Look familiar Sooner fans?
It should. That’s former Oklahoma (turned Sam Houston State) quarterback Rhett Bomar handing the ball off to former Oklahoma running back Allen Patrick. Both are trying to make the NY Giants squad as free agents.
–Asst. Sports Editor Ryan Sharp
OU may need JUCO lineman to hit ground running
As basketball player Juan Pattillo showed over the weekend, relying on junior-college players in any sport is, at best, a 50-50 proposition.
But that’s exactly what the Oklahoma football team may have to do on the interior of its offensive line.
During the spring, the Sooners lost center Jason Hannan and guard Kody Cooke, who both decided to transfer.
Now, word is that reserve guard Alex Williams is in the doghouse due to a lack of work ethic and his status with the team is tenuous (remember Bob Stoops’ calling out of the offensive line before spring drills?)
Essentially, that leaves OU with three returning scholarship players on the interior in good standing: guard Brian Simmons, center Ben Habern and guard Stephen Good, who missed the Red-White Spring Game with a shoulder injury.
Walk-on Brian Lepak proved to be a capable back-up. But after that, who knows.
An injury or two to the interior line could leave OU in an unenviable position.
That’s why OU may be counting on 2-star junior-college transfer Tavaris Jeffries to rise to the occasion and contribute immediately to the line rotation, a spot where OU has had pretty good fortune with JUCOs in the past.
Brandon Walker and Phil Loadholt both proved to be instant starters, though those two were highly recruited players, while Jefferies had almost no other Division I offers.
But talking with the coaches in the spring, they feel like Jeffries has tremendous upside and is capable of contributing fairly fast.
Should Williams remain in the doghouse, or someone like Good or Habern, who have injury histories, get hurt, OU will need Jeffries to do just that to avoid major depth issues in the middle of the line.
By Jake Trotter
Red River conversation
Both OU QB Sam Bradford and Texas QB Colt McCoy recently visited with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. Among other topics, the two discussed their developing friendship and thoughts about the 2009 season. Enjoy.
By Jake Trotter
Even BYU sportswriters amped for Dallas
How big is Oklahoma-Brigham Young in Dallas for the Cougar faithful?
So big, in fact, that one Deseret News sportswriter has declared that he is paying some of his own way to Dallas to cover the game for the paper.
BYU has already sold its allotment of 7,500 tickets, while the projections are that OU could send up to 50,000 fans to the game.
Because of the stadium and quality opponent, this should end up being the most anticipated season-opener for OU since Bob Stoops’ first game as the Sooners’ coach against Indiana State in 1999.
By Jake Trotter
Bedlam Thoughts; Big Weekend Ahead
By John Helsley
No Bedlam sweep? No sweat. OU’s series win over OSU – the first since 2005 – was solid, sending the Sooners ahead with much still on the line.
First, some reflection. OU beat two of the best left-handers in the country in the Cowboys’ Andrew Oliver and Tyler Lyons, with Oliver projected to go in the first round of the upcoming MLB Draft.
The Sooners struck out a lot, 33 times in three games, but also came up with some big hits. This has been a quality hitting team all season, so don’t read too much into the Ks, other than they took their hacks against those quality arms, hitting some, missing some, but coming out the better for it.
Bedlam behind them, the Sooners face a critical weekend series against Texas A&M at Mitchell Park. Critical because OU and A&M are in the mix for similar postseason rewards: a host role for regional and perhaps even super regional play.
And the winner of this weekend series could surge ahead in the eyes of the NCAA selection committee.
If you saw any of the Bedlam series, you got a glimpse of what catcher J.T. Wise means to the Sooners. He’s been recently added to the Johnny Bench Award watch list, which is well deserved.
We’ll take a closer look at Wise and his journey to become a top college catcher later in the week in the paper.
Stay tuned.
Bradford talks Iglesias
The Chicago Tribune caught up with Sooner QB Sam Bradford to discuss the Bears’ third-round draft pick, former Sooner wideout Juaquin Iglesias.
Bradford tells the Tribune that he thinks it will be an easy transition to the NFL for Iglesias because his knowledge for the game is a lot greater than most people coming out of college.
To read more, go here.
By Jake Trotter
Cameron Kenney does it all
To get an idea of how versatile incoming Oklahoma wide receiver Cameron Kenney, check out this video from his senior year at Dacula (Ga.) High School.
After sitting out his junior season, Kenney only played one year of varsity football. But, as this video shows, he made the most of it.
The sequence goes something like this: long kickoff return, interception for TD, extra point, punt return, catch for TD, extra point, interception, TD-saving tackle, bone-rattling hit.
By Jake Trotter
Catching up with former Sooners in the NFL
Wondering how former Sooners are doing in the NFL? Well, I’ve tracked down links to almost every player who was drafted or signed as a rookie free agent over the last two years.
Phil Loadholt, offensive tackle, Vikings
In this Q&A with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Loadholt (or Leadholt as the headline reads) reveals his affinity for the Wild West and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Juaquin Iglesias, wide receiver, Bears
Iglesias was lauded by the Chicago Sun Times for his quickness. According to the Times, he stood out at minicamp.
Nic Harris, outside linebacker, Bills
We’ve done this story before, but most people outside the state of Oklahoma haven’t read about Harris’ tough upbringing and eventual college success. BuffaloBills.com details Harris’ inspirational plight.
Jon Cooper, center, Vikings
Cooper’s name wasn’t called on draft day, but his phone was ringing off the hook, according to this report done by the Coloradoan, Cooper’s hometown paper.
Brandon Walker, guard, Texans
This was a pre-draft story, but Scout.com talks to Walker in this article about his versatility and consistency.
Duke Robinson, guard, Panthers
Panthers.com interviews the mammoth former Sooner lineman after Carolina drafted him in the fifth round.
Manny Johnson, wide receiver, Cowboys
Johnson had the most eventful rookie minicamp of any Sooner, as he was in Dallas when the Bubble collapsed last weekend. SoonerSports.com reports that Johnson was not hurt during the storm.
Lendy Holmes, safety, Redskins
Couldn’t find anything on Holmes, so I’ll just repost a story I wrote about him signing with Washington after not being drafted.
Curtis Lofton, linebacker, Falcons
The Bleacher Report examines Atlanta’s linebackers, led by Lofton, who is coming off an outstanding rookie season.
Reggie Smith, safety, 49ers
Despite speculation that he was going to move to cornerback this year, the 49ers have decided to leave Smith at safety, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Allen Patrick, running back, Giants
Patrick was recently released by the Browns, had a tryout with the Jets, and is now trying to make the other squad in NYC, according to the Star-Ledger. Interestingly, Patrick recently took a hand off in minicamp from a familiar face.
Malcolm Kelly, wide receiver, Redskins
Kelly, who battled knee problems last season, is hoping to return from microfracture surgery, according to the Washington Post.
By Jake Trotter
Sporting News: OU quarterback recruit Blake Bell an ‘eye-popper’
Yesterday, I wrote about how OU commitment Blake Bell had fallen in Rivals’ latest ratings.
Well, today, he was vindicated by The Sporting News, which actually puts quite an emphasis on its recruiting rankings (in other words, this isn’t some guy in a cubicle putting these ratings together).
Bell hit the board at No. 20 in TSN’s first set of 2010 recruiting rankings, and is ranked as the second QB.
Said TSN, “Has upside that would make just about any college coach’s eyes pop out; still improving.”
I think that’s a fair assessment. Bell, at 6-6, 215, has all the tools to be a big-time QB. He just needs to continue to develop, which he’ll do at OU under offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and QB coach Josh Heupel.
Some other notables from the TSN ratings:
*OU commitment Bronson Irwin of Mustang, an offensive lineman, was rated No. 51 overall. That’s really high for Irwin, considering he’s been nowhere to be found on other recruiting service ratings.
*Tight end Xavier Grimble of Bishop Gorman, who chose USC over OU, is rated No. 19 and is by far the top tight end rated.
*Instate star DeMarco Cobbs of Tulsa Central is No. 10. TSN writes that OU “is the school to beat” to land him.
*Texas QB commitment Connor Wood is ranked No. 83.
*The Sooners are in on several other guys on the list, but no other commitments besides Bell and Irwin made the Top 100.
By Jake Trotter
QB Blake Bell falls in latest Rivals rankings
When they got a verbal commitment from Wichita product Blake Bell, the Sooner coaching staff thought they were getting the highest-rated high school QB in the nation.
But following a poor showing at Sunday’s Elite Action Combine, Bell tumbled in the latest Rivals100 rankings from No. 25 all the way down to No. 88.
“Blake has worlds of potential based on his big frame, a good arm and unique physical tools, but if you’re going to be the No. 1 quarterback in the nation you’ve got to come strong every time out,” Rivals.com recruiting analyst Barton Simmons said in an article in USA Today. “He had trouble putting good spin on the ball, was very erratic with his accuracy and his arm strength didn’t shine through like it does on film.”
But Bell isn’t the only QB to struggle in the Rivals rankings. No QB is ranked in Rivals’ top 50, suggesting the perceived weakness of this year’s group.
Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) quarterback Phillip Sims is now the top QB nationally, ranked No. 58. He is currently committed to Alabama. Bell is now ranked third.
Curiously, Houston native and Texas commitment Connor Wood, the QB the Sooners first offered, was rated No. 151 in the Rivals top-250 players.
Other than Bell, OU had three of its verbal commitments ranked in the Rivals250.
Pflugerville (Texas) offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson was ranked No. 123, followed by Irving (Texas) DB Eddrick Loften at No. 132 and Flower Mound (Texas) DT Daniel Noble at No. 236.
By Jake Trotter
