LincUp21…

The dog days of summer are even worse than normal this year…who knows when the NCAA will make a decision on the upcoming football season.  On the upside, I don’t remember a better recruiting summer ever.   While everyone else was making excuses about the coronvirus’ impact on recruiting, Lincoln was busy making chicken salad out of chicken poop.  

While official on-sites visits have been outlawed by the NCAA,  Lincoln has been blowing recruits away with virtual visits that from all accounts may be better than the real thing.  While other coaching staffs have been stumbling aorund in the dark during these times, Lincoln’s staff has been playing home run derby.  

As of today, the Sooners have yet to break the top 25 according to any recruiting service, but that will change in a big way, any day now.   Lincoln is on the verge of putting together a monster recruiting class.   As a matter of fact that change will become evident as soon as this next weekend. 

Caleb Williams, the number one dual threat quarterback in the country and a top five pick overall will make his intentions known on July 4. Keon Coleman, a four star wide receiver that the Sooners want in the worst way will make his intentions known that same day. 

This is what makes OU football special.  OU is loading up with the cream of the crop talent from the east coast who never imagined crossing the Mississippi for their college careers.  They are now relocating to the wild wild west in record numbers. 

If things go as planned, the Sooners are in line to get commitments from the top quarterback, the top running back and the top wide receiver in the country in short order.   Not since the Barry Switzer days has OU recruited at this level.   

One last thing…what you have to love about this recruiting class is the level of talent headed to Norman on both sides of the football.   If that fact doesn’t put a spring in your step, you need to check your pulse.    

Boomer Sooner…

Prospective five-star recruits…

• Caleb Williams…#3 – Dual QB – listed as five-star recruit by 247sports…July 4 announcement date…
• Camar Wheaton…#7 – RB – listed as five-star recruit by 247sports…
• Tristin Leigh…#11 – OT – listed ad five-star recruit by  247sports…CW will have impact on this possible commitment.  
• Mario Williams…#12 – WR – listed as five-star recruit by Rivals100…committed…

Prospective four-star recruits…

• Dallas Turner…#44 – WDE – July 1 announcement date – this one may be a stretch here, but we’re on a roll.

• Bryce Foster…#65 – OT
• Cody Jackson…#96 – WR – committed
• Clayton Smith…#98 – SDE – committed
• Marcus Burris…#102 – SDE
• Kelvin Gilliam…#108 – WDE
• Keon Coleman…#116 – WR – July 4 anouncement date…
• Latrell McCutchin…# 127 – CB
• Jalil Farooq…#133 – WR
• Kendal Daniels…#143 – S
• Ethan Downs…#161 – WDE – committed
• Prophet Brown…#197 – RB
• Tommi Hill…#217 – Athlete
• Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge…#315 – SDE – committed
• David Abira…#335 – SDE

I’m 50 and I’m a buffoon…

I am borrowing this line from college football expert Paul Finebaum, but it fits Mike Gundy perfectly.   Gundy burst onto the national scene a few years back with his I’m forty and I’m a man rant.  That speech created nationwide attention for the mullet man.  Finebaum’s phrase serves as book ends for Gundy’s before and after buffoonery.  

College kids, especially the ones that OSU recruits are easily enamored by middle school behavior on the part of their head coach.  A few years back Gundy grew a mullet so he could relate to his players.  Give me a break…cut your damn hair.   Next, he developed a penchant for locker room dances after wins.  A Michael Jackson he ain’t, but OSU fans ate it up. 

Next he realizes that he was dealing with fans with the IQ of a house plant, so he scams them into believing that he was leaving Stillwater for Tennessee.   This worked not just once, but twice.  Give me another break…the guy can’t locate Tennessee on a map, much less apply for a job there. 

OSU fans fearing that they might lose their Joe Exotic to Rocky Top insisted that the administration put Gundy on a lifetime $5 million per year contract.   That’s right this guy makes more money than the rest of Paine County comnbined.  Only at OSU…

This has to be the best part.   Gundy wears a racist t-shirt in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement.  Heisman Trophy candidate Chuba Hubbard calls Gundy out and Gundy is forced to do some fancy footwork to make everything better.   The OSU staff produces a video where  Gundy is seen having an epihany on the issue of race relations.    Over night Gundy becomes a Civil Rights Advocate.  I was born at night, but not last night…basically, Gundy now believes that Black Lives do matter as long as they can help him win football games.

With all of this swirling around, recent revelations by former players and opponents that Gundy commonly used the N-word during  his playing days has garnered less than a blip on the radar screen.  That may be the saddest part in all of this… 

Gundy reminds me of Alabama’s Paul ”Bear” Bryant.  The “Bear” became a stauch believer in racial equality the day after his slow white guys were pummeled by USC in Tuscaloosa.  It was 1970 and the “Bear” began recruiting black football players the very next day.   Gundy used Bear’s m.o. when Chuba became upset.  Gundy immediately became a “justice for all” kind of guy as he walked Chuba off the ledge and back into the OK Corral.    

Okay, I know that Mike Gundy and OSU fans will never change.   After all beating OU is all that matters to those guys.   I can however take solace in the fact that they have the mullet man and we have Lincoln Riley…that’s right, I feel better already. 

Boomer Sooner…

Bcs.net - sports professor

Patty…

Football will always be the king of the hill because football is America’s game and because football pays the bills.   As a result, football gets 85 scholarships.  Softball pales in comparison with its 12 scholarships.  In Patty Gasso’s case, 12 is more than enough.     

This year the OU softball team will have a roster of 25 players not counting walk-ons and transfers.  Each of the 25 roster players and most of the walkons will be on a full ride scholarhip.  To make this work, Patty begins her recruitment process at the 7^th grade level.  Players good enough to play for Patty must also sell out to her academic regimen program.      

7^th grade recruits are encouraged to enroll in curriculum-based Honors and pre-AP courses.  This move prepares Patty’s prospects for Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses at the high school level.  Then, as they say, the rest is history. 

These courses prepare students for ACT/and or SAT exams.  High scores on these tests can provide players with partial scholarships.   Exceptional scores on the PSAT can provide full ride National Merit Scholarships.  Last, but not least AP courses prepare students for Advanced Placement exams that will allow students to test out of multiple semesters of college course work. 

When you combine all of this with the 12 scholarships allowed by the NCAA, you have a total schlorship count that can easily top 30.   These numbers allow Patty to recruit the best players in America year in and year out.  Every recruit comes to OU believing that they will have a full ride scholarship for four years.  This a done deal with Patty’s plan. 

Here’s the hangup at many colleges…ten year plans require a coaching staff that is assured of being around for ten years to fulfill their promises.  Joe has done his part by upping Patty’s salary each year.  She is now making in excess of $1million dollars a year.  This may sound like chicken feed compared to Lincoln Riley’s salary, but Patty’s salary is the highest in the country for softball coaches.   

Here’s even better news…following her 4^th National Championship in 2017, Patty signed a contract extension for seven years.  More importantly, the Board of Regents also guaranteed Patty a $200,000 per year stay bonus.   By 2024 Patty’s salary will top $1.8 million a year. 

OU fans, we are blessed… 

Boomer Sooner…

OU softball recruiting…

Next spring OU softball team will be something of a mystery.  No one will know how good we’re going to be until we know about pitcher Giselle Juarez recovery from injury.  If “G” is back or if Patty can convince another pitcher to transfer to Norman, we’ll be okay.  If not, OU fans will likely have to wait a year for a legitimate run at a 5^th National Championship in softball.  Regardless, help is on the way…

Starting with this year’s junior class, Patty will have recruited the top ranked player in the country four years in a row.   She will also have recruited a top ten class in each of those four years.  She will also have commitments from what appears to be the top ranked class in the country for next year.    

In the 2021-22 class Patty Gasso has not only secured the commitment from the top player and pitcher in America in Jordyn Bahl, Patty has also recruited five of the top 12 players from that year’s recruiting class.   In 2021 all four of these star studded groups will be on the field at the same time.   Obviously, that team will have a legitimate run at a National Championship.  

With OU’s Marita Hynes Stadium already sold out for years to come, OU fans had better scarf up College World Series tickets now for spring 2022.  Even with Hall of Fame Stadium doubling its seating capacity, tickets will be hard to come by in those days.   

Here are recruiting numbers for years beginning in 2018-19 and running through 2021-22. 

Class of 2021-22 – potentially # 1 nationally…

# 1…Jordyn Bahl – RHP – Nebraska

# 3…Sophia Nugent – Catcher – California

# 5…Quincee Lillo – 2B-OF – California

# 7…Turiya Coleman – Catcher – Texas

# 12..Alexx Waitman – MIF – Oklahoma

# 51..Emma Guthrie – RHP/OF – Texas

Class of 2020/21 – ranked #5 nationally…

# 1….Jayda Coleman – SS – Texas

# 4….Nicole May – P – California

# 16..Tiare Jennings – SS – California

# 79..Paige Knight – SS – Oklahoma

Class of 2019-20 – ranked # 5 nationally…

# 1…..Kinzie Hansen – Catcher – California

# 31…Macy McAdoo – RHP – Oklahoma

# 49…Olivia Rains  – HP – Oklahoma

# 50…Rylie Boone – OF – Oklahoma

# 52…Alycia Flores – OF – California

# 59…Raylee Pogue – C – Texas

# 61…Alanna Nelson-Thiede – LHP – California

Class of 2018-19 – ranked in the top ten nationally…

# 1….Brooke Vestal – California

# 4….Grace Lyons     – Arizona

# 10..Grace Green – California

# 52..Audrie McValley – Oklahoma

Boomer Sooner…