Open Post | Weekend, February 5th – 7th
Posted on: February 5, 2021
Jordan Hudson | Could be Special | Initial Update
– Super K
Earlier this week, I stopped by Garland HS (TX) to see Sooners 2022 WR commit, Jordan Hudson.
***So, let me say first, as people start to realize just how good Hudson is, they are going to come after him hard.
***Hudson said the new Texas staff has been heavily recruiting him and it goes back to the days at Bama.
***Once Covid clears and visits begin again, you can bet your bottom dollar there are going to be a lot schools trying to get him on campus.
***I do think OU is going to be tough to beat. I can pull some quotes later but the main point here is OU has three major things: NFL development at his position, proximity to home and he has a strong bond with the coaches. I get the sense Gundy and Jordan are extremely tight.
***In terms of talent, I made my opinion known…
***I think he’s really special. When I see him I think of Dez and Blackmon – not thin Ardmore Blackmon but the Blackmon we saw after the S&C staff had him at Oklahoma State.
***He just has those big paws, and sturdy powerful build and the explosive vertical leap to go with elite football coordination (something OU is currently missing in some of their WRs).
***And, Hudson is hungry, as well. He strikes me as someone who really wants it and he has the edge about him.
2022 DT Updates | Suge and McClellan
– Charlie S
With 2022 DT Bear Alexander announcing his commitment to Georgia, I checked in and caught up with a couple other potential interior players for the Sooners in the 2022 class.
*** Earlier this week, Oklahoma extended an offer to Kristopher Ross (6’2.5″ 263) out of Houston, TX (North Shore).
Ross, who goes by the nickname ‘Suge’, told me he has been in contact with Oklahoma for a couple weeks now. He currently holds seven offers and OU is by far the most impressive offer of the bunch.
I expect him to pick up some steam on the recruiting trail following the Sooners offer as usual.
Since the relationship is so young, and there hasn’t been a ton of work put in here to this point, it’s too early to tell how much of an impact OU will play in his recruitment going forward, but he was clearly excited by the offer and OU getting in early will likely carry some weight. Certainly one to keep an eye on.
K was out to see him this week and he will have more on him in the near future.
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11322720/5fb5321590eee20bb084162d
*** The other guy I checked in on this week was 2022 DE/DT Chris McClellan (6’4″ 270) out of Owasso, OK.
McClellan is a guy who has steadily been picking up some speed on the recruiting trail of late here and he holds a TCU offer which is something that caught my eye as their evaluations are generally spot on.
McClellan told me that OU has maintained some level of communication, mostly via Twitter but there has been a few phone calls throughout his recruitment. He has been to Norman a few times, went to a couple games his sophomore season but has not been back since.
The impression I got from our conversation is that he would absolutely welcome more attention from the Sooners and at this time it would not be too late for them to make a big move in his recruitment, should they decide to offer.
McClellan also let me know that the previous staff at Texas was kind of taking the same approach with him as OU has been with ‘some’ interaction’ but not a lot. However, he also mentioned that Coach K (the new Texas DC) was recruiting him pretty heavily while he was at Washington and he has already reached out to him since arriving in Austin.
He’s another interior defender we will keep an eye on.
I spoke to Chris this week and will bring you more on him in the weeks ahead.
https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11396183/5f835ec74206fe085c026ea3
Update | Riley Weighs in on Bookie and the Portal
– Charlie S
As you all know, Sooners DB Bookie Radley Hiles is officially in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Once a player enters his name into the portal, he is able to freely communicate with other programs, but he does not necessarily have to leave the program from which he entered the portal from.
So with that in mind James is reporting that when Riley was asked about Bookie and the portal during his media availability today, the Sooners head coach said:
“First thing I would say I certainly hope his career here is not over. We’ll see how it plays out. This kid has had so many big plays here and been a part of our culture. Helping young players, being involved with recruits, been a great student and great ambassador for our program.”
He added, “If he does decide to leave, I’ll be his biggest fan. If he decides to stay which I certainly hope happens, then we’re gonna have one last run together.”
Whether Bookie leaves or not, I think you can see how Lincoln Riley feels about him.
LincUp21 | Projected Impact Timeline
– Charlie S
During the NSD chat, I was asked how many of the guys in the 2021 class did I believe had a chance to have a major impact in the coming two seasons. So I thought I would take a few minutes to break down the class in three categories.
***Instant Impact – Will have a significant impact in the 2021 season
***Near Future Impact – Will have a significant impact by the end of the 2022 season
***Rewarded With Patience – Will have a significant impact post 2022
This is obviously an exercise based on speculation, so let’s treat it that way.
I do believe each of the 16 signees in the class has the opportunity to be key contributors during their careers in Norman as I believe while the class is small on numbers, it is large on quality. The opportunity for instant impact takes a couple things into consideration which includes the position, the depth chart, and the attributes of the player.
Let’s get to it!
Instant Impact:
Mario Williams, WR, 5’11, 178, Plant City, Florida – You saw what Marvin Mims did as a true freshman, I believe Mario will have a similar impact and we already have been told OU is going to rep the hell out of him in the spring.
Clayton Smith, RE, 6’4, 220, Texarkana (Texas High), Texas – Too damn good to keep off the field. Perhaps the most impressive OU defensive signee since…Gerald McCoy.
Latrell McCutchin, CB, 6’1, 176, Austin (LBJ), Texas – Kid is a dog and he is another one who we have been told will be getting extensive reps this spring. Expect him to challenge for a starting spot. My one concern is, with Bookie in the portal, if he does not return, who will clap back at Latrell when he gets himself all worked up? I LOVE his attitude, but he is about as alpha as you can get (which can be a very good thing when applied correctly in practice) but who in the DB room will kind of call him out when need be?
Billy Bowman, DB, 5’10, 175, Denton (Ryan), Texas – Bowman is a guy I see having an impact in 2021 in the special teams game if not in the defensive backfield. I could see him challenging for some PT at nickel or even safety, but I think you will see him used extensively in the return game. Too twitchy to keep off the field.
Near Future Impact:
Isaiah Coe, NT, 6’3, 305, Iowa Western Community College – The front 7 in 2021 can all leave following the season. Not only will Coe be given the chance to get a ton of playing time, OU will likely need him to be effective for the ’22 season.
Cody Jackson, WR, 6’0, 175, Richmond (Foster), Texas – The wide receiver room could see a lot of turnover ahead of the ’22 season and Cody is a guy who will put the work in to make sure he is as ready as he can be to step up. I think he is going to have a sneaky good career in Norman.
Ethan Downs, DE, 6’4, 240, Weatherford, Oklahoma – Again, the front 7 in ’22 will look a lot different than it will in ’21 and Downs is a guy who is physically mature and has a grinders mentality. Only question I have with him is will he line up on the edge or inside. Right now I’m still going to say he is going to be an interior guy for OU.
Caleb Williams, QB, 6’1, 210, Washington, DC (Gonzaga) – The number one QB in the 21 class will be given the keys to the kingdom at the start of the ’22 season as your Heisman Trophy winning QB from ’21 (Spencer Rattler) will leave and be a very early pick in the NFL draft.
Kelvin Gilliam, DL, 6’3″ 250, Highland Springs (Highland Springs) Virginia – Opportunity for a ton of playing time will be there in ’22 for Gilliam. He should be ready to step in at Redmonds spot and have a big impact for ’22 following the ’21 season which will see him get his fair share of reps.
Damond Harmon, DB, 6’1″ 178, Highland Springs (Highland Springs) Virginia – Almost put him in the instant impact group based on nothing more than a gut feeling. If he had enrolled early, I think he would have pushed for time in the 2-deep for ’21. He’s a guy that is versatile and Grinch and Manning will find his position as he can play anywhere in the secondary.
Danny Stutsman, LB, 6’2.5, 215, Winter Garden, (Foundation Academy) Florida – Shane Whitter and Danny Stutsman as your starting ILB’s in ’22? Could be. I believe Stutsman will arrive in Norman as a player, who in years past when OU wasn’t so deep at ILB, who would be able to step right in even after missing the spring. Very high on him and the fact he is a coaches son is a bonus.
Rewarded With Patience:
Savion Byrd, OL, 6’5, 295, Duncanville (Duncanville) Texas – Has the tools to be an elite tackle in Norman. Will take patience and work to get there and I would imagine he will start getting meaningful reps in the ’22 season.
Cullen Montgomery, OL, 6’3, 315, Bellaire, (Episcopla) Texas – The kid is all about being a Sooner and he has the tools to be a very good guard in Bedenbaughs offense. Actually reminds me a bit of Cody Ford. Ford had an easier path to PT at OU due to their lack of quality depth at the time. Montgomery has a lot of talented interior players in front of him.
Jordan Mukes, S, 6’4, 192, Choctaw, Oklahoma – Mukes is intriguing. I love his ceiling, but he is so raw and new to football. Good thing is, from all accounts, he is very coachable and eager to learn. In my own talks with him, I came away with the thought that ‘He will not be denied’. If he keeps that mentality and focus, he could see the field and make an impact prior to the ’23 season but I look at the ’22 season for him as a year where he gets his experience and sets his foundation.
Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, SDE, 6’7, 240, Portland (Jefferson), Oregon – Complete unknown. Talk about a kid who is new to football! He has one year of high school football to his name. Blank canvas, lot’s of possibilities, very high ceiling. All about how quickly he let’s coach Cain get it out of him.
Jalil Farooq, WR, 6’1, 200, Upper Marlboro (Dr Henry Wise) MD – Farooq is the guy I have the cloudiest projection for. Does he even end up playing WR at OU? Could he be a guy who changes to DB? He is a tremendous athlete and the staff will likely try to get him on the field as soon as they possibly can. He will do well wherever he is, it’s just difficult to project where I see him in the first 2 years.
