I have some extensive notes coming that I am working on, but wanted to drop this nugget on you all.
First, the four-star Sooners' offer, Xadavien Sims, visited Eugene (OR) and the Oregon Ducks on April 22nd. That visit went well to the point that Sims, Sean Cooper and his mother, LaTasha Jackson, returned to Oregon for another unofficial visit.
On visit one, Sims mother didn't go with them. I had spoken to her at the C4 7v7 tournament earlier in April and all indications looked to be that OU was where she was leaning, and visits -- that weren't officials -- were going to be Sims attending by himself or with his mentor and trainer, Sean Cooper.
Things changed when Sims showed some serious interest in the Ducks, after the original unofficial a few weekends ago. Enough interest that his mother went back with them to see what her son loved so much about Eugene. With Sims' mother on the visit, I reached out to see how things were going and was told, "It's a beautiful place. Really unbelievable here," she said.
Now, before I get to nugget on the decision timeline, I want to dive into where things stand with the Sooners and Sims...
First, he is a take and has always been a take for Oklahoma. They don't offer instate kids unless they are prepared to take them in the end. Honestly, I am not sure why that is question to some, but it is. Sims has a huge upside.
The other question has always been whether or not a decision would be made quick enough to be in the Sooners 24K class. The relationship that Sooners DL coach Todd Bates has with Sims and his mom is big here, but Bates also has some other targets that OU is in prime position with at this time. Big-name targets like five-star DL David Stone, five-star DL Dominick McKinley, five-star DL Williams Wnaneri, four-star DL Nigel Smith, and four-star DL Joseph Jonah-Ajone are all targets that Bates and Sooners DE coach Miguel Chavis have worked on to build strong relationships with, and have put the Sooners in a good spot in their recruitments moving forward.
As for the official visits, I am not sure where things stand on that. Originally, the OKPREPS four-star DL had plans to take his officials and make a decision from there. However, in talking to sources around Sims, there is a sense that a decision could come somewhere around latter half of the month of May. I was even told that a date of May 20th was tentatively set, but it "wasn't set in stone," per the source close to Sims.
I have also recently spoken to sources around Norman and those sources have always felt that OU was in the best position to land Sims. However, the push from Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, DC Tosh Lupoi and DL coach Joe Salave'a has thrown off some of the confidence regarding Sims in the Switzer Center. I am working on finding out more here, but I'll admit that this is a bit of a surprise to a lot of people that are involved in this recruitment and/or have followed it closely. By no means is anyone panicking with how well OU seems to be recruiting on the defensive front -- and who they are in a good spot for -- but to say this isn't a bit on the negative side would also be disingenuous.
MY TAKE: It's never a good look IF you lose out on an instate target as good as Sims, and one that has the upside of Sims. I know the Sooners staff plans on talking with Sims and his mom in the next 24 hours, so they should have a better feel for where they stand then.
My gut says UO may have taken the lead here, but that's me guessing off of what I have heard and the potential move up in a decision date. Essentially, I, too, have succumbed to information recency bias a bit. Because of that, I'll hold off changing my 'Future Cast' from OU to UO, but also want to tell you all that Sims' recruitment is something I am watching closely, and wanted you all aware of some of changes I have heard.
In the end, Oregon is the new Michigan State in his recruitment. The difference is that there could be a decision looming.
More updates on this to come.
First, the four-star Sooners' offer, Xadavien Sims, visited Eugene (OR) and the Oregon Ducks on April 22nd. That visit went well to the point that Sims, Sean Cooper and his mother, LaTasha Jackson, returned to Oregon for another unofficial visit.
On visit one, Sims mother didn't go with them. I had spoken to her at the C4 7v7 tournament earlier in April and all indications looked to be that OU was where she was leaning, and visits -- that weren't officials -- were going to be Sims attending by himself or with his mentor and trainer, Sean Cooper.
Things changed when Sims showed some serious interest in the Ducks, after the original unofficial a few weekends ago. Enough interest that his mother went back with them to see what her son loved so much about Eugene. With Sims' mother on the visit, I reached out to see how things were going and was told, "It's a beautiful place. Really unbelievable here," she said.
Now, before I get to nugget on the decision timeline, I want to dive into where things stand with the Sooners and Sims...
First, he is a take and has always been a take for Oklahoma. They don't offer instate kids unless they are prepared to take them in the end. Honestly, I am not sure why that is question to some, but it is. Sims has a huge upside.
The other question has always been whether or not a decision would be made quick enough to be in the Sooners 24K class. The relationship that Sooners DL coach Todd Bates has with Sims and his mom is big here, but Bates also has some other targets that OU is in prime position with at this time. Big-name targets like five-star DL David Stone, five-star DL Dominick McKinley, five-star DL Williams Wnaneri, four-star DL Nigel Smith, and four-star DL Joseph Jonah-Ajone are all targets that Bates and Sooners DE coach Miguel Chavis have worked on to build strong relationships with, and have put the Sooners in a good spot in their recruitments moving forward.
As for the official visits, I am not sure where things stand on that. Originally, the OKPREPS four-star DL had plans to take his officials and make a decision from there. However, in talking to sources around Sims, there is a sense that a decision could come somewhere around latter half of the month of May. I was even told that a date of May 20th was tentatively set, but it "wasn't set in stone," per the source close to Sims.
I have also recently spoken to sources around Norman and those sources have always felt that OU was in the best position to land Sims. However, the push from Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, DC Tosh Lupoi and DL coach Joe Salave'a has thrown off some of the confidence regarding Sims in the Switzer Center. I am working on finding out more here, but I'll admit that this is a bit of a surprise to a lot of people that are involved in this recruitment and/or have followed it closely. By no means is anyone panicking with how well OU seems to be recruiting on the defensive front -- and who they are in a good spot for -- but to say this isn't a bit on the negative side would also be disingenuous.
MY TAKE: It's never a good look IF you lose out on an instate target as good as Sims, and one that has the upside of Sims. I know the Sooners staff plans on talking with Sims and his mom in the next 24 hours, so they should have a better feel for where they stand then.
My gut says UO may have taken the lead here, but that's me guessing off of what I have heard and the potential move up in a decision date. Essentially, I, too, have succumbed to information recency bias a bit. Because of that, I'll hold off changing my 'Future Cast' from OU to UO, but also want to tell you all that Sims' recruitment is something I am watching closely, and wanted you all aware of some of changes I have heard.
In the end, Oregon is the new Michigan State in his recruitment. The difference is that there could be a decision looming.
More updates on this to come.
