Weekend Open Post | August 23rd – 25th
Posted on: August 23, 2024
Takeaway From Fall Camp | Program Wise
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 19, 2024
Fall camp has wrapped up and the Sooners are getting back in the classroom and their practices will be focused on game prep over the next 10 days.
This has been a very different fall camp than in the previous two years under Brent Venables in regard to access to the team for the media, and one thing is clear…
Brent Venables does not care about anyone’s feelings.
I love it.
Over the course of the previous two years, Venables and OU have been very media friendly. They had allowed extended period of media viewing sessions and held extensive press gatherings.
This year, there were two very limited media viewing sessions of the team, a couple brief meetings with Brent himself, and a fair amount of player availability sessions.
OU held three scrimmages or live periods. One was pretty normal which allowed family members and some close to the program to attend the practice but the later two were closed practices where very few eyes outside of the program were able to be in attendance.
Again, I love it.
The Sooners are heading into the SEC, which is a much deeper conference from week to week and they have work to do. Brent Venables has made it clear, he is doing all he can to get his team developed and focused on the task at hand. He is not interested in anything other than his team right now and he doesn’t have time for hurt feelings.
We have mentioned throughout summer and fall camp that the Sooners were tightening things up and focusing on keeping the main thing the main thing. We previously talked about a conversation with Nick Saban that took place where Saban basically said when he was coaching, he didn’t give a hoot about anything outside the walls of his program and that was one of the secrets to his success.
As the season approaches, one thing is certain, the head man is more concerned about doing everything he can to make this season a success than he is with winning the award for being the best host when it comes to access to his team.
Brent clearly knows this is a results based business, and those results are the only thing he wants his team to be focused on.
Who Might the Country Know at the end of the Season
– Super K – Posted on: August 20, 2024
The country already knows names like Billy Bowman, Danny Stutsman, Deion Burks, Ethan Downs and others.
I was thinking about the guys that we’ve talked about on here that aren’t known throughout the country but might be known by the end of the season.
At each position…
QB: People already know Jackson Arnold. So, if there ends up being a known player that we aren’t anticipating then that likely means something really bad happened. So, I’ve got no one here.
WR: We’ve mentioned many times that the staff really likes Bauer Sharp so I’m going with him.
RB: Think we will finally see Sawchuk and Barnes get some name recognition.
OL: The world doesn’t know the Jakes (Sexton and Taylor). I think one or both will be known by the end of the season.
DB: Continue to hear good things about Kani Walker but I think there are a lot of options here but there are also a lot of known commodities.
LB: This one probably depends on if anyone can get out of Stutsman shadow. There is a ton of talent but Stutsman casts such a large shadow, I doubt most know anyone other than Stutsman. I’ll guess Kip Lewis here but I could see Kanak or McKinzie putting their name in lights, as well.
DE: I’m going to go with R Mason here. Folks are talking about Downs and the younger guys for good reason. But I know that the staff sees R Mason as a draft pick kind of guy if he can stay healthy.
DT: I’ll say Terry here though he is probably a bit known already. I think he’s going to benefit from lining up next to Damonic Williams.
Update | ’25 DL Commit Floyd Boucard
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 20, 2024
***Yesterday, some members of the community brought news of Sooners defensive line commit Floyd Boucard telling a Florida Outlet that he was interested in officially visiting the Gators this season.
***We did some digging and spoke to sources in the building at Florida to get their take on the situation. Source says that Florida is working to get Boucard on campus, but nothing has been set up at this time.
***As I mentioned yesterday, kids sometimes say the darndest things, and it is often the case that a recruit who is being interviewed by a reporter from a certain program will say things that they think the reporter wants to hear.
***I am not saying Boucard is not going to visit, but let’s allow that to get set before we vote him off the island.
***Should Boucard notify Bates and Venables that he plans on visiting Florida, I would expect them to convey the message that they (OU) will also dip their toes back in the dating pool. I would not expect them to force a public decommitment, but they would certainly be continuing to look at their options.
Quick Hitter | Positive Steps for Andrel Anthony
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 20, 2024
The media met with Brent Venables this evening and James will have a full rundown on it tomorrow, but one note that stood out was on OU wide receiver Andrel Anthony.
Venables said Anthony is no longer required to wear the brace he had been sporting as he recovers from ACL surgery. Venables added that Anthony has no limits at this time and he has looked good.
If you have followed along, I posted a note on his pretty amazing recovery back on July 2nd, in which I wrote:
“Sounds like Andrel Anthony has reached a place in his recovery that is very encouraging for him, the team and the staff.
Source tells me things are trending very well for him to have a real chance of being able to be a full go by the time the season kicks-off, barring any set backs of course.
Jackson Arnold will take all the weapons he can get.”
It appears that Anthony will be available at the very least…now if he plays much against Temple, that will be another question, but his progression bodes well for the Sooners.
OU Season Record Prediction
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 21, 2024
The Sooners kickoff their season next Friday in a home game against Temple…which means it is prediction time!
Team 130 leads the OU football program into the SEC and they drew one of the most difficult schedules in the nation.
Here is how I see the season playing out for Oklahoma.
I will include my prediction for each game and how confident I am in that prediction:
Fri, Aug 30 vs Temple – OU – 99.9%
Sat, Sep 7 vs Houston – OU – 95%
Sat, Sep 14 vs Tulane – OU – 90%
Sat, Sep 21 vs Tennessee – OU – 51%
Sat, Sep 28 @ Auburn – OU – 55%
Sat, Oct 12 vs Texas – OU – 55%
Sat, Oct 19 vs South Carolina – OU – 75%
Sat, Oct 26 @ Ole Miss – Ole Miss – 65%
Sat, Nov 2 vs Maine – OU – 99.9%
Sat, Nov 9 @ Missouri – OU – 58%
Sat, Nov 23 vs Alabama – Bama – 65%
Sat, Nov 30 @ LSU – LSU – 55%
So I have the Sooners going 9-3.
I’m about the hedge the hell out of this…I do have to say the Tennessee/Auburn back to back entrance scares the hell out of me (hence the really low number on confidence against Tennessee) and we all know anything can happen against Texas. The Auburn game feels like a nasty trap game, particularly if OU does get the win over Tennessee.
For most of the offseason, I have been sitting at 8-4. What changed there for me? Nothing really except looking at the games on an individual basis and fully understanding that as of right now, OU has the personnel to win every game on it’s schedule. But…with how difficult the schedule is, there is a very real path to 7-5 built in.
I choose to believe that the most difficult game on the schedule COULD be the LSU game at the end of the year, but that could also be not nearly as intimidating as it may be if the LSU defense still stinks.
Bama is the only team on the schedule, in my opinion, that has a clear talent advantage.
No matter how you slice it, this will be a very interesting and exciting year!
Sooners Level the Playing Field | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: August 22, 2024
Make no mistake, up until fairly recently the Sooners were playing from behind in the NIL game.
The Sooners have good recruiters on staff but for the early going in the NIL era, they were at a major disadvantage.
That is no longer the case and you are seeing the results.
I have been talking to various contacts connected with different recruits, transfers and current players and I can tell you that the Sooners have absolutely elevated their NIL game.
I know we’ve mentioned this before but in recent weeks, it’s become clear to me that the Sooners are in an even better position than I had thought.
They’re just not being outbid right now. And if you aren’t outbidding OU then OU’s coaches can win in a fair fight.
Something that occurred to me related to this, is how this should come as a massive relief to the OU fan base not just for what it means today but what it means in the future.
There was this question if the Sooners as a blue blood legacy program could be threatened by a rapidly changing CFB recruiting dynamic that would price them out of the stratosphere they are accustomed to.
I can tell you, after hearing some of the numbers, I wouldn’t be too worried about it.
If Brent does well, then the Sooners should continue to roll. But if Brent stumbles, then the next coach will be set up for success. That’s always been how OU and their elite administration do things. They rely on building a robust system that isn’t contingent on any one person.
Based on what my sources are telling me, they once again seem to have responded well to this new era.
Quick Name to Potentially Know | Recruiting
– Charlie S – Posted on: August 22, 2024
Following yesterday’s commitment from Michael Fasusi, one of the most asked questions was “What’s next for the ’25 class?”
My answer was “Really, it looks like OU continues to try for LB Christian Jones and then keep an eye on the landscape for ‘best available who has an interest in us” for a TE/IDL/EDGE and maybe keep a couple WRs on the back burner.”
Last night I came up with a name at EDGE who is talking with Oklahoma.
JUCO EDGE Odera Okaka (6’4 235), out of the College of San Mateo tells me he has been in touch with Zac Alley and Miguel Chavis. No offer has been extended yet, but he did recently pick up an offer from Penn State and Cal, so if the Sooners are going to be players here, chances are they will want to get in soon to be near the front of the line.
Okaka was credited with 41 tackles and 3 sacks last year according to the San Mateo website.
Right now, this is nothing more than a name to know, but there likely will be a handful of guys like this as the season progresses who pop onto the Sooners radar. It is a nice luxury to have as the ’25 class is largely completed even before the season has started.
Having the class largely intact at this point of the year eases the work load for the staff and allows them to focus the majority of their recruiting efforts on retaining the guys currently in the class as well as getting a ump on the ’26 class without having to worry about beating doors down in the ’25 class.
