The Football Brainiacs

Image of Kobe Boyce via Texas Redzone Report

– Ceedee Lamb: Let’s start with most important news of the day and that is the pending commitment announcement coming from former 2017 OU wide receiver commit Cedarian Lamb. The Foster HS (Richmond, TX) standout is expected to make his announcement around 6:30pm CT.

Having spoken to numerous sources around Lamb, not to mention Lamb himself, TFB feels good about where the Sooners stand heading into this evening.

Lamb has been adamant about his decision coming down to OU and Texas A&M. Speaking to a couple of people around the Aggies, their confidence in landing Lamb is definitely waning. Lamb has also maintained that even after his decision to decommit, his relationship with OU outside wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons has remained strong.

Lastly, Lamb has an outstanding relationship most, if not all, of the current #SoonerSquad17. Speaking with a couple OU commits about Lamb, TFB was told that he (Lamb) never left their group chats, whether it be on Twitter DM or text messages.

Will that ultimately mean anything? Looks like we’ll find out later tonight. – (Brandon)

– Kobe Boyce: The Sooners are in search of at least one other defensive back in this 2017 class following Trajan Bandy’s decommitment. And while we know Jeffrey Okudah remains at the top of OU’s wish list, 2017 Lake Dallas DB & Texas commit Kobe Boyce has also become a top priority for this OU staff.

And despite the aforementioned commitment to Texas, Boyce is expected to be in Norman this weekend for the Sooners’ big recruiting BBQ. Interestingly enough, Boyce has also shared with TFB the BBQ may not be his only trip to Norman as he is also working to arrange an official visit later down the road as well.

But back to the BBQ, Boyce told TFB he will probably head up to Norman with OU commits Robert Barnes, Jalen Reagor & Charleston Rambo. Boyce is close with Barnes and Rambo, both of whom he says have been working to flip the talented CB to the right side of the Red River.

Boyce has been recruited by OU for a while, but it’s pretty clear the coaches have turned up the heat as of late. In fact, according to Boyce none other than Bob Stoops himself has taken a bigger role in his recruitment.

“Bob Stoops is cool. He asks about how I’ve been and just makes sure everything is straight. He has also been making sure I’m going to be at the BBQ, even though he knows I’ll be there. I also talk with Coach Cooks quite a bit,” Boyce said.

Boyce’s recruitment is one both OU and Texas fans should be follow closely as it things look to be somewhat fluid at this point. – (Brandon)

– Anthony Hines: Last week I (Brandon) hinted at a ‘huge’ visitor possibly being added to the list for the recruiting BBQ on July 29th. And 2017 LB Anthony Hines was that recruit. However, we have since learned that Hines has yet to officially decide whether or not he’ll be in Norman for the BBQ. Although we have learned Hines is expected to make that decision around the middle of this week.

And while the plans for this weekend are still up in the air, the importance placed on a potential visit is still key. Primarily because according to some of the people we’ve spoken with, Hines has a tentative plan to announce a commitment prior to his senior season. Now that could certainly change, but the fact a decision timeline is at least somewhat starting to come into the picture with Hines could indicate he is beginning to narrow things down.

OU should feel good about where they stand with Hines and those around the program feel exactly that way. Hines is suppose to be an early enrollee, so even if he doesn’t decide prior to his season a decision would likely come shortly thereafter. – (Brandon)

– Addison Gumbs: 2017 OLB/DE Addison Gumbs (Heyward, CA) was expected to announce his commitment earlier this summer, but has since pushed back his announcement multiple times. Last TFB spoke with Gumbs, he didn’t have any specific timeline for a commitment and simply said he will announce when he’s ready.

I (K) have long felt OU was in the drivers seat here and have yet to really hear anything to the contrary. But I can’t help to think there might be a school closer to home that is causing Gumbs to possibly second guess things. In speaking with someone close to Gumbs, I was told that if there is a school contending for his commitment it would be UCLA.

If the Sooners were to miss on Gumbs, I’d really like to see them go after Jalen Harris (VIDEO) from Arizona. I believe strongly that Harris is going to be special at the next level. – (Super K)

– K’Lavon Chaisson: We don’t want to cause a frenzy here so please be sure to read our words carefully.

There are some folks around the OU program that believe 2017 DE K’Lavon Chaisson may be close to pulling the trigger. And that perhaps it could happen as early as this weekend (July 29th), although at this point he is NOT expected to be in Norman for the BBQ (it’s possible, however, that could change later in the week).

Again, we are NOT reporting a commitment is a certainty. Simply noting that there is a feeling around the program it could possibly happen. One source told TFB, “K’Lavon is really close (to committing).”

We also spoke with one of Chaisson’s high school coaches, who could not speak to when a commitment will happen. But also would not rule out the possibility of a decision coming before the end of the summer. Just something to be on the lookout for. – (Super K)

– Patrick Fields: In early June, Oklahoma held their annual elite camp.  And during that camp one name kept being brought up as a player that solidified himself as one of the best in prospects in the 2018 OK Preps class. That player was Tulsa Union defensive back, Patrick Fields.

Fields possesses the size of a safety with the footwork of a corner back. Watching Fields at the OU camp was just so impressive in how he dominated all the receivers, no matter their size and/or speed. Fields is a constant worker at his craft, training 3-4 times a week on his footwork. This camp season it has shown just how much that hard work has paid off, too.

Fields went to TCU camp last week and impressed yet again. So much so the Horned Frog staff invited Fields back for an unofficial visit the following weekend, at which point they extended Fiedls an offer.

TFB had a chance to catch up with Fields, who is planning to be at the BBQ, following that TCU offer to get a sense of where things currently stand. Among other things, Feidls said he spoke with OU assistant Chip Viney just last week. “Everytime we talk it’s for at least an hour,” Fields said of his relationship with Viney.

After which the conversation turned to his thoughts on the Sooners in general. “I’m definitely interested in OU. The whole SoonerSquad17 deal just brings a lot of swagger to their recruiting. And I don’t mean to get ahead of myself, but I’d be kind of frustrated if OU slow plays me,” Fields explained.

Oklahoma is the program Fields seems to have the most interest in among those who have yet to offer. Although Ok State, Texas and Arkansas are also contenders as well. p a fan of those schools. – (Brandon)