Open Post | Weekend, August 2nd – 4th
Posted on: August 2, 2019
Noah Arinze & Rome Odunze | Updates
– Super K
I spoke with Noah Arinze over the phone following his return visit to OU for the BBQ.
***I’ll be honest, Noah was a bit guarded about what he shared.
***This was the third visit to Norman for Arinze. While he wouldn’t divulge which schools are standing out, he did say that he does have schools that have made their way higher up his list. I have to assume that three unofficial visits to OU is a good indication they are up there.
***Also, it’s worth noting that he stayed for much of the weekend. He was there Saturday for the BBQ and stayed Saturday night and into a large portion of the day on Sunday.
***Talking about the visit and Oklahoma, in general, he said, “Generally, the atmosphere of the program and being to come and play and change the culture of the defensive is a draw for me. This weekend I got to see the coaches outside of coaching. I was able to see how the coaches are on a personal level away from football”.
***In terms of what’s going to push him towards one school or another he continued to use the word comfort, “It’s really more about comfort and where I fit. I do want a place where I can prosper as an individual, as a student athlete and develop as a football player”.
***He did not note that of all the schools he’s visited and the coaches he has relationships with, Thibs is certainly one of the coaches he has a strong bond with.
***This summer, Arinze actually took three of his five official visits. He tells me he OV’d to Arizona State, Kansas and Minnesota. He also says he took unofficial visits to Missouri and Illinois.
***I asked him if an official visit to Oklahoma would happen this fall and he said it most likely would. But, again, was pretty non-committal about which schools would get his final two official visits. If I had to guess, I’d say Oklahoma and one of either Missouri or Illinois.
***In terms of a decision timeline, he was a bit vague there as well. However, I think that was less so about him wanting to play this close to the vest and more so just being torn. I got the sense that he might be ready to make a decision now but said he’s still wanting to take his visits. So, he’s tentatively the fall for a decision. But, I wouldn’t necessarily rule anything out.
Also, this weekend, the Sooners hosted 2020 WR, Rome Odunze. I did speak with Rome over the phone last night. I have a full update from him down below but a couple of highlight notes.
***He said he is ready to make a decision. That doesn’t necessarily mean he has come to a final decision but said he has now seen enough schools to give him the information he needs to sit down with his family and make the decision.
***No exact date for an announcement is set but it sounds like it will be before the end of the summer.
***Washington, Oregon and OU seem to be the biggest contenders in this and if I had to guess it’s going to come down to OU and Washington.
Champ U BBQ | Additional Notes & Quotes
– Charlie S
Have some quick notes and quotes from a few more of the visitors to the Champ U BBQ this past weekend…
2020 WR Commit Brian Darby (5’11.5″ 192, College Station, TX) – “It was tremendous, the most fun thing we did was the water balloon fight” He added, “It’s always good to be back in Norman!” Darby told me he will take his official during the season, no date confirmed at this point.
2021 DL E’Maurion Banks (6’4″ 260, Wichita Falls, TX) – “The most fun was definitely the water balloon fight!” (sensing a theme here?) As for another highlight, “I got to bond more with Coach Thibbs and Coach Riley”. Banks added that he plans on making it back to Norman for at least one game this year. OU did a good job here.
2021 RB LJ Johnson (5’10” 204, Cypress, TX) – “I really enjoyed it! I feel it was one of the best visits I’ve had”. Johnson added, “The whole staff was very energetic and they made me feel like I was already one of their players”. As for the event itself, LJ said “The most fun part of the BBQ was all the games and activities while having the chance to talk to all the players and coaches. I really enjoyed the tour of the school, it was amazing”.
202o ATH Commit Mikey Henderson (6’1.5″ 234, Carrollton, TX) – “It was great hanging with my future teammates and the other commits in the 2020 class!” He added, “That was really the best part, just hanging with them and building that bond”.
Up Close | 2021 DL Ethan Downs
– Charlie S
The Sooners hosted a ton of 2020 and 2021 recruits this past week for their annual ‘Champ U BBQ’ in Norman. Among those visitors was 2021 priority defensive line target Ethan Downs (6’4″ 240, Weatherford, OK).
You are all familiar with Ethan and he is very familiar with the Sooner program as he is an in-state prospect who happened to grow up in a family of Sooner fans.
I was grateful for the time Ethan took to have a lengthy phone call interview in which we covered a bunch of different topics.
The Champ U BBQ
We started out by talking about his familiarity with the Sooners. I asked him how many times he has been to Norman and Ethan said, “I’ve been to two of their camps. I went to one last summer and I went to the camp this summer.”
He continued by adding “I’ve been to four or five games. I went to three this year, and one each of the previous two years”. Obviously, growing up in Oklahoma, the question about where his fandom led him was never really a question; as he told me, “I always grew up an Oklahoma fan, my whole family did.”
Earlier this week, I brought you a quote from Ethan which he gave me right after the event:
When asked about the event, Ethan told me “I had an awesome time!” He continued by saying “I did not know what to expect, but after being silly and being myself and opening up and enjoying what was happening, I couldn’t say anything negative about the event!”
I asked him to further expand on that quote. Ethan explained, “There wasn’t a whole lot of football talk”. He continued by saying, ”I got to go visit coach Riley’s office and chat a little bit. You know, talk about what’s been going on in my life, how my summer has been, how he’s doing, what football is looking like this year. Just sitting there and talking about life.”
While the event was not specifically centered on football, Ethan did get the opportunity to do some investigating of his own in regards to the OU program. He mentioned that another high point of the visit was with the time he got to spend with Riley, saying, “I also was able to ask him some questions of my own. Things like what open spots are there defensive-wise, what their (2021) recruitment is looking like. You know, just some necessary questions for myself.”
As we closed out the topic of the BBQ, Ethan said, “Overall, the camp was just to loosen everybody up. You know, if you have a team here, a team of guys who don’t know each other very well, who aren’t very comfortable around each other initially, you get them out and let them have a blast together by doing something fun, those guys become instantly comfortable around each other and they all start to bond.”
Downs and OU
We moved on to the relationship between Ethan and the Sooners. I wanted to get a feel of where he projects to play should he choose to go to OU. Ethan said, “I worked with Coach Thibodeaux at the camp this year and all I did was defensive end stuff. Sounds like I am an edge rusher and if I do go there, after they put 30-40 pounds on me, keep me just as athletic but make me stronger, faster, and quicker, that would be the idea: to have a big guy rushing off the edge bringing the outside rush.”
He continued by saying, “I had a chance to talk to Coach Thibodeaux after the BBQ, you know we got a little one-on-one film session; he told me it’s going to be a more straightforward rush-the-gap type situation, which is exciting.”
As I mentioned to Downs following that quote, ‘Rush-the-gap type of situation’ are words that will get everyone excited. From players to coaches to fans and, of course, recruits. He confirmed as much and noted the energy around the defensive side of the ball.
This season at Weatherford
We then moved on to talking about his upcoming junior season at Weatherford High School and his expectations. Ethan said, “Two years ago I started as a freshman and there was a whole sophomore group that was also starting with a lot of athletic guys which was pretty young for a high school team.” He continued, “I think we have only lost 3 or 4 starters from that team and last year we only lost 2 seniors so we are going to be pretty strong”.
Ethan has a bright outlook for his squad this year as he said, “Coming up this year, we are loaded with Juniors and Seniors, so we are stronger and faster. There’s a lot of athletic guys in my class, the 2021 class in general. So I think we are gonna be quicker, stronger, a little bigger, and, while we won’t have a huge offensive line, I think if we realize our potential, practice every day like it’s the last day of practice, I think we can be really good.”
I wanted to see where he would be playing at Weatherford this year. Ethan told me, “I’m going to play offense as well as defense. Like a traditional tight end.” He added, “Last year everybody keyed on me, I got the ball quite a bit, running the ball and stuff offensive wise. Then I would turn around and do the defensive stuff and I was even the long snapper, so I never really came off the field.” Oh to be 16 again.
As we spoke more about his upcoming season, Ethan said, “Last year it was easy to stop us offensively and so this year Coach is going to use me more as distraction this year.” He also mentioned that tight end will not be his only spot on offense along with quite a nugget for his defensive duties by saying, “I’m also going to be playing some halfback and fullback, but defensively, I’m going to be playing some middle linebacker”.
I asked him about the move to the middle backer and he said, “Since I played Defensive End last year, a lot of teams schemed around me and ran away from me. So being in the middle of the field, I think I will get a whole lot more opportunity and learn a lot about defense as a whole”.
I found that to be extremely interesting. Weatherford will have a 6’4″ 240 lb athlete on the field at middle linebacker while many high school programs wouldn’t average those measurables on their offensive lines.
Recruitment
You are all aware of Oklahoma’s interest in Downs and his interest in the Sooners. I wanted to get a look at where things stand in regards to other programs who are hitting him hard on the recruiting trail.
Ethan said, “Oklahoma State and Nebraska are on me all the time. The Nebraska fan base is awesome, they are crazy. Texas is always sending me emails and stuff too.”
He added, “I have ten offers right now and being that I am a 2021 kid, there are a lot of rules about the contact we can have right now, but I get a lot of mail from Stanford as well.”
It was at that point when we got to my favorite part of the interview. I asked Ethan if there were any offers he was looking for. I was curious to see what he had to say about the SEC allure and other major programs. His answer was tremendous.
“I’m not too focused on any school right now. You know, it’s hard to be because when you go to a camp, like the Champ U BBQ at Oklahoma, you want to be all in, you want to show up, have a great time, learn everybody’s name. Once you do that, it seems almost biased and it seems unattractive to other colleges I think. So you know, when you go down to OkState for a camp, you feel like you have to be all in for OkState…it’s tricky. It’s a difficult balance.”
While that response is very mature, it was the following which really spoke volumes about the young man. Ethan said, “In part, the reasons above are why you won’t see me with a top schools list and announcing every offer I get all the time.” He added, “I’m not that type of guy. All the schools are top-notch schools, and every offer is a blessing, so I’m not focusing on getting any specific offers.”
Downs will remain a priority target for OU in 2021 and the Sooners will remain a top school for him.
Rome Odunze | Post Visit | Full Update
– Super K
As you know, Sooners hosted 2020 4-star WR, Rome Odunze (Las Vegas) out of Bishop Gorman High School, this past weekend for an unofficial visit.
***I had a chance to see Rome last week and in the conversation he mentioned Oregon and Washington as the two schools that were standing out. He’s been to those schools multiple times. This visit to OU was his first but said that when a school like OU comes calling you have to see what it’s about.
***I spoke to him following his visit and the Sooners impressed, “I’d say it definitely exceeded my expectations. They had everything laid out for the recruits. We had a good time. We had a good time. They told me good stuff about how they would use me and it was getting to build that relationship. So yeah, it was good stuff”.
***In terms of comparing the three schools on a general level Rome said, “They’re all great to be honest. It’s hard to say there is a distinct difference between all of them but I know for sure Oklahoma has a great atmosphere where they have fun with it while also playing great ball. I can say that about them”.
***One of the things I ask Rome about was his comfort level and how the fact that he’s been to Oregon and Washington multiple times and OU only once could impact his decision. It doesn’t sound like that will be any major cause for concern, “Oh no, you’re going to be a little uncomfortable anywhere you go being that it’s different but you’re going to have built a relationship with the coaches wherever you go. So, no I don’t think comfort will be an issue”.
***Rome talked about what stood out to him, “I like the winning attitude there. They have the trophies set. Winning there is a big thing for them there. You can feel in the way they talk. The atmosphere of being around good people who really want the best for you really stood out to me”.
***In terms of a decision timeline, Rome said he doesn’t have a date set but feels he has seen enough to make a decision. He said he’d like to announce, “hopefully soon”. But did add that he may take official visits even after his decision. So, even if he doesn’t pick the Sooners, he could very well be back in Norman this season, either way.
***Rome said that his mom and dad, “loved it, of course. They know it’s big time football and all the coaches treated them respectfully and were polite”.
Going through the three schools that seem to be standing out Rome talked about the reasons he is drawn to each school…
On Oregon: “If I pick Oregon it would probably be because my grandpa went there and they gave him a job and that has sentimental value to me. They tend to have a good offense, a scoring offense. They have great jerseys and uniforms…”
On Washington: “If I were to pick Washington it would be because it’s a right fit. They got a good program. They’ve been doing pretty dominant things. They have a great education system and their coaching staff pushes it in everything they do. The coaching staff and the environment, they have that tenaciousness to get that program to a national championship level, for sure”.
On Oklahoma: “If I were to pick Oklahoma it would be because they’ve been so dominant. They’ve produced great guys at wide receiver. The coaching staff is great. Coach Riley is great. Coach Simmons is great. They don’t have really any plans of leaving anytime soon so you’d be with them”.
***In terms of whether he’s leaning towards any of the three schools more so than the others, he said, “No. Not right now. I haven’t sat down and looked at the pros and cons. I haven’t sat down and prayed about it. I’m not leaning anywhere but there are definitely places I like”.
***He did say that OU definitely put themselves in a position to win. My sense is that Washington and OU are battling for the top spot in this one.
Quick-Hitters | Humphrey, Covington & Somerville
– Super K
A couple of, what I’ll call, periphery OU notes here.
***The Sooners recently offered 2020 Cali DB, John Humphrey. Humphrey just announced his commitment to UCLA.
However, he has said that he will take a visit to OU during the season.
***Also, many of you will recall the write up I had on 2021 DL, Quintin Somerville (Saguaro HS, AZ) who I recently saw in California when the team was camping at Cal Lutheran.
I mentioned that he was dominant in practice against what looked like a pretty good tackle.
I didn’t realize at the time just how high profile that tackle was until he came across my twitter timeline, recently.
Apparently the tackle’s name is Jaylan Jeffers and he just recently committed to Oregon…
And Somerville who is a year and a half or so younger than him was giving him the absolute business. I say that not to disparage Jeffers. As I said, I quickly took note of how good Jeffers is which is why what Somerville was doing was so impressive. But again, I didn’t realize just how high of a profile Jeffers had.
***Lastly, Jacobe Covington continues to insist that OU is one of his top schools and says he remains in communication with Grinch and co. He was planning on an October announcement but tweeted that there was a change of plans yesterday. Will get in touch with him to see what that was about.
Joshua Eaton | The Latest
– Super K
For much of the summer, 2020 CB Josh Eaton had been telling me that he planned on announcing a commitment this August.
His likely destination? Texas A&M.
Yesterday he told me that he is reconsidering that position and said his announcement will, “probably get pushed back [to the fall]”.
It doesn’t sound like a summer visit back to Norman will happen but Josh said he has his official visit to OU already scheduled.
He says he will be in Norman for the September 28th OU versus Texas Tech home game.
Offensive Linemen Visits and Notes
– Charlie S
Was checking around with some offensive line targets yesterday while I was sitting at the division of motor vehicles as I obviously had some time on my hands and I came across a couple notes of interest…
*** Touched base with 2020 offensive tackle Anton Harrison (6’5″ 329, Washington, DC) and he let me know that he is in the process of setting up his official visit to OU for the Houston game (September 1st).
He said, “My OV most likely will be for the first game against Houston”. So while it is not set in stone at the moment, it looks like OU is trying to get him in for week one.
*** Also was able to chat with 2020 offensive line offer Brady Ward (6’7″ 310, Mobile. AL) who received his written Oklahoma offer earlier today.
Ward also mentioned the Houston game as a potential official visit. He said, “Feel good about getting the written offer and we are talking about an official visit for the first game”.
Now, one note I would like to add on my own about Ward. The last time I brought him up, someone on the board posted a video of a workout he went through at his high school this spring. The tape was not flattering at all and I actually spoke with Brady about the film.
He let me know that the day prior to the film being made he pulled a back muscle. I asked him why he was still out there practicing and he said ‘I felt I had to as four Oline coaches had flown in that day to see me, I had to try to go.” A couple of you guys also noted that the guy he was going up against looked really good. He did, and for good reason, his name is Daniel Foster and he is committed to Auburn.
Ward has been a high priority for Coach Bedenbaugh as he was an early offer and the fact he received the written offer just cements that notion.
*** Now, we all know the numbers are rather tight, and depending on what frequent OU visitor Jonah Monheim (6’5″ 280, Moorpark, CA) decides to do (or more importantly when he decides to do it) the rest of the linemen could very well be fighting for one spot. Again, that depends on what Monheim does as I believe the Sooners will eventually make the decision to take five high school offensive linemen.
*** I am still checking with Aaryn Parks (6’4″ 320, Fort Washington, MD) to see if he has an official scheduled and I have reached out to Marcus Dumervil (6’5″ 300, Fort Lauderdale, FL) to see if he is planning on unofficially visiting for a game weekend.
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