The Football Brainiacs

We’ll try to keep updating this as we get more info on recruit reactions from this weekend

– Jamal Danley: Most of you know by now that Danley committed late last night. That should leave one more spot on the offensive line for Jalin Barnett.

– Josh Wariboko: I did see Wariboko and his brother Max at the game. I’ve talked to some sources around him and apparently Wariboko is still interested in perhaps leaving Oklahoma. Not sure there will be a spot saved for Wariboko anyway.

– Will Sunderland: As most you also know, Will Sunderland pulled the trigger this past weekend. That means there is one (maximum of two) safety spots left.

– Anthony McKee: Anthony McKee made it in and had a great time! He’s already made it back to Ohio. He left early this morning. I asked him if a commitment to Oklahoma could be coming soon and he said, “I’m really thinking about it…like forreal I love it up there”. Needless to say OU made a major impression on him.

– Rahshaun Smith: Caught up with the stud 2016 OLB/DE and it’s clear OU is sitting very high on his list right now. You’ll recall that Smith is old friends with Charles Tapper and is from Baltimore as well. Rahshaun loved the visit and loved the defensive front. He said he loved how comfortable everything is in terms of the proximity of everything. But the special connection he has to Oklahoma led to this great quote, “It’s easier for me to see myself playing here because I can see it through Charles’ (Tapper) eyes so I have a clear picture that I can be successful here”. He didn’t say OU leads but he didn’t shy away from it when I asked him if they do. He also said he has the best relationship of all the college coaches that are recruiting him (and there are a lot) with coach Montgomery.

– Neville Gallimore: I’ll try to catch up with Neville and his coach later but one of our regular sources spoke to Neville and Neville told our source that OU was now his top school. Again, we’ll try to have more info on Neville later but it’s hard to imagine that Neville wasn’t thoroughly impressed after watching that defensive front. Neville was thought to be a bit of an Ohio State lean before this trip but with his relationship with coach Montgomery and the momentum OU has…and the lack thereof for tOSU…I’m not surprised to hear that OU made the jump.

– Cassius Peat: Cassius sent us the picture below. Cassius clearly had a great time. He told me he, “loved it!” Cassius said “it was an awesome experience for my first visit” and said the pass rush really stood out to him. He did say that he’s still going to take more visits so I don’t expect a decision to come soon but OU definitely made a big time impression. Peat has told me in the past he’d love to visit multiple times and given his family’s resources that can definitely happen.

Kendall Sheffield: I did see Kendall Sheffield at the game last night so I can confirm he was there. However, I didn’t get a chance to catch up with him and to be honest I don’t anticipate being able to. Only thing I can tell y’all is that he was there and his father was actually wearing an OU hoody…if that means anything haha.

Justin Reid: I did talk to Justin last night at the game but we really didn’t talk recruiting so I’ll try to catch up with him shortly. I know Drake spoke to him as well so hopefully he will have an update. I was told by a source that Justin is very high on OU and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say OU leads.

UPDATE (2:11 pm): I talked to Drake and he had a chance to spend some time with Justin Red yesterday. Said Justin appeared to be having a great time. Justin said the atmosphere was amazing. Also when Drake asked Justin if he was “liking OU right now”, Justin responded by saying, “that’s an understatement!”

UPDATE (2:14 pm): Madre Harper: 2016 CB, Madre Harper who we mentioned in the Open Post did indeed make it to the game. Alex King caught up with him. Here are Alex’s notes on Harper:

He really enjoyed the visit and said it made him want to suit up and play. Said that he (Madre) and Mike Stoops spoke quite a bit and Stoops told him that he’ll try to make it down for a game in a couple weeks when OU has a bye. Madre’s parents also said they enjoyed the visit and wouldn’t mind coming back.

UPDATE (2:17 pm): Interesting recruit that was in attendance yesterday was Carl Albert’s Dillon Lohr. I personally find this interesting because perhaps they are looking at this big athlete as a potential inside linebacker.

UPDATE (2:18 pm): Was able to exchange a couple messages with Keisean South. South said he was on the plane and getting ready to depart so hopefully I’ll be able to get more for y’all later. But he did say, “the trip was great!” He did tweet out a number of pictures including the one below with the caption “with the man”. If I’m OU I’m watching my back at the end of the season. Coach Jerry Montgomery’s value to this team has been astronomical in my estimation.

UPDATE (8:55 pm): Shane Buechele: Alex caught up with OU’s 2016 QB target, Shane Buechele. Buechele said the visit went very well. He had a lot of fun. He and Heupel spoke extensively before and after the game. Apparently Buechele’s mother really liked the visit as well and her and Heupel seemed to click. In general the visit went as well as it could. Not sure yet on a commitment timetable but I’ll ask Alex to check on that.

UPDATE (9:00 pm): Haven’t gotten in touch with Deberry but we spoke to a source and were told that “OU will be there at the end”. Also was told that Deberry’s father really likes Oklahoma and that if he had to choose for his son, it would likely be OU.

UPDATE (9:35 pm): Just got off the phone with Keisean Lucier-South and all I can say is “wow”. Did not expect him to be that high on OU but he really raved about it. He told me that he liked it so much that it surprised even him. He said one of things that stood out that you don’t necessarily find at schools like UCLA and USC is the way the whole town gets behind the program and is built around the football team.

He also said that he really enjoyed spending time with the players. Chuka was his host and it sounds like those guys did a great job of recruiting Keisean. South also said that he has a great connection with Jerry Montgomery, and while coach Kish is one of the people recruiting him, his strongest connection on the staff is with coach Montgomery.

In talking to Keisean about Oklahoma you get the sense that he was just really really excited about the atmosphere and the trip in general. I asked him if going far away from home would be a problem and he said not at all. He said the remaining trips he plans on taking are Michigan, Oregon and perhaps Florida. Obviously Eric Striker’s pass rush ability made a big impression on him. He’s being recruited to play the stand up LB position and he said that’s where he wants to play. It seems Michigan (another school he is high on) is actually recruiting him to play weakside defensive end in their even front. He said that doesn’t necessarily weaken their pitch to him but he did say that he prefers standing up.

To end the conversation Keisean said that OU will be there in the end. Again, it was really clear in talking to him that he had a fantastic time and OU put themselves firmly in the small group of schools he’s seriously considering. Lastly, I have to tell y’all this is one impressive young man to talk to. He’s clearly very intelligent and thoughtful. I was thoroughly impressed with him and the way he seems to carry himself. Add his quickness and great length and you have a very complete football player.

UPDATE (Mon., 9:37 am): Cassius Peat sent me another pic that he really liked and thought y’all would like from his trip this weekend. Again, Cassius still has some trips to take but OU is in this one strong. This weekend couldn’t have gone much better. And Striker’s play on the field, his intensity, his name, etc. is unbelievably valuable.

UPDATE (Mon., 9:42 am): Just getting back home from Norman but had a chance to chat with Justin Reid early this morning. As I had heard (and mentioned above) the visit went amazingly well. The exact words he used were, “it was pretty sick” and “I loved it”. I got a sense that Justin was tempted to commit. In fact I asked him point blank why he didn’t since he seemed to enjoy the visit so much and he said, “My dad wants me to wait and take all my visits before I commit.”

UPDATE (Mon., 3:28 pm): Just got off the phone with someone VERY close to Neville Gallimore and he made no bones about it. OU leads. Was told the visit wasn’t just “good” it was “good good good”. I’ll likely have more later in this week but wanted to pass this along.

 

As I get more updates I’ll add them here…