Open Post | Weekend, June 27th – 29th (Updated Sun., 5:15 pm)
Posted on: June 27, 2014
Image of Tommy Hudson via scout.com
First, we wanted to let y’all know that over the next two weeks or so things are going to be a little slow on the recruiting front because the dead period is approaching and around the country a lot of coaches are going to be taking much needed breaks.
– Earlier this week OU announced plans for some major facilities/stadium upgrades. We posted a number of quotes from recruits about the visuals that were released. Recruiting is about a number of pieces coming together and it’s clear that, while facilities may not be the end all that determines the outcome, the announcement created an excitement that certainly helps. I can tell you that it’s not just current uncommitted recruits that are talking about the facilities upgrades. There are some kids that are committed to other schools that were also impressed with the facility renderings and expressed that to us.
It’ll be interesting to see if this makes some committed recruits that OU was or still is recruiting rethink things.
– Earlier this week John Humphrey announced on twitter that he had officially decommitted from Baylor. We were under the impression that he had already decommitted but we asked him about his previous announcement and apparently he had simply announced that he was “opening” up his recruitment but had not officially decommitted. So at this point it’s just a waiting game till he gets back up to OU for a visit in July. All indications we’ve had from him is that OU is the team to beat.
– Last weekend Ryan Newsome announced a top 5 of Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, and UCLA. Although he hasn’t announced any leaders, we caught up with a source that said he felt the leaders in that group are Oklahoma, Texas and Oregon.
– Last night KS TE Josh Moore announced his top 6 schools which consisted of: Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida State, Ohio State, Auburn and Missouri. Josh visited Oklahoma earlier this summer for the 3rd time so he has a lot of familiarity with OU. We checked in with him to see if he’d be taking another visit to Norman before the summer is out and he said he probably would not. He’s going to be taking some official visits so again, it looks like it’s a waiting game with Moore.
– The word we’ve gotten is that OU is looking to take two TEs. We really like Roland, OK TE/DE Austin Cantrell. He’s similar in size to Josh Moore however, Cantrell is, in our estimation a much better athlete. Unfortunately, Cantrell received and offer from Arkansas before OU offered and has been committed to the Razorbacks for a little while now.
– Another TE that we came across and had a chance to catch up with earlier this week is Thomas (Tommy) Hudson out of San Jose, CA. Hudson is a legitimate 6’5 250 lbs but again, he’s another TE prospect that we feel brings more athleticism to the table without sacrificing physicality. Hudson let us know that he’s very interested in Oklahoma and Texas. He hasn’t yet heard from OU but he said Coach Bruce Chambers from Texas has reached out to him and he’s considering taking an unofficial out to this part of the country in July. Though Hudson already has a number of offers including offers from UCLA, Oregon, Michigan, Arizona St and others he said he’s always been interested in playing in this part of the country but just hasn’t heard much from schools out this way. But in talking to him it sounds like, if OU were to reach out, he’d be very keen on listening. Either way, we like what he brings to the table in terms of size, athleticism and old school TE qualities.
You can view Tommy’s film here.
– Recently OU made a couple of 2016 QB offers. One of those offers went out to Arizona commit Shea Patterson out of Shreveport, Louisiana. We spoke to Patterson earlier in the week for a second time and we talked to him about his commitment to Arizona and his interest in OU. You may recall that Patterson came to the OU satellite camp in Mesquite and earned his offer. He currently has offers from all over the country including schools like Alabama, Auburn Clemson, Michigan, etc.
Arizona was his first offer and he said he committed at the time because, among other reasons, he wasn’t sure what else might come. Shea has a brother who is currently a GA at Arizona so obviously there is a family connection to the school but he made it clear that while he is committed, he’s still actively considering schools. He specifically mentioned Notre Dame, Michigan, Clemson, USC, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Last weekend he actually made a trip to Oklahoma State and on his way home he stopped by OU’s campus and took a few pictures. Patterson said he’s looking to take a full unofficial visit to OU later this summer.
– Former OU commit, Du’Vonta Lampkin, announced yesterday that he has confirmed he will be taking an official visit to OU for the OU vs. Tennessee game.
– We also spoke to Cody Ford earlier this week. A couple readers posted a free Soonerscoop article with a number of excellent and very promising quotes about OU from Cody Ford. We asked Ford more about the OU offer and he said that when he first received the offer he was shocked. He said he never expected that he’d have the chance to play at a powerhouse football program like OU. Ford is certainly humble off the field but he plays with a great edge and confidence on the field. Cody said that he will camp at Miss. State and LSU in July and then make his decision a few days after that. Based on what we’ve heard about Miss. State’s needs from our Miss. State connections he’ll likely get that offer. We aren’t sure about the LSU offer yet but that’s the one to keep an eye on.
– Related to teams news, another name we are hearing a lot of good things about is Tulsa TE Carson Meier. Meier is a physical TE and but he’s really surprised a lot of people with just how athletic he is. In fact we’re hearing that he’s even been getting a lot time with WR core. We also heard that during athletic testing Meier broke a one or two of Jermaine Gresham’s records. We aren’t sure which ones but regardless that says enough about his overall athleticism. There are some talented upperclassmen TEs on the team like Blake Bell, Taylor McNamara and Isaac Ijalana so we obviously don’t know if Meier is going to get an opportunity this season but it sounds like he’s got a bright future either way. But coach Stoops has been clear in recent years that he likes to get players on the field early so don’t be surprised if we get a chance to see Meier this season. It’s amazing what a difference a year makes. OU has made a deliberate effort to add physicality without sacrificing athleticism and the TE position is looking strong and is going to be one we expect to see utilized a lot this season.
– UPDATE (9:55 pm): Oklahoma makes top 6 for Arizona LB Cassius Peat. As we’ve mentioned before, Peat will be visiting Oklahoma later this summer. Peat’s top 6 are: Oklahoma, Arizona State, Oregon, Michigan State, Texas A&M, and UCLA. Peat has a brother that plays at Stanford and another at Nebraska.
– UPDATE (5:15 pm): Oklahoma has extended an offer to 2016 OT, Clark Yarbrough out of Woodberry Forest Virginia. Yarbrough seems interested in OU and says that he is trying to get out to Oklahoma for a visit this coming August.
145 Comments
Ya’ll are awesome!
Stoops gets paid a salary of something like $357,000 out of university funds, the rest comes from private donations.
#BoomerSooner
Awesome news as always, it’s good to be a Sooner!
I’ma decommit from twitter too.
Sure you are JY, I’m guessing they pulled the offer for over sized thumbs. 🙂
Yeah boy!
“This video of you made me ROTL”
LOL got this on twitterand was like, damn they’re good….I just signed up! Then it crashed my computer.
Rats J Y you beat me to it,
ooops thanks for the info, Great Post as always!!
Meier’s news is not surprising at all. Just go back and watch his JR film (not sure if SR ever came out), and you can see the pure pass-catching TE ability in him (Gresham-like) but also the physicality required. I was shocked when one or two of the “expert” sites left him as a 3*. I would not be the least bit surprised if our TE position ends up much like 2006 when we had seasoned TEs plus Gresham’s potential as a freshman was seen in just the few passes he caught that year.
I was impressed with his ability and desire in the state championship game. He wants to win and never gave up when they were down late in the game.
Great suff as always. Starting to see a pattern here with Perine, Flowers, Ijalana, Bell, Ford and 320 across the line that we might want to line up and just push people around. Then, always have that capability to go full-on “Make Bama Cry” mode at a moments notice. Things are looking up. If the chemistry is right and the defense steps up…could be special again. #sooner4life
One of Bama’s big blogs has us rated #2 pre-season, and thinks we will head into the playoff as the undefeated #1 seed.
http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2014/6/26/5846974/who-needs-a-blog-poll-14-preseason-finale-the-contenders
I agree Eric. That site is always good for a chuckle over there. Sounds like they still a little bitter over the SB.
2. Oklahoma: Last year’s quietest 11-2 team now wears a post-Sugar Bowl
bullseye (thanks, Alabama!), but at least the Sooners have a great
schedule: 3/4ths of the tougher games are in Norman – Baylor, Okie
Lite, and K State. Only the RRR game is of any road consequence. The OU
Top 20 defense returns almost everyone (and they’re healthy, unlike
last season). The offense turned it on after last year’s debacle in
Dallas, and Trevor Knight looks to be a good one behind a veteran line.
The only real question is the lack of proven RB depth, but Stoops
didn’t forget how to coach or recruit; OU will find a guy(s).
” Given the
Big 12’s state of flux, and my lack of confidence in the garbage that
conference calls football, this is your Big 12 Conference Champion with
a bullet. OU enters the CFBPO as the nation’s sole undefeated and No. 1
seed, even if it is not the subjectively “best” team.”
That last quote really says it all for SEC ( Bama ) homers. Holy Jebus what a bitter fan base lol!
If Meier is even half the player Gresham was, OU got itself a good one. I think that the 2014 class will show great promise in the next year or so.
I wish the staff would’ve paid closer attention to Cantrell early, but not sure it would have mattered. I don’t see him flipping from Arkansas (but of course anything can happen), especially considering Bielema’s reputation for using the TE. I hear he feels a strong sense of loyalty since Arkansas was the first major program to pay attention and offer and he likes the fact Fayetteville is less than an hour from home.
If the kid has that kind of loyalty and commitment, good for him. You can’t really fault him.
Not at all.
Good note bud! Thanks! I’ve head the same.
Great stuff all the way around. The tight end position is and intriguing one after use 2 fullbacks as right ends most of last season. It sounds like boulware was the right move. If we see the resurgence we all expect at TE then this offense will explode on people like in 2008 with all the mismatches we created then.
I wouldn’t want to line up against us in 3rd and short. Oh the possibilities.
On different sites and blogs there were so many people pounding Stoops yesterday for getting the pay raise. Nevermind he’s the only coach to win all the BCS bowl games. Nevermind he’s won 8 of the last 13 BIG XII titles. Nevermind he coached the team that has scored the most points(averaging over 60 points a game) in the history of college football. Nevermind he’s won a national championship and played in 4 of them. Nevermind he just plowed over the best team in the country during the sugar bowl. Nevermind year in and year out he consistently puts OU in a spot to compete for the big one. It really is amazing what ridiculous facts and stats people will try to use in an argument against a coach they hate simply because he’s GOOD at what he does and wins. Sorry I’m rambling fellow brainiac followers but I had to vent. Thanks for updates guys, as always you brainiacs are the best.
People just like to Bi***. He is worth every penny he is making.
Yea and guess who’s getting more than him and he hasn’t want squat. Yep, that guy down south who just lost his franchise QB.
Ha I know, when I read yesterday that Sumlin was still getting paid more than Stoops my first reaction was simply…WHY?
mine was – not for long when you go 8-4 w/no championships
Precisely
I totally agree. Isn’t his salary from the athletic funds and not state money or tuition fund money. Besides I can’t think of any other coach who would be better. Some people would gripe if they were hung with a new rope.
Took the words right out my mouth Gary.
And yes Gary the increase in salary and his salary alone are already strictly from athletic funds and private donations. Not one cent comes from tuition fee’s or state tax money etc.
People get mad about whatever they also think that the tuition went up to fund the stadium. There’s a very short list of coaches who should be paid or are worthy to be paid more than stoops and that’s saban, miles, and Meyer. It’s a joke to me that strong and sumlin were already paid more than stoops.
So if people want to be mad about the money spent on a great coach like stoops what will they say if we were paying a guy only worthy of half? Or if stoops retired wouldn’t they want the best coach available? There’s a price to be paid for quality.
Hell no on miles. absolutelyyyyyy not. Yes no Saban, perhaps on Meyer.
He has one national championship. Played in another against a team that shouldn’t have been there and probably would have beat whatever team would have been in alabama’s place. I’m saying he would be worthy of it.
Ya, he also had all the talent in the world at his disposal, but can never field an offense and has blunders regularly tht make you shake your head. Compare his resume to Stoops and there’s absolutely no way you can justify him having a reason to make more
I’m not saying he’s a better coach at all I don’t even believe Meyer or saban are better coaches than stoops. In my opinion stoops is a far better coach than any others in college football because of the sustained run he’s had but also because he’s done it the right way. The only accusations of serious ncaa violations resulted in bomar and Quinn getting kicked off the team.
He’s never had the amount of talent those Florida teams had or the ones Alabama has had but he’s gotten the most out of the players he’s had. He’s been on the losing end of a handful of games that if he had won those games we would be talking about stoops as possibly the best coach period. The national title games vs lsu and Florida. Oregon and Boise in 2006. Texas in 2008.
I don’t agree with Miles being on that list, but then again, it’s you list and not mine. I’ll begrudgingly accept Meyer, but only because I more or less have to.
I have to admit, I was one of those guys a couple of seasons ago. It seemed as though he was content with 10 win seasons and that was all we were going to get from here on out. The coaching changes that were made last offseason were exactly what this program needed to get it back to where we belong. I ate a lot of crow, and I was more than happy to do so. This guy is a real find, and I’m stoked to have him for as long as he wants to be here!
Your comment regarding the coaching change is exactly what this team needed. I’m sure it was hard but I agree Stoops needed to do it for the betterment of the team. It’s almost as if we got stale or complacent and expected the wins to fall in our lap, instead of working to get it. I am really really happy with the Bedenbaugh, Montgomery, and Boulware hires. To be honest though I haven’t really decided what I think about Kish just yet. I know Mike brought him with him from Arizona, but I hope it’s not one of those relationships where Mike can’t get let em go if need be.
Kish! I think I like him. Our LB’s haven’t dropped in production. As a matter of fact, I feel as if they have been of fire as of late! Nelson was on pace to make all conference, Alexander made Fr. All-American, and Evans looks amaze balls. I don’t know if I could ask for more, except for maybe a few great commits!
“few great commits”, that’s exactly what I mean. From what we’ve seen so far on the field it would appear that Kish knows how to coach em up, but we also need a Montgomery for the linebackers who knows how and just has that “it” factor when it comes to recruiting. But hey, it’s only been a few seasons so maybe I’m being a little hard on they guy. But like you said, it has been a while since OU has pulled some 4/5 star LB from high school.
Kish helped with several other recruits outside of LB. Also, everyone was down on Kish cause he couldn’t get the highly “star” rated guys. Hmm, he got the big 12 defensive newcomer of the year and another one who is going to be a force on the inside. Kish will only attract more attention with the style of defense we play. Didn’t help when we didn’t play any LB’s and 7 DB’s. I have faith, signing day is a long way away. I’d rather get the right guys than get caught up in star gazing.
You didn’t understand my post. I didn’t say he couldn’t coach. But there is a difference in coaching a 2 star recruit than a 5. OU has not been able to pull 5 star highly touted LB in a while. There is a reason Alabama has won 3 of the last 4 NCs, coaching is some of it but they flat out have better talent.
Star Gazing. “There is a difference in coaching a 2* and a 5*”. That’s BS or have you coached at that level?? Kish is a hell of a coach. I would take Dom and Evans over a potential five star anyday. OU has some bigtime LB’s in the fold. Wait in it. Oh and Kish recruits more then just LB’s.
Not trying to be a Jackazz but this notion that Kish is just Mike’s buddy and is riding Mike’s coat tails is crazy. Mike has to much riding on it. It being production. He wouldn’t of hired a Slap to coach his Backers. Mike has to much riding on it. About $900 K, If Kish was a Slappy he wouldn’t be coaching backers at OU period.
Every coach at OU recruits different positions than the one they coach. Again dude, you didn’t understand a single thing I posted above. I did not say once anything as far as Kish riding coattails or whatever else you pulled from you know where. Read people’s comments before you reply. You also need to act a little more mature and keep your comments civil. Relax, what are you getting so worked up for. You think Kish is a great recruiter based on nothing, I haven’t seen him recruit anything as far as a star out of high school based on several years, I respectfully agree to disagree with you…you should try it sometime.
Star Gazer. And I’m relaxed as can be. Sunday AM coffe and a Camacho. You never answered my question about the difference in coaching a five star versus a 2 star. Different drills??
Again read my comments, never said anything about coaching, never said Josh couldn’t coach, just don’t think he has the it factor in terms of recruiting. I understand you’re trying to make a point but don’t puts words in peoples mouths and use illogical reasoning when you’re trying to do so.
Quote ” but there is a difference between coaching a 2* and a 5*”. Your words not mine. Purring words into your mouth!?? Still waiting on your answer .
Give it a rest dude, grow up.
Still waiting .
Chase, I understand and comprehend what you said. It’s not the coaching, I get it. However, Kish can’t pull in the 5 stars. Let’s see, there was one from Cali last year we all wanted named Dwight, who went to UCLA or something. Kish bombed out-no good can’t recruit. Right? Well, we are sitting pretty good right now wouldn’t you agree. I don’t see this Dwight kid on any preseason watch list, do you.
My point, a kid can get exposer early and get hyped up to a 4/5 star. Is he “really” that quality? Sometimes but that is the “beauty” of recruiting and in the pros drafting. Finding the kids who come under the radar with higher ceilings than a 4/5 star kid who is at his peak.
Go back on LB’s who were no names at OU – Shoat 3 time AA, Cumby (RB) /Hunt who were not highly rated. Boz? you kidding me, he was a 185/190 kid who was shocked he even got offered. Lofton? Rufus? Calmas/Lehmen?? Now, name all of the 5 stars LB’s that made it big at OU. J.K. and I will be waiting.
I completely agree with you, I myself have never tried to get too hyped up by all the star rating stuff. But like you said Kish and OU in general, not just Kish have had a hard time pulling the guys highest on their board. I guess my real question/frustration is why?? When OU proves year in andyear out they can compete, ya know what I mean
Agree with you but Kish had his hands tied last year. How would you like to go into a house and sell a 4/5 star kid on playing LB two years ago when we didn’t even use a single LB during the game. That’s tuff no matter who you are so I gave him some slack because I’m in sales. I also had my doubts too. In the end, Kish got some kids that were “evaluated” and we are now better for it.
Look at this site and why we love it. Heck, Gallimore was a nobody and now he’s 4 star. Whitfield, Cantrell, Sternberger, Clay Jackson and so many others we are reading and pulling for that we wouldn’t know otherwise. That is the beauty of TFB’s.
I guess to conclude, I just care about the evals on a player, possible college position, and his ceiling. Striker was a S, Saunders was a TE in a wing T offense. We all love these story lines.
Chase, we all in this together and we all love OU so not trying to say I’m right/wrong. Wish I could make it up to games but have a young son playing on Saturdays or I’d have a beverage with you.
Finally, we all would love to have a 5 star with character, high ceiling, and huge leadership abilities. Not many around.
Couldn’t agree more bud.
And as for the beverage, I’ll be sure to drink one for ya 🙂
Oh and if you have coached at that level please explain the difference in coaching 2&3 * backers versus 5+ backers. Different drills, techngue etc…
It’s comments like these that make people laugh
Well answer my question when you get done laughing .
True @chasekorenek:disqus but Alabama has:
1) had help getting to these games via their conference’s reputation and ESPN hype and
2) their achilles heel has been exposed the last two seasons and that is that they simply cannot defend the no huddle spread offense. Particularly ones featuring a mobile QB.
LSU and ND both tried to play Bama’s game (traditional power running game) in the NCG and both got shut-down. Would OSU have been a better matchup for Bama that one year? I don’t know but it’d have been a lot more entertaining than watching LSU.
And it really pains me to say this but there’s little doubt in my mind that if Colt McCoy doesn’t get hurt in Pasadena, Texas wins that game.
I know what you mean, Alabama has had it pretty easy from all the coverage they get from ESPN(the SEC network). It’s funny you say that about the Texas/Bama game bc as much as I hate the cowhorns I actually had money on Texas to win. If Colt had stayed in the game I don’t think it would have even been close.
Boom we speak the same language.
Again Boom, don’t get me wrong I agree in that from what we’ve seen he’s a great coach, I just hope he has that it factor in terms of recruiting. You’re right though he did a great job coaching up Alexander and Evans.
I dont know about that… With my inciteful coaching decisions and a great deal of retrospect Ive won 15 BIG XII Titles my teams have averaged over 80 points per game. Ive won 15 NCs and Ive done all that just watching the flat screen, drinking a few beers and never even getting my butt off the couch and I dont even make ONE measly million….whats up with that??
Magic…I feel for ya bud and don’t know what to tell ya. Keep winning and something good will happen! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement and no worries about keeping on winning. My system is based on 20/20 hindsight…its infallible.
Magic, could be one of the funniest posts I’ve ever read. It’s so true too. Thanks for the laughs of a Friday afternoon. Infallible, that’s just great.
I have too. I’ve even built UL-Lafayette into a perennial national championship contender after I had OU win 8 consecutive championships. Wait, we’re not talking about NCAA Football on PS2?
I realize the coaches have a target list of TE’s across the country. However, I just keep pulling for Jace Sternberger out of Kingfisher. Kid has size and speed and I’m assuming he would be extremely coachable. Hope he learns more about route running and blocking and we may have something here. Wouldn’t mind Cantrell & Sternberger and they are both Okie’s to boot. Best of luck to both of those young men.
I am curious as to which committed kids you are talking about. Care to indulge?
Ford is one of them and Humphrey may have still be committed to baylor when he made those comments.
It would be nice if it were weathersby.
Seems like he is solid to the horns. Dude is a stud though, him and Evans would have made a great haul (Think Evans can be ELITE)
Would love to but I know they wouldn’t appreciate it. But figured it’s nicer to know that some committed prospects are talking about OU and not know their names than to not know at all.
Don’t know how to feel about Lampkin. IMO any DT in Texas this year not named Daylon is “Meh”
Don’t get me wrong DuVonta is a good player, but he has A LOT of room for improvement. Not a player worth losing sleep over if we don’t land him.
Respectfully disagree. His JR film was light years ahead of his sophomore film. Watching his sophomore film, I could not understand why we even offered. However, after seeing his JR film, I completely understood. I was actually a bit shocked he was still a 3* and rated the 27th DT in the nation. His JR film wasn’t available until after he committed to OU. Plus, every kid has a lot of room to improvement coming out of high school. And I’m not saying I’d lose sleep over him, but we definitely want him back in the fold.
You think the coaches definitely want him in the fold? I think there’s several ahead of him on their board and while some may be unlikely there is fehoko and gallimore and others that probably have a higher ceiling. And were probably only taking 2 more dline guys.
Campbell out of MS who has a lot of upside along with Keith out of Louisiana
Plus breylin Mitchell is projected to flip from tcu to ou but I don’t know if he’s going to be an olb or a DE in a 3 man front. Honestly lampkin is rated higher than Jacobs but if it were between the 2 I would take Jacobs we need a pipeline to Louisiana and Georgia if were going to continue to recruit nationally. Those 2 states are flooded with talent and the state powerhouses can only take so many.
Again, the star gazing gets us all in trouble. I messed up, it’s the Jacob player out of Louisiana who is good now and will only get better.
Stars are only an indicator of what people say a kid should be. We’ve seen many 4 and 5 stars flame out or not live up to expectations you can even include a guy like Brennan clay in that discussion because he was rated a 5 star by some site. While clay is one of my favorite players under stoops he did not have the numbers a 5* rating would have projected.
But the sugar bowl is a prime example of a team who had kids not pan out, not live up to expectations play against a team loaded with 4/5* talent and the team with more flaws dominated the other.
The coaches would not have offered him otherwise. Not a poking-at-you kind of question, but have you seen both his sophomore and junior films?
I’ve seen some film on him not sure which it was but I’ll check it out tonight and see what I think.
I went back and watched his junior film and he doesn’t jump of the screen as far as a pass rusher and that may just not be his skill set. But I did notice he’s disciplined and is in position to make plays and blow up runs even from the back side. I think he’s more suited as a tackle in a 4-3 as opposed to an end on a 3-4. Also he doesn’t look like he’s done growing I could see him hitting 6’5 or 6’6. If he were to carry about 330 I could see him as a nose.
Thanks for the updates. Will be interesting to see what transpires come August and the dead period ends. Any word from the Cali DBs OU is after?
Checked on all of them and the sense that OU’s best change of getting one of them will be a great season coupled with other schools filling up. Right now it looks like Buncom to Stanford, Marshall to USC, Langley to USC, Holiday to UCLA, Ross looks like USC, UCLA with OU having an outside chance. USC is going to have to shut down but because Stanford and UCLA have become legit there are more options for Cali kids.
re Cantrell……….there’s an article/interview on the hog’s board with him and he sounds pretty sold on arkie
Seems that way but hope we can sway him. Arkie will continue to have marginal years and we are in great position. I’m still pulling for Sternberger.
I’ll definitely have my eye on Sternberger this coming season. Want to see if he continues to progress as a blocker, adds weight, etc.
Jace and Whitfield are my guys. Surely, we can figure out a position for two talented guys who want to play for OU. However, I’m not the expert.
The word we’ve heard is that he is very solid to them. Arkansas looks close to offering McKinley Whitfield as well and he told me he’s very interested in them.
arkie is hard after Barnett, too………does tfb know anything on that
They’re also putting on a full-court press for Wariboko, and I think he’s been there twice now.
I think the staff needs to keep a better eye on kids in the extreme eastern part of the state. Fort Smith and the Fayetteville metro are the closest media markets to a lot of these kids, and they get inundated with Arkansas/SEC all the time. And under Bielema, Arkansas will hit Oklahoma in recruiting much harder than any coach before.
I agree with what Boom said below, Arkansas will continue to have marginal years, but they’ll likely be on an upswing over the next few seasons at least. They’ve really got nowhere to go but up.
Sam Pittman (an Oklahoma native and former OL coach at OU) also looks like the real deal as a recruiter. He’s pulled in some OL recruits I was surprised they could get over coming off 4-8 and 3-9 years (going head-to-head with OU and Alabama, etc. for them).
Arkansas also has an unusual amount of HS talent over the next few years.
If they can improve and put together a couple impressive seasons, they could potentially cause more headaches than expected in their recruitment of Oklahoma HS players.
Folks don’t have to like it, but the SEC is a draw for kids. If talent in eastern Oklahoma has an opportunity to play for a competitive SEC program (not saying Arkansas is, but they have the potential to be) not far from home, it can make things tougher in instate recruiting.
This isn’t meant to be a sky is falling post, but a key reason A&M is getting players OU should while UT is down, is largely due to their move to the SEC.
I would agree with you……….spent some time on their board and read about pittman/bielema and their success with olinemen…….a rejuvenated arkie/sec influence would not be good news for ou in-state recruiting
I’m in my fifth decade of following OU football. Should I make into the sixth decade, and I expect I will, I will enjoy more plays and players making memories.
B00MER!
You can’t coach speed. Murray was flying on that last play. We’ve never had a RB as fast or as big as Dupree. EasTex, it was hard watching Mildren & Davis, those guys were my hero’s who have passed away. Great to see they live on in Sooner lore.
They will live on, Boom, they are embedded in the OU traditions.
and fabric. I know we have the Heisman statues but I would also like to see statues of the selmon brothers, Mildren/Davis & high flying little Joe. Lit Joe should’ve won the Heisman and no one will change my mind on that one.
So many great players and memories.
I’m excited thinking of how many new memories we have in store.
Peterson and Murray were both roughly the same size and speed… 220 + Sub 4.4
Dupree was faster, no one knew how fast but he was 240. Peterson and Murray did the right thing and stayed and now they are reaping the rewards. Dupree messed up and he knows it. Could’ve been a Heisman finalist and a have a natty. Interesting, we will never know but still like the guy.
The numbers I find everywhere for Dupree say 220 and 4.3-4.4 range…
Trust me, I was next to him at a party and I will say, he wasn’t 220. Even Switzer said after his bowl game, if Marcus would get down to 220, he would be in better shape – he was 245 at the time. Also, he was 6’3 easily. That gift/talent doesn’t come around many times in our life.
I mean, at one point in his “career” he was 320… Peterson could presumably get fat too 😉
Capfoss, I was at OU from 79 – 83 and I had a lot of my friends were football players. I was over there all the time and they don’t lie about that stuff. All of them were in awe of him as a freshman, even the coaches. When he got there, he was 240. The only time he got to 220 was with the Rams for his comeback. This is not a knock on Peterson/Murray or any of the others but when Switzer goes from the bone to the I for ONE guy, put 2 + 2 together.
EasTex, I am like you. Working on my 5th decade a Sooner fan. I live in Ohio, originally from Georgia. I’ve following since my brother was stationed in Fort Sill. Lose or win, I am always happy to see OU play.
I remember this game clearly, this was the year I started paying attention to football and became a fan of the team, the coach and the colors. They didn’t televise many games back then, so I was planted in front of the TV and watched every second.
I’m so pumped for this season.
It can’t get here soon enough. This should be a very fun year!
Finally, a support group – thanks guys.
Cassius peat is announcing a top 6 tonight according to josh with SS.
Yeah he texted me about it and rest assured OU will be in there
We are in the two hole if it’s in order.
Naw, not in order bud
With striker poised to have a big year every olb prospect were after is going to watch how we attack so I’m sure we will get a couple of good olb’s this year. Were still in on Wallace and wheeler Louis brown and I was wondering if breylin Mitchell would be a olb in the 3-4. I’m pulling for kish to close big time this year I know there’s some who are skeptical of whether he can recruit still.
He needs to close big, I’m withholding opinion on his recruiting skills for now. I think our LB production this season will determine a lot where recruits are concerned.
I understand and I think this will be the year he actually has to turn away 1 or 2 guys.
…….the oui ww says they want to take 3/4 and we have zip, to date…..better get busy if he’s going to turn anyone away…..I’m not qualified to know if the kish hire was good or bad, but I do remember that there weren’t a lot of names made public when the search was on and sentiment was mstoops got his buddy in, for better or worse…….that’s the perception that lingers with kish……..
Good point about needing to get started I just think this is the year. Maybe the issue is that were asking linebackers to play around 225 where the NFL will want the around 250.
I believe they are only look to take 2 jack/striker backers.
Hey. In your town….our town…
Hey, what brings ya?
To hot dry & boring to stay in west tx. Lol. Mom happy to see kids,
You know you’re hooked when you’re checking for updates at 1am out of a dead sleep.
Try checking at 0130.
Aaaaaand Steve brings me back at 0218. Lol
Just trying to do my part.
Wow kinda strange Stanford or Nebraska didn’t make Cassius Peat’s list. Has TFB done a write up on Peat, i can’t seem to find it?
We haven’t a full write up about him as a player but we’ve mentioned him in a recruiting context in a number of Open Posts. But if you’d like we can take a closer look at his game. Last time I spoke to Cassius Stanford and Nebraska had not offered.
This dead period is going to kill me…
I know what you mean, but it won’t kill you even though it hurts.
Lol
Cassius Peat’s Hudl vid:
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1766896/highlights/41462387
TT kicks cornerback off the team for punching a girl in the face.
I saw that as well. Really sad stuff. He’s the kid they got out of Miami.
But DGB pushes a woman down some stairs (in addition to multiple drug incidents) & we have fans that want him here?
I don’t personally know the circumstances for the Miami kid. With DGB I think what people are saying is that the coaches know the entirety of his circumstances. They’ve known him for a while. They’ve known his guardian for a while. They also spend a lot of time around young people and they also understand that he doesn’t come from the most ideal background to say the least. So if coach Bob Stoops is willing to give the kid a chance, a lot of fans are deferring to his judgment. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Certainly don’t see anything wrong with your opinion either though. I think it’s something I can see from both sides.
K, I can see it from both sides as well, but personally, I don’t see coach Stoops taking the chance on unsettling the locker room with those types of known issues given the progress we made over the last couple of years in cleaning it up. There is currently too good of a family atmosphere amongst the players and coaches and I just don’t see that type of risk being taken right now. I’m not sure DBG would see the field at OU even if he came. Anything can happen, but I just see coach Stoops being a little more conservative and protective of where he has gotten the attitude and camaraderie back to.
Fair points for sure bud
btw, the weight on paul on soonersports at 374 is wrong per oui…..it’s 347
Thank god I was about to nickname him huell
Has anyone watched film on Yarbrough that we offered?
Yeah, incredible athlete. Grew up a basketball player.