Monthly Archives: April 2016

Josh Norman…

Even as OU fortunes have changed over the years, recruiting has always played a big part of OU success. Of course Barry’s hook or by crook antics are stories that legends are made of. Even John Blake who eventually replaced the king was able to use the OU tradition to attract players that could overcome his inability to coach. No small task I might add.

One of those players that stands out to me was a four star athlete out of Midland Lee named Josh Norman. Norman ignored the talk that the OU ship was taking on water and might not recover. Josh Norman was the first of several blue-chip players that Bob Stoops would use to turn around the football program that had hit rock bottom during the Schnelenberer/Blake era.

To this day, I give Josh Norman a great deal of credit for doing his part to turn around OU’s fortunes.

In my opinion college football coaches can use four sources to attract stud-athletes.   The first is to sell a football program’s tradition. The second is to impress kids with improved facilities. The third reason is to promise players that will play early. The fourth is to cheat.

OSU has proven that the facilities angle does work for a spell.   Of course having T. Boone around to grease the skids cannot be undersold either. Unfortunately, the OSU facilities advantage has diminished as other Big 12 teams have upped the ante. Cheating has also become much more challenging with the advent of the Internet. Keeping these players quiet is much easier said than done..

The OU Class of 2017 fulfills all the four qualities of a great recruiting class. First off OU has a tradition that is second to none. Next, OU is in on the verge of having incredible facilities that will impress high school recruits. Thirdly, OU is recruiting players today that embrace a challenge which removes the playing early barrier.

Because of the first thee advantages cheating for OU these days is not necessary.

Back in the day Josh Norman led the Sooners out of the darkness and into the light. The latest OU recruiting class is proof positive of this fact.

Boomer Sooner…

 

Rivals100’s Class of 2017 Top Ten…

1…Ohio State

2…Oklahoma

3…Miami

4…Clemson

5…Florida State

6…Michigan

7…Notre Dame

8…Alabama

9…North Carolina

10.Kentucky

 

Rivals100 Class of 2017 OU commitments

10 four star recruits

2 three star recruits

 

Trajan Bandy/DB…Miami, Florida/four stars

Robert Barnes/DB…Southlake, TX/four stars

Justin Broiles/DB….Oklahoma City/four stars

Tre Brown/DB….Tulsa, OK/four stars

Levi Draper/LB…..Collinsville, OK/four stars

Charleston Rambo/WR…Cedar Hil, TX/four stars

Cedarian Lamb/WR…Richmond, TX/four stars

Jalen Reagor/WR…Waxahachie, TX/four stars

Tyrese Robinson/OL…..McKinney, TX/four stars

Chris Robison/QB…..Mesquite, TX/four stars

Marcelias Sutton/Ath….Scranton, PA/three stars

Grant Culcaterra/Ath…Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/three stars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank goodness for football…

After the recent massacre in Houston, my daughter called from her college dorm room upset about what she had just seen…

I tried to talk her off the ledge by suggesting that over 250 D-I basketball teams had already turned in their gear for the year. I also assured her that the game of basketball was never meant to be played in a 75,000-seat football stadium where the backdrop screws up three point shooters (at least OU’s three point shooters).

At that point my daughter succinctly cut straight to the chase. She said and I quote “At least we have football to look forward to.”

She hit the nail right on the head. Saturday night would have been a lot worse for OU fans if we did not have OU football to look forward to. What if we were Kansas where their fans are done for the year?

OU fans can sleep well at night with the realization that in just one week the Sooners will trot out the next version of OU’s National Championship caliber football team at the spring game. Of course it will be only fitting that the half time show will include another OU final four team, the Sooner basketball team. Having the nation’s only set of final four teams is a big deal and should be treated as such.

Basically, this OU team deserved better than this, but as Forest Gump so accurately put it just after he stepped into a pile of dog poop, “it happens.” Let’s get real; the dream team would have had a hard time beating Villanova on this night. Okay that might be a stretch, but you get my point.

When was the last time that you saw a college basketball team hit 71% of its shots in the first half and then turn around and best that mark by hitting 77% in the second… That was a first for me…Bottom line is that OU lost to a better team on Saturday night and we should to be okay with that.

In any case, just like in football, making it to a final four in basketball means this program has arrived. If OU can keep both Bob Stoops and Lon Kruger around for another ten years I expect we will see both teams making more and more trips to the final four.

OU fans are immensely blessed for its football and basketball programs and for this fact we should be eternally grateful…

OSU fans will probably crow on Monday about the lopsided outcome of OU’s final-four game, but in response we should remind OSU people…There is still only one OKLAHOMA… 

Boomer Sooner…