Open Post | Weekend, June 15th – 17th By: The Brainiacs Posted on: June 15, 2018

– I recently caught up with Oklahoma offensive tackle commit David Swaby. If you recall, Swaby is a JUCO product who will count towards the Sooners 2018 commitment list and he will have four years to play three seasons.

I asked him if things had shaken out as to when he would be reporting to Norman, and he said, “Right now, it’s looking like I will be in Norman July 11th or 12th”.

David and I have already made arrangements to connect for a more in-depth discussion as the time of his arrival approaches. – (Charlie)

 

 

– Sooners 2019 DB target, Chris Steele is set to announce his decision next month. After his official to Oklahoma for the Spring Game, the Sooners appeared to be the favorite. I got that sense from sources on the OU side and from Steele’s father.

However, since then he’s taken a number of trips.

I continue to believe that despite visiting schools like LSU and Texas A&M, they are not threats. USC has long been a threat but the threats have emerged from Florida and South Carolina. It’s probably inaccurate to say that South Carolina has “emerged” as a threat. In the past, Steele’s father has spoken highly of them and the job their staff has done of recruiting the whole family.

So let me go through this based on much of what I know or have heard through sources…

*USC: I’ve long had the impression that the family has a soft spot for USC. It’s close to home and they have a longstanding relationship with the staff. The issue USC is having to overcome, from what I gather, is the perception Chris and the family have of PAC 12 football. They see the SEC and the Big 12 as the “big boy” conferences. That is something Troy, Chris’ father, and I have discussed at length. You can even observe it in the fact that Steele travels to play 7v7 with a team in Texas, despite the fact that they have a ton of teams in California.

Still, I’m told Chris is planning another trip to USC before he makes the decision. They remain a threat in my eyes.

*South Carolina: Steele is going to take a return trip to South Carolina before his decision. South Carolina’s staff and specifically T Rob (Travaris Robinson) is a really good recruiter. He and I have a close mutual friend. So, while I don’t know him personally, I’ve heard stories. Troy raves about T Rob. They believe in the kind of NFL development T Rob and coach Boom (Muschamp) will offer Chris. And, while South Carolina may not compete for a championship, they’ll win games and most importantly, they believe Chris’ chances of getting on the field early are very high.

Again, Chris will take another visit to South Carolina ahead of his decision.

*Florida: In recent weeks, this is the school I felt had really emerged as the leader. And with Steele not returning to OU before his decision, I figured Florida was going to be tough to beat. After all, Chris made, not one, but two trips to Florida in May…

However, I was told by a source that the family doesn’t feel like Chris fits as well with the players at Florida. You’ll recall that in previous notes I’ve mentioned that Steele has strong ties to guys like Bookie who are at OU. Those type of connections and overall fit, from what I’m told, aren’t there at Florida.

Florida remains a threat but, in my mind, not nearly as big of a threat as I thought just a week ago.

OU: Again, OU was the favorite following Steele’s Spring Game official visit. The Sooners were close enough to California, unlike South Carolina and Florida. They were in a conference that the family perceives to be strong, unlike USC. They have ties to players on the current OU team. The Sooners compete for championships but they still have needs on the defensive side of the ball. So, the Steele’s see the potential for Chris to get on the field early. And they respect Kerry Cooks as a developer of talent and believe he can help Chris reach his ultimate goal.

In other words, OU has a lot going for them when all the factors are balanced out. The issue is, sometimes factors don’t get balanced, equally. For example, if proximity to home surges, then USC wins out.

The other thing that I can’t help but come back to is the fact that there has been no return trip to OU.

Having said all that, my sources indicate to me that OU still has reason to be cautiously optimistic that Steele ends up a Sooner.

As always, more as I get… – (Super K)

 

 

– 2019 elite cornerback, Isaiah Rutherford (Carmichael, CA) was in Norman, earlier this spring, for the Sooners Spring Game on an unofficial visit.

Rutherford and his father enjoyed the visit so much that he told Super K that Oklahoma was definitely going to get one of his official visits.

I recently checked in with Isaiah, and he let me know that the official may not be the only time he returns to Norman. When the conversation turned towards OU, and specifically the “ChampU BBQ”, Rutherford said, “Yes, I could possibly be coming”. Obviously, if Rutherford were to make it back to Norman for another unofficial visit, that would be a really good sign in terms of where the Sooners stand with him.

The intriguing part of his potential return to me is that while the Sooners obviously consider Rutherford to be a priority, it does come down to a numbers game. With that in mind, OU should know their fate with several other DB’s who have stated their intentions to publicly announce their commitments to whichever school they are choosing prior to the BBQ at the end of July. – (Charlie)

 

 

– The Sooners are a huge factor in California. They have been for the last decade while landing several California targets each year since the original Cali trio of Tony Jefferson, Brennan Clay, and Kenny Stills.

The 2020 class looks to be no different with most inside the Sooners program feeling good about where they stand with top 2020 Mater Dei HS duo of 2020 QB Bryce Young and 2020 defensive back Darion Green-Warren.

As I wrote about last week, Bryce’s father, Craig, told me that they will be in Norman for Sooners BBQ.

I also spoke with Darion’s father, Martin, and he said that they too, will be in Norman that weekend as well. Both are expected to announce their decision between July and early August, so with OU in a great spot with them as it is, it’s always a good deal to get that last crack at them before they announce.

The Sooners ChampU BBQ has become a hot event the last two years and is once again living up the billing with the list of top players attending the growing event.

TFB will keep you up to date on any more news as we get it. – (Brandon)

 

 

– As you know by now, Eric Striker is headed to the CFL. Striker held a position inside the recruiting department at Oklahoma, which he will now leave vacant.

In speaking to a source, I am told that the Sooners are looking for someone to fill that position.

Texas A&M has brought Austin Thomas in. Texas has Bryan Carrington. It sounds like Oklahoma knows they need to bring in someone who can be a force within the recruiting department, in a similar way.

In my mind, I’d like to see them go after a guy who can not only be a force as a relationship builder/recruiter but with Oklahoma having a smaller support staff, in general, they need a guy who also has some experience evaluating.

Riley is a guy a lot of people want to work under. So, I suspect they’ll be able to land someone who can really add a lot of value.

We’ll keep our eye on this one… – (Super K)

 

 

– The Sooners recently made the top five for 2019 DB, Jalyn Phillips…

As noted in the tweet and reiterated earlier this week, Phillips plans to announce in August. However it appears he has made a decision…

I have done some digging and based on what I’ve been told, I do not believe the Sooners will be his choice. I get the sense that there are guys that the Sooners have a better shot with that they have made a priority. – (Super K)

 

 

– Spoke to an OU source earlier this week, and as we have been reporting consistently over the past couple of weeks, the source indicated that 2018 Putnam City (OK) defensive end and Sooner signee Ron Tatum is expected to make it on to campus prior to the start of fall camp.

An exact date as to when that will occur is still a bit murky, however, the continued confidence of multiple sources close to the situation is a very positive sign.

– We do not have any additional update on Darrell Simpson at this time, however, we continue to believe the information we have received from other sources that he will make it in at some point this summer. – (Charlie)

 

 

– Oklahoma recently offered 2020 Buford (GA) defensive back Jalen Huff. Huff is one of the top defensive backs in the 2020 class with offers from UGA, Tennessee, South Carolina and OU to name a few.

I spoke with Huff last night and he told me that Sooners DB coach, Kerry Cooks, has been in constant contact with his father. So much so that Huff and his father plan on visiting OU for the ChampU BBQ in late July.

Huff is another, in a long list, of 2019, 2020 and 2021 stars set to be in Norman for that event.

 

– Another DB that will be at the ChampU BBQ is Virginia Beach (VA) 2021 DB Tony Grimes.

I spoke with Grimes father, Deon, and he stated that they planned on being in Norman this weekend, but with Coach Ruffin McNeil out of town, they pushed it back to right after the dead period and the weekend of the ChampU BBQ.

Deon said that Grimes, “Is only visiting those that have offered and they should be in Norman three or four times during the process.”

Deon has told me on numerous occasions that Coach McNeill is a special guy and means a lot to them, as he recruited his older son while McNeill was the head coach at ECU.

Though 2021 is a long way out it’s the aggressiveness of the staff that has certainly changed over the last three seasons and it’s paying off. Grimes recruitment is a prime example. – (Brandon)