Former Sooner raiding Oklahoma
Defensive tackle Calvin Barnett, a player Rivals.com tabbed as the best in Oklahoma, spurned Oklahoma State on signing day for Arkansas.
His recruiter? Former Oklahoma quarterback Garrick McGee, now the offensive coordinator for the Razorbacks under Bobby Petrino. McGee, a graduate of high school football powerhouse Booker T. Washington in Tulsa, helped the Hogs grab give of the top 35 recruits in Oklahoma. The five were as many as Arkansas signed from in-state.
From the Arkansas News:
“One of the things when I first got the job that was important to me was to try to get Garrick down here,” Petrino said Wednesday. “He can walk in there and basically knows just about everybody in the city of Tulsa and that certainly helps.”
McGee also corralled former OU commit Jarrett Lake, a linebacker from Jenks in Tulsa. If his comments on Wednesday are any indication, his impact in the Sooner State could only widen.
“I’m going to try to branch out this year and get into Oklahoma City,” McGee said. “Get on the other side of the state and get us some kids from that side of the state.”
Blake Griffin Night set for Tuesday
Oklahoma will host “Blake Griffin Night” during Tuesday’s game against Texas Tech at the Lloyd Noble Center.
The first 4,000 fans will receive a Blake Griffin poster, and the first 2,000 fans will receive a scratch card. Of the 2,000, 100 will feature Griffin’s logo and give the recipient access to a private, postgame meet-and-greet with Griffin.
Each fan at the meet-and-greet will receive an autograph, a photo, and a Blake Griffin hat. Here’s a video of Griffin talking about designing his new hat.
At halftime, Griffin will be presented with the NCAA Sportsmanship Award and serve as honorary shot coach for a fan who will attempt a half-court shot for $10,000.
Griffin won every major national player of the year award as a sophomore in 2008-09, averaging 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds, which led the nation. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in June’s NBA Draft.
Griffin played during the preseason, but has missed all of this season with a knee injury.
Sooners host Florida State on Sept. 11
Florida State released their 2010 schedule on Thursday, putting a date on their trip to Norman to face the Sooners.
The Seminoles and Sooners will play at Owen Field on Sept. 11, a week before Jimbo Fisher hosts Brigham Young in his first season as head coach.
Oklahoma has yet to announce the dates of its 2010 non-conference schedule, but it will also host Air Force and Utah State. The Sooners lone road game before conference play will be a trip to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats.
Here’s how the conference schedule looks for 2010:
Oct. 2 – Texas (Dallas)
Oct. 9 – OFF
Oct. 16 – Iowa State
Oct. 23 – at Missouri
Oct. 30 – Colorado
Nov. 6 – at Texas A&M
Nov. 13 – Texas Tech
Nov. 20- at Baylor
Nov. 26 or 27 – at OSU
Sam Bradford pays the Gatorade Lab a visit
Former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford paid the Gatorade Performance Lab at the Super Bowl a visit earlier this week and got to test out all kinds of futuristic-looking fitness equipment.
All photos courtesy of Gatorade. Click any photo for a higher resolution version.
What Sam is not doing: Waking from a four-month cryo-sleep after midseason shoulder surgery.
What Sam is doing: Taking a turn in the Bod Pod, which analyzes body composition.
What Sam is not doing: Being measured for the helmet on his space suit.
What Sam is doing: Getting fitted with the equipment for a caloric expenditure test, which does exactly what you think. It measures how many calories the body loses during exercise.
What Sam is not doing: Being force fed Gatorade’s new G Series, which is three different drinks for before, during and after competition.
What Sam is doing: Taking part in a caloric expenditure test.
For more photos and a brief video, head to Sam Bradford’s page on Gatorade’s Web site.
Brennan Clay a key recruiter
While Brennan Clay has the physical tools necessary of becoming a big-time running back at Oklahoma, his value to the Sooners goes beyond that.
After committing to OU out of San Diego last June, Clay went to work luring a pair of other high school stars from the area, safety Tony Jefferson (Chula Vista, Calif.) and wide receiver Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, Calif.) to Norman.
“Guys of that caliber aren’t going to make a decision on what one kid says,” said Clay’s high school coach, Sergio Diaz. “But I would say he played a major part in them considering OU an option.”
Before this class, OU had not done much recruiting in the state of California. Through Bob Stoops’ first 11 recruiting classes, the Sooners signed just three Californians total.
Thanks in part to Clay, OU was able to get in the door with Jefferson and Stills, who are two of the top prospects in this Sooner signing class.
“Kids, they attend camps, combines, take visits at the same time. Relationships are developed,” said ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill. “When someone commits before the others do and has a sense of what the program has, I think he can relay to the others somewhat of an objective viewpoint.
“So I don’t think there’s any doubt that he played a part in OU getting Jefferson and Stills.”
Said Stoops, “Brennan helped us out.”
-JT
Sam Bradford ‘focused on shoulder’ not NFL destination
He’s focused on his healing shoulder not his future NFL home. And he’s “move past” being the quarterback at Oklahoma.
That’s what former OU’s Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford said during his Super Bowl interview rounds in South Florida. Bradford appeared Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show and the Jim Rome Show. Here’s an excerpt of his conversation with Dan Patrick. You can listen to the entire interview at danpatrick.com:
Dan Patrick: How are you health wise?
Sam Bradford: Pretty good, the shoulder feels great. I throw three days a week and doctor says it looks great. I am ahead of schedule.
Patrick: Is the shoulder injury re-occurring?
Bradford: No, it should not be. They went in and reconstructed the AC joint and after the rehab is finished my shoulder should be stronger than it was before.
Patrick: If there was a national title game for Oklahoma would you have played?
Bradford: Probably not. I had surgery halfway through the season. There is no way I could have made that game.
Patrick: If you could throw it right now how far could you throw?
Bradford: I don’t know. Right now I am on a throwing program. My last throwing session was throwing 30 balls for 50 yards.
Patrick: What’s it like when you watch those mock drafts and you see your name. It doesn’t take long when it gets to your name. Are you checking out real estate is any areas?
Bradford: No, I am not checking out real estate. I try to not pay to much attention to it. I am just focused on my shoulder.
Patrick: When you go into those interviews what do you think is the first thing they are going to ask you?
Bradford: I don’t know. I got a question this morning someone told that I would probably be asked and it was if I could be a tree what kind of tree would I be.
Patrick: Are you competitive?
Bradford: Extremely. I probably could have beaten you in H-O-R-S-E. The challenge hasn’t been issued so now isn’t the time.
Patrick: You played high school basketball. Were you good?
Bradford: I did. I was pretty good.
Patrick: Could of you have played college?
Bradford: I think so, maybe not at Oklahoma,
Patrick: And you played with Blake Griffin?
Bradford: I did, that was not high school but AAU ball.
Patrick: Do you still feel like you are still the Oklahoma quarterback?
Bradford: No, I have kind of moved past that.
Patrick: If you look at the other quarterbacks if it was Tebow or Colt McCoy, how can you not nit-pick what they do when it comes to comparing you to other quarterbacks around the country?
Bradford: I think we all have our own playing styles and everyone is different. My dad taught me that you never compete with anyone else you always compete with yourself. I have always tried to do just that and focus on bettering myself.
Patrick: Why do you think you should be the No. 1 quarterback taken?
Bradford: I think I am extremely accurate and extremely competitive. I don’t think you are going to meet anyone who works harder than me.
Patrick: I hear you are working for Gatorade. What exactly are you doing?
Bradford: Today we were down to the Gatorade testing facility. They put us through some tests to monitor our breathing on a stationary bike for a new Gatorade drink called the G-Series. There is three new drinks being tested; one for before, one for during, and one for after the workouts.
Patrick: Could you beat up Jimmy Clausen?
Bradford: Ha-ha. No comment.
Patrick: I heard great things while at a Oklahoma State football game. People telling me how great your father and grandfather are. You should feel proud that people even at Oklahoma State say good things about you.
Bradford: (No response).
Patrick: Welcome to Buffalo…. No you are going to the Redskins, you’re you okay with that?
Bradford: We’ll see.
Bradford says he’ll be 100 percent for Pro Day
Sam Bradford stopped by the Dan Patrick Show this morning and gave a brief update on his recovery from shoulder surgery last fall.
He said the shoulder is still healing, but he should be 100 percent by OU’s Pro Day and that the injured portion of his shoulder could be stronger than before when everything is fully healed.
“We’re on a throwing program and my last throwing session consisted of 50 balls at 30 yards,” Bradford said. “And those were ropes; those felt good.”
OU moves up start of spring ball
The following revisions were made to the start of spring practice:
First practice is now March 8
Second practice will now be March 10.
(Originally the first two practices were scheduled March 9 and 11.)
-JT
Capel’s Shot: 15 Years Later
Nice story in the Charlotte Observer today about Jeff Capel’s halfcourt shot against UNC in 1995.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of one of the most memorable games in college basketball’s signature rivalry.
Though the Tarheels went on to win, Capel’s shot sent the game into double overtime. The shot made that Feb. 2, 1995 game on of just three in 227 meetings to go past a single overtime.
“Some people think that may be the biggest rivalry or one of the best games in sports, period,” Capel said. “And for a guy that grew up in that state and when I was younger dreamed of going to North Carolina — and then when I was older chose to go to Duke over North Carolina — to have a moment in that game that people remember is pretty neat.”
Sooners lead Big 12 in Combine invites
Nine Sooners, the most of any team in the Big 12, were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine from Feb. 24-Mar. 2 in Indianapolis.
Oklahoma was followed by Texas (7) and Oklahoma State (6).
The Sooner invitees:
- junior QB Sam Bradford
- senior RB Chris Brown
- senior LB Keenan Clayton
- senior FB/C/RG/TE (no, seriously) Brody Eldridge
- junior CB Dominique Franks
- senior TE Jermaine Gresham
- senior CB Brian Jackson
- junior DT Gerald McCoy
- senior LT Trent Williams
