Open Post | Weekend, July 28th – 30th
Posted on: July 28, 2023
A few Things to Note on Williams Nwaneri Recruitment
– Super K – Posted on: July 25, 2023
The Sooners are waiting with bated breath to find out of their fate with 5-star DL, Williams Nwaneri (Lee’s Summit North).
A few things I want to note based on some recent conversations, I’ve had.
***First, a lot of the OU confidence you’re seeing from more and more people from different directions seems to be coming from the coaching staff over at Lee’s Summit North. It’s become pretty clear folks over there are being pretty open about their belief that the Sooners lead in this one.
***One particular source I spoke with who helped us on the Xadavien Sims recruitment tells me that the race is a close one and said source doesn’t seem to believe that the decision has been fully finalized. I can’t say whether that’s the case or not but it would make sense given you’re schools fighting to the last minute in this one.
***Same source also added that Nwaneri does seem to be factoring in distance from home. In other words, while schools farther away aren’t discounted, schools closer to home are getting a bump. It sounds like that’s part of the new appeal of Missouri but also should help the Sooners.
Name to Know | Offensive Weapon
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 22, 2023
Just wanted to drop a note that I think is worth keeping an eye on as it may provide some additional context clues as to how OU is now feeling about their running back recruiting.
I recently touched base with ’24 ATH Malcolm Simmons (6’0 165) out of Alexander City, Alabama.
Simmons let me know that OU recently reached out to him. The head man Brent Venables was the point of contact.
He told me the Sooners are talking about him being an ‘offensive weapon’.
I asked him if that meant that he would be more of a running back or a wide receiver target for Oklahoma and he said ‘probably a little of both’.
While no offer has been extended to this point, communication has been ramping up and Simmons does appear to have interest in OU.
Oklahoma already has five wide receivers (Kearney, Daniels, Ezukanma, Carreon, Ragins) verbally committed and two running backs (Robinson, Tatum) verbally committed but we know they are still pursuing Caden Durham.
Should they start to feel what we are feeling in regard to Durham (him trending elsewhere) I would not be shocked to see an offer extended to Simmons.
Simmons has plenty of speed and shows good hands out of the backfield, which would be a nice fit for Lebby’s offense.
One thing you can feel comfortable taking away from this note is whether anything ever materializes or not…the Sooners are not being complacent and are actively recruiting guys under the radar who they think could fill a solid role for them should their initial plan not pan out.
What It Should Look Like
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 25, 2023
As most of you know, I have made a concerted effort not to budge off an 8-4 prediction for the Sooners record for the ’23 season. I’m pretty neutral on their prospects this year, so I am hedging to the under, at least that is the way I have positioned myself.
I want to take a few minutes to spell out the rationale behind that prediction as I do not plan on budging off of it prior to the season. Let me be frank, I hope I am wrong. I believe I very well could be wrong and this would be an “L” I am more than willing to take, in fact, I hope it is the case.
First things first. Oklahoma has the personnel to win every game on their schedule if things go as Brent Venables and company are planning. They just do. There is no real argument to be made that any team, aside from Texas, has as much or more talent (as it is measured) across the board.
Position group by position group, the Sooners may have a top 3 group in the conference at every position aside from wide receiver heading into the season. Of course that can be debated and I’m sure others will have their justified opinions, but let’s just say that every position group on the Sooners is in the top half of the conference for argument’s sake. I think we can all agree with that.
The most important position in college football, on an individual basis, is quarterback. Dillon Gabriel is probably the top QB in the conference on paper. Now, we all know the bug-a-boos he has (not using the middle of the field, locking in on receivers, missing easy throws from time to time, etc) but let’s face it, it’s not a deep talent pool of QBs in the Big 12. So OU is in good shape there and their backup QB is the guy everyone wants to see, Jackson Arnold.
The Sooners should have a solid to very good OL, the running back room is deep and talented if inexperienced, an established tight end, and potential at wide receiver. Offense should be good to very good against the regular season schedule they face.
The defense was horrific last year yet 5 of the Sooners losses were by one score. As bad as they were, and statistically they were terrible, the Sooners were a handful of plays away from having a double-digit win season. With another year in the system, all the new and experienced bodies in the front seven, along with a solid back-end group, the Sooners SHOULD be better. How much better is the question, but I do expect them to be better. The defense should be solid…could be good to very good.
So while I see 8-4 as a possible record at the end of the regular season, it is not based on the talent on hand. If someone wants to argue that OU is talent poor, I’ll listen to ya, but it would take a helluva lot to convince me on that point.
My main reasoning behind 8-4 is what happened at the end of last year. The way the Sooners lost games and the idea that as a season moves along, the goal is to get better. Last year’s team was reversed. OU was better at the beginning of the season and they continually repeated the same mistakes as the season played out as they lost 4 out of their last 5 games by a field goal.
They lost those games because of a variety of reasons, but all in a similar fashion. Lack of discipline (key penalties), busts at inopportune times defensively, poor clock management, lack of complementary football, special teams miscues, inability to convert easy 3rd downs, horrific physical misses (bad passes, whiff on blocks), play calling, lack of basic execution…etc…you all saw it. All that was happening at the end of last season. All of that continued to occur right up and through the bowl game which they led 14-3 at one point.
Last year the script was pretty basic. OU would run out to a substantial lead in a bunch of games and then watch it slip slide away because of their own inability to close. That’s on the players and that’s also on the staff.
One of the things that really carry over with me as we head into this season is something that Brent Venables himself brought up recently at Big 12 media days. Venables lamented the fact that he didn’t play the young guys enough. I wholeheartedly agree with that and I, along with many in this community, was calling for that throughout the year last year as we were watching the slow-motion train wreck take place.
He does not have the luxury of missing on that point again this year as OU prepares to enter the SEC for the ’24 season.
So that leads me to the season. What is it supposed to look like? What is a warm up game against Arkansas State supposed to show us and tell us, if anything? What performance would it take against Arkansas State to start to move me off the ‘neutral’ stance I have on OU?
If we look at the Arkansas State game alone, there is not much that can be taken as gospel no matter what the score is at the end of the day. If the game is a blowout, OU was supposed to do that. If the game is closer than one expected it to be, there will be easily identifiable issues that everyone will say can be adjusted rather easily. The only result that would tell us anything concrete would be a loss. And that’s not what anyone wants so we will put that one on the shelf.
We will be hearing a whole bunch of good things here as fall camp ramps up. You very rarely get substantial bad reviews from sources so while they provide value with their info, it is up to us, and you, to sift through the noise and form our own opinions based on the little opportunities we get to see them along with corroborating info from different angles.
So back to the Arkansas State game…what I want it to look like and what it needs to look like for me to start to shift out of neutral.
I don’t care what Gabriel’s stats are and I don’t really care if OU pitches a shutout (that’s a lot to ask). What I need to see is change. I need to see OU come out as a disciplined team that is focused on the task at hand and doing what they need to do in order to achieve the expected result, which would be an easy win. I need to see the coaching staff display growth in regard to in-game management. I need to see player rotation and improved clock management. I need to see complementary football being played and a cohesive game plan invoked on both sides of the ball. I need to see the execution of basic fundamental football plays and actions (catching passes is a good start).
I need to see the Sooners staff walk the walk based on them talking the talk this offseason, which means difficult decisions in regard to playing time as well as establishing an identity of the team, both offensively and defensively from snap one of game one against Arkansas State.
I need to see what happens once OU gets out to a 2 or 3 score lead in the first half. Will we see Jackson Arnold get his opportunity to run the offense with the 1’s for 2 or 3 series when it matters? (we better). Will we get to see Peyton Bowen and PJ Adebawore (just using them as examples) get their feet wet early on when the lights are the brightest in a season opener? I need to see Jeff Lebby know when to push things and when to ease off the gas in regard to tempo. Read the room, play call a game plan that lends itself to complimentary football.
I need to see the rotations on defense, particularly upfront where you have a ton of bodies, but you are looking for guys to separate themselves. I need to see OU show off this competitive depth they are already talking an awful lot about. I’m not specifically talking about true freshmen playing a ton, but show me the depth in the linebacker room so we can see and understand the need for grabbing a guy like Konnor Near out of the portal.
What it should look like, in my opinion, is an extension of fall camp and the beginning of the REAL competition at every position. On paper, OU is not going to lose that game. again, if they are in that position, you have bigger issues than anyone would believe at this point. The Arkansas State game should look like OU competing against OU.
The issue is, last year when OU competed against OU (in games against Baylor, WVU, TTU, and FSU)…they lost those games. I need to see that they have learned how to win those games while competing against themselves at the same time.
What it is supposed to look like, not only against Arkansas State but most of the schedule, is OU going out there and doing whatever they want to do to the opponent while pushing each other to be the best they can be. I know this is football, it doesn’t always play out as it should, and that is part of the reason we all love this game, but OU, in ’23, needs to make it look like it is supposed to look.
Show me…I’ll move out of neutral.
Sourced Note on ’24 OL | Trending
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 26, 2023
Earlier this month, the Sooners offered in state ’24 offensive lineman Josh Aisosa (6’3.5 305) out of Edmond, (Santa Fe).
Back when he received the offer, Josh told me that OU has been actively recruiting him since around April, and he has previously been to Norman on a number of occasions as a guest of the Sooners.
Aisosa will be heading to campus this weekend for the Party at the Palace and he has a scheduled commitment date of August 14th.
After checking with sources around OU, it is our understanding that Aisosa is a take at this time and OU believes they are in a good position for him.
Let’s just document this one as trending to OU. Pick a number.
Working Visitor List | Updated July 26th
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 26, 2023
The Sooners will host a ton of visitors this week as they have multiple events.
One for generally ’24 kids (Party at the palace on the 28th) and one for underclassmen ’25, ’26, ’27 (Sooners under the stars on the 26th).
Below you will find our working lists for the events.
Please remember that just because a kids name is not on there on Monday, it does not mean they will not be added by the time the event goes off. We are continuously looking to confirm additional visitors.
Also, just because a kid’s name is on there currently, there are always some guys who don’t make it in for various reasons.
This is simply our working list. Also, I stopped at ’25, not really tracking the ’26’s and beyond at this time.
You can find the original list from earlier this week HERE.
2024 – Party at the palace – July 28th
OL – Josh Aisosa
OL – Isaiah Autry – OU Commit – Added 7/26
ATH – Andy Bass
S – Michael Boganowski
DB – Eli Bowen
OL – Grant Brix
WR – Ivan Carreon – WR – OU Commit – Added 7/26
WR – Dozie Ezukanma – OU Commit – Added 7/26
DB – Jaydan Hardy – OU Commit
QB – Michael Hawkins – OU Commit
WR – Jacob Jordan – OU PWO Commit – Added 7/26
WR – Zion Kearney – OU Commit – Added 7/26
TE – Davon Mitchell – OU Commit – Added 7/26
DB – Mykel Patterson-McDonald
DE – Danny Okoye
RB – Xavier Robinson – OU Commit
QB – Brendan Zurbrugg
Notable subtractions from original list: Brayden Platt and Williams Nwaneri
2025 – Sooners under the stars – July 26th
RB – Tory Blaylock
TE – Dasaahn Braame
DL – Gus Cordova
RB – Jordon Davison
OL – Michael Fasusi
DB – Zay Gentry
EDGE – Max Granville – Added 7/26
DB – Maliek Hawkins – Added 7/26
WR – Gracen Harris – OU Commit
WR – Marcus Harris
OL – Ty Haywood
OL – Owen Hollenbeck – Added 7/26
DB – Rohon Kazadi
RB – Byron Louis
DB – Evenson Malaska
DL- Ka’Mori Moore
WR – Isaiah Mozee
Edge – David Nwabuoku
CB – Deyjhon Pettaway – Added 7/26
RB – Tiger Riden
DL – Landon Rink
OL – Lamont Rogers
LB – Abduall Sanders
DB – Cobey Sellers – Added 7/26
Edge – Alex Shieldnight
QB – Kevin Sperry – OU Commit
DL – Xavier Ukponu – Added 7/26
S – Jonah Williams – Added 7/26
Edge – Jayden Woods
David Stone and the Defensive Line
– Super K – Posted on: July 27, 2023
The Sooner 2024 defensive line class is likely going to depend a lot on what David Stone, Williams Nwaneri and David Okoye end up doing.
While they have a couple nice pieces in the boat with Jayden Jackson and Wyatt Gilmore, it’s the three above that Sooner nation and the staff are really keen on. And that’s for good reason. One of the reasons is prototypical size.
Jayden Jackson is a good and effective player but at 6’1.5, certainly not ideal size. And yesterday’s 2025 take, Ka’mori Moore is in the same height range (a little shorter, in fact).
In the case of Stone and his recruitment, it’s one that if you look at this threw the lens of someone who has followed or covered recruiting for years, it has Oklahoma written all over it. When do you see an in-state kid to a blue blood program who has visited over and over and over again, go anywhere but that school? Not often.
Still, for some reason, it has yet to happen. We had previously heard that Stone may have been considering an early season commitment. The issue we had with that is it’s hard to imagine a player waiting all summer to perhaps take visits for big games this season only to announce a commitment to a school which would prohibited from taking said trips right before the games are about to start.
And then, sure enough, word began to get out that Stone is eying a number of trips. All along that’s what we’ve suspected is the struggle for OU in this one – if he jumps in the boat, no senior year visits. And what exactly is the impetus to jump in early? He’s going to be a take for the Sooners until the end.
The other thing I can’t quite understand and I can’t quite ignore and honestly don’t know how much credence to give to it, is the confidence I’ve heard from Michigan State sources.
I asked an MSU source how they feel about their chances with Stone and was told, “very confident.” I asked why and was essentially told it’s Stone’s connection to Mel Tucker.
I’ve also heard a similar thing from a source over at Florida. In fact, when Stone was on his visit to Florida earlier this summer, I reached out to a source in the building who told me that while on the trip, Stone was talking about Michigan State more than any other school.
I’ll be honest, if I heard these things about, say, Ohio State or Georgia, I’d get it. It’s just hard to really understand the Michigan State pull.
But again, so much about this recruitment is a bit a perplexing. Even if I acknowledge that in this new era, in-state kids don’t just jump in the OU boat (see Bass, Devon Jordan as other examples) and I acknowledge OU’s last season may have some recruits wanting to see the product on the field, in the case of Stone, Michigan State was a whopping 5-7 and this was not Tucker’s inaugural year.
What is more, I imagine OU was hoping that a big name like Stone possibly jumping in the boat sooner after Jayden Jackson would give them the momentum to help with guys like Nwaneri and Okoye who are absolute freak shows.
As it stands, we continue to wait on these higher profile targets that in some ways will define the defensive class. With Stone, you just have to hope that what normally happens (in-state kid who has visited a lot ends up where he’s supposed to). Sooners will know their fate with Nwaneri soon.
Hurry up and wait for now…
Sooners Under the Stars | Sourced Visit Notes
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 27, 2023
Yesterday the Sooners hosted a ton of ’25, ’26, ’27 recruits on campus for the Sooners under the stars event.
I have spoken with a couple sources who were present for the event and there is a strong feeling that OU hit it out of the park with a number of targets.
As you know, yesterday they received a verbal commit from ’25 DL Ka’Mori Moore and he may not be the last of the early pledges.
***A trio of OL that were getting a lot of attention from the staff were Michael Fasusi, Ty Haywood, and Josh Moses who picked up and offer.
***Source mentioned that RB Tiger Riden was very visibly pleased with his visit and enjoyed himself thoroughly.
***Was told Gracen Harris and Kevin Sperry, who are already committed to the Sooners were really putting in the work on the trail.
***Was told that TE DaSaahn Brame and Zay Gentry were also guys who were receiving and returning a lot of love with the OU staff.
***We will have more in the coming days on the underclassman event and I am expecting the class to grow here in the near future. (Edit – Was talking about Elijah Thomas as the addition)
David Stone Commitment Date
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 27, 2023
Sooners priority defensive line target David Stone has announced his commitment date. Stone will make his pledge on August 26th to the school of his choosing.
As Super K noted in his post this morning (HERE) we had been hearing of an early season commit as a possibility for some time.
“We had previously heard that Stone may have been considering an early season commitment.”
I also noted in chat last Friday that we had heard he would be doing something at halftime of his season-opening game which was corroborated by a member in the community who is familiar with the Stone family.
So now that a date has been set, and a top 6 has been announced, that obviously moves us further along in the process for Stone.
Couple things right off the bat…the top six does not include Alabama who has been rumored to be getting a visit. Doesn’t mean the door is closed on Bama, but it is a bit odd that the rumors of a potential Bama visit just popped up yet they are not among his listed top six.
Secondly, the rumored additional official visits leads you down the path of…he either isn’t taking those visits and they were set up for suspense…or, OU will not be the call.
I would lean toward the former rather than the latter as I still believe, based on logic and some sourced info that OU is still in a good spot…but in this day and age, sometimes logic and sourced info doesn’t point to any concrete conclusions.
Obviously, we will continue to monitor this one.
