Obviously, the Sooners got a long-awaited announcement from Febechi Nwaiwu on Friday, but are still waiting on a decision from former Michigan State offensive guard Geno VenDeMark.
This is reminiscent of the Sooners' pursuit of Troy Everett in many ways. Some of you will recall that it became a back-and-forth, drawn-out battle between Oklahoma and Virginia Tech this past spring for Everett's services. This time around, Michigan State is to VanDeMark what Virginia Tech was to Everett. The situation appears to be as simple as this: if VanDeMark does end up transferring, Oklahoma would be the destination. But there is a substantial NIL deal on the table if he returns to East Lansing, and I'm also told the Spartans have the all-important girlfriend factor working in their favor.
A well-placed OU source conceded that VanDeMark's pledge to Oklahoma appeared imminent a week ago, but added, "The longer it goes, the less I feel good about it." And I think that's a pretty apt summary. With each day that passes, the likelihood increases that VanDeMark just stays put. If we don't have a decision by the end of the coming week, I'd bank on VanDeMark withdrawing from the portal and returning to Michigan State. And one way or another, I would no longer count on VanDeMark being a Sooner. It may very well still happen, but the likelihood is continually diminishing in real time.
