Something To Wet Your Whistle

The last few days have not been kind to the psyches of those who religiously follow Oklahoma football recruiting. Casey Thompson committed to Texas. Cameron Rising flipped his commitment to Texas. Ron Tatum committed to Texas. Josh Proctor chose Ohio State. Some guys in the 2019 class figured out they have two more years of high school football left and decided they might want to step back and take a bit more time and use a little more consideration.  Take a deep breath and drink in what I am about to serve you.

Glass of Water #1:

There is still a guy named Baker Mayfield who will line up behind center for the Sooners in 2017. You do remember him, right? Heisman Trophy finalist. 7,665 passing yards and 61 touchdowns in the last two seasons. He is pretty good.

Yes, Mayfield only has one year left and people are pointing to the fact an in-state quarterback, who happens to be an OU legacy is committed to Texas, along with the fact another highly ranked quarterback just ripped out the hearts of Sooner fans and flipped his decision to the Longhorns. What will Oklahoma do at the position starting in 2018? Allow me to introduce you to Kyler Murray. If you watched the OU spring game, and watched it intently, you came away dazzled with Murray. He is so dynamic. He has had a full year in the system and it showed. Sure, he was wearing one of those goofy “QB jerseys” but did anyone really feel like he could have been effectively bottled up by the defense he was facing?

I will admit to being a bit perplexed as to the future of the quarterback position at OU, post-Mayfield. I had faith, and still do, in Austin Kendall. He throws a smooth football and is a good athlete. I think he would be a 2017 starter at a bunch of Power 5 schools. But, Murray has that cliché “it factor”. He was a 5-star coming out of Allen, Texas, and there is little doubt why. He may not have the strongest arm out of the Sooners’ stable of quarterbacks but he makes up for it in ridiculous straight line speed, side-to-side quickness, football IQ, and other intangibles we could talk about for hours.

Simply stated: The quarterback of the future could very well already be on campus wearing jersey #1. Murray is a redshirt sophomore for 2017. That means, even if Mayfield takes every single snap in the Fall, Murray is still on campus for three more years.

Glass of Water #2:

Has OU “missed” on a few big time in-state players lately? Yes, but I put “miss” in quotations simply to point out that the race is far, far from over. Right now, Tom Herman at Texas, is selling personality, location, dreams. He has a very good track record, do not get me wrong, but he has zero to show for it in Austin. If the Longhorns come storming out of the gates this coming season, I will eat my words, but for now it is all just talk. Teenagers get caught up in aesthetics. They are emotional, live in the moment, humans, and always have been but more so in today’s world. As much as OU fans like to dog on Austin, as a city, it is a very cool place and the University of Texas campus has a lot of great features. There are great facilities at universities all across the nation and sometimes people get too wrapped up in those being the deciding factor for recruits.

Simply stated: If OU beats the brakes off the Longhorns in October, there may be a few changes of hearts. Maybe Ron Tatum, Rising, Thompson, and anyone else are truly “in love” with the Longhorn program and the direction Herman seems to be taking them. Wins, however, speak at a much higher volume than handshakes and small talk.

Glass of Water #3:

It is April 2017. It ain’t December. It ain’t February 2018. There is so much time between now and the time the top players from around the country decide where they want to play their college football. Remember Jacob Phillips? OU fans were drooling for five months over the prospect of seeing him in the Crimson and Cream. As an all too painful reminder, he signed with LSU. Have you heard of Levi Draper? Of course you have. He was committed to OSU. He’s in Norman now. CeeDee Lamb de-committed, opened his recruiting back up, then re-committed and he will be in Norman in a month or so.

Simply stated: Do not freak out about the fact OU has lost commitments. I will go on the record right now as saying two of the 2018 in-state guys who are committed elsewhere will end up signing with the Sooners.

Glass of Water #4:

I am certain offensive recruits are being told Lincoln Riley is in his last season in Norman. It is easy to say those sorts of things when there really are no consequences or truth to the statements. For now, Riley is the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners, and one of the more dynamic recruiters in the Big 12 (if not the nation). The OU offense will not be an issue this season, as it was not last year. Riley will be able to sell actual production on the field, instead of having to rely on supposition.

Simply stated: Coaches come and go. If a young man is choosing/not choosing a program based on the fact a certain coach is or is not there, he will end up being disappointed in many cases. While that is a shame, it is the nature of the beast. I believe, however, Riley is staying put in Norman for at least a few more seasons.