Copyright by James Hale, Alan Hitchcock, Mike DellaVecchio, Dave Hunt, ‘J.R.’ Ross, Tony Sellars, Andrew Ford and the 247sports.com reporting staff.
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Sooner Staff Looks To Spring . . .
The OU coaching staff is meeting almost daily preparing daily agendas for the 15 spring sessions that begin on March 5th.
Last week we reported that on the offensive side of the ball, the tight end position will be the top priority. Two newcomers, both on campus, will compete for the starting job next month.
So far, Brannon Green, who came in as an established blocker, has caught the ball better than expected in informal drills, while Taylor McNamara, who graduated from high school and enrolled early, Is working on route running. Green had 15 receptions for 216 yards in eight games last fall at Ft Scott while McNamara caught 33 passes fro 526 yards at San Diego Westview.
Quarterback coach Josh Heupel and receiving coach Jay Norvell begin their second season together and each one would like to try some minor adjustments to the offense that started out on a tear last fall but finished with a whimper due to devastating injuries at receiver and running back.
The Sooners hope to use some two-back sets and call about ten to twelve more running plays per game this fall, if Dom Whaley and Damien Williams can supplement Brennan Clay and Roy Finch, although we may not see it this spring as only Finch and Clay will be taking snaps before the newcomers arrive in June. However, RS freshman Danzel Williams could see some time in the formation, or be tried as a slot back this spring.
The fact that all of the candidates are excellent receivers gives Heupel and Norvell opportunities to install a two back set at times and still use it as a passing play, if the defense cheats to stop the run. No one wanted to see Brandon Williams transfer, but his one liability was the inability to catch well out of the backfield, an important asset for any Sooner back in the current system.
Norvell and Heupel do not appear anxious to abandon the up-tempo offense, in fact both indicate that it will again be in the arsenal, and possibly used more frequently.
Former Sooner OC and current Indiana Head Coach Kevin Wilson reflected on the up-tempo that he ran at OU, and tells the reasoning behind it.
"The objective is to dictate the pace of the game and to give a talented team more opportunities to score.
“The first year we ran it with a target of getting the snap off in 16 – 17 seconds,” Wilson explains. “Our second year we were down to 14 seconds, and then to about 12 – 13 seconds, and realistically, that’s about as fast as you can get set on the offensive line without danger of a penalty.
“It was more about creating confusion on defense than getting the ‘right play’ called,” Wilson explains.
“That may sound crazy, but I’ll give you an example. Sometimes I’d call a play and when we came to the line I'd see that the defense was set perfectly to stop the play we were running. But I ran it anyway, knowing we weren’t going to get much.
“I realize 85,000 people are sitting there thinking, 'we just got stupid,' but here’s what happens:
“I’d quickly call another play, shooting for a 12 – 13 second snap, knowing that the defense has no choice but to set up in the same alignment we just saw, so it was easy to select a play to counter it. It wasn’t unusual to get 13 yards or more and pick up a first down on that follow-up play.
“You have to put tempo over trying to select that perfect play for down and distance. When you try to out-think the down and distance, it gives the defense as much time to adjust, and more often than not they’ll adjust correctly, simply because coaches study opponents and learn their tendencies, and the better the coaching staff, the more often they get it right.”
‘OK,’ but what about the times when the clock is ticking down under 10 seconds and the quarterback, or sidelines appear to be having communication issues?
“More often than not, here’s what’s happening,” Wilson explains.
“I know, those 85,000 fans are probably thinking that the offensive coaches can’t make up their mind, or that the quarterback is confused. But what’s probably going on is that we’ve substituted on offense, and when we do, the defense gets a chance to counter, and the referee will hold the snap until the defense is out and set -- so much of the advantages of the up-tempo are erased.
“In these situations, the offensive coordinator can take his time, look at the defense and try to counter the alignment, or just wait it out for them to shift into a more favorable set. It may look like confusion, but it’s really just a chess game between coaching staffs.”
OU averaged getting a play off in 15-16 seconds last fall when they chose to run up-tempo. This year they’d like to get it down to the 13 – 14 second range. Landry Jones thinks he can, and thinks that 12 – 13 seconds is also attainable.
Jay Norvell will not have his full complement of receivers until summer, so his group will concentrate on establishing a ‘connection’ between quarterback and receivers and precise route running.
So far, freshman Trey Metoyer has been as good, (or better), than advertised, and Norvell says that his presence alone has ‘raised the bar’ for the entire receiving corps.
“Anytime a great athlete arrives, everyone is looking out of the corner of their eye, checking him out watching him work, sizing him up,” Norvell says. “Competitive juices start flowing, and all the sudden everyone is working harder.”
Still Norvell is anxious to get JC super star Courtney Gardner in the mix, along with incoming freshmen Durron Neal, Derrick Woods and Sterling Shepard.
“We’ll be better, I can promise you that,” Norvell says with a slight grin, “but give us a few more months.”
Metoyer finished a torrid high school career at Whitehouse, Texas, nearly breaking the all-time state record of career catches by former UT star Jordan Shipley, who holds the record with 264. Metoyer finished with 259 receptions, but because Whitehouse did not play in as many playoff games during his career, was denied the chance to eclipse Shipley’s total.
The mark became a center of controversy after "Dave Campbell's Texas Football," (often called "The Bible" of football in the state of Texas), listed Metoyer as the record holder in the 2010 edition, but admitted they had 'made a mistake' and corrected Shipley’s total by 12 last summer.
To his credit, Bob Shipley, father of Jordan, (who now coaches at Brownwood), said Jordan had two advantages in high school — playing with Stephen McGee as his quarterback and (Burnett) going to the Class 3A state finals in consecutive seasons, for a total of 30 games.
"I seriously couldn't have told you within a hundred (catches) what the record was," Bob Shipley said. "I feel sorry for the kid (Metoyer). If he could have played the same number of games Jordan did, he could have blown it out of the water."
Norvell thinks that Metoyer should get a chance to restore some respect when the Sooners face the Longhorns each October in Dallas.
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Stoops: Don’t Expect Surprises on ‘D’ . . .
New Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops was expecting to share duties with Brent Venables and was looking forward to making minor adjustments. But after Clemson was embarrassed, (70 – 33), by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl, the Tigers were willing to spend any amount of money for a defensive coordinator who knew how to defend the spread and targeted Venables, who took the offer, leaving Stoops with more work and responsibility than he’d planned on.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said Stoops. “But, I’m just excited to be here and to be working with a great bunch of guys. I’m just excited to be here and be in an environment that breeds success. And Oklahoma certainly gives you that at the highest level.”
Naturally, the first question that comes to mind is, ‘What changes will Stoops make in the Sooner D,’ one that played a bit like Dr. Jeckel - Mr Hyde at times last fall.
“We’ll still run the same defense, it’s what I know, what Bob knows, and we’ve been running variations of it since our days at Cardinal Mooney in Youngstown.”
OK, let’s refresh ourselves with a quick description of the ‘Stoops Defense.’
“Cover – Zone – Blitz,” Stoops shoots back.
Translation: There will always be an aggressive blitz available from several different directions, and the secondary coverage will be a zone, but showing ‘man’ tendencies.
Or, as Bobby Jack Wright explains it:
“When the receiver gets off the line, a cornerback picks him up, and stays with him while he is in the corner’s zone. When that receiver runs out of that zone, it’s up to a linebacker or safety to pick him up . . . but, we try to do a lot of things to disguise coverage, so we hope it’s not that easy for a quarterback or a receiver to understand,” Wright laughs.
For the described defense to function correctly, the linebackers and defensive back must be in an exact position. A step or two In the wrong direction usually means a completion, or worse, six points.
Stoops would say that he intends to bring what he describes as discipline to the secondary. So fans witnessing spring practice should expect to hear emphatic disappointment from Stoops when one of his defenders blows coverage.
Roy Williams is one player who was transformed by Stoops in his first spring after the new coaching staff arrived.
“It’s his passion and love for the game coupled with his funny way of motivating you,” said Williams. “He has a unique way of motivating you and he knows football and he will always put you in the right position -- then it falls on you as a player to make plays,” Williams says.
Williams says that the current set of defensive backs better get ready because life as they know it is over.
“There will probably be guys that actually want to fight him, seriously, because I did,” said Williams. “He’s that intense and he demands excellence, and he won’t quit until he gets it.”
“I think the biggest thing is to understand your personnel,” said Stoops. “We’ve been evaluating players. Trying to get to know each individual player and try to develop a relationship with him and learn their strength and weaknesses.
“We want to try and build a defense around those players that is conducive to what they’ve done previously. Certainly these guys have played a lot of defense around here. Ours certainly isn’t going to be different than what Brent (Venables) was doing over the past eight years.”
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Reports From Some of the Newest Sooners . . .
Tight end signee Laith Harlow, out of Tallahasee, Florida was looking forward to a terrific senior campaign at Goodby High when he was derailed by back surgery causing him to miss the remainder of the season, and requiring the Sooner coaching staff to keep looking for tight end candidates.
But a deal’s a deal. Harlow had committed to OU before his injury, and as Bob Stoops says, 'when you commit to us – we commit to you.' OU told Harlow that he had a scholarship, regardless of his medical condition, and were expecting him to participate and be a part of the team whether he could play or not.
“I was astonished when they told me that,” said Harlow. “I mean I could not believe that they were going to give me this opportunity. When they told me that, I knew what I already had known, and that was that I had made the best decision of my life to attend the University of Oklahoma and be a Sooner.
“The fact that they want me to be part of their program either way just makes me proud to be a Sooner, because when I committed to them and they said I was then part of their family they meant it and that means so much to me. I knew the day that I committed to OU that I had made the right decision to play football at Oklahoma, and the day they told me they were going to honor my scholarship no matter how my medical situation ended up was the happiest day of my life.
But Harlow has reason to believe that his playing days are not over, and expects to be 100% by the time he arrives in Norman in June. He reports that he is running five miles per day, (at a 7 – 8 minute per mile pace), and is also in the weight room five days a week.
“My doctors tell me that I will be no different than any other player in that, yes, I could hurt my back again or suffer some other injury. But, so could any of the players out on the field. I am going to be no different than them and I would rather play football again and take the risk that come with playing football than never playing again and never getting a chance to play football at OU.
"That's my total goal to play football at OU and I am going to accomplish that goal.”
All-America running back Damien Williams is completing his JC work at Western Arizona so that he too can join his new teammates in Norman this June after being torn on the last weekend before signing day between Texas Tech and OU.
“They both had great opportunities for me. They both had injuries and they were both in need of a running back. So I really had to think about it. OU is a great school and had a better tradition, but as a juco player with two-years left you can’t think about that. You have to think about how much playing time that you can get, and not how much time you can possibly get. I feel like Oklahoma is going to give me that opportunity.
Williams has studied the Oklahoma offense as much as he can from the outside, and he believes that his skill set will fit right in with what OU wants to accomplish at running back.
“I think Oklahoma is going to use me in a lot of ways,” said Williams. “I can catch out of the backfield, and they can put me at a slot receiver. I can run routes and a lot of the things I did here they do at Oklahoma. So I needed to go where they utilize my style of running and Oklahoma is that school. They run down hill, they run in the ‘A’ gap, they run the zone, and they run screen plays and all that. I think I can go there and be a great contributor to the team.”
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2012 Schedule Set . . .
After a last minute fallout from South Florida, and months of phone calls and near misses, Joe Castiglione was able to complete the 2012 schedule before the conference mandated deadline of next Friday, but it wasn’t easy as Castiglione contacted literally every D1 school looking for someone to fill the holes left by Missouri and Texas A&M, as well as one created when TCU, who OU was going to open the season with, was made a conference game.
The Sooners also had to eat some humble pie, after telling the Big 12 two weeks ago that they did not want to play both TCU and West Virginia on the road in their maiden year as members of the Big 12.
But the Big 12 said, ‘pack your suitcase, you’ll be on the road for both contests.’
“We have a philosophy of playing a challenging schedule on a yearly basis that puts our team in the best possible situation to make a run at a championship,” said OU Head Coach Bob Stoops.
“I know that Joe Castiglione puts our program’s best interests at the forefront when scheduling our opponents and it shows with the quality of teams on our schedule. We look forward to another challenging year and hope our fans reflect the excitement we have for this year’s schedule.”
The Sooners will open the 2012 season in El Paso, Texas versus UTEP, and if they can avoid a few stray bullets outside the Sun Bowl, will host Florida A&M on September 8.
A lack luster early lineup punctuated by Texas Tech in Lubbock and Texas at Dallas on October 13, gets a little momentum as Notre Dame arrives in Norman 11 years late on October 27, before the Sooners close out November with four bowl teams: Baylor, West Virginia; Oklahoma State and TCU.
At least Sooner fans can look forward to better schedules to come, as future big name opponents include 2013 at Notre Dame; 2014 Tennessee; 2015 at Tennessee; 2016 Ohio State; 2017 at Ohio State; 2018 LSU, Army; 2019 at LSU, at Army.
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Recruiting Watch List 2013 . . .
Projected 20 - 21 / Committed 0
The OU staff is daily evaluating film and making lists of what 2012 seniors will be looked at in April and May during six week the spring evaluation period. They will hold another 'Junior Day' on March 3 when we expect to see more offers extended, but this week was busy and an amazing twenty five new offers were given out to prospects coast to coast, including the long awaited decision by Josh Heupel at quarterback.
Heupel ended the holdout by extending two scholarship offers to two of the nations’ top quarterbacks, Max Browne, (6' 5" / 205 / 4.9), of Issaquah, (Skyline), Washington and the phenomenal Tyrone Swoopes, (6-5 / 220 /4.6), of Whitewright, Texas.
Browne could be the nation’s top QB prospect, while Swoopes is likely the most athletic, and either one would set off a celebration in the Switzer Center.
Browne was offered this week and will take advantage of a week long school holiday to visit Alabama and OU next week.
Browne plays in one of top high school program in the country at Skyline High and lettered behind Jake Heaps as a freshman, then took over the starting job as a sophomore. He had a breakout year, completing 294-of-432 passes for 4,182-yards and 50-touchdowns against only 13-interceptions in leading Skyline to the state championship game. This past year as a junior, Browne again was the exception on the field throwing for 4,034-yards and 45-touchdowns with only seven-interceptions completing an amazing 70-percent of his passes this past year.
“My ability to control the game with the ability to make any and every throw, short or deep is the key to what I can do on the field,” said Browne. “I think my footwork is pretty darn good, and I can move around in the pocket to give myself an extra second to throw the ball. I have sound mechanics and I have the ability to drive my team down the field.”
Obviously Browne will get an offer from every top program in the country, but admits that OU has him thinking:
“OU is definitely a program that has a great tradition, both historically and the past couple of years,” said Browne. “For me personally being a quarterback when you see guys like Jason White, Sam Bradford and now Landry Jones it is hard to ignore that. They have a great quarterback tradition there and they run a no-huddle offense.
“They have an offense that is wide open and Coach (Josh) Heupel is a great guy and he recently watched me play a basketball game and I have had a great time talking to him. I have heard nothing but great things about the city of Norman and I think OU would be a cool place to play. I am looking forward to checking it out.
Tyrone Swoopes could spoil the Browne love fest fairly fast with a commitment, and was in Norman two weekends ago. His small town of Whitewright, Texas is just on the ‘other’ side of the Red River, approximately 15 miles from Sherman, so OU would likely be the closet ‘big name’ program to his home.
However, these are possibly the two top rated quarterbacks in the country, and no way can Sooner fans get cocky and begin to count chickens before they hatch.
After looking around the country, we suspect that Heupel has a short list at quarterback and if we had to rank them we believe it would look something like this:
1. Max Browne, (6' 5" / 205 / 4.9), Issaquah, Washington, or Tyrone Swoopes, (6-5 / 220 /4.6), Whitewright, Texas.
2. Brayden Scott, QB, (6-3 / 205 / 4.6), Tahlequah, Oklahoma
3. Kelly Hilinski, (6'6' / 211 / 5.0), Sherman Oaks, California
4. Kevin Olsen, (6-3 / 195) Wayne, New jersey
5. Kohl Stewart, (6-5 / 195 / 4.7), Houston, Texas
These rankings could change after in-person evaluations in April.
So what do we do about Brayden Scott, the ‘local favorite’ from Tahlequah? Scott appears to be the only quarterback that Heupel would continue to court if he were to land either Browne or Swoopes. Josh thinks that much of Scott, as an athlete and a person and the coaching staff would love to have him in the program.
Also receiving official OU offers this week were these 23 prospects:
Justin Davis, RB, (6-0 / 180 / 4.5), Stockton, (Lincoln), CA
Derrick Green, RB, (6-0 / 218 /4.6), Richmond, (Hermitage), VA
Wayne Gallman, RB, (6-1 / 195 / 4.5), Loganville, (Grayson), GA
Lorenzo Woodley, RB, (6-0 / 190 / 4.5), Miami (Columbus), FL
Tashawn Bower, DE, (6-5 / 231 / 4.7), Somerville, (Immaculata), NJ
Torrodney Prevot, DE (6'4, 220, 4.6), Houston (Alief Taylor), TX
J.J. Gustafson, OT, (6-5 / 255 / 4.9), Dallas, (Jesuit), TX
Darius James, C/OL, Killeen, (Harker Heights), TX
Ethan Pocic, OT, (6-7 / 280 / 5.2), Lemont, IL
A’Shawn Robinson, OT/DT, Fort Worth, (Arlington Heights), TX
Laremy Tunsil, OT, (6-6 / 275 / 5.1), Lake City, (Columbia), FL
John Johnson, CB, (5-10 / 175 / 4.5), Fresno, (San Joaquin), CA
Priest Willis, CB, (6-2 / 200 / 4.5) Tempe, (Marcos De Niza), AZ
Chans Cox, LB (6-2 / 220 / 4.6), Lakeside (Blue Ridge), AZ
Mike Mitchell, OLB, (6-4 / 215 / 4.6), (Prestonwood Christian) Plano, TX
Laquvionte Gonzalez, ATH, (5-11 / 175 / 4.5), Chatfield, (Cedar Hill), TX
Michael McCray ATH, (6-4 / 230) Dayton, (Trotwood-Madison), OH
Standish Dobard,TE, (6-5 / 240 / 4.7), New Orleans, (Karr), LA
Jacob Matuska, TE, (6-5 / 240 / 4.8), Columbus, (Bishop Hartley), OH
DeSean Smith, TE, (6-4 / 225 / 4.7), Lake Charles, (Barbe), LA
Montravius Adams, DT, (6-4 / 280 / 4.7), Vienna, GA
Greg Gilmore, DT, (6-4 / 273 / 4.8), Hope Mills, (South View), NC
Isaac Rochell, DT, (), McDonough, (Eagle’s Landing), GA
Cale Gundy is just as picky as Heupel, he just has one more scholarship to work with.
Keith Ford (Houston CyRanch) is one of the most coveted running backs in the country with over 20 offers that have been sent to his home over the past two weeks. So far, the Sooners have a chance here, as Ford says:
“My top five are Oklahoma, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida State and Alabama.”
Ford has already been to Oklahoma once, and appeared to have had a great time.
“When I went up there (OU), I really liked the atmosphere,” he said. “I liked the education, the coaches and especially the running backs coach. I’m going to the Oklahoma junior day March 2,” he said.
“I just want to get that feeling,” he said. “Right now I don’t really have a time frame. I feel like one day I will just wake up and know where I want to go to college.”
Linebacker coach Tim Kish is already showing up on OU’s recruiting landscape with offers to prospects that he had been looking at while at Arizona. One, linebacker Chans Cox, was among the 25 offered this week. Cox, (6-2 / 220 / 4.6), of Lakeside, Arizona has offers from Arizona, Boise State, Oregon State, Duke, Colorado and now Oklahoma.
"They (Oklahoma) offered me Wednesday," Cox said. "I'm honored, it's such a great program and it just shows my hard work is paying off."
Cox, who attended USC’s Junior Day last weekend, says the Trojans want to see him at a camp before offering, said he can play tight end, linebacker or fullback and is not closing the door on any school at this time:
"I'm keeping my doors open to anyone. My Christian faith means a lot to me so that will be something I look at. I'm also looking at the relationships between the players and coaches at each program."
We’ve followed the recruitment of Dallas Kimball DT Justin Manning, (6’3 / 275 / 5.0), who is also the brother of former Sooner DT DeMarcus Granger. Although Manning has not received an ‘official’ OU offer, that’s only a technicality because they want to offer him on his upcoming March 3rd visit to OU, but he is likely among their top two defensive tackle recruits.
Manning plays with a similar style and aggressiveness as Granger, and that’s earning him the distinction of being one of the best D-tackles in the country.
“It feels good that people are saying good things about me,” said Manning. “I feel blessed that my hard work is paying off. I didn’t expect to get any recognition, but I felt with my hard work through last summer, and then with the season I had this past year that I figured that some people would be talking about me in a positive way.”
“It feels good to be considered as good as my brother or to be compared to him,” said Manning. “My brother was the number one defensive tackle in the nation and it is great to be compared to him. I feel I am doing something right, and I need to work to keep on working hard and staying humble, and then everything will fall in place for me.”
Manning had a dominating junior year and finished the year with 12-sacks and it looked like he constantly lived in the opposing backfield. As a sophomore he finished the year with 68-tackles, 19-tackles for losses, five sacks and two fumble recoveries.
“I feel the same about Oklahoma since the first day that I went to Norman and walked into their program,” said Manning. “My feeling on OU has been great since the first time I met Coach (Jackie) Shipp, and OU always feels like home to me. I always like being around OU.
I haven’t been able to talk to Coach Shipp as much as I would like. We have missed each other and then there are certain rules on how much he can call. So I have not heard everything directly from them and some of the information that I do get is passed down from my brother or my coaches, but I haven’t talked to Coach Shipp in a while. I am going to have to try to get hold of him.
“I had transportation to the OU Junior Day but at the last minute my coach had to work a camp and he couldn’t take me. I am going to make it up to OU on the 3rd. I know OU wants to offer me in person and that makes me feel special that I stand out to them. I am looking forward to that Junior Day on March 3rd.”
Here are the juniors that OU is most interested in, as of this date. More will be added following the National Signing Day, and more still after the April-May evaluation period. (^ Indicates an OU offer has been given, or will be shortly).
Quarterback – Projected 1
J.T. Barrett, QB, (6-2 / 205), Wichita Falls, (Rider), TX
*Max Browne, QB, (6' 5" / 205 / 4.9), Issaquah, (Skyline), WA
Kelly Hilinski, QB, (6'6' / 211 / 5.0), Sherman Oaks, (Notre Dame), CA
Jacob Burtch, QB, (6-1 / 197 / 4.7) Seminole, TX
Trent Hosick, QB, (6-2 / 221 / 4.6), Kansas City (Staley), MO
Jordan Darling, QB, 6-5 / 225 / 4.8),Waco, (Midway), TX
Devante Kincade, QB, (6’0, 175, 4.67), Dallas, (Skyline), TX
Kevin Olsen, QB, (6-3 / 195) Wayne, (Wayne Hills), NJ
Brayden Scott, QB, (6-3 / 205 / 4.6), Tahlequah (Sequoyah), OK (offer pending)
*Tyrone Swoopes, QB (6-5 / 220 /4.6), Whitewright, TX
Kohl Stewart, QB, (6-5 / 195 / 4.7), Houston, (St Pius), TX
Cody Thomas, QB, (6-4, 200) Colleyville, (Heritage), TX
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Receivers – Projected 1 -2
*Rod Adams, WR (6-1 / 166 / 4.4), St Petersburg, (Lakewood), FL
Marcell Ateman, WR, (6-4 / 189), Wylie, (East), TX
Richard Benjamin, WR, Tampa, (Middleton), FL
Ben Cavil, WR, (6-4 / 205 / 4.5), San Antonio, (James Madison), TX
Jordan Cunningham, WR, (6-2 / 185 / 4.4), Fort Lauderdale, (University), FL
Amaad Fullwood, Jacksonville, (Bishop Kinmey), FL
Jamar Gibson (6-2 / 190 / 4.5), Baytown, (Sterling), TX
Derrick Griffin, WR, (6-7, 209), Rosenberg, (Terry), TX
Brandon Harris WR, (6-1 / 175 / 4.5), Cedar Hill, TX
*Travis Johnson, WR, (6-4 / 204 / 4.5), Tampa, (Jesuit), FL
Quan Jones, WR, (6-4 / 196), Wylie, TX
Armoni Lanier, WR, (5'11 / 180 / 4.4), Garner, NC
Eldridge Massington, WR (6-3 / 205 / 4.5), Mesquite, (West), TX
Gary Moore, WR, (6-6 / 221 / 4.5), Clarksville, TX
Staurt Polk, WR, (6’3, 180, 4.5), Tahlequah (Sequoyah), OK
Jaevon Richardson, WR, (6-1 / 170 / 4.5), Baytown, (Lee), TX
Dubois Ross, WR/CB, (6'0, 165, 4.4) Banger, PA
Ra Shaad Samples, WR, (5'11 / 165 / 4.53), Dallas, (Skyline), TX
*Jacorey Warrick, WR, (5-10 / 169 / 4.4), Houston, (Cy Falls), TX
Quan West, WR, (6-5 / 200 / 4.5), Willis, TX
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Running Back – Projected 2
Aaron Baltazar, RB, (5-10 / 185 / 4.5), Chula Vista, (Eastlake), CA
*Greg Bryant RB, (5-10 / 195 / 4.5), Delray Beach, (American Heritage), FL
*Justin Davis, RB, (6-0 / 180 / 4.5), Stockton, (Lincoln), CA
*Derrick Green, RB, (6-0 / 218 /4.6), Richmond, (Hermitage), VA
*Jamel James, RB, (5-11/215), Katy, (Cinco Ranch), TX (Arkansas)
Adam Taylor, RB, (6-1 / 200), Katy, TX
Cameron Wrenn, RB, (5-11 / 177 / 4.5), Broken Arrow, OK
*Wayne Gallman, RB, (6-1 / 195 / 4.5), Loganville, (Grayson), GA
Dontre Wilson, RB, (5'10 / 185 / 4.5), DeSoto, TX
*Lorenzo Woodley, RB, (6-0 / 190 / 4.5), Miami (Columbus), FL
Darius Graham, RB-FB, (6-1 / 215 / 4.6), Lawton, (MacArthur), OK
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Defensive Ends – Projected 1 - 2
*Jonathan Allen, DE, (6-3 / 221), Ashton, (Stonebridge), VA 12 offers
*Tashawn Bower, DE, (6-5 / 231 / 4.7), Somerville, (Immaculata), NJ
Marrick Charles, DE, (), Destrehan, LA
*Elijah Daniel, DE, (6-4 /250 /4.7), Avon, IN
*Jason Hatcher, DE, (6-1½ / 235 / 4.5), Louisville, (Trinity), KY
*Joe Mathis, DE, (6-4 / 250 / 4.7), Upland, CA
Colton King, DE (6'2, 224, 4.6) Mesquite, (Horn), TX
*Alquadin Muhammad, DE, (6-4 / 228 / 4.6), Don Bosco Prep, NJ
Robert Nkemdiche, DE, (6-4 / 262 / 4.6), Loganville, (Grayson), GA
Jordan Points, DE, (6’4, 255, 4.9), Rockwall (Heath) TX
*Torrodney Prevot, DE (6'4, 220, 4.6), Houston (Alief Taylor), TX
Cameron Stapelton, TE/DE, (6'2 / 225 / 4.7), New York, (Poly Prep), NY
Vili Leveni, DE, (6-5 / 225 / 4.7), Hurst, (Bell), TX
*DeMarcus Walker, DE (6-4 / 255 / 4.6) Jacksonville, (Sandlewood), FL
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Offensive Line – Projected 4
Robert Boyd, OG, (6-4 / 295 / 5.2), Vian, OK
*J.J. Gustafson, OT, (6-5 / 255 / 4.9), Dallas, (Jesuit), TX
*Darius James, C/OL, Killeen, (Harker Heights), TX
*Evan Lisle, OT (6-5 / 262 / 5.0), Centerville, OH
*Dorian Miller, OT, (6-3 / 276 / 5.0), Metuchen, NJ
Tristan Nickelson, OT, (6-8 / 285), League City, (Clear Falls), TX
*Heath Newland, OG/DL (6-3 / 300), Edmond, (North), OK pending
*Kent Perkins, OT, (6’5, 300, 5.2), Richardson, (Lake Highlands), TX
Ross Pierschbacher, OT/DL, (6'5, 277, 5.2) of Cedar Falls, IA
*Ethan Pocic, OT, (6-7 / 280 / 5.2), Lemont, IL
*A’Shawn Robinson, OT/DT, Fort Worth, (Arlington Heights), TX
Braden Smith, OL, (6'6 / 250), Olathe (South), KS
*Laremy Tunsil, OT, (6-6 / 275 / 5.1), Lake City, (Columbia), FL
Ishmael Wilson (6-5, 275), Dallas, (Bishop Dunne), TX
.
Defensive Backs – Projected 3 - 4
Dakota Austin, SS, (5'11 / 165 / 4.4), Lancaster, Texas
Trey' Vonne Barre, ATH, (5'10 / 170 / 4.5), Jenks, OK
Will Barrow, CB (5-9 / 161 / 4.5), Dallas, (Skyline), TX
George Baltimore, S, (5'11 / 190 / 4.6), Mansfield, TX
Braden Calip, DB (5-9 / 181 / 4.5), Jenks, OK
Will Early, CB (6'0 / 185 / 4.45), Mesquite, (West), TX
*Kendall Fuller, CB, (6-0 / 175 / 4.5), Olney, (Good Counsel), MD
Teriyon Gipson, CB (5'9 / 168) Dallas, (Kimball), TX
Marcell Harris, S, (6-2 /193 / 4.5), Groveland, (South Lake), FL
Devonte Johnson, DB, (5-11 / 160 /4.4), Tulsa, (East Central), OK
*John Johnson, CB, (5-10 / 175 / 4.5), Fresno, (San Joaquin), CA
*Leon McQuay, S (6-2 / 180 /4.5), Seffner, (Armwood), FL
Kameron Miles, LB/S, (6-2 /202), West Mesquite, TX
Taion Sells, S, (5'9 / 170 / 4.5) Irving, (MacArthur), TX
Trevon Smith, CB (5'8, 170, 4.3), Edmond, (Santa Fe), OK
Darrell Songy, S/LB, (6-1 /205 / 4.5), Pflugerville, (Connally), TX
*Priest Willis, CB, (6-2 / 200 / 4.5) Tempe, (Marcos De Niza), AZ
.
Linebacker – Projected 2 - 3
*Chans Cox, LB (6-2 / 220 / 4.6), Lakeside (Blue Ridge), AZ
*Su'a Cravens, LB, (6-1 / 205 / 4.5), Murietta, (Vista), CA
Raaquan Davis, OLB, (6'2 / 195 / 4.6), Heath, (Rockwall-Heath), TX
*Erick Huhn, LB (6'2 / 190 / 4.6), Cibilo, (Steele), TX
*Michael Hutchings, LB, (6-2 / 210 /4.5) Concord, (De LaSalle), CA
*E.J. Levenberry, LB (6-3 / 230 / 4.6), Woodbridge, VA
*Mike Mitchell, OLB, (6-4 / 215 / 4.6), Plano, (Prestonwood Christian), TX
Russell Murphy, LB, Saginaw, TX
Brett Wade, LB (6-2 / 220 / 4.7), Kennedale, TX
*D.J. Ward, LB/DE (6-4 / 235 / 4.6), Lawton, OK
*Paul Whitmill, OLB/RB (6-0 / 200 / 4.5), Bastrop, TX
Kimmie Carson, LB (6-2 / 210 / 4.6), Tulsa, (East Central), OK
Chad Whitener, OLB (6-0 / 194 / 4.6), Mansfield, TX
Kahlee Woods, LB (6-1 / 220 / 4.6), Sherman, TX
.
Athlete (multiple positions) – Projected 2 - 3
Kalen Elia, TE/DE (6'1, 205, 4.6) Mesquite, (Horn), TX
Keith Ford, RB/ATH (5-11 / 195 / 4.5), Cypress Ranch, TX
Laquvionte Gonzalez, ATH, (5-11 / 175 / 4.5), Chatfield, (Cedar Hill), TX
Ja’Taveon Green, ATH, (5-9 / 160 / 4.4), Garland, TX
Ellis Jefferson, WR-RB, (6-4 / 190), from Denton, (Guyer), TX
Ashon Mayze, ATH, (6-0 / 175 / 4.4), Arlington, (Seguin), TX
*Michael McCray ATH/LB, (6-4 / 230), Dayton, (Trotwood-Madison), OH
Kameron Miles, ATH, (6-2 / 200 / 4.5), Mesquite, (West), TX.
Devonte Moore, (5-9 / 160 /4.4), Lexington, (North Davidson), NC
*Dorian O’Daniel, OLB-RB, (6-1 /198 / 4.5), Olney, (Good Counsel), MD
*Jake Oliver, S/WR, (6'3, 190, 4.45), Dallas, (Jesuit), TX
*Devin Rolen, RB/LB, (6'-1 / 220 / 4.7), McAlester, OK
Alan Shumpert, ATH/DB, (6-2 / 210 / 4.5), Tupelo, MS
Dru Smith, QB/ATH, (6'0 / 175 / 4.5), Mesquite, (Horn), TX
Jordan Sterns, RB/DB, (5'11 / 185 / 4.56), Cibilo, (Steele), TX
Stanvon Taylor, WR/DB, (5’11, 160, 4.45), Tulsa (East Central), OK
Dontre Wilson, RB/DB/ATH, (5-10 / 163 / 4.4), DeSoto, TX
.
Tight End – Projected 1
Adam Breneman, TE, Camp Hill (Cedar Cliff), PA
*Standish Dobard,TE, (6-5 / 240 / 4.7), New Orleans, (Karr), LA
Derrick Griffin, TE (6'6 / 220 / 4.6), Rosenburg, TX
*Hunter Henry, TE (6-5 / 235 / 4,7), Little Rock, (Pulaski Academy), AR
Sam Laptad, TE, (6-4 / 220 / 4.7), Jenks. OK
*Jacob Matuska, TE, (6-5 / 240 / 4.8), Columbus, (Bishop Hartley), OH
Christian Morgan, TE, (6-4 / 255 / 4.7), Plano, (Prestonwood Christian), TX
Anthony Miller, TE (6'4, 250, 4.6), Overland Park, (Blue Valley), KS
Mitch Parsons, TE, (6'4 / 220 / 4.6), Parker, (Chaparral), CO
*DeSean Smith, TE, (6-4 / 225 / 4.7), Lake Charles, (Barbe), LA
.
Defensive Tackle – Projected 1 - 2
*Montravius Adams, DT, (6-4 / 280 / 4.7), Vienna, GA
*Greg Gilmore, DT, (6-4 / 273 / 4.8), Hope Mills, (South View), NC
*Karick Huggins, DT, (6-4 / 285), Dallas, (Skyline), TX
*Justin Manning, DT (6-3 / 278 / 5.0), Dallas, (Kimball), TX
*Isaac Rochell, DT, (), McDonough, (Eagle’s Landing), GA
*Greg Webb, DT (6-2 / 290 / 4.9), Erial, (Timber Creek), NJ
Dominique Woods, DT, (6-1 /285), Dallas, (Skyline), TX
.
Recruiting Watch List 2014 . . .
Here are some of the young prospects for 2014 that have already turned heads in the Switzer Center.
It's hard to believe, but one 2014 prospect already has an (unofficial), OU offer. Broken Arrow running back Devon Thomas, (5-11 / 190 / 4.5), is the lone 2014 prospect with that distinction at this time.
These and many other top sophomores will be invited to OU’s prospect camp in June, and will get closer looks from the Sooner staff there. We expect many more names will eventually join these over the next sixteen months as the Sooners usually offer somewhere between 90 – 110 prospects in each class nationally.
Prospects may not be ‘officially’ offered until the class in front of them signs, (February 2013). The sophomores that OU has on their early radar screen for 2014 include:
Andy Bauer, OL-DL (6’5 / 278 / 5.2), St. Louis, (DeSmet), MO
Brad Ivey, LB, (6-2 / 205 / 4.6), Shawnee Mission, (Midge), KS
Cedric Collins, DB/ATH/WR (5’8 / 170 / 4.4), Dallas, (Skyline), TX
Deshaun Watson, QB, (6-3 / 180 / 4.6), Gainesville, GA
*Devon Thomas, RB, (5-11 / 190 / 4.5), Broken Arrow, OK
Dominique Little, RB, Lawton, OK
Jakari Dillard, ATH, (6-4 / 185), Princeton, TX
Jalen Tabor, DB/S (6-1 /170 / 4.6), Washington, (Friendship Academy) D.C.
James David, LB, (6-2 / 210), Rockdale, TX
Justice Hansen, QB, (6-3 / 190 / 4.5), Edmond, (Sante Fe), OK
Landon Root, QB, (6'2 /185), Wichita, (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) KS
Nick Harvek, Lancaster, TX
Tyrus Barrett, OT (6-2 / 280), Dallas, (6-2 / 280), TX
Xavier Turner, RB Birdville, TX
