shot here and there is a lot of draw to OU. But, the idea that it’s a forgone conclusion is not at all the impression I got.
That was written back on March 10th when the general consensus was that Gentry was a slam dunk to OU.
My feelings on the matter remain the same – OU is going to remain a strong candidate due to proximity, familiarity, and Gentry’s love for his home state and desire to play in front of his home state.
But I maintain that USC has a very clear edge in terms of the relationships their staff has built with Gentry.
Which way he ultimately goes, I believe, is going to depend on these summer visits. If he goes out to USC and can see himself living there for four years, then I think the Sooners are in trouble. If he goes out there and loves the USC staff as much as he seems to but the reality sets in that he doesn’t feel he can leave his home state and live in LA, then the Sooners likely win out.
I think it’s really as simple as that. USC has the relationship advantage and OU has the proximity advantage.
Lastly, Gentry does have a Florida OV scheduled. I do get the sense he likes Florida but he mentioned they were recruiting him as a wide receiver and I don’t think that’s where he sees his highest upside.
Terrance Brooks | Trending
– Super K
For a while, we felt the Sooners were running at or near the top for 2022 4-star DB, Terrance Brooks (John Paul II).
That was the word from folks around Brooks and I got the sense there was some confidence on the OU side.
From what I’ve heard this week, that has shifted pretty significantly. Word is the Sooners are now running behind a few schools including at least TAMU, Bama, and Texas.
The last I heard, which earlier this week, it didn’t even sound like Brooks was planning on taking an official visit to Oklahoma.
I was told that he is still considering a possible unofficial visit and if that happens, the Sooners could certainly turn things around. But right now, this one is trending away from Oklahoma.
A couple of primary targets you’ll want to watch for though are Myles Pollard (Brentwood, TN) and Austin Jordan (Denton Ryan). Obviously, Gentry is on that list, as well.
Fast Five | Sourced | Team Notes | 4.15.21
– Super K
***No scrimmage today but as usual there was team period…and this spring the defense has really dominated team period. I mentioned in one of my recent sourced updates that the offense has been struggling to score against the defense in team.
***Not the case today…Sounds like the offense went off. If this isn’t just a one-time deal then the offense exploding like I’m told they did today, is a good thing, in my estimation.
***Why? The defense is better than it was last year. And when you have a good defense, you force your offense to be better. It may have taken them a few weeks but if the defense, through competition, has forced the offense to become better, well, now you’re talking.
***Ideally what I’d like to hear is for the offense to put together another good day or two. Then, you want to hear the defense start to slow the offense down again. If that happens, then it likely means you’ve got that great cycle where one side makes the other side better and it continues to go back and forth as the competition forces them to improve.
***Heard Bridges went off. Heard Mario had a couple of huge plays downfield. From what I gather Spencer was really attacking downfield and it was working (again, it hasn’t been so far through camp).
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