The Football Brainiacs

Image of JoeJuan Williams via 247 Sports

– Keyshawn Johnson: We’re still working on the details of everything, but we can share with you right now that the former NFL wide receiver is planning to be in Norman next weekend with an as yet to be determined number of recruits with him for OU’s Jr. Day #2.

He and Brandon are supposed to speak later today at which time we’re optimistic we can bring you more in terms of the specifics (i.e. any names of the kids he’s planning to be bringing primary among them). But even though this is somewhat vague at the moment, we still thought it would be pretty cool to pass along that a former No. 1 overall draft pick could be roaming the halls of the Switzer Center next weekend. And one who could also be bringing some pretty big name prospects to Norman with him.

– David Long Jr: As we’ve come to expect in recent years, this OU coaching staff continues to make the state of California a recruiting priority. And who can really blame them given both the talent the state produces on an annual basis and, of course, the track record of success they have established pulling said talent out of the Golden State. Which brings us to recent OU offer and 2016 ATH, David Long Jr. (Los Angeles, CA).

The speedy L.A. product has built up quite the offer list so far including Arizona, Miami, Michigan, Oregon & UCLA among others. So an offer from the Sooners may not necessarily been a difference maker per se, but potentially working OU’s favor is the previous relationship Long had with one of Oklahoma’s new assistant coaches. It just so happens he and Dennis Simmons are already quite familiar with one another from the latter’s time at Washington State (another offer Long also holds).  And while he is listed as an “athlete” with a number of recruiting services, apparently Simmons (and now Lincoln Riley) have been up front all along about his future being as a wide receiver.

When I spoke with David this past Monday, he had yet to receive the offer from Oklahoma. But, ironically, enough, at that same time he told me that he’d just got off the phone with Simmons and Riley. Long said the only reason they had yet to offer was a desire to check out his transcript prior to doing so. Clearly there were no issues as Long now has his OU offer in hand, and apparently the OU staff wanted to have a little fun with him in terms of how they actually presented said offer. “I woke up to a DM that asked what it was like to wake up to an OU offer.”

And that move by Riley and Simmons has made a definite impression on the highly sought after athlete. Long says he’s trying to work out the logistics with his family to make a possible trip out to Norman spring. A visit you can guarantee the OU coaching staff wants him to make in a bad way. – (Brandon)

– Adrian Hardy: If by chance you missed it, we added the 2016 Houston (TX) Dekaney athlete to OU’s Jr. Day #2 visitor list yesterday. Hardy is 6’3” 185-pounds and plays primarily quarterback for his h.s. squad. He told TFB that he has been staying in touch with Lincoln Riley, Cale Gundy & Bob Stoops on a fairly regular basis. The OU coaches are recruiting him as an athlete right now he says, but it appears they are projecting him as a wide receiver based off his film.

Hardy let me know last night that he currently holds an OU offer and stated that he received it back in January. We haven’t received 100% confirmation on that at this point but from what we have heard, it does sound like the offer may have happened. If it did (and we are still working to get clarification on it) then it would be Hardy’s first offer.

Watching Hardy’s highlights there is a lot to like. He has a big, athletic body with impressive lateral movement and vision. Love his ability to make defenders miss in the open field and the small space, quick twitch ability that also allows him to be tough to tackle one-on-one. Has great feet, balance, and body control you don’t normally see from such a big kid. Has a nice initial burst and, at times, shows the speed to run away from defenders on film. That said, he does seem to be lacking that true extra gear. Good, but not great speed. You also have love the fact he plays QB in a spread system, which means he would most likely have at least somewhat of an understanding for the receiver position in Riley’s offense – how to find windows, the route tree, etc. – (Alex)

– Rakeem Boyd: While the Sooners have only offered a select few RBs at this point in the 2016 class, a name we wanted to bring to your attention as another possible future target is Rakeem Boyd out of Houston (TX) Stratford. Boyd let me know he has been talking with OU assistant Jay Boulware quite a bit as of late, who said he would be getting down in the spring to evaluate the 5’11” and 200 pound prospect in-person.

At this point, Boyd has yet to receive an invite to OU’s upcoming Jr. Day but it still sounds as though there is a mutual interest with both sides. As it stands today, Boyd has holds a number of solid offers from schools like Boston College, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon St, & West Virginia to name a few. Should OU decide to throw their hat in the ring, you’d have to think they would be somewhere near the top of that list.

Boyd kind of reminds me of former Sooner RB, James Allen. – (Alex)

– JoeJuan Williams: And the Kerry Cooks offer train keeps right on a rollin’. The new OU assistant has certainly wasted no time in hitting the ground running when it comes to 2016 recruiting. He has already extended a number of offers to top kids and that continued yesterday in the form of 2016 safety prospect JoeJuan Williams out of Nashville, TN.

At 6’2″ 195 pounds, the highly touted defensive back is no stranger to big offers, already holding some from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State & Tennessee among many others. As you probably noted, the Irish were one of the schools listed there and it’s no coincidence that OU has now offered as well considering it was Cooks who did the same while he was still in South Bend prior to arriving in Norman. In fact, Williams spoke to exactly that when I had a chance to catch up with him following the OU offer.

“He recruited me while he was at Notre Dame, so we have great relationship. I just can’t wait to get out there this summer and meet him.”

Williams says he is very open right now with respect to his recruitment because “it’s too early to name leaders.” But given the fact he’s already talking about trying to make it to Norman at some point, the near future, it would appear as though Cooks and the Sooners are at least in the thick of things as it stands right now. – (Brandon)

– UPDATE (Fri., 2:42 pm): Throw me the damn ball……….. You may remember that all-time quotable moment from the one and only, Keyshawn Johnson. The former Super Bowl champ and All-Pro wide receiver and I caught up today to talk recruiting and what he’s up to these days. We all know him as a commentator on ESPN NFL Sunday Countdown, but he’s actually much more than just that. He coaches 7-on-7 in California and mentors kids in football and with their recruiting. This coming week is a big one for his 7-on-7, Team 19 squad. They are first flying in to Houston and making their way to College Station, then plan on heading up to Norman before closing out their trip with a stop in Lincoln, Nebraska. Plans are still in the process of being finalized, but it’s looking like the group will be in Norman for possibly two days, March 7th — possibly taking in the OU/KU b-ball game — and 8th. Johnson said he wants the kids to get a feel for the Midwest/south region. Especially, schools that are prolific in recruiting the state of California.

I’m sure most of you are wondering who the kids are that Keyshawn is bringing and I will definitely get to that, but I just wanted to take a minute to make sure you see who this guy is as a person. Most of you remember the ‘Give Me The Damn Ball’ book and the general perception of Johnson during his playing days. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not Keyshawn. At least not the Keyshawn I spoke with today. The Keyshawn I spoke with today is dad, one who is understandably proud of his son, Keyshawn Jr. He’s a mentor to these kids. He’s more than we see Sundays on ESPN. He’s just an all around genuine guy. Or at least that’s the lasting perception he left me with today.

We got to talking about about his boy and as you might expect, the elder Keyshawn made no qualms about just how good he believes junior will be. But made it a point to say it wasn’t simply a matter of his bloodlines, but rather because of how much hard work his son is willing to put in every day. “He’s just a sophomore, just a puppy, but he’s gonna be really good. I’m not saying that just cause he’s my son. I’ve watched him grow. I’ve seen. I’ve paid attention. He’s my son, true enough, but I’ve watched him and studied him. I see what he’s doing. I see how he gets better every single day.” I could clearly here in his voice a proud father talking about his son. A father who is witnessing his son working hard at something he truly wants to succeed at. As a father myself, it truly brings a joy you can’t describe. That joy resonates through Keyshawn’s tone when he speaks of his son.

As far as why he started coaching and helping the kids, it goes back to family. He said he started coaching 7-on-7 because of his nephew. Michael Thomas was a sophomore and starting wide receiver on Ohio State’s national championship team this past season. He amassed 799 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Keyshawn said, “his senior year of high school I decided to start it up so we could train him and so far so good.” And he’s right. He has a team full of future D-I talent.

As I’ve asked in the comments below, some of you are also wondering, “why Oklahoma?” Keyshawn addressed just that saying, “I’ve always liked Oklahoma. Even when I was coming out of high school. They just ran the wishbone, and they were on probation during my time. I just remember always liking them and Coach Switzer. And even though they haven’t offered any of my 2016 kids, I have a feeling they will offer some of my 2017 kids so I’m not worried about it. Oklahoma seems to like Cali kids, as they should, just look at what state puts the most talent in the NFL.” And that is a stat no one can argue with.

Now, what you’ve all been waiting for….the names.

2016
*ATH Michael Pittman Jr. – UCLA commit and the son of another former Buc & Super Bowl Champ, NFL RB Michael Pittman (VIDEO)
*S Marquel Dismuke – Cal commit (VIDEO)
*CB Isaiah Hayes – Boise St. commit (VIDEO)
*ATH Khalil Tate (VIDEO)

2017
*WR Keyshawn Johnson Jr. (VIDEO)
*WR Terrell Bynum (VIDEO)
*CB Darnay Holmes (VIDEO)
*CB Jermani Brown (VIDEO)
*QB Tristan Gebbia (VIDEO)

Finally, I definitely want to thank Keyshawn for taking the time to talk with me. He is a busy man but stayed on the phone and just talked about a whole lot for nearly 45 minutes. He certainly did not have to do that. Such a nice guy. I was honored to have that privilege to speak with him. – (Brandon)