Open Post | Weekend, May 18th – 20th

Zach Williams: I spoke with coach Maupin, the head coach at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Sooners defensive end target, Zach Williams plays.

Coach Maupin tells me that both coach Thibs and coach Mike Stoops, on separate occasions, recently stopped by to see Williams.

Williams has recently become a priority for the Sooners as they continue their work to land a true defensive end. Williams has visited a number of schools including, among others Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, etc. But has yet to visit Oklahoma.

Coach Maupin tells me that because OU came by and made it clear that Williams is a priority, Williams has decided to take an unofficial visit to Oklahoma sometime in the next few weeks (likely early June).

I will note that Williams is the son of former Arkansas LB, Rickey Williams but interestingly, Maupin tells me that the Texas visit seems to have really impressed Williams to the point that Williams has the Longhorns in the lead. So, it seems the family is open to looking elsewhere and the Sooners will get their chance to make the Razorbacks sweat (something they’ve done with Stacey Wilkins who also has family that played at Arkansas) – (Super K)

 


 

– I was kicking over a few rocks recently, when I came across an intriguing name on the offensive line for the 2019 class in Brayden Rohme.

Rohme is 6’6” 265 lb OT/DE out of Gilbert (AZ) Perry High School. A source pointed me in his direction after learning that Coach Tim Kish had recently stopped by his school to check in on him.

I reached out to Brayden, and while I was waiting to hear back from him, I was doing a little background investigation on him and I noticed he had just announced an offer from Boise State a few minutes earlier. The Boise State offer comes on the heels of offers from Oregon and Arizona State earlier in the month.

When Brayden got back to me, I introduced myself and mentioned I had heard that Coach Kish had been in contact with him and I asked him to characterize his relationship with OU at this point he mentioned that he had yet to talk to Coach Bedenbaugh, but he said “Coach Kish and I talk here and there, I wish I could talk to them (OU) more”.

We chatted a bit more, talking about how his recruitment is really starting to take off, and we turned back to talking about OU and in regards to how the Sooners view him as a player, and Rohme told me “They see me as an offensive lineman that can play any position”.

As we have mentioned on many occasions, Coach Bedenbaugh loves having guys that can play multiple positions along the line so Rohme certainly checks off that box.

So, as we were wrapping up, Brayden actually announced a new offer (Nevada) and I told him I would be in touch with him from time to time to check in on where things stand with he and OU.

I am by no means a film connoisseur, and I don’t pretend to be, thats above my pay grade. I will certainly ask JY for a breakdown on Rohme, however, I did enjoy watching his film as he seems to have a bit of a nasty streak and enjoys finishing his man off. He also appears to be very athletic for a man his size and gets downfield to the second level very well.

About ten minutes after finishing our conversation, Brayden shot me a quick message letting me know that Coach Bedenbaugh reached out to him and asked him to contact him the next day. The timing of the entire conversation was pretty cool, and I will catch up with Brayden following that conversation with Coach B and update you with any news.

Whether anything ever materializes between Rohme and OU remains to be seen, however, this story is just an example of how fast things move in the recruiting world. – (Charlie)

 


 

– Oklahoma has, without commitments, established themselves at Mater Dei HS (Los Angeles, CA). Mater Dei is, arguably the top program in the nation. A place that is hard to crack if you’re not USC, UCLA, Oregon or another west coast program. The tide may be tilting a bit as OU has a really good shot at landing several 2019 and 2020 targets.

One of those targets is 2020 defensive back, Elias Ricks, who picked up an offer from Oklahoma on Tuesday. Sooners defensive backs coach, Kerry Cooks, was out in LA going around to some of the top programs and stopped by Mater Dei. Later, Ricks called Cooks, who can’t make contact with the recruits at high schools, and was offered by the Sooners.

Ricks was already well aware of Oklahoma’s tradition, “Oklahoma has great tradition and seem to always be really good.” Ricks noted that he has been offered by just about everyone in the nation, but does have plans to take visits this summer, but no dates are set. Among those he plans on visiting is Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, LSU and Alabama. I asked Ricks if OU was going to get a visit and he said, “Yes. This summer. OU is very high on my list of schools that I am interested in.”

Obviously, Oklahoma feels good about several of his teammates like 2019 LB/WR Bru McCoy, 2020 QB Bryce Young and 2020 DB Dorian Green-Warren. I asked Ricks if they have spoken to him about OU, “Oh ya. They are really high on OU. Said they loved their visits and that it has a real family vibe in Norman. They think there is something special going on there.”

That quote has to be music to Sooners fans ears as OU continues to deepen the pipeline they have all across California. Will Mater Dei be another school, much like several in Fresno and northern California where Oklahoma is a school to reckon with? OU fans should know this summer with a couple of Mater Dei targets.

Oklahoma has made California a priority over the years, and it’s starting to pay off at one of the most talent rich high schools in the nation. – (Brandon)

 


 

Trace Ford: The mother of 2019 in-state defensive end, Trace Ford (Edmond, OK) let me know me that the Sooners were expected to drop by Edmond Santa Fe to see Ford, earlier this week.

Ford has been playing out of position at defensive tackle but will be moved to an outside linebacker/defensive end position this season. The Sooners got a chance to see Ford at the position he would project to play for the first time.

I will have an update on where things are at between OU and Ford soon. – (Super K)