Open Post | Weekend, March 25th-27th
Posted on: March 25, 2022
Couple Sourced Practice Notes
– Super K – Posted on: March 23, 2022
I’ve been on the road a bit but Charlie asked me to check on a particular play that was posted from yesterday’s practice.
***At the end of the clip below, you can see someone making a good break on the ball and picking it off.
I checked and it turns out that the player is Jaden Davis. Perhaps the new staff can get Davis back on the path he’s was on his freshman year.
***Also, I asked about how Dillon Gabriel looked during team period. Was told, “he can throw the ball like the other two (Spencer and Caleb) but he makes better decisions. But, yes, he can definitely throw the ball.”
Let’s Talk Recruiting | Perspective
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 23, 2022
The Sooners held a massive recruit visit weekend in early March.
They are preparing to hold another big week/weekend this week with a lot of talent from across the country coming in from Wednesday through Sunday.
They currently hold 4 verbal commitments from the class of ’23.
With all these big time unofficial visitors, you may be asking yourself ‘where are the commits at?’
Super K and CJ have been out on the road the last month visiting schools and recruits. There is a lot of buzz around Oklahoma and its new staff. CJ has gotten a lot of positive feedback from the high school players and staffs in Texas and K has heard nothing but rave reviews as he has been through the southeast.
So again, where are the commits?
The easiest way to answer that question, in my opinion, is to say…they are coming…but patience will be needed.
Gone are the days of OU accepting verbal commitments from recruits who express a desire to see other schools. No longer will it be common to ‘take their commit without doing due diligence’ in regard to recruits with extenuating circumstances like a brother who plays football and wants to attend the same school or a kid who has a ton of ties to another program who may not be showing him a lot of love at this point.
It is early in the ’23 cycle. Kids want/need to take these visits and OU is acutely aware of that.
So patience is necessary.
Brent Venables spoke on the topic of recruiting and how he views commitments at his press conference earlier this week:
‘Venables was asked if he will allow OU commits to take visits to other schools after pledging to OU.
His answer: ‘A commitment is not a reservation”
There are several recruits who likely already would have been committed to OU if the program was operating in the same fashion as they did under the previous regime. Tre Wisner, Dylan Edwards, Cayden Green and Micah Tease are some names that pop into my head immediately in that respect.
Venables only wants a recruit to commit when he is 100% bought in to OU.
The commits will come. Right now, I am leaning towards the spring game being the time when I expect kids to start pulling the trigger.
Could a few pop between now and then? Sure, but I think April through June will be a busy period for OU and then you wait till the season and closer to signing day to see how the class finishes up.
Super K and CJ will have notes from their travels throughout the spring and you will enjoy what the recruits and high school staffs are saying about OU.
Venables and staff are playing the long game. With that in mind, you have to believe that the Sooner fan base will suffer through far fewer heartaches when Johnny Ballgame flips his commit to another school after taking multiple visits there.
Is the no visit rule a deal-breaker for OU should one of their commits make a visit? I don’t think OU would force them to decommit or anything, but I also think Venables and the position coach will be quite forthright with said recruit and inform them that they do not view them as committed at that point and they will continue to recruit players at that position.
We saw that with the way they handled Gentry Williams last cycle. While Williams never decommitted from OU after the coaching change, the new staff did not view him as committed until he shut things down completely.
I like the approach, and I think the majority of the fan base will as well, as long as we all exercise a little patience.
Initial Update on 4-Star DL Kelby Collins
– Super K – Posted on: March 24, 2022
I recently was in Gardendale (AL) to see 2023 4-star DL, Kelby Collins.
***First, and I’ve said this before, so many big athletic defensive players in the Deep South. Collins is one of them. He’s nearly 6’5 and he’s something like 275 lbs + but is built like a basketball player (both his parents were basketball players).
***And Kelby certainly isn’t the only one they have in Alabama. There’s a number of that same type of big athletic body type.
***Collins is being pursued by Alabama but there are so many defensive linemen in the state, I think OU’s plan is to recruit a bunch of them and assume Saban can’t take them all…because he can’t.
***Collins told me he is going to take an official visit to OU this spring/summer and it doesn’t sound like he plans on taking too long with his decision. Said he wants it done this summer.
***Also, he did mention that NIL stuff isn’t going to impact his decision – though I think all that stuff is going to be heavily regulated by this summer, anyway.
***Here’s what I think might be the most important point with Collins. He tells me that he’s very close to Venables and Bates. Collins says he had actually visited Clemson twice when they were on the staff.
***So, while this OV will be his first visit to OU, in a certain sense it isn’t. He noted that it’s really more just to check out the campus. He already has a strong relationship with coach V and Bates and knows he can play for them. In other words, the important box has already been checked.
***Another thing to keep in mind is that coach Venables and coach Bates have gone into Alabama and gotten guys. And again, there are so many athletic defensive linemen in the state that at some point coach Saban is going to be forced to choose.
Observations from Spring Practice Number Two
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 24, 2022
James was out at practice this morning for the allotted media viewing window.
Here are some of his takeaways…
Offensive line:
***Nate Anderson was working at center – So you had Andrew Raym, Robert Congel and Anderson. James said the Raym and Congel were very supportive and helped Anderson throughout the drills.
As James left practice he spoke to someone and brought up Anderson and was told ‘They are eally working on Anderson, he’s so athletic he could be an All-American’. So, while that is a long ways off, it is safe to say OU has not given up on Nate Anderson.
***Cal transfer McKade Mettauer was working at left guard with Marcus Alexander and Chirs Murray and Brey Walker were working at right guard.
***Brey Walker lining up at guard early in the spring is a good indication that he will likely focus solely on that position.
***Savion Byrd working at LT behind Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris was running at right tackle with Aaryn Parks
Special Teams:
***36 (Zach Schmit) can punt it
***Josh Plaster and Major Nelson were holders for kicks
***Schmit & Plaster were doing the kicking from what he saw
Quarterback:
***James said: ‘Nick Evers can really throw the damn ball….just looking at 2 days of practice Evers would be your backup…can throw the 18 out/dig in a similar fashion as Landry…his ball doesn’t need any arc…just zips it and puts it right on the hip of the receiver.
***Dillon being lefthanded makes the 18 out/dig look a bit awkward simply because it’s been so long since there was a lefthanded QB at OU, but he makes the throw well.
Defensive line:
***Jeffrey Johnson looks really quick and fast…kind of as advertised and welcome addition to the room
***Gilliam looks smaller than his listed weight, not sure where he eventually lines up this fall.
Linebackers:
***Ugwoegbu and White leading the linebacker group through their paces
***Kobie McKinzie looks really good moving at his size
***Kanak just a really good player, good athlete. Smooth in everything he does.
Will work to get some sourced notes from the team portion of the practice in the coming days/hours.
Sourced Practice Notes | Thursday, March 24th
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 24, 2022
Picked up a couple sourced notes for you all following today’s spring practice.
The Sooners hit the field for practice number 2 out of 15 allotted spring practices.
I will preface these notes with I am not sure of the format (such as 7v7 or team drills/position work) from the team portion of the days practice, but a source I spoke with noted the following:
***Was told Jalil Farooq made a couple circus catches today. Was told one he tipped to himself and one he pulled what source referred to as a ‘Jumpman’ type one-handed catch.
*** Eric Gray looks like the unquestioned leader of the running back room and was vocal in helping the other backs. Source made it seem like Gray has a bit of an edge to him while on the field. ‘Edge’ being a positive, no monkey business like approach when it’s practice time.
*** Source said Jason Llewellyn moves really well for a kid his size and added ‘I bet he gets his share of PT but Daniel Parker is gonna surprise people with his athleticism also’.
***Was told ‘DB’s look like they can cover again’. Saw a pick, source believed it was Morrison that they saw but didn’t catch the number. Said the coverage, in general, looked noticeably improved. Before I jump in on this boat, I will have to see/hear more from additional sources, but this is a positive start.
***Was told that David Ugwoegbu stood out with his energy and voice among the linebackers. Sounds like more guys stepping up in leadership-type roles.
***Source said Drake Stoops and Theo Wease both were able to get consistent separation. Source did note that the WRs did have a couple drops which they referred to as ‘uncharacteristic’
That is what we have so far!
