Open Post | Weekend, August 23rd – 25th
Posted on: August 23, 2019
Visitor Notes | Sooners Priorities in Norman Early
– Charlie S
With the recruiting dead period coming to an end on September 1st, I have been checking in with Sooner commits and targets to get a feel for just how quickly things are going to be heating back up in the recruiting game and one thing that is clear is that you won’t have to wait long.
Even though the season will kick off during a recruiting dead period, the NCAA allows schools to host recruits 48 hours prior too and 48 hours following a home game day. So for the most part, the dead period will end next Friday for all of the home teams.
With that in mind, the Sooners will be hosting some very important visitors over the first two weeks of the season.
As you know, I reported earlier that 2020 OL Anton Harrison has locked in his official visit for the Houston game and we have notes below on others who have confirmed with us that they will be on official visits as well.
One important visitor who plans on making it up for the Houston game is Sooner 2020 DB commit Ryan Watts. Watts confirmed with me that it is his plan to be on campus for the opening game weekend and that is really good news for the Sooners as keeping him in the fold and strengthening the bonds with him is a priority for OU.
Watts is a key piece to the Sooners DB class and he is still being heavily pursued by multiple schools so OU getting him on campus in what should be an electric atmosphere could go a long way in shoring up his commitment.
A number of other commits and recruits have also said that they planning on getting up to Norman for the Houston game.
Among the expected visitors are Sooner Commits Mikey Henderson, DJ Graham, Brynden Walker, and targets such as 2021 guys Kendrick Blackshire (LB), David Abiara (DL) and Cullen Montgomery (OL). We will obviously have a more complete list up in the future.
One last quick note here is that the South Dakota game (September 7th) already has a headliner in regards to visits as 2020 DL Alfred Collins tells me he will be in Norman for the game. He is not yet certain if this will be his official visit and if you are OU you almost hope it isn’t because you would still be able to use the official later on. Either way though, it will be a very good thing for OU to get the big defensive line target back on campus.
Jonah Monheim | My Take
– Super K
We are still waiting on a decision from Jonah Monheim. At one time the Sooners were extremely confident in this one. You can read between the lines.
In fact, the expectation was that Jonah would announce for OU in July.
July has come and gone. Jonah did return to OU in July but didn’t publicly announce his commitment.
As you know, I went out to California in July to see Jonah and learned more about his family background including the fact that his mother is a USC alum and his father is a UCLA alum. We also learned that although OU was very confident, so too was USC.
The latest I’ve heard via a source is that he continues to struggle with a decision between OU and USC.
So, nothing has really changed on that front. However, my sense is that the longer this one goes, the more it seems to favor USC. But, I’ll offer this qualification.
Based on everything I’ve learned, my conjecture is that Jonah is waiting to see how USC’s season begins. We know there is quite a bit of instability at SC my guess is Jonah wants to make sure that is remedied before he makes a decision.
Now, for all I know, he could announce something this week. I don’t have any solid information about a timeline.
What I do know is that the Sooners were expecting him in the boat by July and that didn’t happen. To me that’s a clear sign that he’s waiting on something and I don’t see anything on the OU side that would give him pause.
So, this, again, leads me to believe that if SC shows some stability in the early part of the season, he stays home. If not, and assuming the Sooners still have a spot, I think he ends up at OU.
Post Practice | Position Coaches | Notes & Quotes
– James Hale
*** OU continues to work on themselves, but they are beginning to sprinkle in some work on Houston with the season opener approaching on September 1st.
*** Over the last two days, we have had a chance to talk to players and coaches on both sides of the ball and to get a better idea how the Sooners are feeling with the opening game approaching.
Coach Odom
*** OU linebacker Coach Brian Odom is excited about what the defense has accomplished thus far in camp, but insists that they still have a long way to go before they are ready for Houston.
*** Coach Odom says sophomore Levi Draper (6’1, 245) has gotten a ton of reps in training camp and is starting to develop, and is starting to show the talent that they have long thought he had. Coach Odom says that Draper has had a good camp.
*** Coach Odom says the depth at linebacker is going to be very good once all of his players are healthy and ready to go. Junior Brian Mead (6’2, 229) has been out most of the camp with a hamstring injury and sophomore Ryan Jones (6’2, 236) has missed some time in camp due to minor injuries but has come on quick. He says he feels comfortable with putting a lot the guys in his room on the field.
*** Coach Odom says Jones has been very impressive. As an athlete, there is no question that Jones can be special. Coach Odom says Jones has been able to get better this camp because of the reps he has been able to get and now he needs to continue to work on consistency.
*** Coach Odom says that junior Kenneth Murray (6’2, 243) has had a great camp but needs to continue to work and learn the defense. His improvement within the defense is going to rely on just making his plays that come his way. He just needs to make his routine plays and not every play that’s out there. Coach Odom says Murray is growing as a leader and that he trusts Murray on the field.
*** Coach Odom says the defense can get the best version of each player on the field.
*** Coach Odom says that senior Caleb Kelly (6’3, 229) remains a great leader on the team and is attacking his rehab. He still comes into every meeting and is at every practice the team has. He has been helping sophomore DeShaun White (6’0, 224) and Jones get ready to play the WILL.
*** Coach Odom wants White to get more consistent in his play. Right now he can make the great plays but needs to get more consistent making all the plays. Coach Odom says White can be a great football player but needs to focus on not making a bad play that gives up a big play.
*** Coach Odom says the defense has to get better and even if they play well in the first game they will still need to get better because they have not arrived no matter what happens in the first game. No matter where the defense is at right now, the defense can be successful and make a difference in OU winning football games.
Coach Grinch
*** Coach Alex Grinch admits that Jones has taken a big step the last week or so and is challenging White for the WILL backer job. I get the feeling that both are going to see playing time.
*** Coach Grinch says that junior LaRon Stokes (6’4, 267) has had a great camp and he feels that Stokes is going to have a great season for OU. Without question, he’s in the rotation at defensive end and is going to play a lot of football.
*** He says that on defense they have to continue work to create starting depth and especially in the secondary they have to continue to create competition for depth and starting jobs.
*** Coach Grinch says that sophomore Ronnie Perkins (6’3, 248) and freshman Marcus Stripling (6’3, 257) have looked good rushing off the edge along with Stokes.
*** Junior Jon Michael Terry (6’3, 233) is going to play a lot this year at the ‘Rush Linebacker” off the edge. He says freshman Nic Bonitto (6’3, 230) has been tremendous in camp and will split time with Michael-Terry at the ‘Rush Backer’. He also likes young guys David Ugwoegbu (6’4, 232) and Joesph Wete’ (6’4, 211) too and feels they have a great future in the defense.
*** Coach Grinch said a couple of guys have been surprised about how things are developing for them in camp. One player he brought up was Terry and another was junior nickel back Chanse Sylvie (6’0, 192) who are two players that have been in the program for a while and for whatever reason have not played much but now have been great in the fall camp and have earned playing time this season.
*** Coach Grinch says at the nickel Sylvie and Bookie Radley-Hiles (5’9, 180) are still battling for the starting job and that book would not be closed until next week.
*** Coach Grinch says he has been very impressed with junior Jordan Parker (5’11, 180) who has looked very good back at corner coming off his knee injury. He said that Parker has missed a day or two due to knee soreness but for the most part has cut it loose and has looked very good at corner. Parker will be the third corner going into the Houston game and there is still time for him to win the job over senior Parnell Motley (6’0, 178).
*** Coach Grinch said at linebacker that Murray, White, and Jones are the top three linebackers and then out of sophomore Draper, junior Brian Mead (6’2, 229) and freshman Brian Asamoah (6’1, 225) they will find the fourth.
*** He said that whoever is the most consistent would have the best chance to win the job and that Draper has had a great camp and we know that Mead has missed most of the camp due to a hamstring injury
*** Coach Grinch said that OU is working on tackling a little bit more this week because it’s not a game week.
*** Coach Grinch said they will continue to work on the concepts of stripping the ball from the ball carrier by getting five to seven guys to the ball and one guy holding up the call carrier and the others going after the football.
*** Coach Grinch said that senior Clemson transfer Austin Jackson is working on the scout team.
*** Coach Grinch said that redshirt freshman Jalen Redmond (6’3,264) has been going through workouts and that he flashes his great physical gifts but said he is still learning how to play the game. Grinch said that he and his staff are still trying to figure out how much to play him and how to play him, but without question, he’s going to be playing.
*** Sophomore Isaiah Thomas (6’5, 255) said he got a new lease on his football life when the coaching change was made because Coach Grinch and his staff gave everybody a clean slate and his style of defense fit what Thomas’s skill set was. Right now Thomas is in the defensive end rotation and expected to get solid reps in every game.
Coach Beamer
*** OU H-Back/Tight End Coach Shane Beamer said that sophomore Jeremiah Hall (6’2, 246) and sophomore Brayden Willis (6’3, 235) are going to split the H-back duties this year. He said that the two do similar things within the offense.
*** Coach Beamer said now that senior Jalen Hurts (6’2, 219) is the starter that the offense can rally around him and start to get settled in with him at QB.
*** Coach Beamer said that freshman Austin Stogner (6’6, 237) is a big body that’s going to play in a lot of different ways this year. Junior Grant Calcaterra (6’4, 233) is the starter and senior Lee Morris (6’2, 192) has had a great camp and this group is going to be a great group for OU this year.
*** Coach Beamer said that Stogner is a very physical player and because he can line up as an in-line tight end, he can do some special things within the offense this year.
*** Coach Beamer said that Morris does so many things for the football team because he is a starter on four special teams and a productive player at receiver. He said that Morris is one of the most valuable players on the football team.
*** Coach Beamer said that with the defense going for the strip every play has really forced his guys to be cognizant of holding onto the football to not turn it over. He said that he loves the fact that the defense is working so hard to get turnovers and that has certainly made his guys and the offense more aware about hanging onto the football.
Coach Bedenbaugh
*** Coach Bedenbaugh says that left tackle is still in flux but he feels his offensive line is coming together.
*** He said that junior Erik Swenson (6’5, 317) was fine, but I still don’t hear he will be ready to play physically in the Houston game. That puts Virginia grad transfer R.J. Proctor (6’4, 337) at left tackle in a battle with JUCO transfer Finley Felix (6’5, 314). Sophomore Adrian Ealy (6’6, 326) will be the starting right tackle with sophomore Marquis Hayes (6’5, 332) and Tyrese Robinson (6’3, 328) at left and right guard respectively. Sophomore Creed Humphrey (6’5, 315) is the center.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh says that Proctor is a player that throughout the season can move around because he is a smart kid who is willing to take on the responsibility to move and handle it.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh admits that he’s not sure how good his offensive line is because there are so many new players and he won’t have an idea until that first game against Houston. He said that it’s going to be important to move guys around all year until he finds the five guys he really wants to go with.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh says that Humphrey has had a great camp and that he is ahead of where he was last year. He said as good as he is he ’s going to keep getting better.
*** Junior Trey Sermon (6’0, 221) says he is the fastest he has ever been and he has never been in this kind of shape before. He says he has improved his footwork and feels like he is going to have a great year.
*** Senior Jalen Hurts (6’2, 219) said he was happy when Coach Lincoln Riley announced that he was the starting quarterback but he realized that as soon he was named that he and the team needed to take the next step and start working on becoming a complete team. He said that he only gets one chance with this group and he told his teammates that they needed to go out and make the best of it.
*** Hurts said the biggest thing for him is to be able to go out and compete and if he and his teammates all go out and compete as hard as they can they have the talent to make some great things happen. He said that he can lead by pushing himself to be the best version of himself.
*** Hurts said that a leader is a guy that the team wants to lead them and all of life he has been a guy that his team has wanted them to lead them. That’s why he has become such a leader on the OU team in such a short time because the team wants him to be in that position and he accepts that responsibility.
*** Hurts says he is not the same quarterback now as he was a freshman or sophomore but we will all find out on September 1st just what that means for him at this time.
*** Hurts says his duty as the quarterback is to be as consistent as he can and then make adjustments as those live bullets start coming at him and the team.
Ramon Henderson Official Visit
– Super K
Back in May the Sooners extended an offer to 2020 Cali CB, Ramon Henderson (Bakersfield, CA). Henderson’s family (like a lot of folks from Bakersfield) is originally from Oklahoma.
The Sooners are still looking for another big cornerback who can run and they may have found one in Henderson.
Ramon tells me that he plans on taking his official visit to Oklahoma for their season opener against Houston.
Going to try to find out more about whether he may shut things down early.
Post Fall Camp | Inside Linebackers
– Charlie S
The Sooners concluded the 2019 fall camp and, on the surface, the picture at linebacker basically looks the same as it did when camp began. But if you dig a little deeper, some big moves have been made.
You have Kenneth Murray (6’2″ 243) as your starting MIKE backer and he will have DaShaun White (6’0″ 224) lining up next to him at the WILL backer.
However, if you look deeper, the biggest change, or revelation, to come out of fall camp for the linebacker corp could be found in the shape of Coach Brian Odom.
James asked Odom a simple question last night and the answer he gave should provide a tremendous amount of insight in regards to what the Sooner fans and players can expect from Odom…
Odom is a no-nonsense type of guy and he, much like defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, is very blunt and matter of fact. Odom will not be complacent and he expects his player to not be complacent as well.
When Odom first came to Norman in the winter, he knew he had a bunch of guys who were great athletes but who may not have performed to their capabilities on the field to that point. He knew he had experienced guys in Murray and Caleb Kelly (6’3″ 229) and he also knew he had some guys with some very high ceilings in DaShaun White and Brian Asamoah (6’1″ 225) along with Brian Mead (6’2″ 229) who had played a bunch and Levi Draper (6’1″ 245) who would provide competition for the linebackers after a few years of physical setbacks. Jonathan Perkins (6’0″ 214) was an incoming freshman so the cupboard was not bare.
Then spring ball began and down goes Caleb Kelly with an ACL.
That is when the job got real for Odom. Kelly, a former 5-star recruit, is a leader and a tremendous athlete who played in a ton of games for the Sooners at multiple positions (much to his own personal detriment, unfortunately). Losing Kelly meant that the WILL spot was suddenly an open question mark.
While most people assumed DaShaun White would find his way onto the field in the 2019 season, it was not a foregone conclusion on exactly how the ILB picture would shake out. Would Murray, White, or Kelly be moved to a position like the RUSH in Grinch’s defense? Would DaShaun continue in a role as ‘first off the bench’ and backup both Murray and Kelly? Well, that was no longer a question as Kelly is lost for the bulk of the season and it sounds like White and Murray are the guys inside.
So with the starters being pretty obvious, the question for Odom focused on depth, Who would be the guys behind White and Murray and could any of them challenge the pair.
It was refreshing to hear positive news emerge from camp around Levi Draper. Brian Mead was a jack of all trades at ILB for the Sooners last year and while the reviews were positive on him from the summer, he was dinged up for a large part of fall camp. Recently we also began hearing that things were starting to click for Brian Asamoah, while Jonathan Perkins was a guy who needed to continue to work on his body and technique as the new guy in town.
One guy who flew under the radar early in camp was Ryan Jones (6’2″ 236) who quietly moved from the RUSH position in spring ball to the ILB room following Kelly’s injury. Jones arrived in Norman for the 2017 season as a highly rated wide receiver prospect. Upon his arrival, he was moved to defensive back and he redshirted the 2017 season. Following that season, he was moved to the SAM backer spot for the 2018 season and he actually played in 11 games while starting three. However, towards the end of the 2017 season, Caleb Kelly, who started that season as a WILL, came in and took over at the SAM and Jones was not seeing the field much.
As mentioned above, he was moved once again in the spring of 2019 to the RUSH position. Upon Kelly being injured, he made another move, this time to WILL.
Ryan Jones had never played inside linebacker before. Like ever. Suddenly he found himself going through his fourth position change since arriving in Norman and from the sound of things over the last two weeks of fall camp, he may have found his groove.
In the scrimmage last weekend, we were told Jones found himself lining up at the WILL position as DaShaun White slid over to the MIKE to get reps in as Kenneth Murray did not go that day. We have even heard that Jones is pushing White at the WILL and while we expect White to be the starter, it looks like Jones could have made enough gains in camp to find himself in line to be ‘first off the bench’ at the inside linebacker spots.
With the new staff in town and the new lease on life for the defensive players, did Ryan Jones make Brian Odoms job much easier with his performance over the summer and spring after losing a guy (Caleb Kelly) who he had confidence in during the spring? Sooner fans will find out the answer to that question in eleven days as everyone will see who the first guy off the bench at linebacker is as the Sooners take on Houston on September 1st.
Elite out of State Linebacker Visiting
– Super K
It’s finally happening. The Sooners will host 2020 linebacker, Phillip Webb (Buford, GA).
Webb tells me he will take an official visit to Oklahoma for the Sooners season opener against Houston.
When I saw Webb earlier this year, he talked about the possibility of this happening. Then in the summertime, he and his coach both mentioned that it was looking more and more likely.
And now…
The Sooners have some ties to Lanier High School and sources on the OU side have remained confident that they’d at least have a shot.
Don’t know how great that shot is but Webb is a truly elite linebacker…NFL guy all the way.
2020 LB Commit Edgerrin Cooper | Visit & Quick Hitter
– Charlie S
Couple quick notes of interest on Sooners 2020 Linebacker Commit Edgerrin Cooper (6’1.5″ 205) out of Covington, LA.
*** First thing is that I was in touch with Cooper earlier this week and he let me know that he would be taking his official visit to OU for the Houston game on September 1st.
As you may recall, earlier this month, I was in touch with Edgerrin and he let me know that he was planning his trip and at that time he was not quite certain when he would be back in Norman.
It is very good news for OU that he will be making his official visit and if things go well there should be an electric atmosphere in Norman for the opening game. In that prior update, Cooper let me know that Mississippi State had been aggressively recruiting him and while he chose not to speak on the subject much, hosting him and his family should go a long way in further solidifying his commitment.
*** The second note I wanted to add features a clip of his film that he posted on Twitter recently…
In the clip, you can see flashes of the athleticism and instincts which I am so high on as he drops into coverage, reads the QB, steps in the lane and makes a nice jumping interception.
He further demonstrated his athleticism with a pretty nice return. I continue to feel that when/if he signs with OU, Sooner fans will look back and be very happy he did. I truly believe he has the potential to be special at the next level.
Lincoln Riley | Post Practice | Names his QB
– James Hale
*** Lincoln Riley met with the media for the first time since he made the announcement that Jalen Hurts (6’2, 219) had won the quarterback competition.
*** “I just thought he was slightly better as the camp went on,” said Coach Riley. “It was probably the closest one that we have had since I’ve been at Oklahoma. I have had one other in my career that was somewhat similar. Jalen just had constant improvement, but it was a good battle without a doubt. I think it will continue to be competitive.”
*** “Tanner Mordecai did a phenomenal job and has made a lot of big plays in camp. Spencer Rattler showed early control and playmaking ability that’s pretty rare for someone his age. We are certainly excited about those two and the bright futures both of those players have for this 2019 team and beyond.”
*** “Jalen was just a little bit better. He was just a little more in control. It had nothing to do with experience because I told myself before it started that was not going to matter. In this battle the way it was lined out you could look at it and say well if they are close you give it to Jalen because he has been under fire and has all that experience and this and that. He also has just one year so you could also say that go ahead and go with one of the young guys because they are already close at this point. Then we could potentially have a multi-year starter and there would be benefits to that.”
*** “That wasn’t a factor. I just based it purely on performance and he was just a little bit ahead. Then I just thought this was the right time to do it.”
*** With Hurts being named the starter who is the backup quarterback?
*** “Tanner is going to be the backup,” said Coach Riley. “Spencer Rattler would be the third quarterback right now.”
*** Coach Riley insists there was not one big moment that led to his decision to go with Hurts.
*** “No, there was no moment,” said Coach Riley. “It was just the overall feel of how it progressed. Then down here to the wire I thought there were days that actually all three of them I thought were the best quarterback. Jalen just had a few more of them. I would say that his days when he was down or his down days when he was not his best those were better days than the other two had at this point.”
*** “He has just more experience handling that and while his experience was not a deciding factor in the decision it did show some when he was not at his best he was still playing at a pretty high level.”
*** The fact that Hurts can run will be a plus for the offense in 2019.
*** “Yeah, that is going to help,” said Coach Riley. “It’s always very difficult to defend if you can be very good at both. He brings that kind of capability but so do those other two guys. it certainly is a real nice positive but I don’t think that separated him in this race. They all have nice athleticism and we are certainly not going to recruit guys that we don’t think can move around a little bit. It’s just too important in what we do.”
*** Now that Hurts has been named the starter he will have two weeks to get ready and usually, that’s when the quarterbacks show a lot of growth.
*** “It can just give that quarterback confidence and familiarity more in our offense,” said Coach Riley. “You go from getting in the 30 to 40 percent range and all of a sudden he doubles that and now we can start game-planning around some of the things that you think specifically that these guys can do well. Not just the quarterbacks but all the skill guys that are starting to emerge offensively.”
*** “After making this announcement we typically see gains here and we would expect that from Jalen.”
*** Hurts picked up the pace in the second week of training camp to win the job.
*** “I would say he picked it up right here at the end,” said Coach Riley. “Again, there were a lot of days just going back, and I’ve been telling you guys through camp that, that you are so in the moment during these days, and it’s so much organization and the grind of getting it all done, that it’s just a day-to-day thing to the players and coaches.”
*** “Then when you do get those chances to catch your breath and look back on it and you get a chance to look at the whole thing I would say I was not real settled on it until after our scrimmage the other day. Then having a chance to have a little time with the guys away and go back and look through the film and just kind of reset our thoughts and then I was ready to make the decision.”
*** It is never easy to tell the second or third guy the decision and this case was not different with Mordecai.
*** “That is always one fun conversation and several not fun conversations,” said Coach Riley. “That is how those go. They all handled it well. Tanner handled it well and he’s probably more motivated than he was before and if you are a true competitor that’s what you are going to do. I would expect nothing less from him. I feel kind of that same way about Spencer too. Spencer is a little newer to this situation but he’s very eager and excited because both of those guys are teammates of his.”
*** “All of those guys are supportive of each other. That room is very new but we are beginning to see it really come tougher to really support Jalen, but it also will work hard and be ready for when their time comes. You just never know because we have had good quarterback play and guys that have stayed healthy the last few years but you don’t always have that combination. I would expect that we will but you have to be ready because this game presents all kinds of stuff. I know we have three guys in there that we have no doubt that they can go play and play extremely well right now.”
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