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.”
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Comments
I hope this year was just coincidental with the hogs signing five of the top athelete from Ooklahoma, OU and OSU will have to work more instate.
I saw good job cousin. If OU and OSU continue to downplay Oklahoma kids then continue to come in and get the talent. If they end up winning a national title with kids from Oklahoma like OU did in 2000 then OU and OSU will need to find a way to keep the recruiting base at home.
Let’s hire the Arkansas top recruiter for Arkansas. “The art of war”, lol. Remember guys, Birmingham is the “holy grail” for college recruits. We just hired a guy who knows the area inside out. A lot of those kids want to play and they know OU is not an option. Cale Gundy knows his stuff.
Exactly M Nauman. Or as I like to call it “Stillwater East”. Don’t get me wrong. As a Sooner fan and child of the 70′s I love Tulsa. However it always seemed they were more Hogs than Sooner.
Uhhh, let’s see, wide receivers going to tennessee, linemen going to Notre Dame, Stanford….it just means tulsa is being tulsa…as in not really feeling like they are part of the state…there has always been a sense of entitlement and arrogance arising from tulsa. But here is reality. The last time, and historically, OU has stomped the dog doo-doo out of Tulsa, OSU, and Arkansas. As long as OU wins, I am not so worried the content and hometowns of the players. I am an OU grad twice, OU fan, travel 1,000 miles to every home game where I have had the same tickets as my Father for 39 years. BUT, I understand if a kid wants to go out of state to get away from home, but in the case of Arkansas, be away from home, but close enough to return if the need should arise. Everyone needs to relax. OU got a good class of recruits. Just which player would you trade out for the kid who went to Tulsa? We got a kid from Texas who changed his mind from Texas A&M at the last minute. That’s OK, but the kid who changes his mind to Arkansas is not? And it sounded like, from Coach Stoops’ comments, the kid in question went to Arkansas with his blessing and no hard feelings….everyone needs to relax.
Who does McGee think he is – some type of recruiting machine? OU will ALWAYS get whoever they want from OKC…..
OU and OSU usually gets who they want instate. I myself killed myself trying to get out of state when I graduated HS in 1993 and once I got my chance(military) I left and I haven’t lived in Oklahoma since. I wanted out since age 16, my point is some kids just want to get away. If I was talented enough to be a Sooner and had scholarship offers that would change some things. OU is in contention for a BCS title next season and that’s all that matters to me; they get the kids in state that matter most(Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy, Jermaine Gresham) you can’t get them all….OU is doing fine! I don’t care what OSU and Tulsa do and who they don’t get……
These OK kids always seem to make it big out of state after being
“overlooked” by Stoops and Gundy. Good for them. Some of them come
back to beat OU and OSU, or play on teams that do, as starters. Sometimes
heart is more important than size, aka, 2000 OU Team.
He’s not going to get kids from OKC. Tulsa is a psuedo Hog suburb.