Open Post | Weekend, July 21st – 23rd
Posted on: July 21, 2023
A Sip of Kool-Aid
– Super K – Posted on: July 17, 2023
It’s way too early to start chugging but I did want to pass on a positive note – a small sip of Kool-Aid, if you will.
I spoke with a source from a staff that competes with OU on players here and there. This is someone I’ve known for quite some time who is at a premier program.
We were chatting about OU landing Jayden Jackson and I said that there are some who assume OU must be playing the NIL game a lot better, as of late…
Said source said he can’t speak to that but said that in his crossover with OU recruits he doesn’t hear much of anything about NIL.
He said, “They’re in the SEC now and the Dline coaching pedigree from Clemson is what I’ve heard from other recruits. There is actually a lot of belief in the program, listening to recruits.”
To tie that back to Jackson, I told you before he announced that we did not believe Florida or Texas were pushing for him but did believe Ohio State, Miami and OU were.
As Charlie noted that was a legitimate win over programs that are recruiting at a high level. I also believe he would’ve chosen OU over Florida. I think Texas’ NIL game is just too strong right now but losing to that doesn’t say anything about the OU staffs’ ability to recruit – that’s just something beyond your control.
Despite the rough season, there does seem to be positive reviews under the surface on the recruiting trail. OU just happens to be going up against some tough competition with the defensive linemen they’ve been recruiting.
Probably time to do a bit of an audit on the 2024 class so far and then look forward but broadly speaking, I wouldn’t say OU has had a summer of George but it hasn’t quite been a cruel summer either, and if the Sooners can pick up three aces with Tatum, Brooks and Nwaneri, boy that would feel pretty summer of Georgish.
’24 OL to Keep Tabs On
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 16, 2023
Earlier this week I touched base with ’24 OL Payton Stewart who is listed at 6’7 240 out of Kelso, Washington.
First things first, Payton tells me he is actually 6’6 and he weighs 278 pounds.
Stewart was committed to Northwestern since May and he has taken official visits to Duke, Washington State, Oregon State, SMU, and of course, Northwestern.
With the recent coaching change at Northwestern, Stewart decommitted from the program.
I asked if he had been in touch with OU since his change of plans and he mentioned he has talked with Bedenbaugh, but he also said he was in contact with him prior to committing to Northwestern. So the relationship is not brand new, but there is some new communication between him and the Sooners.
Things are still very much up in the air with Stewart and his recruitment, but I can say he is interested in hearing more from Oklahoma and would consider a visit if things start ramping up.
I could see things picking up here as the Sooners have brought up the fact that they landed Heath Ozaeta out of Washington State last cycle and while Stewart does not know Ozaeta on a personal level, the Sooners are laying the groundwork that the move from the Pacific Northwest can and has been done.
Looking at his film you see he is athletic and long and while he needs to build strength, his footwork is pretty solid for a high school junior who is only now beginning to physically mature. If Oklahoma lands Eugene Brooks (as we expect) to go along with Isaiah Autry, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to pursue Stewart while also continuing to work on some of the other targets on the board like Grant Brix, Harrison Utley, Daniel Akinkunmi , and Josh Aisosa.
Stewart also plays defensive end and his athleticism and length really flash in those highlights. He moves very well laterally for a kid his size and while he is just a raw athlete at this time, he shows tremendous instincts and good eye hand coordination. I like this kid.
So, just a name to keep in mind and I will be keeping tabs on him.
The Latest | Williams Nwaneri
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 20, 2023
Let’s start out by getting right to the point…if I were to trend this one, I would have it at OU 52.7% – The Field 47.3.
Now let’s paint the quick picture:
***Nwaneri is scheduled to potentially announce his decision on August 1st,that’s always subject to change.
***OU has been the most constant team at or near the top throughout his entire recruitment.
***Teams have come and gone (Tennessee for instance) and other teams have emerged as candidates (Missouri).
***According to sources at Georgia that K spoke with as recently as yesterday, they still feel confident in their chances.
***Our guys at Tennessee have waved the white flag.
***Source told me earlier this week that Nwaneri will be in Norman at the end of the month, but not for the big Party at the Palace event, but a day or two before that.
***Yesterday someone brought a report of a visit to Oregon to me, and I have confirmed that that trip is on the docket following the OU visit and prior to the resumption of the NCAA dead period.
***Nwaneri was scheduled to OV to Oregon during the season, seems like this is a situation where the unofficial at the end of July could serve as that visit as he is committing on August first.
***The reason I would only trend him at 52.7 in favor of OU…there is a lot of time for some shenanigans to take place and with Missouri involving themselves (NIL), Oregon getting a visit (Nike NIL) and Georgia still feeling good about their chances…there are a lot of moving parts that could gum up the works.
***To be perfectly clear, without the threat of the insane NIL offer, I would have this one trending much more heavily to OU. These days, I’m not as bold, particularly when it comes to the number one player in the class…that could make some people do some crazy things. So I will stick with some cautious optimism.
Unleashing the 2023 OU Offense Starts With Gabriel’s Legs
– CJ Vogel – Posted on: July 19, 2023
Oklahoma in 2022 ranked right inside the top 25 in scoring with a 32.8 average.
Despite a rough inaugural season under Brent Venables, there were glimpses of elite offensive play throughout the season with the Sooners scoring more than 45 points four different times last fall.
The Sooners scoring average rises to 35.5 points per game when excluding the Cotton Bowl fiasco when Oklahoma was forced to start a mannequin at the quarterback position. That mark would have lifted the Sooners inside the top 20 in national scoring at spot No. 18.
Now with that said, there is a simple wrinkle that could be added to the Sooners’ offense to elevate the play of the offense even more:
Utilize Dillon Gabriels’ legs earlier and often.
To start this off, Gabriel did post career highs in rushing attempts and rushing yards in his first year wearing the crimson and cream with 89 attempts going for 315 yards and six scores.
According to PFF, of those 89 attempts, there were 44 true rushing attempts with 17 coming as scrambles as the result of broken plays. Gabriel had 17 rushing attempts go for more than 10 yards, which gave him the highest percentage of carries resulting in 10+ yards of any quarterback in the conference.
Regardless of how you look at it, good things happen when Gabriel runs the ball. As evidenced by this gem early in the season:
Now, there was most likely some hesitation from Jeff Lebby in running Gabriel at times during the season, especially after seeing how incompetent the offense turned following the concussion suffered by Gabriel on a scramble against TCU. However, with Jackson Arnold now on campus, those hesitancies should be a thing of the past. Arnold is lightyears better than what Oklahoma had behind Gabriel in 2022, even if he might not be 100% ready for the full-on slate
Oklahoma also enters the 2023 season with a slew of talented, yet inexperienced, wide receivers. Only Drake Stoops and Jalil Farooq boast seasons of more than 500 yards in a single season.
| 2022 OU WR Stats | Rec. | Rec. Yards |
| Farooq | 37 | 466 |
| Stoops | 39 | 393 |
| Bunkley-Sh. | 2 | 24 |
| A. Anthony | 7 | 80 |
| B. Thompson | 1 | 32 |
| G. Freeman | 3 | 46 |
| J. Gibson | 1 | 10 |
| N. Anderson | 0 | 0 |
By utilizing the rushing game of Gabriel just a bit more often, the ability to have a limitless playbook becomes available come the fourth quarter when, quite frankly, OU struggled to generate consistent offense. The additional wrinkle could really cause some problems for opposing defenses.
I posted the following statistic yesterday in a tweet about Gabriel’s production in the 4th quarter of games.
In just two 4th quarters all season did Gabriel throw for more than 25 yards. Granted, he did not play in the TCU or Texas games, but with four other losses on the tally, it is quite concerning that the 4th quarter offense simply could not get going.
In Jeff Lebby’s veer-and-shoot offense, the idea of a running quarterback just adds to the difficulty of stopping the offense. When you consider the success of the play-action pass as well, Gabriel’s legs may be the only thing missing from making OU’s 2023 offense truly elite. Take a look at these play action numbers from 2022:
No one in the conference had more success in play-action pass than Dillon Gabriel last year in the Big 12. And no play caller utilized the play action pass more than Lebby.
Opposing linebackers are going to have a hundred things to consider in what on paper is a pretty simple offense conceptually. But the added factors of the play action pass and ability to turn nothing into something via scrambling or designed runs would really turn the second level of defenses into a world of confusion.
Oklahoma is going to turn around its defense for 2023. To get to the level of complementary football that Venables mentioned he wanted to achieve this fall, the offense is going to need a spark.
