Alright, it's Wednesday morning so let's get down to it...
*Since the weekend there have been steady rumors of an 'imminent commitment' from Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland tight end offer Reid Mikeska, the rumors started following his visit to Coral Gables, Fla. but now that we sit 48 hours removed from his return to Norman it feels like there has been a hiccup.
"It was going around he was about to commit," a source said.
The clear reality is that over time Mikeska has been shown to be a kid who falls in love on a visit and then cools a bit once he gets away from it. It's all a bit open-ended right now but it does feel like he has cooled off a bit from the Miami commitment talk.
Now what that would mean over the long haul for Oklahoma? It's unclear but, again, it's worth noting that Mikeska told SCOOPHD that a key factor for him would be proximity to home - an advantage that Oklahoma still wields.
Keep an eye on things as it won't shock anyone if Mikeska pulls the trigger but it does feel like with every passing hour the likelihood dwindles a bit.
**A guy who liked his Oklahoma visit enough that there were similar rumors circulating about him was Denton (Texas) Ryan running back offer, and weekend official visitor Kalib Hicks.
"It went great, as I expected," Hicks said. "What caught my eye is interacting with the players and coaching staff and what they do that is more then just football; internships just travel the world to change live and just talking to Coach (Brent) V(enables) and Coach (Demarco) Murray."
"Coach Vis a players coach and coach Murray has played in the league - he knows what it takes to be great and could be a great mentor and coach. He could develop me into a great man and a great player."
The outreach work that the Sooners have done is also something that connected with Hicks.
"Playing football doesn't last forever, so it is good to have other experiences and just changing kids lives."
Hicks is at an interesting point in his recruitment where the Sooners could close in on a commitment but I'm still expecting a few more visits before that point is neared.
***To the yin and yang of recruiting, the Sooners look set to miss out on Eatonton (Ga.) Putnam County safety offer Jalon Kilgore.
South Carolina is the current betting favorite and that's where my forecast is at and that reality turns the focus to what's next at safety?
Obviously Peyton Bowen and Tyler Turner are the focus and depending on the day it feels like there is reason for optimism.
"I think they lead for Turner after his official visit, it's just about weathering the storm of his Oregon official this weekend," a source said. "For Bowen, it's hard to get a read, he seems to say he's solid with Notre Dame while continuing to flirt with others.
"I kind of think Oklahoma might be in a sneaky better position than people realize."
And a reason for that could be that the Sooners, via Jeff Lebby, have very real connections to his new head coach at Denton (Texas) Guyer, Reed Heim.
"Those two were at Baylor together and have stayed close," another source said.
Obviously there's not a direct connection between Lebby and Bowen but it's something to keep in mind.
*Since the weekend there have been steady rumors of an 'imminent commitment' from Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland tight end offer Reid Mikeska, the rumors started following his visit to Coral Gables, Fla. but now that we sit 48 hours removed from his return to Norman it feels like there has been a hiccup.
"It was going around he was about to commit," a source said.
The clear reality is that over time Mikeska has been shown to be a kid who falls in love on a visit and then cools a bit once he gets away from it. It's all a bit open-ended right now but it does feel like he has cooled off a bit from the Miami commitment talk.
Now what that would mean over the long haul for Oklahoma? It's unclear but, again, it's worth noting that Mikeska told SCOOPHD that a key factor for him would be proximity to home - an advantage that Oklahoma still wields.
Keep an eye on things as it won't shock anyone if Mikeska pulls the trigger but it does feel like with every passing hour the likelihood dwindles a bit.
**A guy who liked his Oklahoma visit enough that there were similar rumors circulating about him was Denton (Texas) Ryan running back offer, and weekend official visitor Kalib Hicks.
"It went great, as I expected," Hicks said. "What caught my eye is interacting with the players and coaching staff and what they do that is more then just football; internships just travel the world to change live and just talking to Coach (Brent) V(enables) and Coach (Demarco) Murray."
"Coach Vis a players coach and coach Murray has played in the league - he knows what it takes to be great and could be a great mentor and coach. He could develop me into a great man and a great player."
The outreach work that the Sooners have done is also something that connected with Hicks.
"Playing football doesn't last forever, so it is good to have other experiences and just changing kids lives."
Hicks is at an interesting point in his recruitment where the Sooners could close in on a commitment but I'm still expecting a few more visits before that point is neared.
***To the yin and yang of recruiting, the Sooners look set to miss out on Eatonton (Ga.) Putnam County safety offer Jalon Kilgore.
South Carolina is the current betting favorite and that's where my forecast is at and that reality turns the focus to what's next at safety?
Obviously Peyton Bowen and Tyler Turner are the focus and depending on the day it feels like there is reason for optimism.
"I think they lead for Turner after his official visit, it's just about weathering the storm of his Oregon official this weekend," a source said. "For Bowen, it's hard to get a read, he seems to say he's solid with Notre Dame while continuing to flirt with others.
"I kind of think Oklahoma might be in a sneaky better position than people realize."
And a reason for that could be that the Sooners, via Jeff Lebby, have very real connections to his new head coach at Denton (Texas) Guyer, Reed Heim.
"Those two were at Baylor together and have stayed close," another source said.
Obviously there's not a direct connection between Lebby and Bowen but it's something to keep in mind.
