Sooners could land pair of special recruits in 2012
IN 2004, OKLAHOMA SIGNED two of the top four players in the country in QB Rhett Bomar and RB Adrian Peterson. Bomar lasted only two years in Norman and was booted off the team for accepting payment for work he didn’t do. But Peterson went on to finish second in the Heisman race his freshman season, and is now an All-Pro with the Minnesota Vikings.
In 2012, the Sooners have the chance to sign two of the nation’s top prospects. Possibly the nation’s top two overall recruits.
Wednesday, MaxPreps/CBS Sports recruiting guru Tom Lemming unveiled his Top 100, and at the top of the list are wideout Dorial Green-Beckham and quarterback Gunner Kiel, two players who appear to be strongly considering the Sooners.
Kiel, who seems destined to be the consensus No. 1 QB, is actually in Norman today, visiting OU for the second time in two months. Kiel, a native of Columbus, Ind., is also considering Notre Dame, where his uncle played QB. Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin are also in the mix for Kiel, but this could come down to the Sooners and Irish. If he chooses one of those two, Kiel will get the chance to play the school he spurned. OU and Notre Dame are scheduled to play in 2012 in Norman and 2013 in South Bend.
Snagging Green-Beckham won’t be an easy task for the Sooners. Just about every premier program in the country is recruiting him. Late last month, he visited Alabama.
“Football-wise, I don’t think there’s any question Alabama meets the criteria he’s looking for,” his coach, John Beckham, told Rivals.com after the visit. “He wants to play at a school where he’s going to be challenged, be able to play in big games and maybe play for a national championship.”
The Sooners meet that criteria, too, and will get their shot to woo the likely consensus No. 1 overall recruit in 20120.
THE BATTLE FOR THE NO. 2 quarterback job continues, with Drew Allen and Blake Bell duking it out. So far, Allen appears to hold the edge.
“The way I see it is I come every day to compete. I come to compete like there’s not a set guy,” he said. “I come to compete and come to play. Every day I’m getting better at something else. Every day as an offense I think we’re getting better at something else. Everybody is making strides just like I’m making strides every day.
“In being the backup, you just always have to be ready. You never know when they are going to call on you. You just always have to be ready.”
Allen said he’s come a ways since last spring, which he capped with a decent showing in the Red-White Spring Game.
“Physically and mentally, a lot,” he said. “I’ve put on some weight. Mentally it has helped a lot. The offense is becoming second nature. I feel like I’ve earned some respect from everybody on the offense and I feel like I can lead them. It’s been a really good thing having everybody around me and bonding with the offense.”
Sooner fans know how pivotal it is to have a reliable backup at QB. Jason White, Nate Hybl, Paul Thompson and Landry Jones have all been put on the spot due to injuries (or suspensions) to the starter.
“I’ll be ready when the time comes,” Allen said. “And that all comes with confidence. I’m playing with a lot more confidence than I was in the fall.”
IT’S NOT ALL THAT UNTHINKABLE that four different running backs — Roy Finch, Brennan Clay, Jonathon Miller and true freshman Brandon Williams — will have a role in the offense next season.
Finch is the most proven of the bunch, but he’s still only at “80-85 percent” coming back from surgery to repair a recurring stress fracture.
That has given Miller and Williams plenty of time in the backfield, and both have been impressive. Miller’s powerful style is a nice foil to Finch and Clay, both scatbacks.
“Jonathan is somebody that I know if we had to play tomorrow, I could count on Jonathan to know what he has to do besides just getting the ball in his hand,” said running backs coach Cale Gundy, who is giving each back about 25-30 reps each practice. “He knows our system, he’s learning and he’s almost one of those guys that always knows what he’s supposed to be doing.”
“He’s been here for two years. He’s watched a lot of film and Jonathan is a smart young man.”
Williams is proving that he can be a significant factor in the offense next season, despite being on campus for a total of three months.
“I’ve been really surprised at how quick he’s been able to adapt because our system is complicated,” Gundy said. “There are a lot of responsibilities, but he is really learning the concepts of the pass plays and understanding pass protection. The more reps he gets, he’s going to be better at it. He’s made good progress in the practices we’ve had.
“Is he there? No. But he’s probably made more progress than I thought he would.”
QUARTERBACK Landry Jones has always been brutally honest about his performance in closed scrimmages. So you can believe him when he says that Saturday’s scrimmage “went pretty good.”
“Couple series, missed some shots in our two-minute, drill,” he said. “But I thought I played pretty well.”
The Sooners were especially strong on the goal line in the scrimmage, a place they struggled at times last year. Jones, physically, usually doesn’t do much in the goal line attack. He doesn’t block. Doesn’t run. But Jones has a part to play, something he’s been working at.
“It’s more of leadership down there, telling the guys we’re going to make this play,” Jones.
JONES STARTED out strong with his new Twitter account the last couple of months. Landryjones12 posted 88 tweets and had 1,604 followers in a day. But he has lost considerable social networking steam since the start of spring ball.
“My twitter game has gone awry totally, man” said Jones, who turned 22 this week. “My creative juices have just run out.”
GUARD Bronson Irwin has taken advantage of OU’s strength and conditioning program. He came in at 330 pounds, and now weighs 295.
“A lot of StairMaster,” he said.
Irwin is battling Stephen Good and Adam Shead for one of the backups job at guard.
“Just like anything else, you have to earn it,” he said. “It’s up me to what happens and how hard I work and how hard everyone else works as well.”
THE FOOTBALL CAREER of Jameel Owens amazingly appears to be over. The former Muskogee High School standout and 4-star prospect, who left OU after two seasons and played last year at Tulsa, left the Hurricanes this week.
Owens had been on a leave of absence from the Hurricanes during spring drills, after catching 18 passes for 246 yards and six touchdowns last season, including a TD reception in Tulsa’s 62-35 win over Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
Citing sources, the Tulsa World reported Owens was “burned out” on football.
-JT
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Comments
Landry Jones says that down on the goal line it is more of a leadership role. A good leader leads the way. Everyone in the world knows that he will never run the ball. Those option runs around the corners never work because the defense knows that he will pitch to the running back. A mobile QB can create havoc on a defense. I think Jones would be a good back up QB. I really want to see Blake Bell get on the field and execute like Jason White did against Texas when he came off the bench. I do not want to see Jones hurt but I feel that he does not posess the maneuverability or toughness that a quality Quarterback should have. A QB that is not afraid to run the ball and prove to his team that he is in all the way is what the Sooner Nation wants.
Why not pull a Florida when Timmy T was a freshman? Play Landry, but sub with Blake Bell when the offense needs a quick start? We have to do something to keep defenses off key. It would also get Blake Bell some experience. Landry is the starter. I am surprised to read that he had not figured out that the role of the QB is to lead – especially when in the red zone. That is where the QB must be a field general. A few reps for Blake Bell (that are meaningful) would also give Landry some protection since QBs frequently get beat up during a 13-14 game season.
Pathfinder…do you really mean what you typed ? That is the most juvenile post I have ever read from an OU fan. Bench Landry Jones, the best QB in the Big 12 conference ? Landry isn’t “afraid” to run the ball. The offense isn’t designed to showcase the QB run. It never has been under Stoops. Running quarterbacks cause defenses problems because they can throw the ball as well. Jason White, believe it or not, was a much better QB in 2003, with his arm, than he was in 2001, prior to the knee injurie(s). Quarterbacks at OU throw first, run second. Tim Tebow didn’t have an arm like Bradford or Landry Jones. If Landry should be a backup, as you state, then I would like to know who starts.
Haha that was terrible pathfinder.
By your rationale Peyton manning and Tom Brady and even Sammy B are scrubs.
Did you go to high school at all?
I think Landry is a really good QB. In most games he puts up big numbers, makes good/accurate throws, and for the most part place smart. He may have not had the best games at A&M and Mizzouri last year, but that was last year. I think this year he will quiet doubters, especially with the confidence he’s gotten in the last couple games of the season and the time he’s had in the off season for improvements. I agree that we do need to have our backups ready in case we have a BYU or a Texas Tech experience. Either way, it’s very difficult to prepare for injuries. That’s just a part of the game and back ups tend to play under pressure in those type of situations.
I think pathfinder must sit in my section at Memorial Field… There are plenty of idiots always yelling something asinine there.
What would the glorified Mr. Trammel think? After all, his shower-room Ball Handling Skills are legendary..
The most critical thing at OU this spring should be our Special Teams, we will, I repeat, we will get beat in a close games in 2011 if we don’t improve on kickoff coverage. If MU and A&M had not of scored on kickoffs last year we would have been undefeated in 2010. So Stoops, better get some expertise on the sidelines, and focus on the area that could cost you the National Championship. Special Teams win Big Games! Coach em UP!
*Paul Thompson wasn’t considered a QB after Stoops promised the Bomars that their son would be the starting QB if he would come to OU. When they kicked Bomar off and Stoops begged Paul to be QB again, took OU to a BCS Bowl, Paul was once again considered a QB. Stoopsy got caught with his pants down on that deal.
robert…what position did you think Paul Thompson was ever going to contribute much at ? Wide receiver? He was light years away from being a go-to wideout when he made that transition in 2005. Paul Thompson was a QB from the first day he got to OU. I’m also not sure how much \Stoopsy\ had to beg Paul Thompson to be the starting quarterback when Bomar was dismissed in 2006. That was the best thing that could have ever happened to Thompson when he was at OU.
I have kept wondering if anyone would mention the back up quarterback situation. I still wonder what kind of drop off there will be if / when Landary Jones goes down. OSU seems to be talking a lot more about their Quarterback backups. Few Quarterbacks make it through a season without getting hurt. I am sure that defenses will try real hard to get to Landary. Last year Landary was sacked quite a few times and it takes only one good hit and he is out. OU hopes for a National Championship could vanish is Landary gets injured and the back ups can not do the job.