Who was your favorite player who didn't live up to the hype?

[MdSooner#1]

Bosworth....... Now the Boz, a different story......

I agree on Kerry Jackson. Why did we change his transcripts and go on probation for that career?.........

not that these guys were my "favorite"...but rather guys that I thought would crush it here at OU and just didn't:

Tony Cade (5 star safety)
Aaron Miller (4 star corner)
Bomar (knuckle head)
Mo Dampeer
Brian Zimple (pussed out before the end of his first summer camp)
Donta Hickson (5 star RB) good kid, just never panned out
Jermie Calhoun (5 star RB) just never really panned out
Every tight end recruit since Bubba Moses (except Andrews)
Chijoke Onyenagonagetcha (yeah..that guy)

and the all time disappointment....Trey Metoyer

OH yeah Mozee. Also Tony Cade was the guy that stormed off the practice fied and yelled he was coming back with a gun.



Good times. Good good times////////////

 

[Patriotgame]

Not sure if this would qualify, but Joe Wylie. He was co soph of the year in the Big 8, but then after an injury against USC in game three he junior year, he was never really the same, though he did make some terrific plays, particular on a couple of punt returns. He became the other back, when Greg Pruitt exploded about the same time Joe got hurt.

He was a pretty good punter also...could be considered a threat to run if so inclined...

 

[MdSooner#1]

I could be mistaken but the Kerry Jackson thing was not OU's fault/problem.


His high school changed his transcripts. OU had nothing to do with it.



IIRC


Of course we still got punished for it

 

[veritas59]

Every response has been spot on.


But who was the player (RB) from Missouri that was deaf.

I believe you're thinking about Eric Thunander. He was a linebacker

 

[Soonersincefitty]

I could be mistaken but the Kerry Jackson thing was not OU's fault/problem.


His high school changed his transcripts. OU had nothing to do with it.



IIRC


Of course we still got punished for it

Actually, we had an OU assistant lackey that was aware of the transgression and was subsequently fired for it.

 

[AbsoluteZer0]

I would have to say one of my favorites...Paul Thompson. He came in highly recruited and we chose him for the QB position and then kind of forced him to WR once Bomar shows up. The guy was selfless and came back to play QB after Bomar flames out and takes us to a B12 championship.

 

[Soonersincefitty]

I would have to say one of my favorites...Paul Thompson. He came in highly recruited and we choose him for the QB position and then kind of forced him to WR once Bomar shows up. The guy was selfless and came back to play QB after Bomar flames out and takes us to a B12 championship.

Quite right.

In the CCG, Thompson engineered 'The drive' against the Huskers. I loved that one.

 

[ellissooner]

Eric Mitchel, Jeff Frazier, Andre Johnson, Keith Stanberry, Earl Johnson, Marcus Dupree, Donte Hickson, Jermie Calhoun, RJ Washington, Stephen Good, Roy Finch, Renaldo Works, Aubrey Beavers

 

[barkingwater2000]

Trey Metoyer

 

[Plainosooner]

Actually, we had an OU assistant lackey that was aware of the transgression and was subsequently fired for it.

That was the public stance. I personally do not believe that was true. There is no way that Billy Michael did that on his own. Barry said in the article that showed up here over the weekend, that Chuck gave HIM permission to recruit Kerry in a time when black quarterbacks were mostly turned into wide receivers. Or a db.

If Anybody on the staff knew, then Chuck knew and Barry knew. I posted an article here today that Kerry himself did not know. And if that is true, my guess is that Coach Michael took the fall for the program, because somebody had to. Barry had been the HC less than 100 days when that hit. It was not going to be him.

 

[DallasSooner]

Brandon Daniel and James Allen; not that they didn't have decent careers but I think my expectations were for something much, much higher.

At the time Brandon Daniel was the best HS player i had ever seen.

 

[runningback43]

I'm with barking. Trey Metoyer. Kept waiting for him to have a break out game on the field.

 

[sybarite43]

There were a couple of things not specifically mentioned as to timeline. At the time, the Oklahoma Journal and Al Eschback were essentially what James Hale is today, close to OU recruiting. Via the column and some radio interviews, I got the impression that:

1. USC, Texas, and OU were in the hunt for Kerry Jackson. Don't underplay his talent. He had never been a wishbone specialist, but he was fast, could run, and could throw the ball seventy yards on a line, although perhaps not to where he was aiming. But, USC and OU backed ot of recruiting him, leaving UT as the only school recruiting him during the last week or two.

2. Royal wanted Jackson to be the first black superstar at UT which was somewhat late in recruiting blacks. He could be the first black QB.

3. The principal at Galveston Ball, supposedly a Texas alum, changed a grade from a D to a C, making Jackson eligible. At the time, there were no ACT or SAT requirements.

4. Through Michael, OU learned that the grade had been changed.

5. On signing day, Royal was outraged that OU slipped in and signed someone that he thought he had locked up. Every team in the SWC learned that you don't beat Royal without retaliation.

Now, as I understand, it was perfectly legal for a highschool principal to change a grade. I'm not sure that any rule was violated. But, Royal was on the warpath, and I suspect that he helped dredge up everything he could to nail OU with the NCAA. I don't think OU had any violations with respect to Jackson.

Fortunately, while Jackson had the notoriety, it had been apparent to me that Davis was the best of a lot of freshman QBs on the freshman team at actually running the team, and he was about seventh in a group of six. By the time Jackson was eligible, he hadn't learned how to control his running or his arm, and Davis was on the way to another undefeated season.

My pick was what could have been. We got the top running back out of Texas, and he was as good as advertised, Mike Thomas of Greenville. Unfortunately, he had Pruitt and Washington in front of him, and we went to UNLV where he starred and the Washington Redskins where he starred. I think he did get to play and launched a 90 yard TD run on his first play from scrimmage for OU, or am I thinking of the kid from Conroe a year later.

 

[MdSooner#1]

I don't know about the touchdown run by Mike Thomas but you are correct that he transferred and had a good career with the skins.


2 other things:


1) it was because of Royal that the coaches could not vote for any team in the rankings. Royal hated Barry that much.

2) the southwest conference had some stupid rule that another SWC school could not recruit a player if that player had verbally agree to attend a SWC school.

Oh and 3 - Barry had several players commit to a SWC school just so other schools could not continue to recruit him. Knowing that that player had no intention of going there. (Did that make sense?)

 

[Soonerboy 1]

The Last Player to sign with OU was Wayne Hoffman from Soiro.

 

[sybarite43]

I've heard that last scholarship story told about Davis, Shoate, and Lucious Selmon.

 

[Soonerboy 1]

Ask Barry he will tell you it was Hoffman Tight End from Spiro

 

[Sooner_Dynasty]

Back in the 90's there was a ton of hype around Dusty Loveless a 6'1" 300 DT. I have to admit I was excited to see what he could do at OU.

 

[Plainosooner]

I've heard that last scholarship story told about Davis, Shoate, and Lucious Selmon.

Lucious was a year ahead of the other two. He was a freshman in 1970. Shoate and Davis were in '71.

 

[Sooners83]

Roy Bell wasn't bad, and he split time with Wylie at left halfback with various percentages of playing time in '71. I saw some footage of the 1971 RRR, and Roy made some plays. In fact, the 1969 RRR is on the LHN a good bit and in the first half, Roy made some plays as a soph. His junior year, he had turf toe and none of us had heard of it, and didn't understand how hard it was to play with. But when he was healthy, he was a very good college running back.

Wylie got most of the attention until he got hurt. And it opened up some space for Gregory D until after that year's Red October and then the record breaking trip to Manhattan. Wylie was such an incredible all around athlete. He might have been a world class decathlete if somebody he turned him in that direction early. In high school, he was a state class intermediate hurdler and discus thrower. But the way he was built, had he lived these days, somebody would have made him a spread quarterback. He'd likely have been great at it. He threw halfback passes some in practice and more than a little in high school games. He was a terrific punter. And of course, he made straight A's for four years at OU. Maybe even four and a half. So he was really smart.

His senior year, it was pretty well understood that he wouldn't be an NFL running back, so he took turns as a wide receiver some in practice and just on potential, the Raiders took him, I believe in the fourth round. Of all the mismatches, but Al Davis thought that way.

I would agree that Roy was a pretty decent back, but oddly enough me and my teenaged buddy used to call him Roy Fumbell. Still he was a very good player