Weekend Open Post | April 11th – 13th
Posted on: April 11, 2025
Working Visitor List | Crimson Combine Week
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 10, 2025
The Sooners are scheduled to have a bunch of recruits on campus over the next few days.
Here is our working list of expected visitors in the class of ’26 who hold OU offers.
As always, this is not a final list or complete list, it is just a working list. Some names will be added, some will not make it in…it’s the way of the world.
There will also be numerous recruits in the ’26 class who do not hold OU offers at this time, as well as recruits in the 2027 class on hand.
2026 Offers/Commits
QB Jaden O’Neal – Mustang OK – OU Commit
RB Tyson Robinson – Brandon, MS
OL Breck Kolojay – Bradenton, FL
OL Carter Scruggs – Leesburg, VA
DT Valdin Sone – Dyke, VA
DE Jake Kreul – Bradenton, FL
DE Luke Wafle – Princeton,, NJ
LB Jakore Smith – Little Rock, AR
DB Kaiden Hall – Milton, FL
DB Markel Ford – Mesquite, TX
ATH Jalen Lott – Frisco, TX
Mateer in the SEC | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: April 8, 2025
A question we’ve been asking is how good can Mateer be in the SEC. He was excellent last year, but will obviously level up in terms of the kinds of defenses he will say.
As long as the defense remains good, the Sooners don’t need an all-world performance from their offense. They just need a solid to good offense. As one source noted earlier this week, if the Sooners had gotten much of anything out of their offense last year they would’ve won eight or nine games.
I spoke to folks on the OU side, as well as someone from a staff that faced Mateer last year.
I’ll share the notes from last year’s opponent in a later post.
As for the OU side, as I’ve said before, they’ve been very optimistic about what they’ve seen. However, to their credit, they’ve remained reserved.
But I think recently, Mateer is starting to really show them why Arbuckle wanted Mateer by his side.
One source said that Mateer will be at least a top-three quarterback in the SEC, if not a top-two quarterback. I think they have Nussmeier as the leading quarterback in the SEC, but as a source noted, Nussmeier doesn’t have Mateer’s running ability.
Sources have talked about how Mateer’s stature and strength, when coupled with his explosiveness, make him tough to contend with in the run game. But I think lately, the staff is starting to see Mateer open things up and get creative with his sidearm throws and whatnot.
Supremely critical that the Sooners have some guys for Mateer to throw to because it certainly sounds like they’ve got a pretty good shot at having a formidable QB.
Wide Receiver Room | Just Cannot Explain It
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 8, 2025
The Sooners’ wide receiver group has been hit hard by injuries, especially in the 2024 season, and now, we are seeing the ripple effect into the 2025 calendar year. Many, myself included, have never seen one position group on a team incur such a high number of serious injuries over such a short period of time.
Jalil Farooq: Broke his foot in the 2024 opener against Temple, missing two months, and struggled to return fully.
Deion Burks: Leading receiver in 2024 (26 catches, 201 yards, 3 TDs), sidelined by a soft tissue injury from the Tennessee game, missing multiple contests.
Nic Anderson: Missed nearly all of 2024 due to a quad strain from preseason, re-injured later.
Andrel Anthony: After a 2023 ACL tear, played minimally in 2024 before needing knee cleanup surgery.
Jayden Gibson: Knee injury in 2024 fall camp ended his season before it began.
These injuries gutted the 2024 depth chart, forcing freshmen and backups into action. Many of these players (Anderson, Anthony, Farooq) transferred out post-2024, leaving Burks and Gibson as key returnees.
New transfers and freshmen have arrived ahead of the 2025 season, but once again, the injury bug has reared its ugly head as Javonnie Gibson, who was THE standout in the wide receiver room in the spring, has gone down with a lower leg injury and could miss a significant chunk of time. Also, Isaiah Sategna will miss the rest of spring ball with a lesser injury and Ivan Carreon and Zion Ragins have missed chunks of time this spring.
The physical nature of football games and practices is one thing, but the sheer number of injuries to one position group at Oklahoma is alarming, to say the least.
Wide receivers face brutal hits while catching passes, tackling, or landing awkwardly. Foot (Farooq), knee (Gibson, Anthony), and soft tissue (Burks, Anderson) injuries stem from high-speed collisions and sudden movements, and some may say they are worsened by SEC-level competition.
Oklahoma’s intense practice habits under Brent Venables mimic game conditions with contact drills, and over the years, we have seen no letdown in the way the team practices from day one of spring ball to the last practice of the season.
Fall camp and spring practices often lead to injuries—Gibson’s knee and Anderson’s quad issues originated here. The position’s demands, cutting, jumping, sprinting, strain the bodies relentlessly. Now, you have Javonnie Gibson get injured while reportedly blocking and getting rolled up on.
So, while there have been so many injuries, there really is not one common denominator among them. You have had WRs injured in non-contact scenarios. You have had WRs injured during games. You have had WRs injured during intense practices. You have had freak injuries that occurred during games where there was no contact leading to the injury.
Last season, I wrote a couple of pieces about the physical nature of playing football under Brent Venables. I wish I could point back to those write-ups and make some kind of connection to the injury woes that the wide receiver room continues to find itself in the throes of, but I really cannot.
Suddenly, the wide receiver position has likely moved up the board on Jim Nagy’s priority shopping list in the upcoming spring portal, with both the Gibsons (Jayden and Javonnnie) likely remaining on the shelf for some time.
Nagy’s Philosophy | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: April 10, 2025
Here are some things I’ve heard regarding elements of Nagy’s recruiting and evaluation process. These things very much align with my beliefs, as well.
***Don’t pay for poor players! As I told you recently, the 2026 class is being reevaluated by the new personnel staff. This, of course, is being done in conjunction with the coaches. Nagy knows they are coming close to revenue sharing era (September). There isn’t going to be endless money to spend. Teams are going to live and die, in large part, by how well they evaluate. His first principle is be detailed so you don’t end up paying for players that can’t contribute.
***I am told that the coaches really like Nagy and like his approach and feel supported in the process. They obviously don’t want to miss on players. It’s nice to have someone working through it with you.
***Nagy puts a big emphasis on retention. So they would rather miss on a good player than take a poor player – at least that’s the way I’ve understood it. So the next step becomes, emphasizing retaining guys as opposed to fishing in the portal.
***Big emphasis on respect for the team. This fits with BV’s philosophy. Nagy also believes culture matters.
***Part of the retention argument, I’ve been told (and I totally agree with), is that it costs a lot less to keep most guys than it does to go get them. You know your guys and they know you, so it’s less risk. But also, you’re not competing with as many programs and you have some non-monetary benefits. Let me flesh that out…
***A talented guy who is at your school may take 20% or so less to stay because he figures, 800K at OU where he has friends, he knows his teammates, he might have a gal, he knows the scheme, he knows the town etc is better than facing all the unknowns for that one million.
***It’s all simple, I know, but trust me when I tell you…a lot of people don’t get it. As they say, common sense isn’t that common.
***I have been very encouraged by what I’ve heard about Nagy. I was a little concerned with how things would go between the personnel staff and the coaches, given BV is handing over some power to the personnel guys. But, again, I have heard only good things.
TFB Randoms | Recruiting Notes and Portal Talk
– Charlie S – Posted on: April 10, 2025
Couple random recruiting and portal notes here…
***First, the Sooners will be hosting a bunch of guys over the coming days. Two standout visitors are EDGE Jake Kreul (IMG Academy) and OL Breck Kolojay (IMG Academy).
***Kolojay is interesting as he is taking an official visit this weekend, which is something we have not seen under Brent Venables (taking an OV on the traditional spring game weekend). I like it as it shows OU is willing to be flexible in order to get these guys on campus. Kolojay is a guy who is taking a ton of visits and has been at Georgia a bunch of times, so OU will have their work cut out for them to get fully in the mix, but this weekend could go a long way in that regard.
***Kreul is a name you all know and are familiar with. He has been a priority for OU and Miguel Chavis from the jump. The Sooners continue to be in a good position here and you have to love the fact that Kreul will be on campus multiple times this spring/summer as he will likely be taking an official visit to Norman in June.
***Onto the portal and the sudden need for established wide receiver(s), First, Terrill Davis (6’ 200) (UCO) is a name worth keeping in mind as the portal season is almost upon us. Davis has been a standout at UCO and the Sooners are aware of him. Davis had 109 receptions LAST SEASON for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns. Again, this was D2 production, but it wasn’t that long ago when fans doubted a kid named Javonnie Gibson who had 70 receptions for a small school, and now the sky has fallen because he may miss some time. Again, just a name to keep on the radar at this time, as OU does have some interest there.
***In regard to the possibility of Trejan Bridges making a return to Norman. As I said yesterday morning before any of that noise was put out there…no. I reached out to my own sources around OU and asked James to check with some of his contacts about even the possibility of Bridges and OU being a thing going forward, and both of us came back with pretty solid ‘not happening’ conclusions. As I said yesterday, I’m happy for Trejan and hope he gets another chance at a bigger program than UCA. I enjoy the relationships with the people around him, and man, second chances are great, but it just is not likely to take place at OU.
Good Question on Impact of Revenue Sharing
– Super K – Posted on: April 10, 2025
In the previous post, RDC asked how revenue sharing will change or “limit the current insanity.”
Very good question, and I thought it’s worth a separate post to address it.
First, it may very well not, but…
There will be an NCAA clearing house set up to distinguish between true market rate NIL vs what is deemed inducement or pay to play.
I’ve reviewed some NIL contracts, and they are clearly pay-to-play. It’s not even a close call.
The clause in the contract will say something like 50K for 20 autographs. The source of funding is the boosters.
I’m told that these kinds of things won’t pass the NCAA scrutiny. Judgments will be made on market rates. It’s important to understand the degree to which these current contracts are so out of proportion to any rational judgment of a market rate. Why?
Because, even if the NCAA is very lenient here, it will still severely limit a lot of the current activity.
In speaking to personnel guys, they are fully operating under the belief that this is the last cycle of a free-for-all. Again, no one knows for certain. But the impression I get is that the schools have seen enough from the NCAA that behind the scenes, staffs are preparing for more stable conditions where you’ll need to be really good at using a more limited budget.
You should hear some of the numbers that are going out to players right now. Because schools feel this is the last chance to pay whatever they want, some programs are taking it to another level.
But, again, that is because they are operating under the impression that come September, they’ll be in a new, more limited financial regime.
