Weekend Open Post | February 28th – March 2nd
Posted on: February 28, 2025
Sourced Team Note | Signs of Life at Tight End
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 24, 2025
Was talking to a source this weekend about how winter workouts are going and stumbled across what I feel is a pretty solid note for y’all.
I was asking about the 7v7 and how things are going and source brought up how well Sooners tight end Davon Mitchell is moving. So I asked for a bit more info on Mitchell and source had some pretty positive things to say.
Was told Davon is a ‘completely different dude this winter’ when compared to last year. As you know, at the end of last season, Davon himself mentioned that he did not put himself in a position to succeed and lacked some maturity.
Source said right now, Davon is always on time for his group (workouts) and more importantly, off the field, he has been taking care of things he needs to (like eating right and focusing on academics and his other responsibilities).
Lastly, source said the difference in his physical appearance is stark when looking back. The gains are real and it’s starting to show up for him.
Now, this is not an indication of where he will be on the depth chart, but it is a good note that corroborates the idea that this team is still very much bought in and working hard. Also, it’s always nice to hear positive news about a dude who is taking charge of his own trajectory and working to be the best he can be.
Sooners Offer ’26 DL and Immediately Get a Visit Set
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 25, 2025
Last night the Sooners extended an offer to 2026 defensive tackle Brian Harris (6’4 290) out of Jacksonville, Florida.
I caught up with Harris right after he tweeted out his offer and he let me know that he does not play on wasting any time in getting out to Norman for a visit and the plan is for him to be on campus for the March 8th event.
Harris told me that while Sooners DT coach Todd Bates had been following him for a minute, yesterday was the first day Bates made contact with him.
So in a matter of a few minutes, Bates made contact, extended an offer, and got a kid to visit. Pretty dang efficient.
Harris is very excited about the Sooners’ offer. I asked him if he had any connection to Oklahoma. He said, “I don’t have any direct family ties, but I know a few guys who have been recruited by them or played there.” He went on to add, “It’s a big-time program with a strong tradition, so I’ve always known about them growing up.”
As for his first impressions of Coach Bates, Harris said, “Yeah, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Coach Bates. He seems like a real dude who cares about his players, and that’s the kind of coach I respect. I’ll definitely keep that relationship.”
Harris already has four official visits set for the spring and summer with South Carolina, Stanford, West Virginia and NC State on the docket. Should OU push and make a strong impression when he visits in March, I would expect them to be added to the list or perhaps even bump someone off the list.
Harris is clearly very excited about the OU offer.
Whose Stock Keeps Going Up? Bowe Knows
– Charlie – Posted on: February 26, 2025
Just a real quick note to start the morning off.
As you know, we (TFB) generally put little stock in the ranking services, but I did want to comment on Bowe Bentley’s meteoric rise on one of the services (On3) which came about yesterday…and…Jaden O’Neals fall in those rankings at the same time.
As you know, back when Bentley was first offered, I noted that several sources in personnel positions at programs in the region told us that they preferred Bentley to O’Neal.
Bentley, who immediately captured the attention of new Sooners OC Ben Arbuckle, rose over 200 spots in the new rankings and he is now inside the top 50 players in the country this cycle for that service.
On the other hand, O’Neal dropped considerably in their rankings and he is now outside the top 250 players in the country for that service.
So, despite our feelings about ranking services, the reasoning behind this post is to point back to our previously sourced info regarding how some personnel staff at schools view Bentley and O’Neal.
I know there is some trepidation for some in the fan base with respect to OU pushing for Bentley as the fear is that O’Neal may bolt if Bentley comes on board (a very real and legitimate concern) but as we said initially upon the offer, OU is not pursuing Bentley as a QB2 type. On paper and coming out of high school, he is a prototype of what Arbuckle is looking for.
Blue Blood Move | Nagy’s Potential Impact
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 26, 2025
Over the last 12-18 months, one of my biggest concerns about the OU football program which I have voiced repeatedly has been the lack of attention to the personnel department.
I have noted that I felt the personnel side of the OU football operations has been “wandering” for lack of a better word.
It is my belief that OU has had the resources and ability to be better in this area, but there never seemed to be a defined direction, and the process of going through multiple iterations of what the front office was going to look like, did nothing to help steer things in a productive direction.
On paper, that all ended with the hire of Jim Nagy. I expect Nagy to set up his department much like he has in the past and it will likely be a reflection of an NFL front office.
I expect Nagy to staff his office with specialists in high school recruiting as well as guys with talent in portal recruiting. I am also led to believe that Nagy will not be the lone ‘titled’ hire as he will likely add an assistant GM to his staff. It is also safe to assume that Nagy will have ‘money people’ who will work hand in hand with collectives as well as with big donors to maximize and streamline their investments in OU football.
While Nagy is a big name and has a proven track record, in my opinion, the biggest development here for OU is that they have charted a course and the Nagy hire is a damn fine place to set sail from. This is a clear indication that the OU administration understood the task at hand and did not settle for anything less than what they deemed to be the best.
Sourced Team Notes | Coming Out of Texas
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 27, 2025
Wanted to pass along a couple sourced team notes, the first which comes to us by way of a very circular route.
***Our guy who holds down the TFB Texas side, Darius, hit K and I up just yesterday and passed along that he has been hearing from his own sources that wide receiver Javonnie Gibson has been “really impressive” in workouts up in Norman.
I know we have previously mentioned Gibson as a guy who has been earning some praise, but I thought you would all like to read that the news has trickled down to Texas and Darius is even hearing things. I put a decent amount of stock in notes like this one that make their way to folks who really do not cover a program, yet they are hearing good things about a player.
Also, pretty cool for a kid coming from a HBCU to be getting praise at a program like OU.
***As I noted on the Champion Standard Podcast (If you haven’t listened yet, go ahead as those guys have a great product) source tells me that Sooners early enrollee freshman interior offensive lineman Owen Hollenbeck ‘is as strong as advertised’. Hollenbeck came with a ‘strongman’ label and he has earned some respect in the locker room with the amount of weight he can move. Obviously, that has to translate to the field and we will see how that goes, but with OU being a bit thin at center, never a bad thing to hear.
***Finally it sounds like wide receiver Isaiah Sategna, who transferred in from Arkansas, had a really nice week in workouts and 7v7. Not gonna blow him up and predict great things for him in the 2025 season, but it is nice to hear some positives from sources coming out of the wide receiver room on a fairly consistent basis.
