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OU Recruiting 2022: Abnormal Mutations in OUDNA

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closetojumping
closetojumping

This isn't Shane Beamer-level good news, but this is fucking awesome. Castiglione trying to catch lightning in the coordinator bottle for a third consecutive time and I don't fucking see it on this on

Mitch Cumsteen
Mitch Cumsteen

I'm just excited that Dillon Gabriel finally put the LA vs. Norman debate to rest. 

Chuckie Finster
Chuckie Finster

Listen, you're talking to a board full of people who have said "no way it could be worse" countless times over the last decade. It always can.

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quigley

quigley 1565

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On 5/3/2021 at 12:46 PM, FunkSoulBrother said:

@quigleythoughts?

Jameson Williams was at Ohio St, and Burden committed to OU over the Buckeyes. Now, you could say that Williams was already disenchanted with Columbus so that's why Burden didn't commit there, but we also know that friends talk about committing to the same school a lot but it mostly doesn't happened.

Burden transferred high schools this spring to a school with a strong pro-Missouri staff, apparently, so the thought at first was that Burden would flip to in-state Mizzou. Good high school players are going to be pursued by good college programs until the end, of course. OU benefited from this a couple of years ago with Haselwood, who originally committed to UGA but flipped to OU pretty late.

The things that can give OU fans hope:

1. Burden liked OU enough to commit to them initially.
2. OU will have a really good offense without a dominant WR room in 2021. OU will have a good-to-great QB for the 2022 and 2023 seasons plus likely a top QB in the 2023 class (Nelson). If one of the third year OU receivers explodes this fall (Wease or Haselwood), they probably go pro. Mims and Mario Williams will be back, but there will still be plenty of balls to catch. At Bama, at least one 5-star and 5 4-star WR return in 2022. We'll see how they shake out this fall because of the massive turnover in their WR room.
3. OU retained Mario Williams, a top 5 WR in 2021 class. He's from FL, committed to OU early without visiting Norman, and stuck with the Sooners despite SEC+Clemson pushing for him.
4. Cale Gundy will find someone good to replace Burden if he goes elsewhere.

 

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Danimal

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3 hours ago, quigley said:

Jameson Williams was at Ohio St, and Burden committed to OU over the Buckeyes. Now, you could say that Williams was already disenchanted with Columbus so that's why Burden didn't commit there, but we also know that friends talk about committing to the same school a lot but it mostly doesn't happened.

Burden transferred high schools this spring to a school with a strong pro-Missouri staff, apparently, so the thought at first was that Burden would flip to in-state Mizzou. Good high school players are going to be pursued by good college programs until the end, of course. OU benefited from this a couple of years ago with Haselwood, who originally committed to UGA but flipped to OU pretty late.

The things that can give OU fans hope:

1. Burden liked OU enough to commit to them initially.
2. OU will have a really good offense without a dominant WR room in 2021. OU will have a good-to-great QB for the 2022 and 2023 seasons plus likely a top QB in the 2023 class (Nelson). If one of the third year OU receivers explodes this fall (Wease or Haselwood), they probably go pro. Mims and Mario Williams will be back, but there will still be plenty of balls to catch. At Bama, at least one 5-star and 5 4-star WR return in 2022. We'll see how they shake out this fall because of the massive turnover in their WR room.
3. OU retained Mario Williams, a top 5 WR in 2021 class. He's from FL, committed to OU early without visiting Norman, and stuck with the Sooners despite SEC+Clemson pushing for him.
4. Cale Gundy will find someone good to replace Burden if he goes elsewhere.

 

Recruiting 'hope' like this is always so desperate. 

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Divided Windows

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3 hours ago, Tex Pete said:

Ah, redshirting.  

They've both been charged by the DA with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, robbery and conspiracy. All felonies, I believe. I think it's fair to say their football careers are over unless they go the JUCO route. Though Trejan was a Rivals five star, and five star means five strikes in the SEC. Weed suspension plus three felonies only gets him to four...

https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=cleveland&number=CF-2021-635&cmid=2376654

https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=cleveland&number=CF-2021-636&cmid=2376657

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Machinator

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TFB had a chat with subscribers on the Texas side of the board about OU:

Spoiler

Q: Clear on what is being used against Texas in negative recruiting in regards to the draft and lack of development from the previous staff…What is the best negative recruiting pitch against ou currently? It used to be a ridiculously poor defense but that has started to turn the corner with Grinch.

A: I think the best play defensively would be: ‘Grinch is not going to be there that long, he is looking to be a head coach, so who knows what direction that defense will go. Recent history aside, they have not developed a ton of NFL defenders and you don’t know what/who they will bring in.' Offensively…man IDK…maybe ‘There is only one ball’ for skill-position players and ‘That OL room is stacked with young guys so PT may be an issue’…but really, not sure how you can attack them offensively. Aside from that, I think negative recruiting backfires more often than it has a positive effect, and the previous regime at Texas used it extensively in some cases and it kind of created a bit of a mess instead of focusing on themselves.

Q: What things make OU perform better on the football field over the last 10 years? Are those advantages durable or does Texas have a chance to really compete with OU for the best in the Big 12?

A: Consistency for OU has been their biggest advantage over Texas for the last decade. From the AD to the coaching staff, very little in the way of ‘major moves’. Even the Stoops retirement was pretty seamless as Riley was obviously groomed to be the successor. Following Mack, Strong, Herman, and now the hire of Sark…that’s a lot of change and upheaval. Is it as simple as the Charlie Strong hire not working (for whatever reason) which has helped give OU that huge advantage? IDK, but Texas is ALWAYS only a season away from competing with OU on a regular basis. They have the most raw talent (on paper) position by position than anyone not named OU…it’s now about developing that talent and getting it to the level it needs to be.

Q: How good has the OU staff been at identifying talent out of High School? Compared to the portal? Are they better or worse than Texas? Are they able to get their high priority guys?

A: I have talked about this with the other TFB guys (the Portal usage and how each team goes about using it). Right now, OU uses the portal to compliment their existing ‘Championship Level’ team. This year they went in and handpicked their targets – OT Wanya Morris (Will Start over an incumbent), RB Eric Gray (Will start over an incumbent), DB Key Lawrence (Will be in the 2 deep over incumbents) – WR Mike Woods (Will be in the 2 deep over incumbents) etc… OU has the luxury, right now of improving through the portal and they did a very good job with it. Texas on the other hand, had to use the portal to fill needs, not just upgrade. They needed to go hard on the LB spot and they did. They brought a ton in and will now let the chips fall where they fall. I was surprised they didn’t have success while looking for OL (we know they tried) but the focus of the staffs was different this cycle as Texas needed to get different guys, while OU sought to upgrade only. As for identifying talent out of HS. I will say the OU defensive staff has really impressed me. They have made a ton of early evals on guys who went on to explode nationally, aside from at DL pretty much. OU is not afraid to offer guys who aren’t ranked high (or even ranked at all in a few cases) and those guys went on to blow up (LB Edgerrin Cooper, DB Dontae Manning are two recent examples among others). I haven’t seen how well this new Texas staff does on their evals, but as K has pointed out, the start is promising (Boardingham, Swanson, Gatson come to mind)

Q: Rattler has the experience, but is he the outright starter for the 21 season? Curious if Williams has shown out this spring and made it a real competition. From what I recall, Rattler didn’t have a great season by OU’s standards.

A: There is no QB controversy or competition in Norman. Rattler is one of the Heisman favorites this year and is the unquestioned QB1. For a redshirt freshman playing his first season, after the Texas game, he really was a different player and he also had 10 dropped touchdown passes according to PFF (fwtw) Now…if he wasn’t already christened with the ‘Heisman Hopeful’ label and he didn’t lead OU to the Big 12 title last year, Caleb would have a chance to fight for the job. The bad news for the Big 12 is Rattler is the best QB in the conference, and when all is said and done, Williams likely will be better in Rileys offense than Rattler was.

Q: At this point, which wide receivers does OU expect the be the main contributors this season? And of those players, who should Texas be most worried about facing from a matchup perspective?

A: Main targets, Marvin Mims, Mike Woods, Jadon Haselwood. Mims is absolutely who I would be most fearful of.

A: I’m not as high on the OU WR room as many around the country are. They only have one proven difference maker – Marvin Mims…and that is saying something because of the trio of 5 stars they brought in in the 2019 class (Wease, Haselwood, Bridges). Wease was ‘solid’ last year but dropped a handful of those TD passes I mentioned below. Haselwood was injured most of last year following a reserve role in 2019 and looked a bit hesitant in the spring. Bridges…well he is no longer in Norman and has bigger concerns. Then you have Mims who excelled last year and OU brought in another elite potential WR in Mario Williams (who will play and will be a headache for some teams). But right now, there is not a lot of proven difference-makers, so I have some hesitancy in crowning them as an elite unit. They have potential and I think the addition of Mike Woods from Arkansas was more important than many OU fans realize. They have a couple other freshmen who will try to get in the rotation, but right now, it’s Marvin and a lot of ‘potential’.

Q: What is the OU sentiment about the Sark hire and his new staff?

A: Having sporadically been on the OU board, there's a mix of “Texas will be in the same spot four years from now” to some really believing Texas might be a threat under Sark and his staff.

A: OU fans on Sark : ‘Same old same old blah blah blah’…it’s common for fans to mask their concerns by saying nothing will change. OU staff on Sark : There is respect there for Sark and the staff he has put together, as there should be.

Q: Can Texas (eventually) line up and blow out non-OU big 12 teams ? Or is the Big 12 just a much more competitive conference? Feels like OU wins by 3 touchdowns for more than half of the Big 12 games.

A: I do think the play to your opponent’s level of past Texas teams won’t be a Sark tradition like it was with Herman.

A: But in the same vein…OU goes out and dumps games in back to back years against a seriously inferior opponent (KSU). I’m not a believer that the Big 12 is very good right now. It’s just not. I don’t see an elite QB outside of Rattler (no I don’t not think Purdy or Duggan is an elite QB and Texas QB is unproven). With the new coaches in the conference over the past couple cycles, I do believe they will be a very good conference in the near future. I don’t think you would ever see Bama, Clemson, Ohio State lose games to the likes of TTU, TCU, KSU, WVU etc at a somewhat alarming rate. As CJ said…the play to your opponent issues that have plagued Texas under Herman hopefully are a thing of the past because in order for the Big 12 to get to the next level, both Texas and OU need to be dominant while the other 7 (I don’t count Kansas) need to elevate their games so there aren’t regular 3 score blowouts.

Q: Will the OU defense continue to improve this year or do you expect it to level off? How would you compare the OU defense to ours?

A: OU lost Ronnie Perkins and Tre Brown, and Tre Norwood and Bookie. Four really important pieces for different reasons for them. However, with that said, they get Jalen Redmond back and upgrade (physically) at Browns spot at corner and will have Billy Bowman and Jeremiah Criddell replacing Bookie. I do think the OU defense will be a bit better than last year as their front 6 (they play with a NB in all sets basically) is among the best in the country with Bonitto, Winfrey, Thomas, and Redmond up front. I think the secondary also gets a bit better but the loss of Norwood and his ball hawk performance (much of it was being in the right place at the right time last year) will need to be replaced. The biggest concern OU should have is the lack of leadership defensively as Perkins, Bookie and Norwood were the clear leaders on that side of the ball. At the end of the year, I would say the OU defense is statistically better than Texas’ as they are very aggressive and will get to the QB and make a lot of TFL in that scheme.

Q: Who does OU have their sights on flipping from current (committed) Texas’ 2022 class?

A: I believe they are really only interested in Kris Ross at this point. They would love a shot at Allen again, but I think they know it is a lost cause as he will likely stick with Texas and perhaps only Bama could throw a wrench in that. But then you have some battles coming up with Hutson, Conerly, Agbo, Dewberry, Campbell, Williams along the OL to name a few, Then defensively you have guys like Abor, Harris, Jordan among others.

A: not 2022, but OU is high on Rueben Owens

Q: what is it about Texas that elite O linemen and D linemen are still staying away from Texas even with the new coaches and their reputations on development and getting guys drafted?

A: Hurts specifically when the Texan’ biggest competitors in the region have had sustained success in the same OL & DL department. Why go somewhere where you hope you can develop, when you can go somewhere you know you will develop.

A: May be a case of having to see it to believe it? I have questions about Flood (nothing overwhelming, just need to see him work the recruiting trail somewhere other than Bama) when it comes to the OL and have expressed as much to the TFB guys because let’s face it…he didn’t recruit any of those guys at Bama that played and went on to the NFL. And you or I likely would have had success developing a 2 deep of 4-5 stars and gotten them to the league. As for the DL…they are doing as well as any team in the conference really in recruiting of late…but the big DL are the focus of every team in the south and the competition (and some may say the price) for those guys goes way up. The fact that OU should have multiple DL drafted this year can actually help Texas (and the rest of the conference) in a roundabout way.

Q: We all know that Sark and Riley are great offensive minds… or at least that’s accepted en masse. However, how do you compare the two specifically?

A: Let’s see…comparing the two…I will say, I have seen Sark take some of Riley’s concepts and use them at Bama. Do not get me wrong, that is an incredibly smart thing to do as it adds to your repertoire. Grinch does the same thing with guys like Patterson and Coach K. Riley was brought up under Mike Leach. He has come a long way since. Started out pure ‘Air Raid’…went to ECU and began to dabble a bit in the run game more. Got to OU and had Perine and Mixon and completely changed his style as OU is pretty much a 50/50 run-pass team over the course of his tenure from that point on. When you talk about adjusting to your personnel, the OU spring game showed a lot actually. When Rattler was in the game, Riley called plays more like when he had Baker Mayfield as his QB. A few RPO but for the most part he worked the run game and the vertical game. When Caleb was in the game, Riley called plays more like when he had Kyler Murray. designed QB keeps, lots of RPO, and throwing on the move. Then…you saw him have the Jalen Hurts play calling where it was a one read and QB run kind of deal. So yeah, I think all good OC’s/playcallers definitely adapt to their personnel.

Q: Will OU win the national championship this year?

A: No. Alabama will. (If I had to bet).

Q: It’s been some time now so can y’all spill the beans on two things finally? 1: Why did Stoops actually suddenly retire? 2: I don’t remember the player, but just after Oregeron was hired at LSU ou lost a recruit to him to which K indicated some foul play and said he’d let us know what happened. Never heard what happened. Similar situation happened with Chaisson as well. Hope y’all can give some insight on those two topics. Thanks

A: Jacob Phillips. Linebacker. Same class as Kenneth Murray and Levi Draper. Murray and Phillps are now in the NFL and Draper is at Arkansas. Stoops retired in part because he knew OU would lose Riley and he knew he wasn’t long for the job due to his health. It was a combination of things but his wife Carol was not joking around about it being time for him to leave the rigors of being a college football head coach. Stoops didn’t care for recruiting and he has a family history of heart problems and was feeling some ill effects himself. Riley did play a part in the decision as he likely would have left Norman that year or the following year if Bob was still in town.

Q: What are your thoughts on Riley’s stability at OU? It seems like I see his name brought up related to NFL HC positions. Is there any thoughts internally or otherwise that he’d bolt for a shot at the NFL? Is OU pretty happy with him at the moment? He’s had tremendous success with Heisman QBs and getting to the CFP but it doesn’t seem like he’s been able to break past being a contender.

A: OU is delighted with Riley and wouldn’t get rid of him even if they had three 9-3 seasons in a row with an 8-4 thrown in. He stays in Norman pretty much as long as he likes. He has that much in the bank with OU after his first 4 years. OU under Castiglione has only provided long term stability and job security for the two head coaches in Stoops and Riley. The messaging we get is that he has no desire to leave for the foreseeable future. Our sources have never wavered whenever NFL openings come up. There is a sense that he has things he wants to accomplish and only at the point he accomplishes those goals (or it becomes obvious that he will not be able to reach those goals) will he move on to the NFL.

Q: Obviously OU has taken advantage of our uncertainty and lack of production, but how many years of success will it take to turn the tide back to UT? does OU have anything more to offer than UT other than recent coaching stability and success? Like, if we turn this around in 2 years, does OU still out recruit us in head to head?

A: Only once in the last 4 years did OU beat Texas in the recruiting rankings. Head to head…really haven’t been a ton of battles, but both schools have won their share. Texas generally recruits better than OU. It’s the development of the players…AND…perhaps the evaluation of players instead of relying on the almighty rankings. Texas was a bigggg fan of the rankings game under Herman and they played it well (IMO) with the various services. There were a few ‘How did that kid jump that high without putting any further data out’ type of deals, particularly when a former 247 Texas writer was in the market. Recruiting hasn’t been the issue and Texas wins more often against OU than loses, particularly with regional kids. You can take 2 instances from last year as truly ‘what the hell’ moments though…Clayton Smith losing contact with Texas to a degree and then slow playing (however you wish to define that) Latrell McCutchin (who will be very good in Norman). Feels like the former regime in Austin was more worried about appearances while the program in Norman has been more focused on substance to a degree and trusting their own evals? That is why it is so encouraging to see the new staff offer (and accept commits) from guys they evaluated diligently on their own and believe in their evaluations.

 

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quigley

quigley 1565

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September 18th OU-Nebraska is scheduled to be OU's big recruiting weekend.

It's now an 11AM local kickoff, making it hard for recruits who play the Friday night before this game to make it to Norman in time for kickoff.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31523904/oklahoma-ad-speaks-early-kickoff-renewal-college-football-rivalry-nebraska

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Thiefery

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3 hours ago, quigley said:

September 18th OU-Nebraska is scheduled to be OU's big recruiting weekend.

It's now an 11AM local kickoff, making it hard for recruits who play the Friday night before this game to make it to Norman in time for kickoff.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31523904/oklahoma-ad-speaks-early-kickoff-renewal-college-football-rivalry-nebraska

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texifornia

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3 hours ago, quigley said:

September 18th OU-Nebraska is scheduled to be OU's big recruiting weekend.

It's now an 11AM local kickoff, making it hard for recruits who play the Friday night before this game to make it to Norman in time for kickoff.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31523904/oklahoma-ad-speaks-early-kickoff-renewal-college-football-rivalry-nebraska

Oops. Even the TV networks knew no one wants to end their day with a greusome murder.

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UDontKnow

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8 hours ago, quigley said:

September 18th OU-Nebraska is scheduled to be OU's big recruiting weekend.

It's now an 11AM local kickoff, making it hard for recruits who play the Friday night before this game to make it to Norman in time for kickoff.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31523904/oklahoma-ad-speaks-early-kickoff-renewal-college-football-rivalry-nebraska

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Getafix

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SIAP.

Collin's Corner: The latest on 4-star OL Jaylen Early

Collin Kennedy

"Now, one surprise left off: Oklahoma. Early, at this time, won't be planning on taking a trip to Norman."

 

Spoiler

Collin's Corner: The latest on 4-star OL Jaylen Early

Collin Kennedy
 

The month of June has arrived, meaning recruits across the country can finally visit various schools in-person. This will, of course, include a favorite of mine in the 2022 class. Jaylen Early out of Duncanville, Texas is set to take several trips in the month of June. Here's the latest:

I got to catch up with Early a bit during Duncanville High's spring game last week. We had a great conversation about happenings on-and-off the field. He's justifiably excited about the opportunity to finally visit programs towards the top of his list. As of now, here's the five: Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Now, one surprise left off: Oklahoma. Early, at this time, won't be planning on taking a trip to Norman. This is noteworthy, to say the least, as the Sooners were considered a strong contender in this recruitment for quite some time. However, as everyone knows in the world of recruiting, things change.

Early would like to announce a commitment in July if possible. He wants to get trips handled, make a decision then put full focus into the pursuit of a state championship his senior year. It should be noted that, with this, Early isn't expecting to take too many trips in the fall, if at all. Duncanville's senior class is loaded with talent and a final push towards a title with these players on the roster is crucial. Early knows this and rightfully wants to give his team his full attention/effort.

With all this in mind, I'll say this to any Ohio State fans who subscribe to the 247Sports network and stumble across this article: I like where the Buckeyes are heading into June. Ohio State is one visit that I think could determine a lot in this race. Depending on what takes place, the Buckeyes could take a firm lead here. I do think schools like Penn State, Texas A&M and Florida State are threats, but just my personal take, Ohio State is standing out. Stay tuned as this recruitment could heat up quickly in the next two months.

Thanks for reading, and as always, thanks for subscribing.

 

 

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Fud

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Drumm on some of their top targets

Spoiler

*** I will start with five-star DB Gentry Williams and his recent visits.

Williams called me last night upon his arrival home from Gainesville (FL), but he also texted me a few times while there and came away very, very impressed with the Gators. He has visited Missouri and Florida over the last week, and both visits made really strong impressions with Williams. Williams told me that the Gators "put on a really good visit" and added, "I liked much more than I thought I would, and they even talked to me about playing some defensive back," Williams said. "It's a really nice place, and of course, I get along with the coaches a lot. Especially coach Garrick McGee. We go way back with him being a Tulsa guy and a Booker T guy, too."

As for Missouri, Williams liked their NIL pitch, he said. He also has a close bond with Mizzou DB coach Aaron Fletcher. The two go back to when Coach Fletcher was an assistant with the Tulsa Hurricanes. That relationship helped get Williams up on an unofficial visit to Mizzou last week.

That said, Florida has positioned itself in a good spot with OU and USC, in my opinion. The thing about that, though, is that Williams will be in Norman for an unofficial this weekend and then be at USC the following weekend.

The five-star ATH talked to me about the upcoming Sooners visit and said, "This is the visit I have been looking forward to for some time being an OU guy growing up and me getting to finally sit down with Coach Roy Manning and my guy Coach [Alex] Grinch," Williams said about his upcoming visit to Oklahoma. "I am going to spend a day or so on an unofficial visit in Norman. They asked me what I wanted to do on the visit, and I told them that as long as I am talking ball and life with them and Coach Lincoln Riley I am cool. I don't need all the bells and whistles on a visit there. I grew up around the program. It's about me and the staff just kicking it and talking ball. I am hyped about that part."

The Sooners are in a good spot for Williams, and he says that they have done the recruiting job really well as of late, saying, "They really have upped their communication each and every week with my family and me," Williams said. "I talk to Coach Manning, Coach Grinch, and Coach Riley every week. That's good with me. They text me, too."

This weekend will be big for the Sooners moving forward. Still, Williams also added that he would be back a few more times to see OU before he made a decision, stating, "I plan on going to the second ChampUBBQ in July if that is still going to take place like I have been told," Williams said about returning to Norman. "I am taking my official for the Nebraska game, too."

Even with the Sooners hosting Williams several times -- including his self-guided visit for the Sooners spring game -- USC and Florida seem to be making strong pushes for the OKPreps five-star. Another team that will be a major player is LSU. They will host Williams on June 25th. LSU has a lot of work to do, but a good visit, and the fact the Tigers produce a ton of DB's, could make LSU more of a player moving forward.

My Take: After two visits, I really like where the Sooners sit with Williams still. He's an in-state kid and an OU legacy. The five-star speedster will be one of the more interesting recruiting storylines as we head through June and July, but the unofficial visit this weekend to Oklahoma could have long-lasting effects on Williams recruitment moving forward.

I like where the Sooners stand with Williams, but this will be a battle with USC, Florida, and LSU. Any one of those four schools could end up with the OKPreps 5-star. It's that close and will remain that close until he decides, as I see it today.

The Sooners will get three more shots to go with his 2020 junior day visit and his self-guided visit for the Oklahoma spring game. Now they need to capitalize on those opportunities.

Omari Abor (Photo: Brandon Drumm- OUinsider, 247Sports)

 

*** I spoke with Barr Abor, the five-star DE/OLB Omari Abor's father, last night after their visit to Ohio State.

That visit went "really good," the elder Abor told OUinisder. They got home late last night after a few delays in their flights back to the DFW area, but Abor said that didn't deter from the fun they had in Columbus.

I asked Mr. Abor about his son's thoughts on the trip, and he said, "Omari had fun," Barr Abor said about his son's time at Ohio State. "They went out at night and had a good time, but he came back to the hotel early. The party scene isn't really him right now. He likes to play video games and chill in his room a lot."

With them being pleased with the visit, the one thing Mr. Abor said was still in the discussion was the distance from DFW to Columbus. That's something that has always been talked about when it comes to Omari Abor and his future decision. Barr Abor went into detail, saying, "He is a homebody and likes to be around his mom and me a lot," Barr Abor said. "I don't think it will be a major factor, but it's something that he will think about when deciding on a school."

A program that is making a push for Abor right now is Alabama. The five-star visited for their spring game this summer, and his father said he loved it, adding, "He really liked Alabama a lot," Mr. Abor said. "He went to someplace on-campus there, and he also talked with some of their NFL guys when he was in Bama. They come back there, and he really liked that a lot, getting to see and talk with some of their alumni that are in the NFL now."

Abor will be visiting LSU this coming weekend, his father says. Ironically, there is some momentum with former LSU running back Kevontre Bradford going to Oklahoma. The two families are very close, so I naturally asked if that would have any bearing on Abor with OU. Barr Abor said that it's a good thing but added, "What's good for them may not be the fit for us or what's good for us. It doesn't hurt, but we have to do what's best for us in the end."

LSU looks to make a strong move for Abor before the five-star -- who grew up a big OU fan -- heads to Norman for the ChampUBBQ. Abor's father also says that they will be back for a potential official visit but for sure an unofficial visit to Oklahoma for the Nebraska game in September.

Abor seems wide-open now, though the Buckeyes, Sooners, and Crimson Tide seem to be at or near the top with the five-star. Visits could change a lot moving forward.

My Take: I think this is more of a three-team race than a two-team race that has been talked about for some time. As noted above, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Alabama seem to be making the strongest impressions at the moment, but LSU could also make a big push after Abor's official visit to Baton Rouge this weekend.

The Sooners could make a big push with Abor the weekend of June 18th, where they plan on staying a few days to hang with the staff and recruits. Regardless, I don't see a decision from Abor happening anytime soon, so there will be a lot of movement with his recruiting over the next several months.

However, we know that OU has been and will continue to be a major player for Abor moving forward. Oklahoma will have to battle the Buckeyes, Geaux Tigers, and Crimson Tide to land the five-star. 

Stay tuned...

(Photo: Brandon Drumm, 247Sports)

 

*** We discussed on the board about five-star DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and his father getting a job at a preaching school in College Station. The Sooners staff was aware of this several months ago, and the Dindy's informed Brian and me of it when we visited a little over a month or so ago. We were asked to hold off on talking about it publicly until the job was finalized. It is now done, and Dindy's family will be moving to College Station in January. 

Obviously, this can be a big deal or even a HUGE deal for Texas A&M, but the other side of it is that the Dindy's will now be just around five hours from Norman as opposed to almost 20 hours away. Also, they have family in the Oklahoma and Louisiana areas, so this move was a family deal and not about recruiting at all. Something I think is lost on all of this. 

However, as I noted yesterday, A&M could largely benefit from this move with how close the Dindy's are with each other and the fact Gabe himself would like to be in the pastor field when his football days are over. Could that play into him choosing A&M in the end? Absolutely. And no one would be surprised if that happens. 

That said, both his parents grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from the university, so the precedent has been set to be a pastor after graduating from OU, with his dad doing so already. Add the fact the family is die-hard Sooners fans, and things are still looking good for OU right now. As good as they once were? Probably not, but the Dindy's are visiting OU the 13th-16th this next week, so that visit could play a big role in where the Sooners stand moving forward (stating the obvious). They are even skipping out on the Under Armor Future 50 event to visit the Sooners, so the visit to Norman, as Dindy's father put it yesterday, is a priority. 

The visit after the Sooners is to A&M. Dindy will take his official visit with the Aggies on June 18th and then visit Ohio State on June 25th. The five-star DL will be back to visit OU officially for the Nebraska game on September 17th, so the Sooners will get a few cracks at the OU legacy before he makes a final decision. 

My Take: This seems like a two-team battle, from everything I can gather. I think Ohio State, Clemson, and Bama could make a push for Dindy, but there is a lot of work to be done with them at the moment. As of now, it really does seem like the Aggies and Sooners are going head-to-head for the top defensive lineman in the nation. 

A&M will have the location with his family moving to College Station for his dad's job. The Sooners will have the fandom, both parents being alums and family living around Norman in the state of Oklahoma. 

I think OU and A&M are neck and neck at the moment, but we will have a better feel for things after the visits occur and draw closer to a decision from the 5-star. Until then, it seems like A&M and OU will be duking it out while also trying to hold off big pushes from Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson. 

We will have more on the Dindy as things progress this month. 

(Photo: Hudl)

 

*** Lastly, five-star WR Luther Burden will continue to take visits over the next month or so.

That said, I can tell you that OU continues to feel very strongly about where they stand with their five-star WR commitment. One source that is well-versed with Burden's recruiting process told me, "He has been very open about his visits and where things stand with him when it comes to talking to (OU)," the source said. "Burden has almost been reassuring to (OU) about things and has let (Oklahoma) know just about everything with his visits so far."

Burden has an unofficial to OU coming up soon and will also be taking an official to OU this fall, so as long as the Sooners can hold off Bama and a couple of other programs, they should be good to go with him moving forward.

Lastly, his relationship with Sooners assistant head coach and outside WR coach, Dennis Simmons, has been monumental with Burden's recruitment. 

We will continue to monitor this, but as of now, things look good with Burden and the Sooners. We will update you all if we hear any more chatter worth digging into with the five-star OU commit.

 

 

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