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Mini-Sooner Intel: Feb. 26, 2021

BPrzybylo

Sooner starter
Nov 20, 2017
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It's the return of the Intel... eh, sort of.

Let’s get to it, no? Again, this is based purely on the NEW Rivals 250 released this week. OU will get some unranked commits, too, like Demetrius Hunter and Jayden Rowe (to name a couple) and already have Jason Llewellyn, but here’s what I’m thinking and why a good 10 months away from the early signing period.

Commits:

- Luther Burden No. 7
- Talyn Shettron No. 30
- Raleek Brown No. 32
- Kobie McKinzie No. 136
- Jordan Hudson No. 167

Why? This will be an interesting experiment. Can you land an elite receiver group when you don’t have the elite quarterback to go with it? Hmm. All the 2018 receivers are gone and now so, too, is Tanner Mordecai. Tre West and Jalin Conyers and Chandler Morris have departed from 2020. It’s hard to do, but I think OU gets it done this year. Everyone sticks and gets excited about playing with Caleb Williams down the road.

Targets:

Kam Dewberry
Devon Campbell
Cole Hutson

Why? Let’s not get crazy and say OU gets all three, but two of three here would be pretty nice, especially if you can add Jake Taylor as well. Taylor might even make you feel a little bit better if you can only get one of this trio. Hutson is the one I don’t feel as confident about, just in terms of how hard OU is pursuing. Last summer? Hutson felt a shoo-in. But there are other guys and not sure what Bill Bedenbaugh’s war board looks like. Dewberry could be A&M. Campbell could be Texas. I get it, won’t be easy but gotta get at least one of those big dogs. I still like Kelvin Banks more than anybody, but OU got involved way too late, IMO, to really be a factor.

Omari Abor
Gabe Dindy
Derrick Moore


Why? Same here. Don’t get nuts and say OU gets all three, but two of three is a job well done in this department. Valid concern about how the dead period being extended will alter plans for Derrick Moore and how OU can legitimately build a relationship with him. Not sure. Love where OU stands with Abor and Dindy, just about closing those deals. Would be nice to have one of those two in the fold by time spring football is wrapped up.



Why? You’re not letting Thompson go. I can tell you as of the Big 12 championship game, Thompson’s unofficial top two was OU and Clemson. Understand the numbers game doesn’t put OU in a good spot, but don’t worry about that. Things tend to work themselves out. What happens if any combination of Trejan Bridges, Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood leave? Thompson remains a firm take, IMO.



Why? Not nearly as high on OU’s chances with Jovontae Barnes or any of the Las Vegas prospects, for that matter. But still feeling good about Sawchuk, especially since OU was able to get him on campus way back when before COVID shut everything down. Would be nice for a second pure back, but right now, I’m seeing Sawchuk and Brown and feeling good about that.



Why? Here’s a must-get. You cannot strike out in the secondary with an in-state kid once again. Even though all scenarios are different, Josh Proctor and Dax Hill are still incredibly fresh in everybody’s memory. Really hope Williams recovers from his injury just fine because thought junior season was going to be that OMG breakout year for him. No. 1 overall on oh-so-important Boneman’s Board, ha.



Why? A little dated here, but going off what Josh has said in the past. And hoping that OU stops fighting themselves. Of course, Harold Perkins would be ideal, and you can keep fighting that fight. But don’t stop going for Sneed, if he’s as interested as he appears to be.



Why? Next defensive commit? Sure feels like it. Biddle was pretty mum about this week’s tweet with the hourglass and eye emoji, but there’s a whole bunch of smoke toward him making that call. Safety remains a position of need for yet another class, and you get Biddle and Hudson, and make it easier to keep both of them for the long haul.



Why? Maybe Texas with Flood coaching there makes this a bit more of a fight than before but not much. Give credit to Bedenbaugh and the OU staff for recognizing Sexton early and making sure he knew what a priority he was going to be. Shettron, Williams and Sexton were all at the Sooner Summit for a reason. Time to lock all three of ‘em down.



Why? At linebacker. Understand Harris can make an impact at other positions, but Harris is ideal for what OU is looking for. You hope he understands where OU is coming from early and no chances of weird miscommunications issues going down the road. A very well-deserved jump into the 250 earlier this week.



Why? Driver felt like the first safety OU was in a good spot with for the 2022 class all those months ago. Nothing seems to have dramatically changed, unless I’m off. You’d take a safety class of Biddle and Driver in a heartbeat. It’s not Branch and Bryan Allen, but they’re a lot better than just saying Plan B options, too.

***


Tick tock for Hunter

Going back to this tweet from four-star offensive lineman Demetrius Hunter from earlier in the week, nothing has really changed.

Still consistent in saying it’ll be in the next week. But then we’ll see how long the rest of the process is, between editing the video and setting a commitment date.

There’s no need to go crazy in wondering when exactly it will happen as much as just to feel confident that it will happen. Whether it’s in the next week or even the next month.

Whenever Hunter makes the call, the Sooners are absolutely in the best position possible. Hunter did “drop” out of the Rivals 250 this week. Put that in quotes because it’s more like other guys got evals and jumped in and not that Hunter is no longer worthy.

Still a four-star, just not in the 250 at this point.

***


Tick tock (Pt. II) for Biddle

Revisiting another tweet this week from defensive back Chace Biddle and had a couple of sources saying conflicting things about his hourglass and eye emojis.

One, Biddle isn’t in a rush. Could be a countdown to a smaller top schools list, and OU will absolutely make the cut there and just have to keep playing the game.

The other, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Might not be today, tomorrow or the next week, but Biddle is just about ready to make that OU call.

The quicker he does, the more united that front will be with Biddle and teammate Jordan Hudson because you know Texas isn’t gonna go anywhere in terms of fighting for Hudson.

Hudson continues to say all the right things as Steve Sarkisian puts on the press, having Biddle would calm some OU nerves. As great as a job as Cale Gundy and staff have done so far, never hurts to have more support.

With Hunter and Biddle, the sooner the better. Nobody wants to hear it’s imminent and OU is the leader for days, weeks, months, only for a thread titled “So…” to pop up at the last minute. Lock ‘em down, move forward to the rest of 2022.

***


Door is open for Daniels

This is why you roster manage, right? You want to have an open spot if someone comes along and is the right fit for what you want. And in the case of OU and Kendal Daniels, it would be one heck of a second chance opportunity on both sides.

Communication errors from last summer can be wiped away. It doesn’t sound like there was bad blood as much as just confusion as to how everything went down.

If you want, sure, you can be skeptical about a support staff guy like Ishmael Aristide leaving is a cause for Daniels to want to bolt from Texas A&M. But go back and read Scoop from the summer. What coach’s name was brought up for the Aggie connection? Aristide. That’s who Daniels felt the bond with.

This is not new, and after Aristide officially went to Miami, you started to see former Aggies voice their support. When you have guys like Kellen Mond and Bobby Brown coming out and saying how great of a dude Aristide is and what a help he was to them, that matters.

Without knowing too much about Aristide, maybe the best equivalent would be Chip Viney during his first run at OU? Guys like Zack Sanchez and Steven Parker would just speak differently about Viney because of how much he meant to them, especially with off the field issues and maturing in college.

Gut feeling is Daniels would stay closer to home, and as @CoachRoss44 and everybody is saying, it’s OU or OSU. The Cowboys, of course, have the commitment NEW Rivals 250 member C.J. Brown for a 2022 running back. Not sure how much that will matter.

Can confirm from earlier in the week that OU would definitely be interested if Daniels opened that door and sure sounds like he will. And the Sooners are certainly aware of what’s going on. A little bit like Wanya Morris, OU just waiting for something with Daniels to go officially official before striking.

A&M would be foolish to fight this, just like Tennessee was foolish to fight anything that happened after Josh Heupel came along. And that's how transfers become guys with restrictions to then having zero restrictions and being free to do what they want. It's just a bad look, so never put it out there to begin with.

The position question (linebacker/safety/some sort of hybrid) would still be there for Daniels and OU, and you sorta wonder if either side can see things differently after being months and months removed from the initial dilemma. Is there a compromise of meeting in the middle and figuring it out later? Maybe?

OU didn't exactly close strong to finish 2021, and getting Daniels to fall in your lap, for lack of better term, wouldn't be too bad. Add that with the portal guys and another way of softening the blow of late-December and January.

If both sides want a do-over for how the first time went, appears they’re gonna have that chance. See what they do.

***


Back to the 2023 RB drawing board

Luckily, that won’t be too hard to do. With the surprising (?) announcement of 2023 running back offer Rueben Owens aka “The Black Unicorn” picking Texas on Thursday night, time to find the next for DeMarco Murray and company.

You’d imagine that Murray keeps tabs on Owens, for sure, but now it’s time for OU to stop zeroing on Owens and find other guys.

That first offer came, coincidentally, with an offer earlier this week to Richard Young.

The problem, if you want to consider it one, is that no in-state or Dallas Metroplex back stands out at this point for 2023. Have to assume that changes, but makes it a little harder.

It’s always nice when you have a Marcus Major (2019) or a Seth McGowan (2020) in your backyard for at least one of your choices. Of course, OU did have that Jase McClellan and Camar Wheaton, too, and we all know that didn’t exactly pan out.

Would feel more confident about 2023 if OU can reel in Raleek Brown and Gavin Sawchuk for 2022 despite lacking the regional ties there. A lot of time to figure everything out.
 
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