Open Post | Weekend, August 30th – September 1st
Posted on: August 30, 2019
Sooners Visitor List | Week One – Houston
– Charlie S
Throughout last week we let you know the Official Visitors whom we had confirmed for the Houston game…
Noah Arinze – DE (St Louis, MO)
Jaheim Bell – ATH (Valdosta, GA) *Updated 9/28 – moved to possible – things need to be worked out – Super K
Edgerrin Cooper – LB (Covington, LA) – OU Commit
Anton Harrison – OT (Washington D.C.)
Ramon Henderson – CB (Bakersfield CA)
Phillip Webb – LB (Buford GA)
Aaryn Parks – OL (Fort Washington, MD)
Tre’Vonn Rybka – DL (Dickson, TN) – Kentucky Commit
We also let you know of several unofficial visits, including:
Ryan Watts – 2020 DB (Little Elm, TX) – OU Commit
Mikey Henderson – 2020 ATH (Carrollton, TX) – OU Commit
Brynden Walker – 2020 LB (Oklahoma City, OK) – OU Commit
Cody Jackson – 2021 WR (Richmond, TX) – OU Commit
Gentry Williams – 2022 ATH (Tulsa, OK)
Kendrick Blackshire – 2021 LB (Duncanville, TX)
Additional unofficial visitors we have been able to confirm:
J.T. Towers – 2020 LB (Little Rock, AR)
E’Marion Harris – 2022 OT (Little Rock, AR)
Daryl Searcy – 2022 RB (Little Rock, AR)
Ethan Downs – 2021 DL (Weatherford, OK)
Latrell Neville – 2021 WR (Houston, TX)
DJ Graham – 2020 ATH (Keller, TX) – OU Commit
Cullen Montgomery – 2021 OL (Bellaire, TX)
David Abiara – 2021 DE (Mansfield, TX)
Bryce Foster – 2021 OL (Katy, TX)
Reuben Fatheree – 2021 OL (Richmond, TX)
Dreyden Norwood – 2021 CB (Fort Smith, AR)
Jase McClellan – 2020 RB (Aledo, TX) – OU Commit
Seth McGowan – 2020 RB (Mesquite, TX) – OU Commit
Post Practice | Monday Night | Notes & Quotes
– James Hale
*** Last night we had a chance to talk with defensive personnel and rehabbing linebacker senior Caleb Kelly (6’3, 229) was working with the media. Kelly said his rehab is coming along on schedule and that he is a communication graduate and just getting a chance to intern with OU’s Media Relations this semester and thus he was on the media side today.
*** OU DC Alex Grinch has great respect for Houston QB D’Erik King and he said if anybody really knew how to stop him then they would have already done it. He said what separates King from most run/pass guys is that he is a really talented thrower. He said he scrambles to throw as much as he scrambles to run and his receivers know how to come back to him or beak off their route for him and get downfield.
*** Coach Grinch says Houston’s skill guys are really good on offense and then they have three guys returning on the offensive line making the Houston offense an elite offense for his defense to face. He says his secondary can’t lose eye contact with receivers or they will run right by them for touchdowns.
*** Coach Grinch says he loves game week and says that he believes that you win football games in the game prep during the week. By Thursday of every week, he has a great idea if his football team is going to win or not by how they have prepared.
*** Coach Grinch says Tuesday and Wednesday will help determine who will start at the nickel back (Bookie or Chanse Sylvie), and at WILL backer (DeShaun White or Ryan Jones). He said that the next two days will help him determine if there are other depth guys that are ready to play like at safety or any position on defense because he wants to feel confident about rotating guys in on the D-line, at linebacker and in the secondary.
*** Coach Grinch feels the linebacker room has really come on and he feels he has a group of linebackers that are ready to play.
*** Coach Grinch feels the defense has bought into what he and his coaches have tried to teach and he feels they are confident they can get the job done.
*** Coach Grinch says Dana Holgorsen has a certain style to his offense but he is constantly evolving and using more run game now but he does have an idea how Coach Holgorsen runs his offense just like he is pretty sure that Coach Holgorsen knows quite a bit how Coach Grinch likes to run his defense.
*** Coach Grinch said Coach Holgorsen knows how to adapt his offense to best fit what personnel he has on his roster.
*** Coach Grinch says they do have goals on how many takeaways they should get in a game, but for the most part, he just wants his team to get the ball back to his offense and they have to tackle well.
*** Coach Grinch says if his defense does not get any turnovers on Saturday that will not be okay even if the defense has played a good game it will not be a total game unless they get at least three turnovers in the game.
*** Coach Grinch is a defensive philosopher as he says the ball doesn’t know who is supposed to be carrying it so that means the ball is not just for the offense.
*** Coach Grinch says Spencer Rattler has been simulating King and the fact his defense has seen Jalen Hurts all year has given his defense a pretty good idea of what King looks like.
*** Coach Grinch says he will not make a final decision on what rotations he is going to have until 48 hours before the game.
*** Coach Grinch says they moved Jaquaylin Crawford from wide receiver to corner because he is a freak of an athlete that wasn’t going to see the field much at receiver so the defensive coaches asked if they could have him at corner. Crawford was down for it and has looked good thus far at corner.
*** Tre Norwood will undergo surgery this week to get his ACL injury repaired and Coach Grinch said they fully expect him to be healthy for the 2020 season.
*** Coach Grinch says his defense will net set statistical goals but will be held to playing at the standard of what a place like OU expects.
*** Junior linebacker Kenneth Murray (6’2, 243) says that the defense can learn a lot from the disappointment of how the defense played last year by focusing on being a lot better and playing just play to play.
*** Murray says the defense has to be honest with themselves and realize that they are human and will give up a few plays but if they don’t give up more than they should then they will be successful on defense each Saturday.
*** Murray expects that the defense will get multiple takeaways on Saturday against Houston. Murray says if the defense can match the goals of 24 takeaways during the season then he’s confident that the Sooners can take that next step in the College Football Playoffs.
*** Murray says the team is excited to see what Jalen Redmond can do this season. Murray says the D-line has been outstanding and that because they are playing so well that the entire defense is playing better.
*** Sophomore safety Pat Fields says that he expects the OU defense to be one of the best in the Big 12 and one of the best defenses in the country. He says the biggest thing for the defense this year is to cause chaos and constantly be a thorn in the side of the offense they are facing.
Post Practice | Wednesday, August 28th
– James Hale
*** Today following practice we got to talk to offensive personnel and it was the first time that senior quarterback Jalen Hurts (6’2, 219) talk to the media after being named one of four captains for the 2019 season.
*** “It is probably the biggest thing for me up to this point in my career,” said Hurts. “I know at Alabama I played a significant role on a lot of their teams during my three years but I was never named a captain. Being a caption was always my goal and really one of my dreams going down in the Denny chimes and all that, but at this home, with this family, my teammates have voted me captain. The fact that I have been here only seven or eight months it is a blessing.”
*** “It is kind of surreal but I’m happy and ready to lead.”
*** Hurts was named captain along with sophomore Creed Humphrey (6’5, 315) on offense while the defensive captains are junior linebacker Kenneth Murray (6’2, 243) and senior defensive tackle Neville Gallimore (6’2, 301).
*** Hurts says it was a cool moment when he learned in front of his team that he had been named a captain and then he gave the team a quick speech thanking them for the honor.
*** “Yeah it was something like that,” smiled Hurts. “Basically, everybody votes on it and I was one of the four to get chosen for it. This is a pretty big deal for me.”
*** Hurts realizes it is a big honor but now he and his teammates need to get ready and put on a great performance against Houston on Sunday night.
*** “Now we need to go ahead and play a game,” said Hurts. “It’s a good feeling that the team feels this way about me. It’s a good feeling that they respect me enough to put me on the pedestal and put me in that position. Now, I have to go out and do my end of it as a leader and play well.”
*** Hurts loves the fact that Oklahoma fans have gotten behind him like his Alabama fans have stayed with him even at OU.
*** “My goal is to present the best version of myself for OU fans on Sunday and throughout the season,” said Hurts. “I’m not going to go out there and try to be somebody that I’m not. I’m not going to pretend to be something that I’m not. I have a great appreciation for Alabama fans and I hope they will continue to support me. Now, I’m here with the OU fans and I hope I earn their support too. I hope we can do some special stuff.”
*** Different players always view the fact they have been named captain in different ways and most feel like it means something different for every individual.
*** “It means a lot to me,” said Hurts. “It is something that I will hold close and dear to my heart. It is very special but being named captain or not, it’s now time to play.
*** Hurts did not want to get into who was playing where or what the offense planned to do against the Cougars defense. He did say that from watching film that the Houston defense did fly around and even though they have a new defensive coordinator and a new defensive line coach that he has a pretty good idea what that defense will try to do against OU on Sunday.
*** OU offensive line Coach Bill Bedenbaugh said that they have been studying Arkansas State where the Cougars new defensive coordinator (Joe Cauthen) is from and that they have been studying personnel on Houston’s roster. He said that they have studied Arkansas State from the last three years that Cauthen was there and then watched games of Houston last year and even got tape of their spring game.
*** Houston runs a four-man front while last year Houston worked out of a three-man front so that is a change for them.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh is not sure that he will have a lot of guys rotating in the Sooners offensive line on Sunday. He feels he has seven guys right now that he feels pretty good about playing and one more player is emerging.
*** Bedenbaugh said he will learn a lot about this offensive line in the first game. He said they are practicing good and have worked well in camp and he’s eager to see them play.
*** He said that this game is a good starting point for his offensive line and he knows they will get better from here. He said he’s not really sure how much depth he has and it says that he may have to find that out in the games.
*** All signs still point to sophomore Creed Humphrey (6’5, 315) being the starting center. sophomore Tyrese Robinson (6’3, 328) being the right guard and sophomore Marquis Hayes (6’5, 332) the left. Sophomore Adrian Ealy (6’6, 326) is the right tackle and the feeling is that Erik Swenson (6’5, 317) is healthy to start and play left tackle.
*** It sounds like Senior R.J. Proctor (6’4, 337) is the swing guy and may alternate with Swenson on Sunday at left tackle. Junior Finley Felix (6’5, 314) may alternate with the guards on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Brey Walker (6’6, 343) is the player coming on.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh says he will play guys who have shown they are consistent and that he can trust. He hopes to be able to roll guys into the game and it all depends on how the guys finish the week.
*** Wednesday was the last heavy day that OU had but since the game is on Sunday this week OU will get after it pretty good on Thursday but no tackling or real live contact.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh feels the OU running back room is the deepest it has been with quality running backs since he has been at OU. He says all five are big-time guys.
*** Coach Bedenbaugh is proud that his center Humphrey was named a team captain.
*** “I think it is awesome,” said Bedenbaugh. “It’s an honor for him but there’s a huge responsibility with it. He’s obviously earned it as he has earned the respect of his teammates. Now he has to prove it and do everything that a captain does. It’s a great honor for him and a great privilege and a big-time responsibility.”
*** Coach Bedenbaugh says all first games are difficult but since the d-line coach came with the DC that what they like to do usually translates to the new team.
*** OU junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (6’2, 191) says the Houston secondary is big and physical and it will be a challenge for the wide receiver to match them physically. Lamb says they will go after the OU receivers once they get the ball.
*** Lamb says that Houston will primarily play zone but they will show some man at times. He believes they will come out with a different look for OU.
*** Lamb was not surprised that Hurts was named a team captain. He said that Hurts has been a leader since the first day he got to OU.
*** Lamb said this wide receiver group is very close and in fact, it has been the closest bunch of receivers since he has been at OU. This wide receiver group runs the gambit with seniors, juniors, sophomores and four talented freshmen that he says are way ahead of where he was when he came in as a freshman.
*** Lamb said physically, and just with the knowledge of what to do at the wide receiver position, they are way ahead of him when he first arrived at OU.
*** Lamb says he has been able to get closer to Jalen because they are both from the same area and he has been the first quarterback at OU that he has been able to meet up when both are back home to get extra work in.
*** Lamb is confident that freshman Trejan Bridges (6’1, 184), Jadon Haselwood (6’2, 206), Theo Wease (6’3, 202) and Austin Stogner (6’6, 237) are ready to roll and will play a big part in the game on Sunday.
Grinch Keeping Speed D on Their Toes | Sourced
– Super K
One of the primary reasons Lincoln Riley hired Alex Grinch was to change the culture at Oklahoma on the defensive side of the ball. For a while, the Sooners defense lacked accountability.
I remember speaking to a source early in the season last fall when the Sooners defense was once again missing tackle after tackle. And I recall asking said source, what the Sooners plan was to institute some accountability. How were they going to get the starters to understand that you can’t keep missing tackles?
Nothing.
And, so, as anyone could have predicted, it got worse and worse.
But Grinch has made it very clear that if you don’t tackle, then it means you didn’t want to tackle. And if you don’t want to tackle, then you don’t want to play for Grinch. And if you don’t want to play then you can find a nice comfortable spot on the bench – at OU or elsewhere.
In what seems to be an attempt to continue to keep OU players on their toes and uncomfortable, we’ve heard even as we are in game week, there are multiple defensive positions where multiple players are taking reps with the first team.
As of yesterday, I heard of at least three particular positions where this is occurring:
Cornerback: Both Parnell Motley and Jordan Parker continue to take reps with the first team.
Nickelback: Remember last year when the OU defensive staff gave Bookie the starting job before he’d even played a down of a football? Adrian Peterson didn’t even win the starting job before the season!
That’s not Grinch’s way, clearly. Am told that both Bookie and Chanse Sylvie continue to battle for the starting spot and share first-team reps.
Linebackers: Am told that there has been some rotation at the linebacker spot. Kenneth Murray is just returning but it sounds like White, who typically plays Will continued to take reps at Mike while also battling Ryan Jones for the starting Will spot.
This feels a lot like what Pete Carroll did at SC. Week in a week out guys competed for spots. I think the days of a starter winning a job and then being able to coast through the season are over.
Remember that performance by Jordan Evans in the Texas Tech game? Yeah, OU isn’t going to need to rely on a family member to motivate one of the Sooners defensive players – like was the case there.
Grinch knows, what we’ve all known. You can’t motivate your back up to be ready if no matter how bad the starter does, the back up will never get a shot. And you can’t keep your starter motivated if no matter how bad the starter does, the back up is never a threat to the starting position.
One On One’s | Oklahoma vs Houston
– Charlie S
One on One number one:
Houston defensive end Isaiah Chambers vs Sooners Offensive Tackle Adrian Ealy.
Houston lost a lot of players off what as an atrocious defense in 2018 but they did get Defensive End, Isaiah Chambers, back following a season-ending knee injury last year.
Chambers, the 6’5” 265 lb junior, only played five games, but he was productive as he did log 6 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks during his shortened season.
I’m going to keep an eye on Ealy (and Swenson/Proctor) who as a 6’6” 326 lb redshirt sophomore easily holds the size advantage but has limited live game experience to this point in his career as he redshirted 2017 and played in five games in a backup role in 2018.
Ealy was a coveted prospect coming out of high school for Sooners offensive line Coach Bill Bedenbaugh and he secured the starting right tackle spot along the 2019 Sooners offensive line the minute Cody Ford left for the NFL last year and did not let go of it. Ealy, by all accounts, had a very strong spring camp, summer offseason, and fall camp.
Going into the game, on paper, it looks like the Oklahoma offense should have its way with the Cougar defense in virtually every area, but with the Sooners replacing four linemen from last year, Chambers would appear to be the guy who would present the largest challenge to the evolving progression of the offensive line.
Chambers presents a challenge for Ealy and the other tackle for OU (Proctor/Swenson) and if you go through a good portion of the game without hearing Chambers name, that would be a good indication that the young offensive line is doing their job.
One on One number two:
Sooners defensive tackle Neville Gallimore vs Houston’s center (and guards).
Now, Houston has yet to put out their own depth chart as I am sure you are aware of via the social media musings of head coach Dana Holgorsen. OU hasn’t put theirs out, so Dana says he’s not putting his out yet. Whatever.
My point is, Houston is not running an Outland Trophy Award candidate out there at this point. Names to keep an eye on in the interior of the Cougar offensive line are Senior Braylon Jones at center, junior Keenan Murphy and redshirt freshman Max Barnes at the guard spots. I know they also got a few grad transfers in, but again, not the point.
The one on one victory that every Sooner fan wants to see is Neville Gallimore being disruptive and finding himself in the Cougar backfield as often as Houston quarterback D’Eriq King is.
We have all heard so much about how far Gallimore has come along in such a short time in the Grinch defense. With all the discussion about his weight loss, and the hype about his speed and quickness, I will be focusing on this battle and would probably come away from the night a little disappointed should we not hear Gallimore’s name a lot.
Gallimore creating havoc up the middle will go a long way in helping the rest of the defense put some restrictions on King and force him into some difficult situations. If the offseason and preseason hype was somewhat accurate, I don’t care who Houston throws out there…Sooner fans need to hear Gallimore’s name early and often to walk away with a good feeling about the defense.
There has been a lot of talk about the defensive line being the strength of this 2019 Sooners defense. I agree and believe that on paper, they should be.
Sunday night, they have to prove it and Gallimore is the name everyone needs to hear. A lot.
Sooners Visitor News | Aaryn Parks
– Charlie S
The visitor’s list for the Sooners opening game against Houston just had another big name added.
2020 offensive lineman Aaryn Parks has confirmed with me that he will be heading to Norman for his official visit this weekend.
The 6’4″ 320 lb lineman out of Fort Washington, MD (National Christian Academy) told me back in June that the Sooners were very high on his list following his decommitment from Penn State.
“I started out by simply asking Parks for his thoughts on the Sooners and he gave an equally simple response by saying “I love Oklahoma”.
Ok, good start.
Without prompting, he then added “It’s really the fact about how many linemen have come out of OU. Their work shows for itself. Just look at their past offensive linemen’s accomplishments.”
In that same article, he told me he planned on visiting early in the Sooners season. Can’t get any earlier than game one.
With Jonah Monheim backing off his silent commit to OU and publicly committing to USC, Parks and Anton Harrison (who is also visiting this weekend) appear to be atop Bill Bedenbaugh’s wishlist along with Brady Ward who will visit Norman for the Texas Tech game.
Good news for the Sooners for sure.
Updates | New Visitor, Visit Moved & Visit Pending
– Super K
***2020 Kentucky DT commit, Tre’Vonn Rybka (Dickson, TN) tells me that he will take an official visit to Oklahoma this weekend.
This is interesting as Rybka just committed to Kentucky a little over a week ago.
***Blazing 2020 WR, Arian Smith (Lakeland, FL) was expected to take an official to Oklahoma this weekend but he tells me that the visit will be rescheduled.
Do not have the new date just yet.
***Also, as we previously reported, 2020 ATH Jaheim Bell (Valdosta, GA) is expected to take an official visit to Oklahoma this weekend.
However, as of yesterday, I was told that the visit is still pending. I believe they’re trying to work through getting another family member permission to visit though compliance but I don’t know all the details.
I’ll keep checking on this one. It’d be great if the Sooners can get Bell in. Based on what I’ve heard out of GA, the young man is a darn good player and on film he certainly looks like one.
Offensive Line Recruiting Note | Sourced
– Charlie S
I know the topic of numbers along the offensive line has come up on the board recently so I did a little digging to find out how many commits OU would take in the 2020 class.
Things looked set for the better part of the summer as OU believed that Jonah Monheim would publicly be joining Nate Anderson, Noah Nelson, and Andre Raym in July. Monheim walked back on his silent commit and the Sooners began to open things back up.
With two major targets heading to Norman this week in Aaryn Parks and Anton Harrison, it is my understanding that both have a committable offer.
I checked with James and his sources indicate the same. James asked his sources if both Harrison and Parks were looking to commit, would the Sooners take them. Source told James “they would figure it out”.
I have little doubt the Sooners will make a huge impression on both of them this weekend and I would not be shocked to see one, or both of them, make the call and commit to OU as they both come into the visit very high on the program.
Not saying it will happen, but not ruling it out by any means.
Quick Hitter | Antonio Doyle Decommits From Missouri
– Charlie S
Sooners OLB Target Antonio Doyle has decommitted from Missouri.
Doyle told K back in May, following an unofficial visit to Norman, that he was very high on OU and planned on taking an official visit to Oklahoma.
Then things went a bit sideways as he suddenly committed to Missouri.
Now, with his recruitment open, we would expect Oklahoma to pursue him even though they currently have two linebackers in Brynden Walker and Edgerrin Cooper. Both Cooper and Walker could play inside as Doyle would be the RUSH target.
K will be in touch with Doyle to get the latest.
Feelings About the Game one Defense?
– Super K
Just curious, how you all are feeling about the defense going into game one?
I spoke to a source yesterday and everyone in the building seems so confident.
I don’t quite know what to make of it.
Houston has an excellent offense. Could be one of the better ones OU will face all year. The defense is going to be good but it’s going to be a process and this is game one. And anytime you have an aggressive defense, when you’re still learning your live spacing, it can result in some big plays.
These things, among others, have me managing my own expectations for game one.
So, I’ve been mildly surprised this week and how many folks around the program I’ve spoken to who are just so confident about this new defense.
I guess it’s not hard to improve on last year but it sounds like the staff is expecting the defense to hit the ground running.
Me personally, I just want to see consistent improvement. I’m certainly not going to throw the towel in if the defense has a rough first few games. I’ve seen some of the best defensive coordinators defenses struggle early on. It’s a process.
I just want to see people running to the ball. I want to see effort all the way till the end of the game. I want to see guys get pulled for three strikes. And I’d love to see someone get off a block!
If I see that, regardless of what happens, I’ll feel like it’s only a matter of time before the defense becomes a point of pride again for Sooner nation.
What are your expectations?
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