OU’s added their 3^rd verbal commitment with the predicted commitment of Sterling Shepard. Sterling as an OU legacy seemed to be just a matter of time after OU offered. And fortunately Shepard jumped on the offer before too many other offers at his position got sent out. Shepard had a great junior campaign and when Barry Sanders JR went down with an injury, Shepard as the foundation of the whole offense kept Heritage Hall going. The comparisons to Ryan Broyles are going to be hard to contain, and are obvious., the ability to make defenders miss, make after the catch yards. Looking at Shepard’s highlight reel, though you see one big difference mainly Shepard appears to have better breakaway speed, he appears to be faster overall. What you cannot tell is if Sterling can develop Ryan’s hands or ability to find gaps in coverage. But there’s a lot of skill for the OU coaches to develop at WR or even CB down the road. Right now Shepard is a WR prospect and will be given every shot at that position. He’s too good with the ball in his hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ZGfrXpG_A

While OU added Shepard, some of OU’s targets have verbaled elsewhere

Jordan Richmond LB chose ATM (a real blow, hopefully OU can fill their LB spot with their top targets or come back to Richmond later in the year)

Thomas Johnson WR chose UT as did Cayleb Jones WR. UT’s new WR coach Darryl Wyatt is a good recruiter, and UT was obviously pitching immediate playing time with their desperate situation at WR (no playmakers beyond Mike Davis).

Bralon Addison chose OSU. OSU could commit to playing Addison exclusively at WR where was OU was looking at Addison at CB. OU wants to be very clear with ATH type prospects after losing Brandon Carter and Darius Jones late in recruiting when they decided to be WRs.

OU appears to be focusing on some national prospects right now in their evaluations and seeing what level of interest is out there. This wave of national offers is holding up some offers in Texas as OU evaluates their chances with some elite national kids.

Based on rosters numbers, OU is looking at a class of around 15. So how are those 15 ships going to be distributed?

QB: 1

RB: 1 (Ross)

OL: 4 (Marrs, any attrition and OU signs at least 5)

TE: 1 (If the right prospect can be found)

WR: 2 (Shepard and ideally DGB)

DT: 1

DE: 2

LB: 2

DB/Ath: 2

Top Ten to Watch (realistic kids who are listing OU, and fit OU’s needs)
1. Dorial Beckham- Green 6-5, 215. 4.5 Missouri - He’s only the best junior prospect in the country. Julio Jones but bigger or AJ Green but more explosive. Everyone in the world wants Dorial, but OU with Coach Norvell has been there all along for the last two years giving OU a great shot at his difference making WR.
http://youtu.be/nab_Kdaoqws

2.Gunner Kiel QB 6-4, 210, 4.6 Indiana - Elite 11 attendee as junior last summer. Has elite passing skills based on his highlight reel, excellent accuracy and good mobility to extend plays or get scrambling yards. Going to be tough to pull him away from ND and the Big Ten schools but he’s already visited OU unofficially. Heupel has to be getting pretty close to naming his shots in terms of recruiting QBs. If you were a young QB prospect where else would you want to go to get ready for the NFL.

http://youtu.be/dfc9oZRNPfQ

3. Derek David LB 6-3, 225, 4.5 Texas - I don’t know what the Texas rivals guys are smoking ranking David outside the top ten. David who is technically verbaled to Texas Tech is looking around at other colleges and appears to have a high interest in OU. David is probably the best defender in Texas not named Mario Edwards (who right now is not listing OU). Some rumors about David’s academic woes but signing day is a year away. Lots of time for kids to patch up academics holes if the commitment is there.

http://youtu.be/Os9oGkiNBS0

4. Avery Young OL 6-6, 270, 5.1 Florida – Best OL prospect in Florida, and a potential top 30 player nationally. Young’s been up front in listing OU as a favorite. Stealing him from the SEC and Florida State seems almost impossible, but right now OU is in the hunt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdTge9OnY08

5. Royce Jenkins-Stone LB 6-2, 225, 4.6 Michigan – I cannot remember the last time OU signed a player from Michigan (I’m afraid it’s Bernard Hall), but Stone has been offered and has been very clear that OU is a favorite and will make his top five list.

http://youtu.be/3c7Tgk9bCMM

6. Ty Darlington OC 6-3, 260, 4.9 Florida – You can never have too many OL and since OU didn’t sign a center prospect last year, signing a pure center prospect this year makes a lot of sense. I think a good foundation to avoiding down OL years like 2005/2009 is avoiding a freshman at Center. Darlington is a listed as a top 30 player in Florida and might be the best center prospect in the country, and could figure in the battle to replace Habern/Ikard down the road.

http://youtu.be/Y8UFzdkwL-k

7. Geno Smith CB 6-0, 170, 4.5 Georgia – Top five player in Georgia which puts Smith as a top 100 player nationally. Only a matter of time only Coach Martinez’s connection to Georgia pays off for the Sooners in recruiting. Smith would be a great start, an elite CB which OU missed out on last year.

http://youtu.be/JreV2AvRzvQ

8. Jordan Watkins DT 6-5, 275, 4.8 Georgia - A top defensive tackle prospect in the state of the Georgia and the SEC. Watkins would be ideal for OU since he could play 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT. OU will have to battle the entire SEC to get a visit but Willie Martinez has connections at Woodward Academy and kids from that Atlanta private school choose universities from around the country so it’s not all UGA./Bama/Auburn. His highlight reel is pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBN4ldz1lNA

9. LaDarren McNeil DB/S 6-1, 185, 4.5 Texas – Best safety in Texas according to some rankings and OU did not sign a pure safety last year if Franklin Shannon moves to OLB. McNeil has great range in coverage to be a Brodney Pool type center field safety for OU. Listing OU, UT and others.

10. John Micheal McGee OG 6-4, 265, 4.9 Texas – Top OL prospect in Texas projects at OG but also has the mobility to play OG and OC down the road. Has camped at OU and Patton has done a great job building that relationship. HS is a big time UT pipeline traditionally.

http://youtu.be/dsyTDcgQMOY

Others to watch:

- Charles Tapper 6-4, 245, 4.7 DE Maryland - OU’s top target at DE? He’s listing OU among a bunch of other schools.

- Laith Harlow 6-5, 230, 4.7 TE Florida – TE offers have not really been going out, but Harlow might be the first offer. He looks like an excellent TE working middle of the field and shows excellent quickness on some TE screens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeSN9oGp6lM

- Noor Davis 6-4, 225, 4.6 OLB Florida – Noor is the type of OLB who could be fit into either a 3-4 scheme for OU or in a 4-3 where on 3^rd down he’s a stand up pass rusher like Ronnell Lewis. Great range and speed in his highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exPBpMurISk

- Evan Boehm 6-3, 290, 5.0 OG Missouri – After McGee, Boehm is the best OG on OU’s board. He’s really close to the top 10.

http://youtu.be/dj-qmUGaQnE

- Simon Goines 6-7, 270, 5.0 OT Texas – An OT prospect with a huge upside at the position. Only Avery Young being on OU’s radar kept him out of the top 10. His potential is that high.

http://youtu.be/7QBekg23kfM

- Reginald Davis 6-1, 185, 4.4 ATH/WR Texas - New name that just appeared. Has an OU offer, highlight footage is very impressive in terms of top end speed.

http://youtu.be/iHm97ftWQ1g

- Michael Starts 6-6, 270, 5.0 OT Texas – Starts and Goines are great OT prospects. Goines seems more interested in OU right now while Starts might be the better prospect. It’s a great year for OL in Texas.

- Blake Belcher 6-6, 275, 5.1 OT OK – Best OL prospect in state, OU is still evaluating Belcher and OU’s number crunch might be an impact here.

- Devonte Fields 6-4, 220, 4.7 DE Texas – One of the several players vying for the ranking as the second best DE in Texas behind Mario Edwards. Great speed off the corner. His Rivals footage at DE is just awesome. OU should be going all out for this kid by my amateur opinion.

- Brian Nance 6-3, 220, 4.6 OLB Texas – Teammate of recent OU signee Nila Kneubuhl, Nance has attended OU summer camps and is definitely in the LB mix for the Sooners. His list of offers is becoming very big and with a lot of national and Pac 10 interest.

- Trevor Knight 6-3, 190, 4.7 QB Texas – Mobile QB with a very good arm. OU is evaluating Knight and if things slow down with Kiel watch the Sooners to offer.

http://youtu.be/vabh2IWq5lI

no comments

2012 Recruiting Update 2-17

Written by atlantasooner | 18 February 2011

Recruiting Update 2/17

Verbals for 2012

Kyle Marrs OL 6-6, 310, 5.2

Alex Ross RB 6-2, 205, 4.5

OU is off to a great start in 2012 recruiting with two early verbals.

Kyle Marrs verbaled literally right after signing day and has been an OL target for OU since last fall. Marrs has the size and mobility to play either inside at RG or outside at RT. Marrs verbal probably allows OU to focus on pure OG and OT kid with their remaining OL slots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MHrkW314AM

Alex Ross might be the best player in the state of Oklahoma for 2012. Barry Sanders JR has the name value, but Ross is bigger and faster and could easily end up as a top five national RB if his continues to progress as a RB after playing the position part time as a junior. Ross could be the big power back to compliment the other RBs that OU has signed lately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLBp2ScFBL0

So OU once again appears to be scholarship limited unless some wave of massive attrition happens. Based on rosters numbers, OU is looking at a class of around 12 to 15. So how are those 15 ships going to be distributed?

QB: 1

RB: 1 (Ross)

OL: 4 (Marrs, any attrition and OU signs at least 5)

TE: 0 (don't really see any prospects right now)

WR: 2

DT: 1

DE: 2

LB: 2

DB/Ath: 2

Top Ten to Watch (realistic kids who are listing OU, and fit OU's needs)

1.     Dorial Beckham- Green 6-5, 215. 4.5 Missouri - He's only the best junior prospect in the country. Julio Jones but bigger or AJ Green but more explosive. Everyone in the world wants Dorial, but OU with Coach Norvell has been there all along for the last two years giving OU a great shot at his difference making WR.

http://youtu.be/nab_Kdaoqws

2.     Gunner Kiel QB 6-4, 210, 4.6 Indiana - Elite 11 attendee as junior last summer. Has elite passing skills based on his highlight reel, excellent accuracy and good mobility to extend plays or get scrambling yards. Going to be tough to pull him away from ND and the Big Ten schools but he's already visited OU unofficially. Heupel has to be getting pretty close to naming his shots in terms of recruiting QBs. If you were a young QB prospect where else would you want to go to get ready for the NFL.

http://youtu.be/dfc9oZRNPfQ

3.     Derek David LB 6-3,225, 4.5 Texas - I don't know what the Texas rivals guys are smoking ranking David outside the top ten. David who is technically verbaled to Texas Tech is looking around at other colleges and appears to have a high interest in OU. David is probably the best defender in Texas not named Mario Edwards (who right now is not listing OU). Some rumors about David's academic woes but signing day is a year away. Lots of time for kids to patch up academics holes if the commitment is there.

http://youtu.be/Os9oGkiNBS0

4.     Avery Young OL 6-6, 270, 5.1 Florida – Best OL prospect in Florida, and a potential top 30 player nationally. Young's been up front in listing OU as a favorite. Stealing him from the SEC and Florida State seems almost impossible, but right now OU is in the hunt.

5.     Royce Jenkins-Stone LB 6-2, 225, 4.6 Michigan – I cannot remember the last time OU signed a player from Michigan (I'm afraid it's Bernard Hall), but Stone has been offered and has been very clear that OU is a favorite and will make his top five list.

http://youtu.be/3c7Tgk9bCMM

6.     Ty Darlington OC 6-3, 260, 4.9 Florida – You can never have too many OL and since OU didn't sign a center prospect last year, signing a pure center prospect this year makes a lot of sense. I think a good foundation to avoiding down OL years like 2005/2009 is avoiding a freshman at Center. Darlington is a listed as a top 30 player in Florida and might be the best center prospect in the country, and could figure in the battle to replace Habern/Ikard down the road.

http://youtu.be/Y8UFzdkwL-k

7.     Geno Smith CB 6-0, 170, 4.5 Georgia – Top five player in Georgia which puts Smith as a top 100 player nationally. Only a matter of time only Coach Martinez's connection to Georgia pays off for the Sooners in recruiting. Smith would be a great start, an elite CB which OU missed out on last year.

http://youtu.be/JreV2AvRzvQ

8.     Thomas Johnson WR/CB 5-11, 185, 4.5 Texas – The latest Skyline prospect and the ideal slot WR replacement down the road for Broyles/Franks/Stills. Would be a great WR combo with DGB and Metoyer in the future. Seems down to OU and UT with both teams having Skyline alums doing recruiting.

http://youtu.be/wFGqrEFi618

9.     LaDarren McNeil DB/S 6-1, 185, 4.5 Texas – Best safety in Texas according to some rankings and OU did not sign a pure safety last year if Franklin Shannon moves to OLB. McNeil has great range in coverage to be a Brodney Pool type center field safety for OU. Listing OU, UT and others.

10. John Micheal McGee OG 6-4, 265, 4.9 Texas – Top OL prospect in Texas projects at OG but also has the mobility to play OG and OC down the road. Has camped at OU and Patton has done a great job building that relationship. HS is a big time UT pipeline traditionally.

http://youtu.be/dsyTDcgQMOY

Others to watch:

Sterling Shepard 5-11, 175, 4.5 WR/ATH OKC – OU legacy and has been offered by OU. Talked about taking some time to visit other campuses in recent Newsok.com interview. I hope that he doesn't wait too long. OU has at least two other offers to similar players and limited scholarship room (Bralon Addison and Reginald Davis).

http://youtu.be/M2ZGfrXpG_A

Evan Boehm 6-3, 290, 5.0 OG Missouri – After McGee, Boehm is the best OG on OU's board. He's really close to the top 10.

http://youtu.be/dj-qmUGaQnE

Simon Goines 6-7, 270, 5.0 OT Texas – An OT prospect with a huge upside at the position. Only Avery Young being on OU's radar kept him out of the top 10. His potential is that high.

http://youtu.be/7QBekg23kfM

Cayleb Jones 6-2, 195, 4.5 WR Texas – Only DBG keeps Jones from the list. In any other year, Jones would be an awesome number one WR on OU's board.

http://youtu.be/NeUYnyBXqnc

Jordan Richmond 6-2,225, 4.7 LB Texas - Teammate of Mario Edwards, Richmond looks like a great every down MLB for the OU defense. ATM is probably OU's biggest competition here.

http://youtu.be/FxZ4DNq8New

Bralon Addison 5-10, 180, 4.5 ATH Texas – Brother of Jasmine Hartman, Addison could be a lock down cornerback or an excellent slot WR.

http://youtu.be/9UrKeWdGflA

Reginald Davis 6-1, 185, 4.4 ATH/WR Texas - New name that just appeared. Has an OU offer, highlight footage is very impressive in terms of top end speed.

http://youtu.be/iHm97ftWQ1g

Michael Starts 6-6, 270, 5.0 OT Texas – Starts and Goines are great OT prospects. Goines seems more interested in OU right now while Starts might be the better prospect. It's a great year for OL in Texas.

Blake Belcher 6-6, 275, 5.1 OT OK – Best OL prospect in state, OU is still evaluating Belcher and OU's number crunch might be an impact here.

Devonte Fields 6-4, 220, 4.7 DE Texas – One of the several players vying for the ranking as the second best DE in Texas behind Mario Edwards. Great speed off the corner. His Rivals footage at DE is just awesome. OU should be going all out for this kid by my amateur opinion.

Brian Nance 6-3, 220, 4.6 OLB Texas – Teammate of recent OU signee Nila Kneubuhl, Nance has attended OU summer camps and is definitely in the LB mix for the Sooners

Trevor Knight 6-3, 190, 4.7 QB Texas – Mobile QB with a very good arm. OU is evaluating Knight and if things slow down with Kiel watch the Sooners to offer.

http://youtu.be/vabh2IWq5lI no comments

Recruiting Wrapup 2011

Written by atlantasooner | 07 February 2011

Recruiting Wrapup 2011

Here's the link to the player bios on the official site. It has their stats and various rankings from the myriad of services. In addition, that site has highlight videos. As I review the positions, I'll provide links to the youtube videos available for the new Sooners.

QB:
Kendal Thompson 6-2, 175, 4.6
Archie Bradley 6-4, 210, 4.7
Thompson is the son of former OU QB Charles Thompson but brings a different QB game than his option/wishbone dad. Thompson was the first verbal in OU's class offered before signing day 2010 was in the books. Heupel identified Kendal as his QB for 2011 very early and Heupel's been tutoring Kendal at OU's summer camps for at least 3 years. So Josh knows Kendal very well. Kendal was hurt part of his senior year and lost several key play makers (current Sooners Julian Wilson and Austin Haywood), so his numbers are not going to dazzle you. However, his junior year was great, Kendal completed 166-of-259 passes for 2,793 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 466 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kendal is a pass first, run to keep a play alive, then run QB. He'd be deadly in a goal line offense with run/pass options out of a spread look, especially the Sooners 3 back "Pony" offense. Thompson is already on campus and will go thru spring workouts which is great because Thompson badly needs to add some weight to his frame. Thompson was a huge pickup giving OU for the first time since Bomar "left" 4 scholarship QBs for spring ball. Thompson is also depth protection against a QB transfer depending upon the backup battle this spring.
I'm going to link to the youtube footage of his game against Jenks last year in the state playoffs, Kendal to me looks like a Pat White type play maker at QB.
The wildcard at QB is Archie Bradley from Broken Arrow, like Kendal Bradley was an Elite 11 QB recruit. But Bradley is also a top 10 project pick in the MLB draft. So Bradley will sign with OU to play baseball this spring, wait to be drafted and if he does enroll he will redshirt in football and play baseball. Now, Bradley is going to be looking at a big signing bonus, but at the Elite 11 camp a number of counselors/coaches told Bradley to stick with football and he has an elite NFL QB arm (can make every throw) and frame. MLB probably wins out here, but it won't be until August we know which way Bradley decides. One last note, Bob's only signed two in state QBs, Jason White and Sam Bradford (another multi-sport athlete), both Bradley and Thompson are in state QBs.

Kendal Thompson State Semis v Jenks

Quality Grade: A (both QBs have massive untapped potential)
Quantity Grade: A (even if OU only ends up with Thompson getting a QB a year is vital to OU's program)

RB:
Brandon Williams 6-1, 200, 4.4
(going to list Danzel Williams under Athletes)
Last year OU signed two great RBs and both guys had their moment their freshman year for OU. It seems impossible to think that OU would be able to sign another difference making RB with the talent already on campus but that's what OU did. Right after signing day 2010, it appeared that OU's RB choice would come down to Herschel Sims or Malcolm Brown with OU never really a player for Aaron Green the other big time RB for 2011. However, as February turned into March it was clear that OU felt like Brandon Williams was the best RB in Texas. OU aggressively pursued Williams even after his early verbal to Baylor and after getting Williams, RB was effectively shut down (OU realized that Malcolm Brown was leaning to UT and not worth pursuing in case Williams decided to open things back up). Williams had a ridiculous senior year, and is now regarded as one of the top five RBs in the country by just about every service. What separated Williams from 5 to 6 very good RBs in Texas this year? His home run speed. Williams has that kind of burst that OU has not had at RB since Demarco Murray broke his knee cap in the most expensive failed on side kick in Sooner history (derailed Adron Tennell's career and adjusted the course of Murray's career). In addition, he's an excellent receiver out of the backfield, and runs without excellent power. He's not going to be AD, but in a year or two when he's up to 210 how does Darren McFadden like sound?

Brandon Williams Highlights

Quality Grade: A+
Quantity Grade: A+ (Williams is already on campus developing giving OU a tremendously talented young RB core)

WR:
Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45
Kameel Jackson 6-1, 190, 4.48
OU's already impressive WR core gets two more weapons. The headliner of the entire class is either Metoyer or Williams. Trey is easily the best WR in Texas, and arguably the best WR prospect in the country. OU's Jay Norvell did a great job recruiting Metoyer since his sophomore year and Trey's family early on realized that OU's offense is a great attack for WRs (hello Rueben Randle??). Metoyer is the big elite WR that OU's amazing passing attack the last 3 years has been missing. Metoyer despite double and triple teams posted sick numbers as a junior and a senior. Metoyer has Malcolm Kelly like hands and better overall speed and quickness. OU's WR core better improve over spring and summer because Metoyer is coming for a starting spot. A starting WR rotation of Stills, Broyles, and Metoyer has been going thru recruitniks minds all January when not thinking about a hypothetical Stills, Metoyer, Dorial Green-Beckham rotation in 2012, Beckham at 6-5, 215, 4.5 is the best WR for 2012 and OU is right there. Jackson was actually OU's second verbal after Kendal Thompson. Kameel had a great sophomore year but has been battling injuries his last two season when healthy last summer Jackson dominated combines and looked great at OU's summer camp. If Metoyer is Malcolm Kelly, then Kameel Jackson is Iglesias. He's a potential inside WR or a potential outside WR.

Trey Metoyer Highlights

Kameel Jackson Highlights – All Star Game

Quality Grade: A+ (Metoyer could be as impactful as Crabree or Dez Bryant)
Quantity Grade: A+ (OU already had excellent WR depth, now two more pieces have been added)

TE:
Max Stevenson 6-6, 235, 4.6
Dan Tapko 6-5, 235, 4.7
TE recruiting for OU this year was just wild. OU had targeted Chris Barnett as a potentially Gresham like TE, and he verbaled to OU very early. Then he started talking about taking other visits, and he was sort of verbaled to OU. Meanwhile, Kevin Wilson found Max Stevenson at Klein Oak HS. Stevenson had a huge frame, excellent downfield speed and while not a great blocker showed some ability. Stevenson appears to be a bigger Trent Smith if we are looking for an example. OU also had been heavily recruiting Dan Tapko from Rockhurst who seemed to be more developed as a blocker but also had a great frame and excellent speed. OU parted ways with Barnett (who went thru a weird transferring HS roulette search in the spring), and received verbals from Stevenson and Tapko. Stevenson had a huge year receiving only reduced by a mid season knee injury without the injury he would have broken the 1000 yard mark probably. Tapko in a run focused attack and had less chances to shine but showed a tremendous ability to block. Comparison to Brody Eldridge are already being thrown around, but it would appear that Tapko is a much better receiving target than Eldridge (Brody was a DE/OLB in HS). OU added two end TEs which was important with the graduation loss of James Hanna next year, and we only need to look back to 2009 to see how important the tight end position is to OU's no huddle attack. OU needs power players who establish the threat of the pass and the run without OU tipping off intent by personnel changes.

Max Stevenson Highlights

Quality Grade: A
Quantity Grade: A+ (OU now has 3 young TEs Haywood, Stevenson, Tapko)

OL:
Dylan Dismuke 6-6, 290, 5.1
Derek Farniok 6-9, 320, 5.3
Nila Kneubuhl 6-5, 290, 5.0
OU's OL recruiting was a struggle with a limited number of targets in the state of Texas and in state. OU targeted 3 elite OL in Garrett Greenlea (chose UT), Matt Hegarty (ND), and Brey Cook (Ark), and missed on all 3 targets. OU moved on and focused on two kids that had just attended OU summer camps. Dylan Dismuke has a great upside as a LT due to his great mobility, and has been to OU summer camps so he's a known quantity to Coach Patton. Derek Farniok had been to OU summer camp since his sophomore year and went from project to offered prospect. Farniok is just a massive RT prospect who is the biggest Sooner OT since Phil Loadholt, the 6-9, 320 listing is accurate. Now, there are definitely doubts about both kids, but Farniok was recruited by both Wisconsin and Iowa (two excellent OL programs). And Dismuke has a tremendous upside based on his elite athleticism for his size. Now that's the positive side, the negative side is both kids are two years away from contributing. Neither kid is projected to challenge Tyrus Thompson or Darryl Williams for starting OT jobs in 2012. So OU added depth down the road, but missed out on a OT who might help in 2012. Now the last OL recruit was really of out left field. Until 3 days ago I'd never heard of Nila Kneubuhl, and had no idea he was verbaled to Baylor. Nila played TE for the dominant Euless Trinity team that featured former OU verbal Brandon Carter. OU quietly had Nila visit in the last week of recruiting and made a serious push for him. NIla projects at OG probably for OU and has great feet. The Euless coaching staff thought that Nila might be the best OL prospect on their team. Wouldn't surprise me if Nila had a role as a freshman in short yardage as a blocking TE or big H-Back in a jumbo set (imagine Nila leading the way for 250LB FB Trey Millard).

Derek Farniok Highlights

Quality Grade: B- (OU missed out on their top targets. Some real concern about the project tag on Nila and Farniok and Dismuke's desire to develop his power/strength to go with his mobility)
Quantity Grade: B+ (2 OTs, 1 OG added to the 5 OL kids from last year is pretty good depth in the development pipeline.)

DT:
Jordan Wade 6-4, 290, 4.9
Jordan Phillips 6-6, 290, 4.8
Marquis Anderson 6-2, 270, 4.8
The best group of DTs signed by OU in a while (maybe since Adrian Taylor and Gerald McCoy were signed back in 2006 or the vintage Dvoracek/Harris combo of 2001). OU needed to add depth, talent and competition to the DT after an uneven performance at DT by the Sooners this year. The star of the class is Jordan Phillips. Phillips has the potential to be another Gerald McCoy. He's upside at DT or even possibly 3-4 DE is that high. Marquis Anderson is already enrolled at OU, and will get a chance to add weight/strength while going through spring football. He's the classic 3 technique DT. He's Tommie Harris like, but will need some time to reach that potential. But he has the same explosive burst off the line. Jordan Wade is probably a 1 technique/nose guard prospect, he's a huge kid who has focused primarily on baseball before this year, and has a frame that could easily carry 310. He has excellent mobility and was a big time playmaker for Round Rock the last two years. I expect at least one of the DTs to play this year depending upon how the rest of the DTs develop on the team. Phillips might be too good redshirt unless OU decides that his potential at OT is too high to ignore, but I'm not sure that Jackie Shipp is going to let his next Gerald McCoy switch to offense. Wade will probably redshirt, and Anderson has the best chance to really impact OU next year.

Marquis Anderson Highlights

Jordan Phillips Highlights including an unreal punt block by a 6-6 290 DE

Jordan Wade Highlights

Quality Grade: A (All 3 DTs are ranked in the top 15 at their position. Phillips is probably right on the edge of five star status. He could be OU's next great DT.)
Quantity Grade: A (This grade could slide if Phillips becomes an OL, but then the OL grade would increase to a B+/A -. Phillips potential at OL is five star level.)

DE:
Nathan Hughes 6-5, 260, 4.7
The last three years OU has lost long time verbal commitments late in recruiting but OU has always been able to turn that loss around and sign someone else, usually at that same position. This time OU lost a verbal on signing day. The Sooner themed posters at Cooper Washington's signing day celebration are ironically hilarious since he signed with Texas Tech. Washington was not a super blue chip but he was a tall rangy athletic DE prospect similar to Dan Cody in HS. However, Hughes is the real star here. Hughes started the Under Armour All American game while playing with a broken wrist. Hughes can play in either 4-3 or 3-4 scheme for the Sooners and is a definite threat to play next year providing depth for the Sooners.

Nathan Hughes Highlights

Quality Grade: A (Hughes according to some folks watching him at the Under Armour game felt he might have been a top 3 DE in the nation)
Quantity Grade: B (OU ideally needed two DEs. OU in this next class will need to add at least 2 DEs)

LB:
PL Lindley 6-2, 220, 4.5
Londell Taylor 6-3, 225, 4.6
OU finally has depth at the LB position with Wort/Nelson working behind Travis Lewis and Austin Box with Rod Favors and Aaron Marshall coming off redshirt years. So LB was not a huge need, and it was not a great year in Texas save for Steve Edmond (UT) and OU was involved with Anthony Wallace for a while before he chose Oregon. OU very early offered P.L. Lindley, teammate of Jordan Wade. Now, Lindley biggest asset is his ability to play in space and provide pass coverage from the MLB spot. There are mixed opinions on his ability to be physical enough to be a factor in the run game. A name from the past has reappeared, Londell Taylor. Taylor signed with OU back in 2007 before deciding to sign a baseball contract. Like a number of football players, Taylor wasn't making enough progress in the game and has returned to football. Taylor is projected to be a LB for OU. Now, Quan Cosby and Brandon Weeden are examples of this return to football working, but OU's last example Vernon Maxwell didn't last one year.

PL Lindley Highlights

Quality Grade: B (Lindley was offered by OU very early and seems to be an ideal LB for dealing with spread attacks, but he's not going to make an impact this year and you wonder if he will get over recruited in 2012)
Quantity Grade: B (Presuming Taylor can stay around, two LBs is decent depth. OU really needed an every down Mike LB prospect but couldn't ever agree on a prospect)

DB:
Franklin Shannon 6-3, 205, 4.5
Bennett Okotcha 6-0, 175, 4.5

OU signed a big DB class last year and the year before so OU didn't need a lot of prospects at all at this position. OU's offered Franklin Shannon early and the big safety from Dallas Skyline verbaled to the Sooners continuing OU's pipeline to that school. Shannon could be a OLB or Nickel LB in OU's scheme, the positions are extremely similar. He has the size and speed to play either position. I think Shannon might be the most under rated player in the OU class. The CB search for OU was a long winding road that started and ended at OU's summer camp. After OU realized that Josh Turner was going to leave the state and attend UT, OU offered Brandon Carter who along with Bennett Okotcha actually outplayed Turner at OU's summer camp. In fact, at that time Bennett looked like the most polished CB. Now, OU projected Carter at CB when he was initially offered, and Carter jumped on the OU ship, and OU only had one ship available for the CB position. Carter had an awesome senior year on offense playing WR/RB/QB for Euless Trinity and late January decided to switch his commitment to TCU who were guaranteeing him playing time at WR. OU's WR depth was probably a big reason why Carter chose TCU. With Carter gone, OU now had a ship available and wanted to make sure it went to the CB position. Bennett verballed to Wisconsin,then to ND. I like to think Bennett's indecision was the fact that OU was where he really wanted to go. Bennett might end up being the super steal/sleeper of the class.

Franklin Shannon Highlights

Quality Grade: B
Quantity Grade: B

ATH
Danzel Williams 5-9, 185, 4.5
I'm listing Danzel Williams as an ATH because it's hard to really see him staying at the position that he prefers which is RB. However, Danzel will redshirt and perhaps the Sooners' RB rotation will look vastly different in 2012 justifying keeping him at RB. Even then, the Sooners seem a lock to sign another blue chip RB again in 2012 (Alex Ross 6-1, 205, 4.5 from Jenks or Donovan Roberts 6-0, 200, 4.5 from Norman being the likely suspects). At the Under Armour All American game, Danzel played CB and from all reports looked great at that position, so perhaps a move to DB is in his future or even Slot WR. At RB, Williams doesn't add much to the Sooners' class, but at WR/CB Danzel could be a major contributor.

One highlight run by Danzel Williams

Summary:
This was a smaller class for OU only signing 17 kids after last year's mega class of 28. Most of the rankings systems are heavily weighted to quantity over quality. So this class is going to be ranked 13th or 17th by some services after having been ranked in the top 5 going into December. However, if you adjust Rivals rankings and use stars per recruit, OU's class is 3rd in the nation. ESPN which doesn't use a strict number system like Scout and Rivals, ended up signing day ranking OU 11th just behind LSU who signed 4 more kids.
The star power of this class is Trey Metoyer and Brandon Williams. These guys are elite talents that could have a huge impact next year for OU. OU is almost a unanimous preseason number one and these two playmakers could put the OU offense into a 2008- Sam Bradford like stratosphere. Metoyer could make OU's passing game unstoppable, while Williams gives OU a home run TD threat on the ground.
The next group of difference makers are Jordan Phillips and Nathan Hughes. These two DL kids could also provide key depth for the Sooners DL next year and be the next wave of elite defenders for the Sooners.
After those 4 stars, OU got great prospects in Jordan Wade, Marquis Anderson, Max Stevenson, Dan Tapko, Kendal Thompson.
In the next group, I'd put Franklin Shannon, Kameel Jackson, and Bennett Okochta. The weakness is no blue chip LBs or OL. OU could hit here with the kids signed (and OL is clearly the hardest HS position to evaluate) but it's possible that some of these kids end up getting recruited over by better prospects in 2012 ( especially OL where Patton has done a great job recruiting kids for 2012 already)
Freshman projected to play next year
Brandon Williams
Trey Metoyer
Nathan Hughes
Jordan Phillips
Londell Taylor (special teams at the very least)
Nila Kneubuhl (short yardage blocking tight end)
The only other storyline with this class was due to the lack of scholarship throughout December, OU was not able to aggressively go after any UT verbals during the UT coaching search meltdown (not a huge issue with Steve Edmond and Christian Westerman being the main targets, Edmond never wavered and Westerman bailed to Auburn). Hopefully OU is able to take advantage of the reorganization of UT's coaching staff in 2012 recruiting, although OU again appears to be somewhat scholarship limited.

Class Quality Grade: A - (Super prospects at QB, RB, WR, TE, DE, DT, 4 or 5 potential 5 Star type contributors)

Class Quantity Grade: B+ (OU missed out on adding a MLB, and could have used one more OL and one more DE. The late additions helped solidify this B+ grade) no comments

Recruiting Update 12-16

Written by atlantasooner | 16 December 2010

Some Quick Recruiting Notes 12/16

1. OU is not recruiting a JUCO DT or JUCO OT right now. No JUCOs are scheduled to visit this weekend is the last one before JUCOs enroll early.

A fall enrolling JUCO DT/OT is a slim possibility. But at that point, OU’s depth at DT will be greatly enhanced by 2010/2011 recruiting classes. If a JUCO DT cannot come in for spring, then in a scholarship short environment it might not be worth it.

A JUCO OT might be pushed off to next signing class with a full year to evaluate where the young OTs (Josh Aladenoye, Darryl Williams, Tyrus Thompson) in the program are progressing.

2. Does OU have any ships left?

OU did not bring in a single 2011 recruit last weekend, and there are no plans to bring in someone for this weekend.

The coaches are waiting for Broyles and Lewis to decide and probably have an idea that a couple of players buried in the depth chart might be leaving after the bowl game (why pass up the bowl goodies and gifts?)

Still, these ships are not currently open, and OU right now is very quiet in 2011 recruiting. OU could realistically be done for 2011 which is a shame because with a BCS bowl win over UConn OU could have significant potential recruiting momentum.

3. Can OU take advantage of the turmoil/disarray in Austin right now?

Well OU is short on ships, but expect OU to reach out to a number of UT verbals and let them know that OU is still interested. Expect UT after New Year’s and back at full coaching staff to reel back most of their recruits. However, OU could start working a one or two recruits long enough to make things interesting.

The biggest area that OU can really make gains is with 2012 kids. OU has already had a one junior day, and while UT is scrambling OU can present a very stable front to kids who may have lost their primary recruiter from UT. Recruiting is often a marathon, and a bunch of new assistants at UT could create openings for OU to reduce/eliminate any UT leads with 2012 targets. Also, the chaos in Austin might make kids think twice before getting caught up in the mad dash to verbal in February. This might allow OU to get more kids on campus unofficially and forestall the usual wave of UT verbals. In addition, you have to wonder if Mack is getting some criticism about this recruiting approach overall, and might wait to offer kids so his new staff members can do more evaluations.

4. What would be the ideal end to recruiting for OU?

Somehow OU has 3 ships freed up without losing both Lewis and Broyles (seems too much to hope that both leaders return to OU)

One ship goes to a CB. It’s going to take a late run and some awesome recruiting but the two top choices would be

Tevin Mitchell 6-1, 185, 4. 5 (son of Eric Mitchell. OU fell behind NU, and now Arkansas is making a run. )

Damain Swann 6-0, 185, 4.5 from Atlanta (Martinez has been recruiting him for a while)

Both right now are longshots

One ship goes to a MLB.

Anthony Wallace has chosen Oregon, Steve Edmonds appears to be staying with UT (OU might keep calling), and Colt Lyerla is staying out West. Daniel Davis who had his offer pulled from Stanford is a possibility

One ship goes to an OL

OU only has two OL verbaled, and could really use a 3^rd OL in this class. Again, there are no current names. Everything is on hold until OU has more ships. No one has visited in months.

no comments

Recruiting Update 9-19

Written by atlantasooner | 19 September 2010

Recruiting Update 9/17

OU Verbals

Kameel Jackson 6-1, 195, 4.45 WR Arlington,TX
Kendal Thompson 6-2, 180, 4.6 QB Southmoore, OK
Jordan Wade 6-4, 290, 5.0 DT Round Rock, TX
P.L. Lindley 6-3, 210, 4.5 LB Round Rock, TX
Danzel Williams 5-9, 190, 4. 45 RB/DB Arlington, TX
Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45 WR Whitehouse, TX
Brandon Williams 6-1, 190, 4.4 RB Brookshire Royal, TX
Cooper Washington 6-5, 225, 4.5 DE Muleshoe, TX
Marquis Anderson 6-3, 280, 4.8 DT Cibolo, TX
Nathan Hughes 6-5, 260, 4.7 DE Klein, TX
Max Stevenson, 6-5, 225, 4.6 TE Klein, TX
Jordan Phillips 6-6, 290, 4.9 DL/OL Kansas
Franklin Shannon 6-2, 210, 4.5 DB/OLB Dallas Skyline
Brandon Carter 6-0, 170, 4.5 CB/ATH Euless, TX
Dylan Dismuke 6-6, 290, 5.0 OL Duncan, OK
Derek Farniok 6-8, 320, 5.4 OL South Dakota
Dan Tapko 6-4, 235, 4.7 TE/DE Rockhurst, KS

Recruiting Update? How do you do a recruiting update, when there’s no real news.

New verbals? Nope
Lost recruits? None yet.
New official visitors7? Not really
New targets? None identified yet.

So let’s review some questions on recruiting

- What one recruit is flying under the radar but gives OU huge flexibility in using their final ships?

Brandon Carter at Trinity Euless. Carter is Ryan Broyles redux (5-11, 165, 4.5). Great football player who could be a CB or a slot WR. He’s not highly rated just like Broyles, but the kid is going to be a factor at OU.

So if OU does not add another WR like Ladarius Brown or DeAnthony Arnett, Carter could always move to WR. If OU strikes out completely at adding another CB, Carter had a great OU summer camp playing CB. (And if think about it, Ryan Broyles could probably be a great CB as well)

- What’s the number one thing missing from this recruiting class?

Elite OT. OU has two good prospects in Dismuke and Farniok along the OL. OU could use another OL in this class. Unfortunately there are no prospects on the board that are leaning or visiting OU. In addition, there’s no word on any JUCO OT targets either. This OT situation is more pressing when you consider the top 3 OTs on campus are Senior - Mensik, Junior- Stephenson, and Junior- Jarvis Jones, after that OU has Redshirt Freshman – Josh Aladenoye, redshirting Freshman Darryl Williams, redshirting Freshman Tyrus Thompson. There’s not a single Sophomore OT on campus. And while there has been some talk about moving verbal Jordan Phillips to OT, right now he’s having a dominating senior year at DT. I just don’t see Jackie Shipp easily giving up his next Gerald McCoy.

- Anthony Wallace is looking around a lot has OU lost their lead?

Well first, Skyline kids even after they verbal, still tend to look around. OU was able to grab Corey Nelson the last two weeks of recruiting for instance. OU should get a visit from Wallace before he verbals, and with his teammates attending OU and verbaled, I still like OU’s chances to land this elite MLB.

- Biggest surprise so far in recruiting?

OU’s lack of action in California. Perhaps OU is waiting on next season when the success of the California kids is better known? I have to admit that I’m surprised by the lack of offers or activity in the San Diego area.

- Who are the stars in this recruiting class?

OU has two five star elite players in Brandon Williams and Trey Metoyer. Just below that level is Jordan Phillips, Kendal Thompson, Marquis Anderson. In the next group, I’d put Kameel Jackson (his suspension is hurting the momentum generated by his summer camps), Max Stevenson, Dylan Dismuke, Nathan Hughes, Danzel Williams, Cooper Washington (He’s playing QB this year, but the kid will turn into an awesome rush end for OU). Under rated/under evaluated right now Jordan Wade, P.L. Lindley, Brandon Carter, Franklin Shannon, Derek Farniok, Dan Tapko.

- Biggest risk/reward for OU in recruiting?

OL. Dismuke and Farniok could turn into keystones of the OL with Farniok as a mauling RT while Dismuke has the elite athleticism to the ideal blindside LT protector. That’s the positive side. OU’s had significant OL attrition in the past and you have to wonder if Farniok at already 6-9, 320 has the mobility for the OU offense. With Dismuke, it’s simply a question of whether he can handle the offseason grind that seems to the downfall of OU OL kids. At least, Dismuke spent a lot of time with Schmidt before verbaling this summer. OL is an incredibly hard position to evaluate for the services since you never know if a kid has maxed out and that’s why he’s dominating in HS. OU’s current OL class is thriving from all reports with nothing but positive buzz. Every one of those kids were OU camp kids previously. Farniok and Dismuke were also camp kids, so the OU coaches at least have as much first hand info as possible.

- How is OU going to end recruiting? The best guess right now

Charles Jackson- CB 5-11, 185. You can never have enough quality CBs. He’s the best CB on the board.,
Anthony Wallace- MLB 6-0, 225. This is a signing day prediction. It may get really wild between now and then. Just like Corey Nelson, OU makes way too much sense.

And two mystery men. OU is going to lose a verbal. It happens. I cannot predict who, but there’s no way to keep a class verbaled this early intact. One kid will decide to take some visits, and simply finds a better fit . Or a kid will slip academically, and OU will simply let the kid go. But there will be at least one kid. It’s happened the last 3 years

JUCO OT – It makes too much sense, OU needs to bring in competition and depth behind Stephenson and Jones for 2011, ideally a mid term juco.
Florida/Georgia DB – It may not be Marcus Roberson the elite DB, but look for Martinez to pull a prospect from his old recruiting territory, maybe a kid who has an awesome senior year, a late riser.

no comments

Recruiting Update 7/12

Written by atlantasooner | 12 July 2010

Recruiting Update 7/9

OU Verbals

Kameel Jackson 6-1, 195, 4.45 WR Arlington,TX
Kendal Thompson 6-2, 180, 4.6 QB Southmoore, OK
Jordan Wade 6-4, 290, 5.0 DT Round Rock, TX
P.L. Lindley 6-3, 210, 4.5 LB Round Rock, TX
Danzel Williams 5-9, 190, 4. 45 RB/DB Arlington, TX
Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45 WR Whitehouse, TX
Brandon Williams 6-1, 190, 4.4 RB Brookshire Royal, TX
Cooper Washington 6-5, 225, 4.5 DE Muleshoe, TX
Marquis Anderson 6-3, 280, 4.8 DT Cibolo, TX
Nathan Hughes 6-5, 260, 4.7 DE Klein, TX
Max Stevenson, 6-5, 225, 4.6 TE Klein, TX

Verbals since last update (5/9)

Jordan Phillips 6-6, 290, 4.9 DL/OL Kansas
Franklin Shannon 6-2, 210, 4.5 DB/OLB Dallas Skyline
Brandon Carter 6-0, 170, 4.5 CB/ATH Euless, TX
Dylan Dismuke 6-6, 290, 5.0 OL Duncan, OK
Derek Farniok 6-8, 320, 5.4 OL South Dakota
Dan Tapko 6-4, 225, 4.7 TE/DE Rockhurst, KS

So it’s been a while since a recruiting update, so let’s recap OU’s recruiting by position.

no comments

2011 Recruiting Update: 5/13

Written by atlantasooner | 16 May 2010

Recruiting Update 5/13

OU's Previous Verbals:

Kameel Jackson 6-1, 195, 4.45 WR Arlington,TX
Kendal Thompson 6-2, 180, 4.6 QB Southmoore, OK
Chris Barnett 6-6, 240, 4.6 TE Euless, TX
Wade Turner 6-4, 290, 5.0 DT Round Rock, TX
P.L. Lindley 6-3, 210, 4.5 LB Round Rock, TX
Danzel Williams 5-9, 190, 4. 45 RB/DB Arlington, TX
Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45 WR Whitehouse, TX
Brandon Williams 6-1, 190, 4.4 RB Brookshire Royal, TX
Cooper Washington 6-5, 225, 4.5 DE Muleshoe, TX

New verbals:

Marquis Anderson 6-3, 280, 4.8 DT Cibolo, TX
Nathan Hughes 6-5, 260, 4.7 DE Klein, TX
Max Stevenson, 6-5, 225, 4.6 TE Klein, TX

OU's run of verbals continues with a huge addition in Marquis Anderson the number two DT in Texas. Anderson has been OU's top target at DT since UT grabbed Desmond Jackson (unclear where OU ranked Anderson v Jackson in a DT battle since Jackson really never got any attention from OU). Anderson is the ideal 3 technique DT prospect for OU and could be the next great DT for the Soones Anderson has that level of potential. Anderson is easily a top 20 talent in Teas depending upon who is doing the ranking. With the verbal of Anderson, OU with limited ships (19 range) is probably done at DT.

The previous week. OU got two more big time additions in Nathan Hughes and Max Stevenson from Klein TX. Hughes is the better known prospect easily Texas top 20. Hughes is expected to stay at DE and play at the 260 range while keeping his speed. OU beat LSU for Hughes, and at one time UT looked like a lock for the kid. UT though wavered offering a ship early (focusing on Cedric Reed), and OU focused on Hughes and grabbed a big lead. Hughes and Cooper Washington along with the DEs from last year have reloaded that position to the point where only RB is more stocked on the Sooner roster. Stevenson is an excellent pass receiver TE prospect (highlight reel looks very impressive) at 6-5, 225 with excellent speed. The mystery with Stevenson is what does it do to the verbal of Chris Barnett. Now, Barnett has been visiting other colleges while maintaining that he's still an OU verbal. OU would appear to be fairly scholarship restrained so does OU have room for 2 TE verbals while still having recruiting needs at LB, OL, and DB. It's a story to follow. OU must think Barnett is going to be an elite kid to have not pulled his offer.

Right now OU has 9 verbals on ESPN's Top 150 watchlist (about 250 overall kids) out of their total 12 verbals. And ESPN hasn't even evaluated Stevenson or Washington at all yet. Barnett is also outside the watchlist, but who knows if he will even be a Sooner at this point.

OU has elite Texas talents in

Brandon Williams RB
Marquis Anderson DT
Nathan Hughes DE
Trey Metoyer WR
Kameel Jackson WR
And instate - All American candidate QB Kendal Thompson

This class right could be ranked as high as last year's. OU has evaluated a number of players as being top tier (Wade, Lindley, Washington, Stevenson) who have barely been evaluated by the recruiting services. OU's ranking as always will depend upon how OU finishes up in recruiting. Leading to the ....

Top Eight Targets: With 12 verbals, OU probably at most can take 8 more players so the top Ten list is now 8. (top players that OU has a legitimate shot to land. This list will vary as kids verbal to OU and elsewhere and kids are added. The first top ten last year didn't have Tony Jefferson, Kenny Stills, Austin Haywood, or Brennan Clay)Verbals: Marquis Anderson, Nathan Hughes

Additions:

Subtractions: Matt Hegarty to ND

Brey Cook 6-7, 300, 5.1 OT Springdale, AR. The best OT on OU's board, and is the best OL available for OU. Cook has been OU a number of times including camping at OU last year (if there's any real trend in recruiting, OU does very well with kids who have camped the previous summer). He's still taking unofficial visits, but looks to be an OU v Pigs battle. Getting Cook would be a huge piece for the OL, and right now OL is the biggest priority in the class.
Malcolm Brown 6-1, 210, 4.5 RB Cibolo, TX. Usually Brown would be the number one kid on OU's board, but factoring OU's RB depth versus OL depth/verbals he drops to the number 2 spot. Brown is the best power RB from Texas since AD (Jermie Calhoun is the only other debatable player). Longhorn fans honestly think that Mack Brown is changing the offense this year to more I-formation under the center to seal the deal recruiting Brown. OU has just added Anderson who is friends with Malcolm Brown. If OU didn't have a great group of young RBs on campus/signed I wonder if OU might have already gotten a verbal from Brown.
Josh Turner 6-0, 170, 4.5 CB OKC Millwood. Top player in state battle between Turner and Thompson. Has the potential to be an elite CB, OU will fight UT among others for his signature.
Aaron Wallace 6-0, 225, 4.6 MLB Dallas Skyline, TX. Looks amazingly a lot like Curtis Lofton. Might be the best LB in Texas, debate is between Wallace and Steve Edmond. OU has been recruiting Skyline well, and is after Wallace teammate Shannon Franklin. Wallace will look at most major powers before deciding.
DeAnthony Arnett 6-0, 175, 4.5 Michigan. The top national prospect ranking seriously considering OU right now. Arnett has been dominant in combines this spring and would seem to be the ideal 3^rd WR commitment for OU. Big Ten and USC is also involved.
OL target number two? Okay I don't have a clear number two OL target after Brey Cook for OU. There's the Kansas kid Jordan Phillips and the Texas OL prospect LeRaven Clark. Both kids have huge upsides but are not elite OL recruits right now (of course Russell Okung/Trent Williams were hardly top flight OL recruits). OU may try and get involved with some national elite OL kids, but there are no clear names that have moved from wish list to legit targets.
Avery Walls 5-11, 185, 4.5 Georgia. OU offered Walls early, but now the entire SEC is heavily recruiting the kid. If Walls is still talking about visiting this summer, then new DB coach Willie Martinez' connections to Georgia might help.
Franklin Shannon 6-2, 200, 4.5 DB Dallas Skyline. Wallace's teammate who is probably the top strong safety in Texas. He could also be a great OLB hybrid (Keenan Clayton role) in the OU defense.

Just outside the top 8

Tobias Singleton 6-2, 185, 4.4 WR Miss
Tevin Mitchell 6-1, 175, 4.4 CB Mansfield, TX
Charles Jackson Jackson 5-10, 180, 4.4 CB Klein, TX
Miles Shuler 5-11, 180, 4.35 CB/WR New Jersey

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Recruiting Update: 4/26

Written by atlantasooner | 26 April 2010

Recruiting Update 4/24

OU Verbals

Kameel Jackson 6-2, 195, 4.45 WR Arlington,TX
Kendal Thompson 6-2, 180, 4.6 QB Southmoore, OK
Chris Barnett 6-6, 240, 46 TE Euless, TX
Wade Turner 6-4, 290, 5.0 DT Round Rock, TX
P.L. Lindley 6-3, 210, 4.5 LB Round Rock, TX
Danzel Williams 5-9, 190, 4. 45 RB/DB Arlington, TX
Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45 WR Whitehouse, TX

New verbal

Brandon Williams 6-1, 190, 4.4 RB Brookshire Royal, TX
Cooper Washington 6-5, 225, 4.5 DE Muleshoe, TX

OU has gotten a verbal from Texas top ten talent Brandon Williams. Williams has been overshadowed by Aaron Green, Malcolm Brown, and Herschel Sims, but other than Brown might be as talented as anyone. Also, Williams brings a different skill set than OU signees Brennan Clay/Roy Finch. To be honest, I really thought Green/Sims were too similar to Finch/Clay. Williams though is bigger and faster. The Williams news was kind of out of nowhere, he did visit for the OU Spring Game while verbaled to Baylor. His verbal to Baylor though had not seemed very strong, as bigger programs made it clear to Williams that he was elite. Still, the verbal has forced OU to move on from Herschel Sims/Bradley Marquez/and probably Aaron Green as well. Williams has already accepted an invitation to play in ESPN’s Under Armour All American game.

OU’s other new verbal is from Cooper Washington. Washington has been on OU’s recruiting radar and has been near the offer list for DE all spring. Now, Muleshoe is so far in west Texas it’s practically New Mexico. In following recruiting for over 15 years, I cannot recall a single Big 12 caliber prospect from Muleshoe. Being a tall rangy defensive end from a tiny Texas town, the obvious comparisons to Auston English/Dan Cody are going to be made with Washington. However, while OU was projecting English at DE (he was mainly a HS RB), Washington highlight reel is all DE. He shows great explosion off the ball, excellent closing speed, and he’s doing a very good job in run support as well. Now the obvious questions of competition level are going to come up, but OU under Bob has had a history of big time players coming from small schools in OK/Tex. All you can really ask is does Washington dominate on film? From the brief Rivals highlights, he certainly does. Hopefully, Cooper will attend OU’s summer camp sessions so that the recruiting folks can get a look at him in a different setting against better competition.

Chris Barnett is listed as a verbal but there’s all kinds of stories about him looking around and taking other visits. Barnett has massive potential at TE, but if he takes visits OU will drop him as a commitment, and will start to offer other TEs again. It would be a shame to lose Barnett because he’s potentially a Gresham type talent at TE, but OU has to be clear with recruits about their verbal commitments. Barnett’s also had some weird off the field news as well with a transfer to Euless Trinity this offseason, and then he left Euless due to some vaguely hinted school problems. Barnett is probably headed back to his old High School Maceo Smith. I guess there’s a chance that OU could take two TEs. The TE position is vital to OU’s offense in terms of being able to run and pass out of the same personnel in the no huddle. In addition, Wilson/Patton are starting to move TEs to OL. So perhaps OU will take another big frame TE to complement Barnett with the possibility that the kid could end up at OL.

Top Ten Targets: (top players that OU has a legitimate shot to land. This list will vary as kids verbal to OU and elsewhere and kids are added. The first top ten last year didn’t have Tony Jefferson, Kenny Stills, Austin Haywood, or Brennan Clay)

1. Brey Cook 6-7, 300, 5.1 OT Springdale, AR. The best OT on OU’s board, and is the best OL available for OU. Cook has been OU a number of times including camping at OU last year (if there’s any real trend in recruiting, OU does very well with kids who have camped the previous summer). He’s still taking unofficial visits, but looks to be an OU v Pigs battle. Getting Cook would be a huge piece for the OL, and right now OL is the biggest priority in the class.

2. Malcolm Brown 6-1, 210, 4.5 RB Cibolo, TX. Usually Brown would be the number one kid on OU’s board, but factoring OU’s RB depth OL he drops to the number 2 spot. Brown is the best power RB from Texas since AD (Jermie Calhoun is the only other debatable player). Longhorn fans honestly think that Mack Brown is changing the offense this year to more I-formation under the center to seal the deal recruiting Brown.

3. Josh Turner 6-0, 170, 4.5 CB OKC Millwood. Top player in state battle between Turner and Thompson. Has the potential to be an elite CB, OU will fight UT among others for his signature.

4. Marquis Anderson 6-3, 270, 4.8 DT Cibolo, TX. Only behind Desmond Jackson in terms of DT rankings in Texas. Has the speed/burst to be a 3 technique DT for OU. OU appears to be in the lead. UT appears focused on Quincy Russell instead at DT.

5. Aaron Wallace 6-0, 225, 4.6 MLB Dallas Skyline, TX. Looks amazingly a lot like Curtis Lofton. Might be the best LB in Texas, debate is between Wallace and Steve Edmond. OU has been recruiting Skyline well, and is after Wallace teammate Franklin Shannon. Wallace will look at most major powers before deciding.

6. DeAnthony Arnett 6-0, 175, 4.5 Michigan. The top ranked national prospect seriously considering OU right now. Arnett has been dominate in combines this spring and would seem to be the ideal 3^rd WR commitment for OU. Big Ten and USC is also involved.

7. Avery Walls 5-11, 185, 4.5 Georgia. OU offered Walls early, but now the entire SEC is heavily recruiting the kid. If Walls still talking about visiting this summer. New DB coach Willie Martinez’ connections to Georgia might help.

8. Matt Hegarty 6-5, 270, 5.0 OT New Mexico. Hegarty camped at OU last summer and was very impressive. Hegarty although interested in OU is looking at Stanford, USC, ND among others. OU is still in the picture, but not leading like many had hoped.

9. Nathan Hughes 6-5, 260, 4.75 DE Klein, TX. Hughes is arguably the top DE in Texas (only player in the discussion is Cedric Reed, and Hughes is faster). UT focused on Reed and got a verbal. Hughes seems to really like OU along with LSU.

10. Franklin Shannon 6-2, 200, 4.5 DB Dallas Skyline. Wallace’s teammate who is probably the top strong safety in Texas. He could also be a great OLB hybrid (Keenan Clayton role) in the OU defense.

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2011 Recruiting Update: 3/12

Written by atlantasooner | 13 March 2010

2011 Recruiting Update: 3/12

OU Verbals

Kameel Jackson 6-2, 195, 4.45 WR Arlington,TX
Kendal Thompson 6-2, 180, 4.6 QB Southmoore, OK
Chris Barnett 6-6, 240, 46 TE Euless, TX
Wade Turner 6-4, 290, 5.0 DT Round Rock, TX
P.L. Lindley 6-3, 210, 4.5 LB Round Rock, TX
Danzel Williams 5-9, 190, 4. 45 RB/DB Arlington, TX
Trey Metoyer 6-3, 200, 4.45 WR Whitehouse, TX

It was a good week for the Sooners with two more verbals. One was a surprise, the other one was expected by most folks.

It's an amazing year in Texas for RB., ridiculous might honestly be the proper word. I've mentioned the names previously Malcolm Brown, Aaron Green, Brandon Williams, Herschel Sims, Bradley Marquez, etc. Notice I didn't mention Danzel Williams. Well OU got a verbal from Danzel earlier in the week after offering him at their junior day. Now, I'll admit that I was surprised by the offer to Danzel. OU has limited ships (17 to 19) and I thought that OU would only take one RB. Guess I was wrong. First off give Danzel credit, he really wanted to be a Sooner, and didn't let his OU offer sit there long. So after all the message board angst over what this verbal meant, folks started looking at footage of Williams and his stats from last year. Williams had over 1200 yards rushing, and 8 YPC. That's big time productivity. From his footage, Danzel shows good speed/moves and amazing balance, he's consistently breaking tackles and getting extra yards. In addition, Danzel shows nice skills as a WR out of the backfield and from the slot. In addition, Danzel has nice highlights at DB as well.

Follow this link for some free video highlights of Danzel. Again the number one thing that stands out is his balance, the kid just does not go down from the first hit.

The second verbal is OU's best verbal to date. Trey Metoyer. At this point until certain rankings drop him due to verbaling to OU, Metoyer is the consensus number one WR in Texas, top five player in Texas. Metoyer has already been invited to play in the US Army All American game (Kendal Thompson is already a Under Armour game invitee). Metoyer has had awesome productivity the last two season averaging over 70 receptions for 1100 yards and 14 TDs. His highlight reel shows an amazingly polished WR from both a route standpoint and pass catching technique. On WR screens , he's never going down on the first tackle and consistently makes cuts to increase the yardage gained. There are some concerns about his top end speed, but he certainly looks fast enough. The comparisons to former 1^st round draft picks Texas WRs are easy to make. He plays like Crabtree or Bryant. Combined with Kameel Jackson, Metoyer arguably gives OU the best 1-2 WR combo from Texas. (I'm just waiting for Jackson to skyrocket with a great senior year. He's tearing up the combine circuit after his injury last year). Coach Norvell did a great job recruiting Metoyer. The relationship he's built over the last year made a huge difference in OU getting the talented WR. Hopefully, this will end the continual bashing of Norvell's recruiting ability by a portion of Sooner fans. Last two years, he's gotten Justin McCay, Kenny Stills, and now Metoyer and Jackson. In addition, Norvell clearly knew what he was doing offering Jaz Reynolds.

Here's a great highlight reel of Metoyer posted on Youtube

OU's probably finished with their junior days, but will very likely try and get a number of prospects scheduled for visits to Norman during spring practice or for the spring game. UT is up to 18 with the recent verbal of Quandre Diggs (brother of Quentin Jammer), I'd imagine that UT will be at 20 verbals by the end of March.

OU's going to continue to try and recruit nationally, and after spring practice is over look for the Sooner coaches to hit the road and expect a slew of more offers to go out, or for OU to scout in person their chances with a number of high profile national kids. Expect OU to head back to the San Diego area, hit Kansas/Missouri hard again, and I expect OU to put out more offers in Georgia/Florida to utilize new DB Coach Willie Martinez's connections. Expect Norvell to visit Michigan WR DeAnthony Arnett who has expressed a high level of interest in OU, and would be the ideal slot WR finish to OU's WR class. There's always a wildcard or two in national recruiting, and OU's massive presence during the primetime NFL draft in April is not going to hurt the program's status at all. Right now if I had to guess, WR angst is about to replaced by a previous favorite recruiting worry, OL recruiting. UT's has hurt OU to a degree with their OL recruiting (mainly taking Greenlea). OU has a big time target in Arkansas OT Brey Cook, but it's hard to say OU leads. OU hasn't offered Dylan Dismuke (6-6, 285 OL from Duncan, OK) yet, but has offered Garrett Gladd (6-4, 280 OG/OC Sallisaw, OK). New Mexico OT Matt Hegarty has OU on a long list of schools, it's hard to say if OU is even in the top five. Beyond those kids, OU OL offers have been pretty limited. It's a little puzzling since OU is projected to take 4 to 5 OL again. Now initially I had been indicating that UT hurt OU recruiting with the verbal of Desmond Jackson and while Jackson is the top 3 technique DT in Texas, OU has had at least 2 prospects appear at that position. First is Marquis Anderson from Cibolo, TX (San Antonio). Anderson at 6-3, 270, 4.8 is right behind Jackson in terms of DT ranking in Texas. Second is Kris Harley from Indianapolis. Harley is 6-2, 270, 4.8 and in his Rivals highights shows that amazing quick first step upfield that OU requires at the 3 technique position (Harley had over 90 tackles and 19 TFL as a junior).

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