Sooners Getting Serious on Line of Scrimmage
The Sooner Scoop June 23, 2023
Attention Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an urgent and breaking Sooners news story.
CANNONBALL!
A Late Change of Visits for Sooners
After back to back weeks of huge Sooners visits it’s time to take some inventory of all that has happened in Norman and run over the many odds and ends of the week.
And one of the key visitors of the week was one that wasn’t even taking an official, Lindale, Texas interior offensive lineman Casey Poe. Though Poe had been set to take an official in late July a change of plans pushed him back to Norman earlier this week.
“The only reason I changed when the visit was planned was due to compliance. The last week of July is a dead week and coach B [Bill Bedenbaugh] and I were not aware of that,” Poe said.
Poe was at Oklahoma on Tuesday before heading to LSU and spending this weekend at Alabama for his official visit. At which point he expects to prepare for his decision – a choice he admits is still very much up in the air.
The Sooners may not know their verdict but they do have a few things separating themselves from their peers according to Poe.
“The biggest thing to me about OU is both coach B’s coaching and the SOUL mission. Coach B’s success coaching speaks for itself, but the soul mission program is something I feel is really unique to OU,” he said. “It’s an amazing program to teach lessons and help men in a time in their life when it is most valuable and can be use for so much good.”
According to several sources around Norman Poe’s final visit to campus went quite well but gave no real hint at his future.
Sooners Take Their Last Shot at Standout OL
Speaking of quality interior offensive lineman Oklahoma hosted one for the ChampUBBQ weekend in North Richland Hills (Texas) Richland center target Daniel Cruz. From the same high school that produced former Sooner Dashaun White, Cruz is a nasty interior blocker. He’s had a good relationship with the Sooners for some time but this was his first time in Norman since March.
And according to Cruz, the nation’s No. 7 offensive lineman according to On3, things went very well on his Sooners visit.
“We really did get to connect and spend time with coach B. He is a really transparent coach but also cares for the players and people genuinely I personally really loved being around coach B,” Cruz said.
Cruz may not have been to Norman in a little while but his official visit was trip No. 5 to see the Sooners. So how did Oklahoma make it unique to Cruz for his trip?
“Honestly the connections with the players and the opportunities they showed me for my future. (Also) how they could develop me and get me to where I want to be in life and life after football,” he said.
Though Bedenbaugh and Cruz have a long-standing relationship he also got some time with Brent Venables that warmed him to the idea of the Sooners future.
“He’s really honest and has a great plan and goal for the entire defense and offense and to get OU to that national title shot and he’s just super great to be around.”
Cruz loved his Oklahoma trip but the Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) may not be far off with it’s 95.9-percent prediction for Texas.
Another Sooners Commit Talking about a Big Weekend
So earlier this week there were some waves made by new linebacker commitment James Nesta predicting many more commitments to come. But he isn’t the only one who was around Norman over the last week who chose Oklahoma and thinks many more will soon follow.
The next player? Dozie Ezukanma.
“Oh yes sir,” Ezukanma said of the chatter around the coaching offices about many more commits to follow he and Nesta this summer.
And according to the talented receiver, who was offered by Oklahoma just 12 days before committing, he understands where the excitement for a decision can come from.
“I went up there just wanting to see some things. Honestly I wasn’t planning on (committing) but being up there and being around the whole facility, the whole staff. Me and my family we loved it up there,” he admitted.
Sooners Impress Star from the Great White North
In the history of Oklahoma football the Sooners have had just one player from Minnesota on their roster. They have high hopes of doubling that number in the class of 2024 with Rogers (Minn.) Senior defensive end Wyatt Gilmore.
Wyatt Gilmore.
And it seems that during his ChampU visit Oklahoma did everything it needed to do.
“The visit couldn’t have gone any better,” Gilmore said excitedly.
Gilmore then went on to discuss what is that has given him such a strong bond with the Sooners staff.
“I have such good relationships with the whole coaching staff and I think their program is incredible,” he offered.
What’s Happening with the Nation’s No. 3 Prospect?
One of the more interesting stories of the week is the on again, off again visit of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North five-star+ defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound pass rusher was reported to be taking an unofficial visit to Georgia this weekend. Then things were up in the air and as of Thursday afternoon it seems they remain in flux.
In talking to a few sources it seems there’s little certainty about whether he’ll take the trip or not following his official to Missouri that started tonight.
We’re going to keep an ear to the ground to see if he makes his way over to Athens later in the weekend but the true danger of the Sooners recruiting situation may have cooled for now.
Sooners Make a 5-Star Move?
There’s been talk all week about Oklahoma making a move for Timpson, Texas five-star athlete Terry Bussey. And according to several sources things went as well as they could.
“That just couldn’t have gone better for (Oklahoma),” a source said. “Texas A&M is still the school you hear a lot but there’s no doubt (OU) turned his head.”
According to Bussey himself, though he’s not always a man of a lot of words, he left no doubt about his trip.
“The visit went great,” Bussey said. “I was having a great time.”
Again the Aggies and Texas have done plenty of early legwork but there is some belief the Sooners gave him something to think about during his official.
Are the Sooners in Luck with Easley?
Earlier this week Kanakee, Ill. offensive tackler Marques Easley put out a top three that caught many by surprise.
The surprise? The reality that Georgia wasn’t included. Many have been picking the Bulldogs to land the four-star blocker for quite some time. So what happened?
The general feeling is some misdirection may be at play here. It’s not to say that Easley couldn’t pick any of the trio of his listed finalists but Georgia isn’t likely to go away and according to some source he doesn’t want them to. If it’s not the Dawgs and some subterfuge is not in play? Oklahoma has a legitimate chance here.
Can the Sooners Pull off a Surprise?
One of the recruiting visits of last week that was more quietly kept afterward was Justin Denson of Providence (R.I.) La Salle Academy. The 2024 defensive back’s visit went quite well according to most everyone. That said, coming out of the weekend it was unclear if it would matter.
The consensus seemed to be that Denson was focused on Alabama and Florida. However since that time there’s been some chatter that the Tide and Gators might be looking in other directions.
If that’s the case it could come down to Michigan State and Oklahoma. The Spartans are currently a 93.9-percent favorite to land Denson according to the Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).
A Bit of 2025 Talk
Earlier this week the Sooners hosted 2025 offensive tackle Lamont Rogers of Mesquite (Texas) Horn.
Scoop is told that things went incredibly well and it’s safe to assume a return trip in the near future.
“He had an absolute blast. He loved the SOUL mission and getting to hangout with Bedenbaugh and Venables.”
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