Open Post | Weekend, December 8th – 10th
Posted on: December 8, 2023
Sourced Notes On Portal DB and TE
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 4, 2023
***We spoke to a source regarding Clemson CB transfer Toriano Pride today due to the obvious connection between Brent’s time at Clemson and Valai’s time at Bama and recruiting Pride out of high school.
OU source indicated that the Sooners have not been pursuing Pride as of this time, so despite the connections, it does not look like this is one that will come together.
EDIT: Pride committed to Missouri later in the week.
***As far as TE Jalin Conyers, I saw the tweet regarding Conyers setting up a visit to OU…
Checked around a bit and was told OU is indeed in communication with Conyers and they were by to see him as well.
Expect the visit here.
Sourced Update | David Hicks
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 4, 2023
I know some of y’all saw that coach Bates was down by Katy, Paetow (Houston) where the father of DJ Hicks is the head coach.
Super K stopped by today and came away with the impression that there really isn’t much to the rumors of DJ Hicks entering the portal.
Keep in mind that one of the Sooner’s top CB targets is Deyjhon Pettaway who goes to Paetow (which is why K was out there) which is likely why Bates stopped in while in Houston.
Just trying to help y’all keep your expectations in check.
Good Thing the Sooners are Moving to the SEC
– Super K – Posted on: December 5, 2023
This past Sunday, all the attention was on the fact that an undefeated Power Five program with a pretty big brand name was left out of the playoffs.
Instead, an SEC team that has already played to and lost to one of the other top four teams was given the spot.
I was actually pretty surprised.
But perhaps as surprising or even more so was the fact the Sooners were left out of a New Years 6 in favor of two SEC teams and Big 10 team who don’t have the tradition or brand name of Oklahoma. In the case of Missouri and Ole Miss, this is especially true.
I spoke with Charlie on Saturday and we were both quite confident the Sooners would be in.
The resume was enough but, when you’re Oklahoma, even if the resume is close, you’re in. Right?
Apparently not and it’s hard to not think this is setting up the new world order in college football that the Sooners will fortunately be the beneficiary of.
In what world would Ole Miss be in a bowl game over OU except in some kind of new regime where your conference affiliation far outweighs your individual brand name?
Before this past weekend, I was under the assumption that the Big 12 would be an easy path to the playoffs.
I figured with 12 spots, 1 going to the top g5, those remaining 11 spots would on average be divided as follows…
3-4 for the SEC
3 to the Big 10
2 to the Big 12
2 to the ACC
So a good SEC year would see at most 4 teams in the playoffs with the remaining 7 spots going to the other 3 conferences with the Big 10 likely getting one more than the Big 12 and the ACC.
Boy, do I now think I was dead wrong.
At this point, I’m think the Big 12 is going to get their one single conference champion in each year and that’s probably the end of it. And I’m thinking the ACC may have a fighting chance at two spots only because they have some branded programs like Clemson, FSU and Miami but two might be the max.
It’s starting to look like the SEC is going to have five teams locked. I mean, I’m fine with it but I just didn’t realize this is where it was going.
For the Sooners, this is a great thing. You have a better regular season. Wins mean more. Losses mean less. Two losses and you’re probably in the playoffs. Three losses (depending on the timing and what big win you might have) and you’re not even necessarily dead on any given year. Look how close LSU was to that top 11/12. They came in at 13 just behind the Sooners.
Consider this. LSU was the top rated three loss team. OU was the lowest ranked two loss power five team in the same year they beat two conference champions including a win over number three Texas.
This SEC move may have been absolute checkmate for the Sooners and the Horns on the rest of the conferences.
And if the playoffs are indeed moving in this SEC/Big 10 heavy direction, the separation in recruiting is about to get a lot bigger. And we all know that that typically means the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Andrew Mukuba in the Portal
– Super K – Posted on: December 5, 2023
Clemson DB and Texas native, Andrew Mukuba has entered the transfer portal.
We are assuming the Sooners will be involved but we are checking.
If the Sooners are indeed going to get involved, you have to assume they’ll be competitive in this one given Venables connection to Mukuba. It’s pretty well know that Mukuba wanted to transfer to OU when Venables first left Clemson to return to Norman.
Would guess Texas will also jump in and they tend to come in with a big bag. So, if they want a seat, I imagine they’ll get one.
Also, worth noting that Mukuba’s high school coach is currently on the Texas staff.
More on this as we get it…
EDIT: Post on the Donor Board this morning (12/8) Confirms Mukuba will visit Norman.
Player Of Interest | Not in Portal Yet
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 5, 2023
Picked up some information this morning about the Sooners having interest in an SEC running back who is not yet in the portal.
Said running back is familiar with OU and had a strong relationship with DeMarco Murray throughout his recruitment and he has been to Norman. I am hearing there is mutual interest behind the scenes.
The back I am referring to may not enter the portal for some time, but if/when he does, I will point back to this post.
Should things not come together, once the portal window closes, I will let you know who I was referring to.
Sooners Offer San Diego State Transfer CB | Update 12:40 pm
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 5, 2023
The Sooners have offered San Diego State cornerback Dez Malone.
OU Cornerback coach Jay Valai was out in California to see Malone yesterday.
Malone had 46 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception for the Aztecs last season.
He is a big corner at 6’2 200 and moves very well.
Really like this offer.
Update: 12:40 pm
Touched base with Dezjhon and he let me know that he will be visiting Norman this week. Things are moving fast here.
Wednesday Portal Talk | Name That We Mentioned Enters
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 6, 2023
As we previously mentioned was a possibility, Florida Gators defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen has entered the portal.
Umanmielen is a guy who heard back from the NFL and did not like what he was hearing so he has decided to stay in college and look for a destination that will increase his value and develop his skills for the NFL.
He is a guy who has put plenty of flashes on tape, but so far the ‘bad’ film has outweighed the ‘good’ film and he will be looking to turn that around.
We are not saying that OU will be the landing spot, but they will be in consideration and on the surface, it would appear to be a good match.
Princely could benefit from the OU culture and accountability and OU could benefit from a high-ceiling player who could find his focus.
There will be a lot of competition for his services.
We will keep you up to speed on this one.
Sooners Pursuing Transfer Running Back
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 7, 2023
Yesterday the Sooners offered UT Martin transfer portal running back Sam Franklin.
Martin (5’10 195) had a huge year for the Skyhawks as he put up 1,378 yards on 223 carries (6.2 YPC) and 11 touchdowns.
He has garnered a lot of interest from programs since entering the portal and sources tell us he is working on setting up a visit to Norman to see what the Sooners offer in the near future.
Texas Tech is set to host him this coming Sunday-Tuesday and OU will get him before that visit (the weekend) or shortly after the TTU visit.
Franklin looks like a really nice back. Plenty of speed and appears to have good vision. I’m a fan of this offer.
Here are c couple of his highlight clips off Twitter:
Sooners Offer Arkansas Transfer LB
– Super K – Posted on: December 7, 2023
While we can’t definitively say if Stutsman is leaving, it does seem the Sooners are preparing for that real possibility.
This morning they offered Arkansas R-So transfer linebacker, Chris Paul Jr.
Paul Jr is an astounding player. He was freshman All-SEC, last year and I’m told he’s the type of player who, with the right coaching, should be an All-SEC type player in the future.
Was told Paul Jr felt like he needed a fresh start at a place with a culture of winning and leadership.
Will be checking to see when a potential visit will happen but I would assume it will be soon.
Brent Venables on the Numbers
– Charlie S – Posted on: December 7, 2023
Sooners head coach Brent Venables says he expects Oklahoma to sign 35-37 scholarship players this cycle. Last year they signed 42.
Venables said he expects to sign around 27 high school recruits and about he expects 28-29 players to be on campus in January.
Currently, OU has 26 verbal commits.
OL Eddy Pierre Louis would be number 27 if he chooses OU on the 15th. (and right now that is looking likely).
So with that math, it sounds like Brent is expecting to sign 8-10 portal players which tracks with the assumption we have been working under.
Oklahoma currently has one portal commit in offensive tackle Spencer Brown.
