So, off the report by On3's Sam Spiegleman that 2024 five-star WR Bryant Wesco was setting up an official visit to OU before a decision is made, I made a few calls to see when that would take place. A source with knowledge of Wesco's recruitment said that right now the five-star would be visiting OU for the 'Party in the Palace' in late July.
On top of that, the source seemed confident in where things stood with OU and Wesco. What I was told was fairly interesting and thought I would share it:
*** First, when I asked this source about Wesco their response was about as obvious as it gets, as they said, "He's a must have," the source noted. "You don't find many WR's with his length that has his change of direction and speed. (Bryant Wesco) is just a special, special talent."
*** When I asked about the official the source said, "Never in doubt. Seriously. (Coach Emmett Jones) and Wesco have been talking about how to get the official lined up for a few weeks. Not once did it seem like the visit wouldn't take place at some point this summer. It was happening one way or the other, from what I had gathered."
That confidence is also eerily similar to what Parker reported from his sources back when he said that no one was worried about Wesco, and that everyone at OU just thought an official would happen no matter what. That was even during the short period of time that things looked to be trending downward with the five-star WR and Oklahoma. At least publicly.
My source said the same, but really dove into why OU should have confidence, saying, "You just don't ever get the feeling that (OU) isn't the team to beat. I mean, it's almost like there is some real misdirection at play here sometimes," the source noted about the five-stars recruitment. "He was running routes with Michael Hawkins recently and someone told me (OU commit) Zion Kearney was also on-hand, so Wesco is obviously close with some of the (Sooners) commits."
"That can't be a bad thing, right," the source said while laughing a bit as if they were speaking in a sarcastic tone. "Seems there is a lot of connections with (OU). Even outside of his family."
*** Lastly, I asked about Wesco being close with TCU coach Malcolm Kelly and all of the visits he's taking. I was trying to get a sense whether the Sooners should worry a bit, and the source was quick to answer pretty directly, saying, "I'd be really surprised if (Wesco) went anywhere other than (OU)," the source matter of factly said. "Very surprised... He's close with other coaches like Malcolm Kelly at TCU. But the relationship Coach [Emmett] Jones has with him, and the family being OU people for long time just makes it hard to grasp (Wesco not signing with OU) when you think about where he will sign."
"Like I said, I would be very surprised," the source reiterated.
Again, this is the most confidence I have heard regarding OU in a few months. I still want to caution you all with all the visits upcoming.
*** If and when the visit does take place for Wesco, it will be a sigh of relief because that means the five-star will have gone through and would have OV'd to some really big-names in the world of college football like USC, Tennessee, Clemson, TCU and LSU.
Even with that list of who's who in college football, most people I talk with still feel the Horned Frogs and Malcolm Kelly would be, and likely are, the biggest hurdle for the Sooners with the five-star WR.
My Take: I was off on my reading of Wesco's recruitment for a bit. I was leaning toward him being a Sooner up until things started leaking out, a few weeks ago, that he may not OV to the Sooners. That now seemed to be either just bad information (most likely of the two options) or a players using some misdirection to try and throw off everyone who has pegged the five-star as a Sooners' lean.
Still, there are some major official visits that will take place in between the Sooners official the last weekend in July. How the Sooners' staff and Wesco handle all of that will be very telling when it comes to OU's chances with the elite 2024 WR.
Having said that, I still like the Sooners as of now. Coach Jones is a DFW coaching icon and the relationships he has with Wesco and his family is hard to beat. Add that Wesco's sister played a few seasons of soccer in Norman, before entering the transfer portal, along with other members of his family having strong ties to OU, and there is a lot to like if you're Brent Venables, Emmett Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners.
Even with the positive momentum for Oklahoma, I would tread lightly but also have some cautious optimism with the five-star WR at the same time. One thing is for sure, though. We will know exactly where things sit come last week of June. Once those visits get over with, if the OV to Oklahoma is still on, it's going to be hard for anyone to argue where the Sooners stand with Wesco at that point.
Sooners fans will all hold their breath until the month of June is over, I am sure.
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