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
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
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
DeMarco Murray steps up in the weight room
A few tidbits from OU spring practice:
*DeMarco Murray’s rehab is going very well, and he’s stepped it up in the weight room despite not playing this spring. Coach Josh Heupel apparently didn’t even recognize him while walking behind the other day.
* Ryan Broyles is playing both in the slot and at wide receiver. When OU is in power formations, count on Broyles being on the field, even though his natural position in the slot. That means he will get a lot of looks downfield next season.
* Broyles said that QB Sam Bradford is not getting the same pass protection from a young offensive line that he did last year. Obviously, Sam is not getting hit in practice, but OU’s defensive line is getting through a lot more often than last year. Cause for concern?
* Guard Brian Simmons said he’s never, in his life, seen someone in person so physically impressive as fellow guard Stephen Good. Good, a powerlifting champion in high school, is the strongest player on the team right now. And he’s just a rising sophomore.
* Quinton Carter is starting at free safety, while Sam Proctor is working in at strong with the first team. Freshman Javon Harris and Joseph Ibiloye are backing them up, along with walk-on Emmanuel Jones, who is having a nice spring.
* Walk-on Brian Lepak is going to play a lot next season, especially with the departure of Jason Hannan, who is expected to transfer. The Colorado State transfer, originally from Claremore, has been one of the best surprises this spring.
* Cornerback Dom Franks couldn’t stop talking about how impressive the freshman linebacking trio of Ronnell Lewis, Tom Wort and Jaydan Bird have been. “Those kids hit,” Franks said.
* Trent Williams said he’s been challenged to become a leader on the offensive line. He’s not where he wants to be in that department, but that’s something OU needs next season with so many first-year starters.
* According to WR coach Jay Norvell, Dejuan Miller and Jameel Owens have a ways to go before they play significant snaps with the first team. So far, the starting WRs are Brandon Caleb, Adron Tennell and Broyles.
* By many accounts, Landry Jones is having an outstanding spring. He looks to be the solid favorite to replace Bradford, whenever that day comes.
* Owens said fellow Muskogee native Stacy McGee is up to 275. He was about 245 as a high school senior. Still, it may be awhile before McGee is ready to join the DT rotation.
By Jake Trotter
Friday’s links: More Jarboe and an OU recruit
* Sam Bradford rates the other QBs in the Big 12 (Except for OSU and Texas) .
* More on Jarboe here, here, here.
* Recounting the legend of Sooner Magic with Barry Switzer.
* Good video of OU recruit Jonathon Miller of Garland (Texas) Naaman Forest. An Adrian Peterson clone?
* Is Stoops a ‘great’ head coach? This blog says yes.
* OU/NFL blog breaks down OU’s NFL wide receivers. Not so hot?
* ESPN’s college football coverage is good because the network hasn’t screwed it up yet.
* Bleacher Report offers up its Top 25.
Football: OU loses 2009 prospect to Vols
From the Chattanooga Times: “(Tennessee coach) Phil Fulmer accepted the Vols’ first public 2009 signing class commitment over the weekend, when highly touted Philadelphia receiver Je’Ron Stokes pledged during an unofficial visit.Stokes, whose family is close to former Vols receiver, defensive back and return specialist Mark Jones, is rated by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 44 overall prospect in the 2009 class. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Jones has an impressive offer list that includes Oklahoma, UCLA, West Virginia and most of the Big Ten schools.”
Links: Football recruiting, Kelvin and Tony Crocker
* Good look at the QB targets for OU in the 2009 recruiting class.
* New York Times’ Bill Rhoden on the Kelvin situation.
* Last-minute recruiting switches have helped the Sooners.
* Husker fan rounds up recruiting in the Big 12.
* Three questions for OU’s Tony Crocker.
Today’s links: Football, softball and lacrosse
Here are some links from around the web.
* Does OU really care about star ratings?
* Buffalo really wants Malcolm Kelly.
* The fake recruit saga continues. This time with a lawsuit from his coach.
* Good feature on OU softballer D.J. Mathis.
* How about some OU lacrosse coverage?
Recruiting: Stephen Good benches
How big is recruiting?
Big enough that offensive lineman Stephen Good’s bench press videos are posted on YouTube.
Watch it here.
Trotter taking questions…
By Jake Trotter
Sooner fans, I’ll be taking questions from you about OU football and answering them in the newspaper every Sunday.
To ask a question, send me an email at: mailto:jtrotter@oklahoman.com.
Keep it brief and clean. Oh, and let me know what town you’re from.
Look forward to hearing from you.
