— At this point, Texas A&M and Florida State appear to be the primary contenders to Oklahoma in the race for Chase Loftin, the blue-chip tight end from the state of Nebraska. After watching Loftin, Nate Roberts and DaSaahn Brame this weekend, I’m even higher on Loftin than I was before. He moved just as fluidly, and perhaps even better, than both Roberts and Brame. The only knock is that he’s still a bit more slight than the other two, so he’ll have some more work to do as a blocker. In speaking to Loftin, he mentioned that he’d been dealing with a nagging ankle injury for some time, but was finally getting close to 100 percent. That was apparent in the way he played on Saturday, as he looked decidedly more explosive and quick than he had when I last saw him in early February. I’m a big believer in what he can be at the collegiate level.
Oklahoma’s taking it slow with him because of Roberts, Brame and Linkon Cure, but I don’t think anybody ought to be upset if Loftin is one of the two tight ends in OU’s class when all is said and done. He’s a stud. The time is soon coming for Joe Jon Finley to make some tough decisions as to how he plays his hand, because I don’t think there is any clarity on the immediate horizon with any of his three top targets. OV season will likely dictate the outcome of those recruitments. I almost wouldn’t hate it if the Sooners just decided to push hard for Loftin, get him on board and create some pressure on the other three guys to claim the remaining spot.
— Caught up with Tory Blaylock yesterday in Houston and talked with him for quite some time, with no microphones or cameras. He wouldn’t acknowledge that he’s the “Yamaha” for DeMarco Murray, but I will say this and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody: all the signs are there. Blaylock couldn’t even remember all the schools in his top six when we spoke. He’s only got one official visit set, and it’s for June 21-23; I’ll give you one guess as to which school is receiving that visit. He was overheard telling a couple of his peers, "OU the move." He spoke very highly of DeMarco Murray and told me he’s enthused about the possibility of playing for someone who had played the position at such a high level. A&M is out of the picture, and A&M is the one school that had OU sources somewhat concerned. There’s no reason at this point why Blaylock shouldn’t be a Sooner. I fully expect it, and it would be a shock if things turned sideways.
— I’ll have a more in-depth piece with Landon Rink coming later in the week, once I have the chance to sit down and start really catching up on some of the interviews I have in the chute. But I’m comfortable asserting that this is primarily a two-team race between Texas A&M and Oklahoma. For months, I’ve been very candid about my skepticism that Rink would go anywhere but Texas in the end. After all, he’s a UT legacy. But Rink was quite transparent yesterday in acknowledging that the Longhorns have been halfhearted in their pursuit of him, and that he has no interest in a school that doesn’t show him love. Texas is out of the picture, and I have a hard time believing that will change given the things he said about the Longhorns (both on and off the record). I also spoke to a good source on the Texas side who told me it’s unlikely that Steve Sarkisian and his staff will circle back around; “just not their type” is how that source described Rink. I don’t think you can rule out Ohio State or Penn State given that they’ll receive official visits, but this is mostly an A&M/Oklahoma battle.
— Andrew Marsh is a really good prospect. He’s dominant in every camp and 7-on-7 setting, without exception. He’s also a kid that is high on Oklahoma and has an official visit set for June 21. But make no mistake: this is a recruitment that’s going to become a bit of a headache for the typical fan, and it’s a recruitment in which money will play a role. Marsh is a kid who’s become very good at playing the proverbial game in the recruiting process, and the folks in his circle seem to share that proclivity. I have no idea where he ends up, and I’m not sure whether anyone could even peg a leader at this stage. He’ll talk up pretty much any school, he’ll rep pretty much any school and you can bet that he’ll take quite a few more visits before arriving at a decision. I’ll put it this way: Yes, there’s definitely a chance he winds up a Sooner. But there’s zero chance I would ever put him in a mock class, or drop a prediction with even a hint of conjecture or speculation. Mad props to Emmett Jones if he can somehow win that war in the long run.
