Open Post | Weekend, July 9th – 11th
Posted on: July 9, 2021
ChampU 22 | Halfway Point
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 6, 2021
Checking in on the ChampU 22 class a little over 5 months before the early signing period in December.
The cycle is a little over halfway done, and the class is pretty much in the same spot, as I expect OU to try to take 23-24 kids this cycle from the high school JUCO ranks and they currently have 12 kids committed.
Below I will list the target number of players we are working with and the current commits. I will also share thoughts on where things are at with some of the priority targets in each position group.
I am sure I missed some guys so if you see anything different than what you expected to see, hit the comment section and let me know!
QB: Looking for 0 – 0
Non-story this cycle.
RB: Looking for 2 – 1.5 committed
RB Gavin Sawchuk – Valor Christian (Littleton, CO) – 5’11 185
RB/WR Raleek Brown – Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) – 5’8 185
Jovantae Barnes is the last remaining priority target as OU has already locked up two of their top guys and hosted Barnes for a visit at the BBQ.
If Barnes chooses elsewhere, OU could pivot to a high school back, but more than likely they will monitor the JUCO ranks and the portal.
WR: Looking for at least 3 – 1.5 committed
WR Luther Burden – East St. Louis (East Saint Louis, IL) – 6’2 194
OU had a full class and was turning guys away and then recruiting happened. Jordan Hudson is now committed to SMU and Shettron flipped to OkState when his brother got the offer.
Right now, it’s Andre Green as a legit option, and OU working to get back in the picture with Evan Stewart if possible. We will be digging to see if any other names pop up and we expect there will be.
OL: Looking for 5 (maybe 6) – 2 committed
OL Jacob Sexton – Deer Creek (Edmond, OK) – 6’5 285
OL Demetrius Hunter – West Orange-Stark (Orange, TX) – 6’2 315
Jake Taylor is announcing his decision in July, and we feel good about him. (Spoiler alert: He committed to OU the day after this was published). They also had some high hopes with George Fitzpatrick following the BBQ, but we don’t feel like that one will fall OU’s way.
Then you have guys like Devon Campbell, Malik Agbo, and Dayne Shor who visited for the BBQ and Earnest Greene who dropped into Norman in late June. If things fall right for OU and they land Taylor and Fitzpatrick, I think you will see them basically focus all their attention on Campbell, Agbo and Green and hope to pull 2 of the 3. Kam Dewberry will likely visit in the fall as well and he would always have a spot at OU if things start to swing their way.
TE: Looking for 2 – 1 committed
TE Jason Llewellyn – Aledo (Aledo, TX) – 6’5 240
The search for the second TE starts and ends with Kaden Helms who was in town for the BBQ. We feel good about this one and things could wrap up here in the summer.
DE/OLB: Looking for 2 – 1 committed
EDGE Derrick Moore – St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD) – 6’4 260
Kenyatta Jackson and OU are a real possibility and if Cain can pull that off, yeesh. The Sooners also have Omari Abor out there as an offer and a few others but the guy I would keep an eye on is in-state prospect DeSean Brown if things get off track with Jackson.
Derrick Brown was a guy OU did slow communication with and he recently posted his top 2 which was Baylor and Texas.
DT/NG: Looking for 2 – 0 committed
Jadon Scarlett is a guy who just named OU in his top 3 (Aggie and Missouri) and is a guy OU will work on. I’m going to put Gabe Dindy in this group because regardless of the news K broke a while back (he plans on playing DE in college) Thibbs is his main recruiter (doing a good job as well).
So Scarlett and Dindy are guys in the mix and then you can talk about Chris McClellan and Jaray Bledsoe (a bit, weird recruitment there).
Sooners also hosted Arkansas commit Nico Davillier at the BBQ and he really liked what he saw, but by all appearances, he knew OU was not ready to accept a commit at this point so he went ahead and picked Arkansas. Not saying OU would have 100% been the pick, but the option was not there at that point.
ILB: Looking for 3 – 2 committed
ILB Kobie McKinzie – Lubbock-Cooper (Lubbock, TX) – 6’3 227
ILB Kip Lewis – Carthage (Carthage, TX) – 6’1 200
OU was working on Ish Harris, but that was a long shot at best since May as we have detailed. Devon Jackson is a guy I would like to see OU work on more, but we have not heard much from him or the OU side in a minute. Xavier Simmons was another target, but he is now committed to VaTech and Justin Medlock is pretty much the only other realistic guy who holds an offer who is not committed elsewhere.
Jaren Kanak visited, but we have not heard of much traction between him and OU at this point and some people tried to sell OU and Shawn Murphy as being a thing, but that never amounted to anything as we expected.
DB: Looking for 5 – 3 committed
DB Jayden Rowe – Union (Tulsa, OK) – 6’3 210
DB Xavion Brice – Seguin (Arlington, TX) – 6’1 175
DB Robert Spears-Jennings – Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, OK) – 6’2 195
The Sooners added RSJ and Brice to the fold this past weekend and the main priority targets remaining are pretty clear following Myles Pollard’s commitment to Michigan: Gentry, and Austin Jordan. Then there are guys like Zion Branch and Latterance Welch who recently visited as well.
Now, to what degree those guys are priorities is pretty much up in the air. Could be as simple as the first 2 to commit close out the class. Or, OU could make accommodations to take up to 6 DBs if they all want in. DB recruiting this cycle has been a bit of a mystery but one thing is for certain, Grinch and Manning did not wait at all with the offers and acceptance of the commits from RSJ and Brice.
I like to think that OU will hold a place for Gentry. OU is still working from behind on him but ‘still working’ is a good thing as he gets further and further away from the USC visit and things start to cool.
I am sure I missed a few targets, but I just wanted to get you all a clearer picture of where things stand here on July 6th.
DB Update | Gentry Williams
– Super K – Posted on: July 7, 2021
***A little bit of positive news for OU on the Gentry Williams front. Following his recent USC visit, Gentry was considering a possible July commitment date.
That would not have been a good thing for the Sooners.
However, Williams told me recently that he does not feel he is ready to make a commitment and has decided to push things back.
I’ve been told that while Gentry likes USC, it sounds like his family may not be as keen on him heading out to LA.
Either way, the delay is to the Sooners benefit and most likely points to an in-season decision that will allow OU to do their best work. As you know, OU does their best work in the season when the recruiting talk by other programs has to actually be backed up by real wins.
The Situation | Running Back Room
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 7, 2021
It has been quite a roller coaster since the end of last season for the Sooners running back room.
Let’s just take a minute to review, shall we?
***December – The Sooners land no running back in the high school class of 2021 on the early signing day. Down we go.
***Late January – The Sooners mine the portal and strike gold in Eric Gray – Up we go!
***Early February – The Sooners lone remaining high school target for the 2021 class, Camar Wheaton, signs with Alabama. Heading back down.
***April – The Sooners running back room is replenished as Kennedy Brooks participates in spring practice – Going up!
***May – Seth McGowan is dismissed from the program – And down we go.
***June – Tre Bradford transfers out of LSU and lands in Norman – Back on the climb upward!
***Late June – Gavin Sawchuk becomes the 1st high school running back to commit to OU in almost two years and jumps in the ChampU22 class – Still going up!
***July – Sooners running back Mikey Henderson is dismissed from the program – Two steps forward, one step back…down we go.
So on and on it went. Up – down – up – down – up – down…another ‘up’ not mentioned was the addition of Raleek Brown (WRB) to the Sooners ’22 class back in February, which is obviously a big up for the program, but he will be in and out of the running back room as he spends a lot of time at WR as well. Still…if you want to add him to the roller coaster ride, I’m all for it!
So here we are…less than a month out from fall camp for the ’21 season.
The current members of the OU running back room:
Eric Gray – Junior – Scholarship
Kennedy Brooks – RS Junior – Scholarship
Tre Bradford – Sophomore – Scholarship
Marcus Major – RS Sophomore – Scholarship
Jaden Knowles – RS Junior – Walk on
Todd Hudson – RS Sophomore – Walk on
So currently, the Sooners have four scholarship running backs and two walk-ons.
Some will say that’s more than enough to get through the season and while it probably is, numbers-wise, I would not feel comfortable if I were the coach going into a season that thin.
Say the Sooners have a week like they did back in 2017 where all of their running backs were injured (talking Perine, Mixon, Sutton etc…) and the Sooners had to call on HB Dimitri Flowers to come to the rescue against Iowa State.
Flowers was awesome as he ran for 115 yards on 22 carries. But is there a Dimitri Flowers on the roster?
Would Jeremiah Hall be the guy to take a ton of carries and be effective? Do the walk-ons (granted they looked decent in the spring game, but it was the spring game) have enough juice in them to carry the team for a game? You know DeMarco and Lincoln will say they do.
Could we see a move of another player…I’m looking at you, Brian Darby.
Does OU go thrift shopping in the portal looking for a one-year type of filler? I don’t see it at this point, but you never know I suppose.
However you look at the situation, a case can be made that OU has enough talent and enough bodies to get through the 2021 season in good shape. A case can also be made that there are legitimate reasons for concern at the state of the running back room for the ’21 season based on numbers alone.
I don’t feel like we are quite done with the roller-coaster ride though. Fast forward to the end of the ’21 season and you are looking at the potential loss of Gray and Brooks to the NFL, so you can obviously see the need/desire for OU to not only keep Sawchuk and Raleek in the fold but the need/desire to add a guy like Jovantae Barnes to the ’22 class is apparent. You will also see opportunities present themselves through the portal during and following the season.
Please secure all valuables, fasten your seatbelt, pull down the safety device, remain seated, and keep your hands in the car throughout the duration of the ride.
I Like the new Additions to the Secondary
– Super K – Posted on: July 8, 2021
The Sooners haven’t hit a recruiting home run in terms of star power in the defensive backfield but I really like the two latest additions to the class.
Don’t get me wrong, I would’ve liked to have seen Oklahoma land a guy like Terrance Brooks. But I am extremely pleased with the potential in the Sooners current DB class of Jayden Rowe, Xavion Brice and Robert Spears-Jennings.
I was actually in Tulsa a couple of weeks ago and saw Robert Spears-Jennings in action at the Owasso High School 7v7 tournament. I absolutely think Spears-Jennings is exactly what OU should be looking for. He has a fantastic frame, he’s 6 ft+, he’s fast, he takes care of his business off the field, he’s respectful, and he plays both ways and it does it well.
Spears-Jennings checks all the boxes.
I haven’t seen Brice in person yet but spoke with a friend of mine who had him in camp and basically said the same thing I’ve said about Spears-Jennings. He said he’s another very high upside kid who takes care of business off the field.
And then of course there is Jayden Rowe who we’ve seen and he is a freakish combination of size and speed. He hasn’t been playing football long but if he continues to develop, he has the physical gifts to be a fantastic player at multiple positions.
Overall, I think this is really one of the best DB classes OU has had in a while. In terms of measurables – size and speed – that’s pretty clear. But I like the fact that all these guys are serious young men who are going to prepare. OU has been snake bit as of late by too many of their players not living up to their potential for off-the-field reasons. These are elite athletes with elite size who you feel will live up to their potential.
Pollard would’ve been a perfect addition to round out this class and I could still see that happening once the season starts. But the class as it currently is, is excellent in my estimation.
Kaden Helms set to Announce
– Super K – Posted on: July 8, 2021
Sooners are in pursuit of 2022 4-star TE, Kaden Helms (Bellevue, NE). Helms was in Norman for the Sooners BBQ.
Helms tells me that he plans on announcing his decision “sometime in the next two weeks”.
I am told that it’s likely to come down to OU and North Carolina. I have to imagine the Sooners have a good chance but I have not gotten the sense that it’s an absolute slam dunk yet though.
I will continue to check.
On the Clock | 5 Potential July Decisions
– Charlie S – Posted on: July 8, 2021
The Sooners are scorching hot on the recruiting trail.
Since the ChampUBBQ weekend, they have picked up six commits and five in July alone.
The Sooners added:
***RB Gavin Sawchuk on June 22nd
***OL Jacob Sexton on July 3rd
***DB Robert Spears-Jennings on July 4th
***DB Xavion Brice on July 4th
***DE Derrick More on July 4th
***OL Jake Taylor on July 7th
So…things should quiet down a bit, right?
Not likely.
The Sooners have multiple other targets for the ’22 and ’23 classes who we expect to make decisions in the near future and some of them have already announced commitment dates for July.
Here is a look at five guys who could add to the Sooners column of verbal pledges in the near future:
***’23 Athlete Treyaun Webb (6’0 185) out of Jacksonville, FL, – July 17th – Webb was in town for the BBQ and by all accounts he and his family were blown away by the experience. Personally, I have only touched base with him briefly following the visit, and in that communication, I got the standard responses that 90% of the visitors gave (Was amazing, the NFL players being there meant a lot, the staff was awesome…etc) but when you add up the context clues, the Sooners appear to be under heavy consideration for his pledge and I like where OU is right now. One of those context clues can be found below…
***’23 QB Malachi Nelson (6’3 180) out of Los Alamitos, CA. – July 18th – Super K was first to report his scheduled commitment date when he posted this note back on April 28th. Who needs ‘national guys’ when you have K? At any rate, this feels awfully similar to the Caleb Williams recruitment and we like where OU is with him and his family. One of the reasons we like where OU stands…I’ll refresh your memory with the clip of Malachi’s dad:
So Webb and Nelson are two guys who have dates set.
Three other guys that OU will be watching closely in July:
***’22 OL George Fitzpatrick (6’6 285) out of Cherry Creek, CO. – Fitzpatrick had a busy June as he took four official visits. His tour started with a visit to Ohio State, followed by a visit to Michigan, followed by a visit to Norman for the BBQ, and closed with a visit to Oregon. Oregon is pretty much full after raiding Texas earlier this month and we do not believe Michigan is OU’s main competition here. This one feels like it comes down to Ohio State and Oklahoma. Fitzpatrick took to Twitter yesterday and said that he will be announcing today. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not believe OU is likely to be the call.
***’22 TE Kaden Helms (6’5 222) out of Bellevue, NE. – As K mentioned earlier this morning, Helms let him know that he will be making his announcement in the next couple of weeks. Helms is the lone target left at TE for the Sooners as they already have Jason Llewellyn in the fold. Typically, in a UNC vs OU matchup in regard to football, you take OU. I would lean that way in this one but never count Mack Brown out. As K mentioned, this one is not a slam dunk, but in my opinion, OU has enough factors in their favor to pull the win on the recruiting trail.
***’22 DB Austin Jordan (6’0 190) out of Denton, TX – Jordan has been ‘close’ to making his decision for quite some time now. He has a final 3 of OU, Texas, and Ohio State. CJ has covered his recruitment extensively and he has felt like Ohio State had his heart from the start, but OU was always right there. Of late, the picture has been a bit more cloudy as it would not appear (on the surface) that Ohio State is not ready to take him right now and it feels like Jordan is just kind of floating around out there in limbo and waiting for a sign as to where he wants to go. I can respect that. Better to make an informed decision than to make a forced decision and wind up opening your recruitment back up. I like OU’s chances here, but I don’t think anyone can tell you when or where he will commit to right now. I included him on this list because his recruitment could end tomorrow…or carry into the season.
Other guys to keep an eye on:
***’22 EDGE DeSean Brown (6’3 230) out of Choctaw, OK – If/when he picks up an offer, OU could immediately put themselves in line for an addition.
***’23 Athlete Micah Tease (5’11 180) out of Tulsa (BTW) – I have a feeling he will be OU’s first DB commit in the ’23 class.
***’23 Athlete Makai Lemon (6’0 180) out of Los Alamitos, CA. – Malachi Nelsons his QB. QBs love to have their receivers around. Lemon visited Norman with Malachi for the BBQ…just doing some easy connecting of the dots.
The guys I have listed are not the only guys who could pop for OU this month or through August. You certainly could have some random guys jump in the boat (I actually expect there to be).
The summer of ’21 is proving to be very bountiful for the Sooners and it could deliver even more abundance on the recruiting trail.
