Update from BD:
Spoke to a source today that told me that OU feels things are moving in a positive direction with four-star RB Taylor Tatum.
Source said that Tatum won’t come up early for camp with a few other things happening, but don’t think that’s a horribly bad sign. As a matter of fact, OU and Tatum have spoken extensively this week and did so again last night.
OU is fully aware of the battle brewing between them, USC and Michigan, but Demarco Murray is trying to get as much done with Tatum before he arrives on the 16th. Basically, OU and Coach Murray feel the official with Tatum is make or break and they are going into the ChampUBBQ weekend with that in mind.
I say all that to point out that things may be trending publicly to USC, but Oklahoma feels it’s not over by any means, and sources in Norman feel there is more than a puncher’s chance to gain back the momentum the Sooners had before Tatum’s OV to USC this past weekend.
*** Quickly, I wanted to re-hash that OU should be hosting four-star Caden Durham for an unofficial late on 14th of June and the Duncanville (TX) and former OKPreps star is still slated to camp with OU on the 15th before he OV’s with the Sooners for the ChampUBBQ June 16-18th.
Things look and feel much better regarding OU and Durham, but you still can’t count out the LSU Tigers. LSU is very much a problem and the Sooners will use the OV and preceding days before the ChampUBBQ to really nail things down in their favor if it all goes as planned.
*** We will have updates on those two RB’s and the official visits soon. I am trying to breakdown on where things stand with the visitors for June 9-11, and more notes on a few other targets as well.
*** Lastly, I expect Tuesday and Thursday to be big days on the camp scene. So stay tuned for that later on following this weekend’s visitors.
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I’m posting these for Brandon. He sent them to me while he was with his family at OU women’s softball natty game tonight.
*** 2024 four-star DB Marcelles Williams will be in Norman for an official visit this weekend.
You can also add 2024 three-star OL and Oregon commit Fox Crader to the list of visitors and I’m told 2024 three-star LB Brayden Platt has switched from ChampUBBQ to this weekend for his official visit as well.
So, that’s three new names that are substantial on Sooners’ pecking order at their respective positions.
*** With Platt, I’m told the Sooners are very aware of the location that Oregon has there but there is also a quiet and somewhat cautious confidence regarding the four-star LB.
This weekend will be huge moving forward and the Sooners are hoping this weekend could be a close out or at the very least put the Sooners in prime position moving forward.
*** This will be trip number three for Williams, the four-star CB out of St. John Bosco. Oklahoma is quietly a major player for the big-time corner and though I’m a bit skeptical on the Sooners’ chances, I’d say that they are at least legitimate with him willing to OV. Jay Valai’s recruiting acumen is on full display here.
*** Crader is another that has visited OU before, making this official visit much more of a deal.
Sources feel like Coach Bill Bedenbaugh is making some waves here and this OV could be something to watch if the Sooners can sell and close on this one.
Obviously, it’s never easy to flip a kid from the likes of Dan Lanning and Oregon, but OL is one position that the Sooners should have much better chances at doing so.
Needless to say, myself and Parker will be watching this recruitment closely because Crader has seemed to have an eye on Oklahoma ever since he took an unofficial visit this past spring.
*** Okay, so we know USC has made a significant push for four-star RB Taylor Tatum, and Tatum is viewed very highly on the diamond as well — so much so that USC is selling him a chance to play multiple sports.
One source told me today, “He may be better than — or at least have similar tools as — Kyler Murray out of high school.”
Look, we all know Murray blew up and became one of the greatest two-sport stars in college sports history, so I’m not sure how much stock to put in that statement, but the point remains that Tatum can ball in both sports and USC is pushing the idea to play both in college.
So, where does that leave Oklahoma heading into their ChampUBBQ on the 16th? Well, I’m told OU is also open to the two-sport idea — much like with four-star RB Caden Durham — and the Sooners baseball program is also onboard with that as well. So, that will definitely be pitched pretty extensively when the Longview RB visits Norman next weekend.
Lastly, I’m told Tatum is also looking to POTENTIALLY arrive in Norman a few days early and participate in the Sooners’ camp on June 15th. If that was to take place, I think that bodes well for Demarco Murray and OU moving forward.
Side Note: Oklahoma is well aware of the surge USC has taken, but when I spoke to a source with knowledge on the USC side of things, they seemed to think that with Tatum getting out of LA without committing, things will be quite the dogfight down the stretch.
I’m also told that Tatum and OU have been consistently talking and things haven’t felt like it was a big uphill battle just yet. That doesn’t mean Tatum won’t wake up one day and close things down and commit to the Trojans, but from what I have been told, this thing doesn’t feel like anything the Sooners staff can’t overcome just yet.
Something to watch. But until you see a commitment date put out by Tatum, I just wouldn’t get too worried until later this month or early July. Again, just a gut feeling as of now.
*** Finally, I spoke with various sources today that told me, much like Tatum, Durham is also expected to be attending camp on June 15th. That is a day before the Sooners’ ChampUBBQ, so that could also put Durham in Norman, POTENTIALLY, on June 14th (the day before the camp and two days before the ChampUBBQ official visit).
Again, we are going to follow this very closely, but things do seem to moving toward that taking place at press time. If it does take place, that would be very good for Demarco Murray and Oklahoma moving forward.
We will update you as we get more.
Spoke to a source today that told me that OU feels things are moving in a positive direction with four-star RB Taylor Tatum.
Source said that Tatum won’t come up early for camp with a few other things happening, but don’t think that’s a horribly bad sign. As a matter of fact, OU and Tatum have spoken extensively this week and did so again last night.
OU is fully aware of the battle brewing between them, USC and Michigan, but Demarco Murray is trying to get as much done with Tatum before he arrives on the 16th. Basically, OU and Coach Murray feel the official with Tatum is make or break and they are going into the ChampUBBQ weekend with that in mind.
I say all that to point out that things may be trending publicly to USC, but Oklahoma feels it’s not over by any means, and sources in Norman feel there is more than a puncher’s chance to gain back the momentum the Sooners had before Tatum’s OV to USC this past weekend.
*** Quickly, I wanted to re-hash that OU should be hosting four-star Caden Durham for an unofficial late on 14th of June and the Duncanville (TX) and former OKPreps star is still slated to camp with OU on the 15th before he OV’s with the Sooners for the ChampUBBQ June 16-18th.
Things look and feel much better regarding OU and Durham, but you still can’t count out the LSU Tigers. LSU is very much a problem and the Sooners will use the OV and preceding days before the ChampUBBQ to really nail things down in their favor if it all goes as planned.
*** We will have updates on those two RB’s and the official visits soon. I am trying to breakdown on where things stand with the visitors for June 9-11, and more notes on a few other targets as well.
*** Lastly, I expect Tuesday and Thursday to be big days on the camp scene. So stay tuned for that later on following this weekend’s visitors.
*************************
I’m posting these for Brandon. He sent them to me while he was with his family at OU women’s softball natty game tonight.
*** 2024 four-star DB Marcelles Williams will be in Norman for an official visit this weekend.
You can also add 2024 three-star OL and Oregon commit Fox Crader to the list of visitors and I’m told 2024 three-star LB Brayden Platt has switched from ChampUBBQ to this weekend for his official visit as well.
So, that’s three new names that are substantial on Sooners’ pecking order at their respective positions.
*** With Platt, I’m told the Sooners are very aware of the location that Oregon has there but there is also a quiet and somewhat cautious confidence regarding the four-star LB.
This weekend will be huge moving forward and the Sooners are hoping this weekend could be a close out or at the very least put the Sooners in prime position moving forward.
*** This will be trip number three for Williams, the four-star CB out of St. John Bosco. Oklahoma is quietly a major player for the big-time corner and though I’m a bit skeptical on the Sooners’ chances, I’d say that they are at least legitimate with him willing to OV. Jay Valai’s recruiting acumen is on full display here.
*** Crader is another that has visited OU before, making this official visit much more of a deal.
Sources feel like Coach Bill Bedenbaugh is making some waves here and this OV could be something to watch if the Sooners can sell and close on this one.
Obviously, it’s never easy to flip a kid from the likes of Dan Lanning and Oregon, but OL is one position that the Sooners should have much better chances at doing so.
Needless to say, myself and Parker will be watching this recruitment closely because Crader has seemed to have an eye on Oklahoma ever since he took an unofficial visit this past spring.
*** Okay, so we know USC has made a significant push for four-star RB Taylor Tatum, and Tatum is viewed very highly on the diamond as well — so much so that USC is selling him a chance to play multiple sports.
One source told me today, “He may be better than — or at least have similar tools as — Kyler Murray out of high school.”
Look, we all know Murray blew up and became one of the greatest two-sport stars in college sports history, so I’m not sure how much stock to put in that statement, but the point remains that Tatum can ball in both sports and USC is pushing the idea to play both in college.
So, where does that leave Oklahoma heading into their ChampUBBQ on the 16th? Well, I’m told OU is also open to the two-sport idea — much like with four-star RB Caden Durham — and the Sooners baseball program is also onboard with that as well. So, that will definitely be pitched pretty extensively when the Longview RB visits Norman next weekend.
Lastly, I’m told Tatum is also looking to POTENTIALLY arrive in Norman a few days early and participate in the Sooners’ camp on June 15th. If that was to take place, I think that bodes well for Demarco Murray and OU moving forward.
Side Note: Oklahoma is well aware of the surge USC has taken, but when I spoke to a source with knowledge on the USC side of things, they seemed to think that with Tatum getting out of LA without committing, things will be quite the dogfight down the stretch.
I’m also told that Tatum and OU have been consistently talking and things haven’t felt like it was a big uphill battle just yet. That doesn’t mean Tatum won’t wake up one day and close things down and commit to the Trojans, but from what I have been told, this thing doesn’t feel like anything the Sooners staff can’t overcome just yet.
Something to watch. But until you see a commitment date put out by Tatum, I just wouldn’t get too worried until later this month or early July. Again, just a gut feeling as of now.
*** Finally, I spoke with various sources today that told me, much like Tatum, Durham is also expected to be attending camp on June 15th. That is a day before the Sooners’ ChampUBBQ, so that could also put Durham in Norman, POTENTIALLY, on June 14th (the day before the camp and two days before the ChampUBBQ official visit).
Again, we are going to follow this very closely, but things do seem to moving toward that taking place at press time. If it does take place, that would be very good for Demarco Murray and Oklahoma moving forward.
We will update you as we get more.
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