UPDATE: 10:13p - OK guys, final update for the night, apparently making fun of @Eddie_Rado's illness on last week's pod has earned me my comeuppance and I need to get a bit of rest.
At any rate, one of the more enlightening conversations I had was with Colleyville (Texas) Covenant Christian Academy Rivals250 defensive lineman, and Michigan commitment, Enow Etta.
The big man, spent some time around several big-time Sooner prospects over the weekend.
"It was really good actually. Staff was great and it was cool to see the other recruits like Jackson (Arnold) David (Hicks) and Peyton (Bowen) there," Etta said.
When asked if he had any insight on Bowen and Hicks he said, "I guess we'll see, NIL (is) crazy."
Now WHAT that NIL comment meant? I'm not 100-percent sure but I can say that in that regard it's my impression that OU has checked the boxes for both potential Texas 5-stars.
UPDATE: 9:56p - An interesting guy to hear from was one of Oklahoma's offers over the weekend, Katy (Texas) Paetow 2025 cornerback Deyjjhon the cousin of current Sooners commitment Jaquaize Pettaway and weekend official visitor Daymion Sanford as well as the teammate of five-star defensive line visitor David Hicks.
I asked him why he hadn't given me a heads up that he also would be coming and his answer spoke to his enthusiasm for the visit.
"Couldn’t pass up on this opportunity on seeing coach (Brent) V(enables) in action and the team win a rivalry battle," Pettaway said.
Again, there is some smoke that the Sooners made BIG in-roads at Paetow this weekend.
UPDATE: 9:21p - An interesting note that I kind of stumbled across is that Peyton Bowen and Heath Ozaeta spent a lot of time around each other this weekend.
That may seem an odd marriage between two guys that don't seem to have a ton in common but what one source told me is that a lot of it was about the realities of their situations. As Bowen's mother greatly respects the idea of Notre Dame's academics, so did Ozaeta's mother feel about Stanford.
Ozaeta seemed set on the Sooners from birth and convinced his mother that it was what he wanted and what was best for him. Meanwhile my impression is that Bowen is going through the same thing and the chance for the two families to be around each other may end up being something that is bigger than most realize in the future.
Just an interesting little substory.
UPDATE: 9:05p - I've spoken to a TON of guys today but we'll start with the chatter on a few guys that I've already forecasted in, Taylor Wein and Ashton Sanders.
I spoke briefly with Sanders and he was a little late getting his flight out so we didn't get to have a full chat on the situation but based on what he and I have talked before nothing he did say today impacted my thinking at all. I still think it's Oklahoma and could happen fairly soon - though I don't think it's the next 24 hours at THIS point.
With Wein he has said NOTHING to anyone to my knowledge which I kind of see as an interesting reality. But I continue to hear that Oklahoma is in good shape.
ORIGINAL: OK guys, got some feedback starting to roll in from this weekend and it's safe to say that things went very, very well for the Sooners.
First off, I've had a few early conversations that would lead me to believe that the Sooners made a big impression on their two most highly rated non-Sooners commitments - Peyton Bowen and David Hicks.
One source went so far as to say that the duo gave Oklahoma a fairly strong indication of their feelings and how those feelings would see the Sooners defensive class go from very good to elite in very short order.
Another conversation was very blunt about the situation with the nation's No. 3 (and probably rising) safety.
"(Oklahoma) is where (Bowen) wants to be," a source said before admitting that his mother and her relationship with Marcus Freeman won't be easily overcome.
I will say though in talking to a very good D/FW source there is some feeling that mom is increasingly more open to Oklahoma.
I can't put in a forecast for a committed player but if I could, I would be VERRRRY close to doing so for Bowen.
Now, with Hicks the conversation feels a little different as it feels like this was more about making sure everything is there for Hicks and my feeling is that the Sooners have done a lot in the last two months to put any of those concerns to bed. It feels like it's all there for Hicks, it's just a matter of will he walk through the door.
And again, someone told me this morning that it feels like that's exactly what he'll do.
I'll have more updates coming but figured those two huge bits, and the reality the Sooners have a chance to close two of the top 12 prospects in Texas down the stretch.
At any rate, one of the more enlightening conversations I had was with Colleyville (Texas) Covenant Christian Academy Rivals250 defensive lineman, and Michigan commitment, Enow Etta.
The big man, spent some time around several big-time Sooner prospects over the weekend.
"It was really good actually. Staff was great and it was cool to see the other recruits like Jackson (Arnold) David (Hicks) and Peyton (Bowen) there," Etta said.
When asked if he had any insight on Bowen and Hicks he said, "I guess we'll see, NIL (is) crazy."
Now WHAT that NIL comment meant? I'm not 100-percent sure but I can say that in that regard it's my impression that OU has checked the boxes for both potential Texas 5-stars.
UPDATE: 9:56p - An interesting guy to hear from was one of Oklahoma's offers over the weekend, Katy (Texas) Paetow 2025 cornerback Deyjjhon the cousin of current Sooners commitment Jaquaize Pettaway and weekend official visitor Daymion Sanford as well as the teammate of five-star defensive line visitor David Hicks.
I asked him why he hadn't given me a heads up that he also would be coming and his answer spoke to his enthusiasm for the visit.
"Couldn’t pass up on this opportunity on seeing coach (Brent) V(enables) in action and the team win a rivalry battle," Pettaway said.
Again, there is some smoke that the Sooners made BIG in-roads at Paetow this weekend.
UPDATE: 9:21p - An interesting note that I kind of stumbled across is that Peyton Bowen and Heath Ozaeta spent a lot of time around each other this weekend.
That may seem an odd marriage between two guys that don't seem to have a ton in common but what one source told me is that a lot of it was about the realities of their situations. As Bowen's mother greatly respects the idea of Notre Dame's academics, so did Ozaeta's mother feel about Stanford.
Ozaeta seemed set on the Sooners from birth and convinced his mother that it was what he wanted and what was best for him. Meanwhile my impression is that Bowen is going through the same thing and the chance for the two families to be around each other may end up being something that is bigger than most realize in the future.
Just an interesting little substory.
UPDATE: 9:05p - I've spoken to a TON of guys today but we'll start with the chatter on a few guys that I've already forecasted in, Taylor Wein and Ashton Sanders.
I spoke briefly with Sanders and he was a little late getting his flight out so we didn't get to have a full chat on the situation but based on what he and I have talked before nothing he did say today impacted my thinking at all. I still think it's Oklahoma and could happen fairly soon - though I don't think it's the next 24 hours at THIS point.
With Wein he has said NOTHING to anyone to my knowledge which I kind of see as an interesting reality. But I continue to hear that Oklahoma is in good shape.
ORIGINAL: OK guys, got some feedback starting to roll in from this weekend and it's safe to say that things went very, very well for the Sooners.
First off, I've had a few early conversations that would lead me to believe that the Sooners made a big impression on their two most highly rated non-Sooners commitments - Peyton Bowen and David Hicks.
One source went so far as to say that the duo gave Oklahoma a fairly strong indication of their feelings and how those feelings would see the Sooners defensive class go from very good to elite in very short order.
Another conversation was very blunt about the situation with the nation's No. 3 (and probably rising) safety.
"(Oklahoma) is where (Bowen) wants to be," a source said before admitting that his mother and her relationship with Marcus Freeman won't be easily overcome.
I will say though in talking to a very good D/FW source there is some feeling that mom is increasingly more open to Oklahoma.
I can't put in a forecast for a committed player but if I could, I would be VERRRRY close to doing so for Bowen.
Now, with Hicks the conversation feels a little different as it feels like this was more about making sure everything is there for Hicks and my feeling is that the Sooners have done a lot in the last two months to put any of those concerns to bed. It feels like it's all there for Hicks, it's just a matter of will he walk through the door.
And again, someone told me this morning that it feels like that's exactly what he'll do.
I'll have more updates coming but figured those two huge bits, and the reality the Sooners have a chance to close two of the top 12 prospects in Texas down the stretch.
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