13 Comments

  1. Cameron

    With the defensive linemen they grabbed in this class, I’m going to be really surprised if I see more than three guys with their hand in the dirt. They grabbed a bunch of guys who are tweeners, which leads me to believe they will head towards either: (i) a one-gap 3-3-5 with one of the backers rolled up outside a tackle; or (ii) a 2-4-5 with two backers rolled up outside the tackles. Just not a shift towards a 4-2-5 like I was lead to believe. Nothing wrong with that of course; just different.

    • ianaboyd

      Sounds like it’ll be a 3-3-5 in terms of personnel but just with the weak side or strong side end in a stand-up technique. So really a 1-gap 4-3 but just with a stand-up guy to give flexibility.

      I love the 2-4 though with two such guys on the field and would be impressed if they could incorporate that into their system.

  2. Matt

    Good writeup, but a couple of points to clarify:

    -It’s Zach McKinney, not McKinley
    -“…when Tech didn’t give it to him Oklahoma was finally smart enough to get word to him that they’d be happy to have him.” Let’s not try to rewrite history here; Stoops didn’t even know Baker Mayfield was on campus (Source: http://newsok.com/article/3930877). If you’re speculating that it was a ruse and Stoops actually recruited him, let’s call that out.

    • ianaboyd

      Baker or his dad is on record noting that an Oklahoma person let them know “hey just so you know, you’d be welcome at Oklahoma.” If I find the article where that’s quoted I’ll link it. Totally legal, but transparent.

      If you don’t think that whole thing was back channeled with Stoops’ approval behind a wall of plausible deniability then I think you’re being naive.

      • Matt

        I’m not that naive, but you make it sound like OU reached out to him, when it was definitely the opposite (the Mayfields probably reached out to some rep at OU to see if it was possible before going through with it).

        You have to consider the time that he transferred/walked on. Trevor Knight was coming off the Sugar Bowl, so it’s not like they were hurting/begging for a walk-on (no matter his skillset) to come in.

        • ianaboyd

          Sure, but OU was more than happy to try and land him. And the story I saw suggested that OU was definitely active in expressing interest. I think perhaps they had a lower opinion of Knight than many anyways, after all they didn’t even play him against Texas.

  3. JObhr

    Great summary. OU’s class is really good top-to-bottom this year as every player they took projects to being a plus contributor or at least a capable back up. That hasn’t been the case recently, where there were puzzling reaches in each class.

    The class’s would-haves are very tantalizing, however. If Phillips (LSU) or Reagor (TCU) had stuck, the LB and WR groups become tops in the nation.

    I think you may be particularly surprised with the DB class. With the exception of Jones, who I think is the most puzzling take in the class, I expect significant contributions from each of these guys.

    • ianaboyd

      Jones’ the most iffy of the five DBs and the fact that the other obvious safety prospect of the bunch may also grow out of the position was my main concern.

      The three coverage guys are all nice additions. Funny thing is I think Barnes and Jones are exactly the kinds of guys you want in the Big 12, I’m just not sure if OU has given themselves the leeway to use them where I think they might belong.

  4. JObhr

    Like you, I view sports in the greater context of society. However, there needs to be evidence to support your statements. Looking at OU’s recruits, I see no influence of Oklahoma’s most recent energy boom in the draw of these players to the state. Here are links to backstories for five of the six. I couldn’t find anything on Lott, the sixth OU player from Oklahoma. I’m an OU fan so I didn’t look at Ok St’s recruits.

    Draper: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/osusportsextra/osu-sports-collinsville-lb-levi-draper-becomes-first-commitment-in/article_f5a8a374-52b8-5074-acc7-c29f4d568156.html

    Broiles: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2623016-how-over-30-offers-in-a-months-span-led-to-4-star-justin-broiles-commitment

    Brown: http://newsok.com/article/5510802

    Humprey: http://www.news-star.com/sports/20160902/humphrey-embodies-student-athlete-concept

    Thomas: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/ousportsextra/ou-sports-q-and-a-with-memorial-s-isaiah-thomas/article_511aba6c-4709-52a4-80f6-7c538054ccad.html

    Furthermore, Oklahoma’s growth rate, by population, is smack in the middle of the country at 21st.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population_growth_rate

    Looking at income growth rate, Oklahoma is also in the middle of the pack.
    http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/07/28/personal-income-growth-shows-uneven-us-recovery

    • ianaboyd

      Hmmm, I thought I’d heard that Oklahoma was on the rise overall. I’m not sure what numbers we’d been looking for to qualify my claim. Perhaps the % of the population that has middle class, two-parent homes?

  5. […] Riley figured out how much of a boon this was to their offense before last season and their 2017 recruiting class included a new flex TE named Grant Calcaterra along with another multi-u…. We may see both of them this coming […]

  6. […] Murray tested at a SPARQ with a 4.68 40 and 34.6″ vertical at 6-2, 215. The 26 pounds of muscle he added at Oklahoma only served to make him even faster and more explosive, he probably also learned a thing or two leading up to the combine on how to run a 40 well. He actually played safety at Elkins High School but because of his size he was an obvious future linebacker. Here’s what I wrote about him in my 2017 Oklahoma class breakdown: […]

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