A 5-star Oklahoma commit says the Sooners will ‘bury’ Texas, and he might be right
Texas is getting better. But so are the Sooners, and they’re starting from miles ahead.
By Alex Kirshner and Bud Elliott Jul 3, 2018, 8:36am EDT
After years of the Sooners overachieving their recruiting rankings, Oklahoma’s recruiting has entered the highest tier.
In 2016, Oklahoma signed the country’s No. 19 class, according to the industry-consensus 247Sports Composite, their sixth straight year in the teens. The Sooners followed at No. 8 in 2017 and No. 9 in 2018. As of this writing, they’ve got the No. 5 class for 2019 and could go higher.
The Sooners’ strong 2018 class is probably going to bump them into the talent range teams have to enter in order to win national championships, historically speaking. The roster the Sooners field in 2018 should be more than 50 percent four- and five-star recruits.
The Sooners have 2019 commitments from the nation’s No. 1 pro-style QB (Spencer Rattler), No. 5, 14, and 21 receivers (Theo Wease, Arjei Henderson, and Trejan Bridges), No. 2 tight end (Austin Stogner), and No. 8 guard (EJ Ndoma-Ogar). The defensive class has a smaller handful of blue-chips.
Wease, a five-star, said the Sooners are “definitely gonna bury” rival Texas.
“Honestly, I just think it’s all the recruits buying in and seeing the vision of how we’re about to take over the Big 12,” Wease said.
OU already has, sort of, with three straight league titles. But he has a point. The Sooners’ recruiting has them positioned to take over more than the Big 12.
The Sooners have become the destination for offensive talent.
It’s unsurprising that OU is having its best recruiting year in a decade, on the heels of making the Playoff and having its Heisman QB drafted first overall.
In two years as Bob Stoops’ coordinator and one as head coach, Lincoln Riley has been the most successful offensive coach in the country. His units have yet to finish outside the top four in scoring or, in the last two years, the top one in S&P+.
Norman has become a hub for NFL teams to visit and pick Riley’s brain. The pro game has come to resemble the college one more and more, which gives Riley another recruiting edge.
“The game’s moving in that direction,” Stogner, the incoming tight end, said.
“No one’s running power-I anymore. No one’s running every play. They’re always throwing it. That’s big for me. I wasn’t really shocked when I read that article, just ‘cause I know he’s a mastermind. You talk to everyone, they say he’s the smartest dude they know.”
Rattler, the prized QB, said Riley’s system “has a little more to it than everybody else.”
Recruits also love the coach’s willingness to play rookies.
Three true freshmen started in the Rose Bowl semifinal against Georgia. One, receiver CeeDee Lamb, finished the season with 67 targets, the third-most on the team.
“Knowing Lincoln, he plays young cats. Coming in as a freshman, I’m looking forward to that,” Bridges said. “That’s probably his biggest thing that I’m stuck on.”
Oklahoma had spent years as one of college football’s sneaky overachievers.
The Sooners have long been a true blue-blood, but recently, often did it while signing classes that usually ranked around No. 15 or 20 nationally.
OU has managed Playoff runs in two of the last three years thanks to a former walk-on transfer quarterback, Baker Mayfield, and a supporting cast that included a former three-star who turned out to be an All-American left tackle, Orlando Brown.
Now they’re signing the kind of talent that ensures they won’t need to find a Heisman QB out of nowhere.
And, yeah, the Sooners’ continued rise could put a hard ceiling on Tom Herman’s Texas.
The Horns signed 2018’s No. 3 class, a handful of spots ahead of the Sooners. Tom Herman (and Charlie Strong before him) have accumulated elite talent despite losing lots of games. A conference championship this year could entrench the Longhorns.
But if the Longhorns don’t win now — especially since OU’s QB is a short, three-year backup who’s about to bolt for the Oakland A’s — it’ll only get harder.
In that sense, Texas doesn’t have a margin for error. Oklahoma might. The Sooners are strong Big 12 favorites this year, but even if they decline after Mayfield, their millennial coach and elite 2019 class should buy a lot of patience.
All of the recruits quoted here were speaking in in Dallas at The Opening Finals, Nike’s showcase for the best recruits in the country. The Sooners had seven commitments in attendance, more than anyone else. Only Alabama had even six.
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2018/7/3/17529396/oklahoma-commits-class-2018
Texas is getting better. But so are the Sooners, and they’re starting from miles ahead.
By Alex Kirshner and Bud Elliott Jul 3, 2018, 8:36am EDT
After years of the Sooners overachieving their recruiting rankings, Oklahoma’s recruiting has entered the highest tier.
In 2016, Oklahoma signed the country’s No. 19 class, according to the industry-consensus 247Sports Composite, their sixth straight year in the teens. The Sooners followed at No. 8 in 2017 and No. 9 in 2018. As of this writing, they’ve got the No. 5 class for 2019 and could go higher.
The Sooners’ strong 2018 class is probably going to bump them into the talent range teams have to enter in order to win national championships, historically speaking. The roster the Sooners field in 2018 should be more than 50 percent four- and five-star recruits.
The Sooners have 2019 commitments from the nation’s No. 1 pro-style QB (Spencer Rattler), No. 5, 14, and 21 receivers (Theo Wease, Arjei Henderson, and Trejan Bridges), No. 2 tight end (Austin Stogner), and No. 8 guard (EJ Ndoma-Ogar). The defensive class has a smaller handful of blue-chips.
Wease, a five-star, said the Sooners are “definitely gonna bury” rival Texas.
“Honestly, I just think it’s all the recruits buying in and seeing the vision of how we’re about to take over the Big 12,” Wease said.
OU already has, sort of, with three straight league titles. But he has a point. The Sooners’ recruiting has them positioned to take over more than the Big 12.
The Sooners have become the destination for offensive talent.
It’s unsurprising that OU is having its best recruiting year in a decade, on the heels of making the Playoff and having its Heisman QB drafted first overall.
In two years as Bob Stoops’ coordinator and one as head coach, Lincoln Riley has been the most successful offensive coach in the country. His units have yet to finish outside the top four in scoring or, in the last two years, the top one in S&P+.
Norman has become a hub for NFL teams to visit and pick Riley’s brain. The pro game has come to resemble the college one more and more, which gives Riley another recruiting edge.
“The game’s moving in that direction,” Stogner, the incoming tight end, said.
“No one’s running power-I anymore. No one’s running every play. They’re always throwing it. That’s big for me. I wasn’t really shocked when I read that article, just ‘cause I know he’s a mastermind. You talk to everyone, they say he’s the smartest dude they know.”
Rattler, the prized QB, said Riley’s system “has a little more to it than everybody else.”
Recruits also love the coach’s willingness to play rookies.
Three true freshmen started in the Rose Bowl semifinal against Georgia. One, receiver CeeDee Lamb, finished the season with 67 targets, the third-most on the team.
“Knowing Lincoln, he plays young cats. Coming in as a freshman, I’m looking forward to that,” Bridges said. “That’s probably his biggest thing that I’m stuck on.”
Oklahoma had spent years as one of college football’s sneaky overachievers.
The Sooners have long been a true blue-blood, but recently, often did it while signing classes that usually ranked around No. 15 or 20 nationally.
OU has managed Playoff runs in two of the last three years thanks to a former walk-on transfer quarterback, Baker Mayfield, and a supporting cast that included a former three-star who turned out to be an All-American left tackle, Orlando Brown.
Now they’re signing the kind of talent that ensures they won’t need to find a Heisman QB out of nowhere.
And, yeah, the Sooners’ continued rise could put a hard ceiling on Tom Herman’s Texas.
The Horns signed 2018’s No. 3 class, a handful of spots ahead of the Sooners. Tom Herman (and Charlie Strong before him) have accumulated elite talent despite losing lots of games. A conference championship this year could entrench the Longhorns.
But if the Longhorns don’t win now — especially since OU’s QB is a short, three-year backup who’s about to bolt for the Oakland A’s — it’ll only get harder.
In that sense, Texas doesn’t have a margin for error. Oklahoma might. The Sooners are strong Big 12 favorites this year, but even if they decline after Mayfield, their millennial coach and elite 2019 class should buy a lot of patience.
All of the recruits quoted here were speaking in in Dallas at The Opening Finals, Nike’s showcase for the best recruits in the country. The Sooners had seven commitments in attendance, more than anyone else. Only Alabama had even six.
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2018/7/3/17529396/oklahoma-commits-class-2018
