Was gonna do this Friday, but then the Joe C. call came. Was gonna do this Saturday, but then the Lincoln Riley call came. Enough excuses.
(OU or Texas for Collins? Horns or Sooners?)
Red River battle heats up for Collins
If you're gonna start talking about OU's 2021 class, it begins with Atlanta (Texas) High borderline five-star prospect Daimion Collins.
We say borderline because sounds like that will change during the next round of Rivals rankings, per Eric Bossi.
"Back in the spring, I mentioned that Daimion Collins was one of the players I had most wanted to see. Especially since the 6-foot-9 forward from Atlanta (Texas) is currently ranked No. 20 nationally and the highest rated four-star. I spent time over the weekend watching a live stream as he competed in his grassroots team, Team Griffin’s “Closed Session.” Anything I had previously thought of him being on the verge of a breakout, I’m doubling and tripling down.
Make no mistake about it, Collins is a five-star prospect and you can rest assured he will be elevated in our next update. I also think we will need to talk seriously about moving him into the top 10 of 2021."
You can add other schools if you really want to, but this is an OU vs. Texas battle. And as of Aug. 17, it feels like OU might need one last shot in the arm.
Even though Texas picked up its third commitment of the class and second forward for the class in David Joplin on Sunday, multiple sources said that changes nothing regarding the Horns pursuit of Collins.
In talking to Collins last week, it felt like he was someone who was coming to grips with accepting he might have to make a choice without any further visits.
That's not easy to do, but it sounds as though he's ready to live in that reality.
"Obviously, not being on campus has been hard," Collins said. "It's been pretty tough, especially not communicating face-to-face. But the schools that care show it. They text, call and have Zoom calls.
"I actually hadn't thought about it too much (committing). It's something I'm starting to think about now whether I want to commit early or still wait and see how things play out."
Texas felt like the clear leader months back. Then it felt like OU was starting to surge. It might be 1a. and 1b. But as of Aug. 17, the scuttlebutt is Texas is that 1a.
If that's the case, it hasn't been lack of trying by the Sooners. Collins was extremely complimentary about what the staff has done, before and during COVID-19.
"It's that coaching staff," Collins said. "Coach Carlin Hartman will reach out to me every day. Coach Kruger, too. Just building the relationships with those coaches has been key."
COVID-19 didn't allow Team Griffin to strut its stuff this summer, but it did allow Collins to work on bringing even more versatility to his game.
In limited action, it has been showing. He's worked hard on his ball handling and his outside shot. Everybody knows he can bring the highlight with his athletic ability and dunks, but he knows he needs to be more than that.
That was on display the last two weekends as Collins is cementing himself as a five-star prospect.
Talking Team Griffin, then you're talking teammate Bijan Cortes. If there's one ace up the sleeve, it remains Cortes. Cortes has been committed to OU for months now. So Cortes is comfortable with OU. OU is comfortable with Cortes. Cortes is comfortable with Collins. Collins is comfortable with Cortes. So Collins is comfortable with OU? Right, isn't that how the transitive property is supposed to work?
"Bijan will definitely talk to me about it every now and then," Collins said. "But for the most part, we really don't talk about school a lot. It's more about having fun and other stuff like that."
OU has played this race as good as it possibly could so far. We'll find out if it's enough.
***
(Will Alexander make an early choice? Would OU wait, if he doesn't?)
OU & Alexander on the same page?
Staying with Team Griffin and staying with the 2021 class, we move forward to Rivals 100 combo guard Trey Alexander.
Whereas it appeared as though Collins was OK with adjusting to COVID-19, the disruption threw things off completely with Alexander.
He admitted he was fully ready to make trip after trip to colleges throughout the spring and summer with his father. Alexander clearly still has a lot of big-time offers, but it's apparent that whirlwind visit tour is not going to go down.
And that has changed out his outlook on committing.
"I've been talking with my family, and we were saying we wanted to commit before the season," Alexander said. "That's kind of hard to do because a lot of schools haven't been able to see me."
Alexander has been as good as advertised in the last two weekends, showing why he's solidified his spot in the top 100. He might wait longer, but he really doesn't have to, if he chooses another direction.
"I was talking to my dad, and we were thinking a top 10 in the next month or two. It's coming a lot quicker than I expected."
The lingering question remains about where OU stands in all this, and where Alexander fits in with OU's plans, if at all.
No doubt it sent a message earlier this summer when OU offered C.J. Noland, who is also a combo guard.
In talking to sources, Noland has been perceived as a huge Kansas State lock for some time now. But OU is making a strong run and other sources believe the Sooners have narrowed that gap significantly and could pull off the victory.
Alexander hasn't thrown in the towel with OU, but more and more, you get a sense of the two going their separate ways even if Alexander has appreciated the Sooners interest throughout his recruitment.
"It's the way they've been recruiting me," Alexander said. "Texting me every day. Showing the love every day. That's why they're in the race. It's not just because they're the home school, but because they show the love, too."
What his role would be at OU has been a topic of conversation, and it's interesting to hear whether Alexander is hearing what he wants from other schools for his role, as opposed to what OU has been saying.
Getting the green light all the time can be a tricky situation to navigate as OU learned with Trae Young.
Alexander might be deprived of some official visits, but it's not OU. Alexander checked that one off nice 'n early, on purpose.
"I knew people really wanted me to take that visit," Alexander said. "So I was like let's go ahead and take this one now. Check out the home state schools early and then out of state and take the rest."
In the last month, Florida State and Georgia have offered, and you get the sense Alexander is itching to see who else could come into the picture.
If he wants to play the waiting game, it could close the door on OU. It's not that Josh O'Garro took Alexander's spot, not at all. But it did, however, change the timeline.
By taking O'Garro and him reclassifying for 2020, it means OU only needs one combo guard for the 2021 class. Alexander? Noland? Somebody else?
OU has four seniors for this upcoming season, so there are spots open with Cortes the sole member at this time. Sooners are shooting for some big ones, will be about closing the deal.
(OU or Texas for Collins? Horns or Sooners?)
Red River battle heats up for Collins
If you're gonna start talking about OU's 2021 class, it begins with Atlanta (Texas) High borderline five-star prospect Daimion Collins.
We say borderline because sounds like that will change during the next round of Rivals rankings, per Eric Bossi.
"Back in the spring, I mentioned that Daimion Collins was one of the players I had most wanted to see. Especially since the 6-foot-9 forward from Atlanta (Texas) is currently ranked No. 20 nationally and the highest rated four-star. I spent time over the weekend watching a live stream as he competed in his grassroots team, Team Griffin’s “Closed Session.” Anything I had previously thought of him being on the verge of a breakout, I’m doubling and tripling down.
Make no mistake about it, Collins is a five-star prospect and you can rest assured he will be elevated in our next update. I also think we will need to talk seriously about moving him into the top 10 of 2021."
You can add other schools if you really want to, but this is an OU vs. Texas battle. And as of Aug. 17, it feels like OU might need one last shot in the arm.
Even though Texas picked up its third commitment of the class and second forward for the class in David Joplin on Sunday, multiple sources said that changes nothing regarding the Horns pursuit of Collins.
In talking to Collins last week, it felt like he was someone who was coming to grips with accepting he might have to make a choice without any further visits.
That's not easy to do, but it sounds as though he's ready to live in that reality.
"Obviously, not being on campus has been hard," Collins said. "It's been pretty tough, especially not communicating face-to-face. But the schools that care show it. They text, call and have Zoom calls.
"I actually hadn't thought about it too much (committing). It's something I'm starting to think about now whether I want to commit early or still wait and see how things play out."
Texas felt like the clear leader months back. Then it felt like OU was starting to surge. It might be 1a. and 1b. But as of Aug. 17, the scuttlebutt is Texas is that 1a.
If that's the case, it hasn't been lack of trying by the Sooners. Collins was extremely complimentary about what the staff has done, before and during COVID-19.
"It's that coaching staff," Collins said. "Coach Carlin Hartman will reach out to me every day. Coach Kruger, too. Just building the relationships with those coaches has been key."
COVID-19 didn't allow Team Griffin to strut its stuff this summer, but it did allow Collins to work on bringing even more versatility to his game.
In limited action, it has been showing. He's worked hard on his ball handling and his outside shot. Everybody knows he can bring the highlight with his athletic ability and dunks, but he knows he needs to be more than that.
That was on display the last two weekends as Collins is cementing himself as a five-star prospect.
Talking Team Griffin, then you're talking teammate Bijan Cortes. If there's one ace up the sleeve, it remains Cortes. Cortes has been committed to OU for months now. So Cortes is comfortable with OU. OU is comfortable with Cortes. Cortes is comfortable with Collins. Collins is comfortable with Cortes. So Collins is comfortable with OU? Right, isn't that how the transitive property is supposed to work?
"Bijan will definitely talk to me about it every now and then," Collins said. "But for the most part, we really don't talk about school a lot. It's more about having fun and other stuff like that."
OU has played this race as good as it possibly could so far. We'll find out if it's enough.
***
(Will Alexander make an early choice? Would OU wait, if he doesn't?)
OU & Alexander on the same page?
Staying with Team Griffin and staying with the 2021 class, we move forward to Rivals 100 combo guard Trey Alexander.
Whereas it appeared as though Collins was OK with adjusting to COVID-19, the disruption threw things off completely with Alexander.
He admitted he was fully ready to make trip after trip to colleges throughout the spring and summer with his father. Alexander clearly still has a lot of big-time offers, but it's apparent that whirlwind visit tour is not going to go down.
And that has changed out his outlook on committing.
"I've been talking with my family, and we were saying we wanted to commit before the season," Alexander said. "That's kind of hard to do because a lot of schools haven't been able to see me."
Alexander has been as good as advertised in the last two weekends, showing why he's solidified his spot in the top 100. He might wait longer, but he really doesn't have to, if he chooses another direction.
"I was talking to my dad, and we were thinking a top 10 in the next month or two. It's coming a lot quicker than I expected."
The lingering question remains about where OU stands in all this, and where Alexander fits in with OU's plans, if at all.
No doubt it sent a message earlier this summer when OU offered C.J. Noland, who is also a combo guard.
In talking to sources, Noland has been perceived as a huge Kansas State lock for some time now. But OU is making a strong run and other sources believe the Sooners have narrowed that gap significantly and could pull off the victory.
Alexander hasn't thrown in the towel with OU, but more and more, you get a sense of the two going their separate ways even if Alexander has appreciated the Sooners interest throughout his recruitment.
"It's the way they've been recruiting me," Alexander said. "Texting me every day. Showing the love every day. That's why they're in the race. It's not just because they're the home school, but because they show the love, too."
What his role would be at OU has been a topic of conversation, and it's interesting to hear whether Alexander is hearing what he wants from other schools for his role, as opposed to what OU has been saying.
Getting the green light all the time can be a tricky situation to navigate as OU learned with Trae Young.
Alexander might be deprived of some official visits, but it's not OU. Alexander checked that one off nice 'n early, on purpose.
"I knew people really wanted me to take that visit," Alexander said. "So I was like let's go ahead and take this one now. Check out the home state schools early and then out of state and take the rest."
In the last month, Florida State and Georgia have offered, and you get the sense Alexander is itching to see who else could come into the picture.
If he wants to play the waiting game, it could close the door on OU. It's not that Josh O'Garro took Alexander's spot, not at all. But it did, however, change the timeline.
By taking O'Garro and him reclassifying for 2020, it means OU only needs one combo guard for the 2021 class. Alexander? Noland? Somebody else?
OU has four seniors for this upcoming season, so there are spots open with Cortes the sole member at this time. Sooners are shooting for some big ones, will be about closing the deal.
