Alright, wanted to get this going...sorry, MMI and a few 'managerial' things kept me busy yesterday, apologies.
*Again a big part of these conversations, inevitably, circled around how some of the recruits felt about the game itself and if that reality took down a bit of the excitement. But the thing I continue to hear is how much they enjoyed the culture and in something of a new storyline, a lot of talk about the atmosphere of the game being pretty special.
But one guy who isn't going to hold the loss against the Sooners is Longview, Texas running back Taylor Tatum.
"OU is a great program. They played hard fought game yesterday and came up short. It happens sometimes," Tatum said.
Tatum remains interested in the Sooners and another visit seems entirely possible - perhaps even as soon as the Texas game in Dallas in a few weeks?
**One of the interesting situations in the class revolves around 2023 kicker Tristan Alvano who has been in heavy contact with the Sooners - notably special teams assistant Jay Nunez.
"The relationship I have with Coach Nunez is amazing. The time he takes out of his day each time I’m down to there to make sure we are taken care of and to talk to us just shows how much of a class act he really is," Nunez said. "I loved it once again! I went down for the game vs Kent State with my dad and that was our first game day experience in Norman and we were blown away with how cool the experience was. But this most recent time for the game this past weekend I took my mom and grandpa down there for their first game day in Norman and they absolutely loved it."
With an offer, Kohl's kickings No. 6 kicker in 2023 would be a shoe-in for the Sooners but that may not be in the offing for Alvano. Something that he says Nunez has been direct with him about. But it's not to say that things couldn't develop in the future.
"Coach Nunez has been open and honest from the start. They have a really good group of kickers already and Zach (Schmit) is off to a great start. They do want to target a 2023 kicker to add depth and come in and compete for the spot (though)."
***One guy who didn't have much to say but clearly liked his trip was Timpson, Texas Terry Bussey, who picked up an Oklahoma offer while he was on campus this weekend.
"It went really well," Bussey said.
Again, not a man of many words but Bussey had been trying to get to Norman for a while and it was clearly big for him to get to the Sooners campus.
****One of the biggest targets on campus this weekend was Melissa, Texas Rivals100 defensive lineman Nigel Smith. Every time he has been to Norman the Sooners have made sure he knew what a priority he was in their recruitment and this weekend was no different from his four other visits since March.
"It was a great time, again," Smith said.
Many feel, myself included, that the Sooners lead for Smith at the moment and from talking to him nothing was done to hurt that current placement. And the loss had no impact on his feelings about the Sooners.
"I still enjoyed myself, I got to spend a lot of time with the coaches," he explained about time that was undoubtedly spent with Miguel Chavis, amongst others.
*****Finally, the guy that everyone is talking about from the weekend is, obviously, Denton (Texas) Guyer national No. 3 safety Peyton Bowen.
I've spoken to several sources in the last week or so and even referenced some chatter that 'Notre Dame is the only thing that would surprise anyone' is something I've heard from a few people. It sure feels like this is going to be Oklahoma or Texas A&M and as one source said 'every connection he really has seems to be with Oklahoma - his friends, his girlfriend, proximity to home, you name it and Oklahoma seems to have it for him'.
Everyone is going to have to be patient as Bowen is clearly moving at his own pace and isn't going to be rushed but the Sooners are doing an outstanding job and has done a very good job - particularly as of late - bonding with people far beyond just Bowen himself. They are recruiting the entirety of his brain trust and it's meaningful.
A&M isn't out of this by any stretch, but it may be very telling if he's at the Cotton Bowl in a few weeks time.
*Again a big part of these conversations, inevitably, circled around how some of the recruits felt about the game itself and if that reality took down a bit of the excitement. But the thing I continue to hear is how much they enjoyed the culture and in something of a new storyline, a lot of talk about the atmosphere of the game being pretty special.
But one guy who isn't going to hold the loss against the Sooners is Longview, Texas running back Taylor Tatum.
"OU is a great program. They played hard fought game yesterday and came up short. It happens sometimes," Tatum said.
Tatum remains interested in the Sooners and another visit seems entirely possible - perhaps even as soon as the Texas game in Dallas in a few weeks?
**One of the interesting situations in the class revolves around 2023 kicker Tristan Alvano who has been in heavy contact with the Sooners - notably special teams assistant Jay Nunez.
"The relationship I have with Coach Nunez is amazing. The time he takes out of his day each time I’m down to there to make sure we are taken care of and to talk to us just shows how much of a class act he really is," Nunez said. "I loved it once again! I went down for the game vs Kent State with my dad and that was our first game day experience in Norman and we were blown away with how cool the experience was. But this most recent time for the game this past weekend I took my mom and grandpa down there for their first game day in Norman and they absolutely loved it."
With an offer, Kohl's kickings No. 6 kicker in 2023 would be a shoe-in for the Sooners but that may not be in the offing for Alvano. Something that he says Nunez has been direct with him about. But it's not to say that things couldn't develop in the future.
"Coach Nunez has been open and honest from the start. They have a really good group of kickers already and Zach (Schmit) is off to a great start. They do want to target a 2023 kicker to add depth and come in and compete for the spot (though)."
***One guy who didn't have much to say but clearly liked his trip was Timpson, Texas Terry Bussey, who picked up an Oklahoma offer while he was on campus this weekend.
"It went really well," Bussey said.
Again, not a man of many words but Bussey had been trying to get to Norman for a while and it was clearly big for him to get to the Sooners campus.
****One of the biggest targets on campus this weekend was Melissa, Texas Rivals100 defensive lineman Nigel Smith. Every time he has been to Norman the Sooners have made sure he knew what a priority he was in their recruitment and this weekend was no different from his four other visits since March.
"It was a great time, again," Smith said.
Many feel, myself included, that the Sooners lead for Smith at the moment and from talking to him nothing was done to hurt that current placement. And the loss had no impact on his feelings about the Sooners.
"I still enjoyed myself, I got to spend a lot of time with the coaches," he explained about time that was undoubtedly spent with Miguel Chavis, amongst others.
*****Finally, the guy that everyone is talking about from the weekend is, obviously, Denton (Texas) Guyer national No. 3 safety Peyton Bowen.
I've spoken to several sources in the last week or so and even referenced some chatter that 'Notre Dame is the only thing that would surprise anyone' is something I've heard from a few people. It sure feels like this is going to be Oklahoma or Texas A&M and as one source said 'every connection he really has seems to be with Oklahoma - his friends, his girlfriend, proximity to home, you name it and Oklahoma seems to have it for him'.
Everyone is going to have to be patient as Bowen is clearly moving at his own pace and isn't going to be rushed but the Sooners are doing an outstanding job and has done a very good job - particularly as of late - bonding with people far beyond just Bowen himself. They are recruiting the entirety of his brain trust and it's meaningful.
A&M isn't out of this by any stretch, but it may be very telling if he's at the Cotton Bowl in a few weeks time.
