The Football Brainiacs

Image of Dahu Green via OU Football Facebook

– JK Dobbins: In case you missed it, 2017 RB & OU offer JK Dobbins (La Grange, TX) committed to Ohio State over the weekend. TFB Texas’ Andrew spoke with someone close to Dobbins regarding the commitment and his recruitment as a whole:

*Dobbins committed sight unseen as he has yet to actually visit Ohio State. However the Buckeyes offer was one he had wanted for some time.

*Dobbins’ mother will play a big role in the final decision, which is why many believe there is a decent chance this commitment may not stick. Distance is expected to be a factor for Dobbins and his family.

*Dobbins is planning to visit Ohio State later this spring, and there are plans to visit several other schools as well. Another factor in Dobbins’ recruitment is that he plans to graduate early. – (Andrew & Super K)

– Spring Practice Notes: As you all know, the Sooners began their first two days of spring practice over the weekend. We’ve had a chance to speak with a couple sources and wanted share with you some of what we were told.

Ed. Note – This will also serve in place of positional previews for the defensive side of the ball. However should you have any questions regarding that side of the ball that may not be addressed below, please feel free to post them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them.

*In news that will surprise no one, Baker Mayfield looks as sharp as ever and showed no effect of rust from the offseason. Additionally, Austin Kendall has been a bit of a surprise in that he’s very poised for a true freshman and ‘throws a pretty ball.’

*Jeffery Mead is another name we heard quite a bit coming out of the weekend. It’s pretty clear, even going back to late in the 2015 season, the staff is giving him every opportunity to prove he can be a factor in this offense. Dahu Green also made several plays through the first couple of practices, beating press coverage pretty easily and coming up with a nice catch for a big gain on one particular play. One source said, “Green is just very physical. He uses his hands well and fights for position.”

*It should also come as no surprise that Mark Andrews continues to impress. Believe we’ve mentioned it before on the site, but we continue to hear the game is slowing down for him and as he becomes more comfortable and confident in the offense. The phrase ‘playing without thinking’ is what we’ve been told.

*As mentioned above, Green had a good weekend but AD Miller is coming along as well. Didn’t hear much about him regarding the first practice, but was told Miller had a better day on Sunday. Evidently he made a nice play for a touchdown, going up and over Jordan Thomas to haul in the catch.

*The offensive line lineup was as we mentioned on Friday: Orlando Brown (LT), Cody Ford (LG), Jonathan Alvaraz (C), Jamal Danley (RG) & Dru Samia (RT). Didn’t get a ton of feedback regarding the o-line other than one source’s opinion on the group as a whole. “They will be better than last year’s group. The interior guys are more athletic, and the edge guys are more experienced.”

*We have also been able to confirm a report from 247’s OU Insider regarding a position change for Hatari Byrd, who has evidently now moved from safety to linebacker. We checked with a source as to how the transition has gone thus far. “He (Byrd) is still learning right now, but he will be fine once he gets it figured out. He’s a big and athletic. He’s not covering much right now, just filling holes. I think he can be pretty good.”

*Couple notes on the LB position. As expected Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has taken over the starting stand up LB spot and made a nice play in Sunday’s practice to record a sack for the defense. The coaches are going to be smart about just how much the let him do, but Jordan Evans did get a limited amount of work through the first couple practices. Also as expected, redshirt sophomore Tay Evans is running with the first team defense in Dom Alexander’s old spot.

*Austin Roberts was running at second team defensive end, while Matt Dimon & D.J. Ward were rotating at the other DE spot.

*One person we spoke with came away from the first couple practices speaking very highly of Jordan Thomas. “He’s just so technically sound. And he’s playing harder than ever, more detailed than ever.” To that point, we were told Thomas pulled in an interception on both Saturday and Sunday.

*Dakota Austin and PJ Mbanasor continue to fight for the starting cornerback spot opposite Thomas. One source said, “Austin is just so scrappy. He doesn’t have the size, but he fights the receiver the whole way down the field. The problem is he struggles in the red zone because of his size.” To illustrate this point, on Sunday apparently Mead caught an easy touchdown pass over Austin in the red zone.

With respect to Mbanasor, we’re told he has taken a considerable step forward in terms of his technique. Apparently he had a great Saturday practice, but did give up a TD pass in the back of the end zone to Penn St grad transfer Geno Lewis during Sunday’s practice.

*Positive early reviews on sophomore defensive back Kahlil Haughton, who continues to play primarily in OU’s dime package. “Consistent” is what we continue to be told with respect to Haughton. And while it doesn’t appear likely that Haughton unseats Ahmad Thomas as a starter, he could certainly give OU an extra cover guy and depth at safety. It may still be a year away considering the guys in front of him, but there are a bunch of people in and around the program who firmly believe Haughton has a very bright future.