Tag: 2022 four-star cornerback

Coveted in-state 4-star Oklahoma target announces commitment date

Gentry Williams, long time Sooners recruit announces date for commitment.

Highly rated four-star cornerback Gentry Williams is ready to wrap it up. The in-state star took to Twitter to announce he’ll be committing at Booker T. Washington High School on October 18th. In a post that included a graphic, four teams are in the last race for Williams’ commitment: Oklahoma, USC, Missouri, and Florida.

The Sooners have recruited this young man since he was a freshman in high school. It’s been a long journey for them but they can confidently say they put in the work to be in a position to keep the talented in-state star home.

Williams was recruited as an athlete by colleges for his first couple of years in high school. After time passed and it became increasingly clear he was zeroing in on playing defense in college, he began to be listed as a cornerback and recruited by schools to play as a cornerback. Williams has great size, athleticism, and speed to play corner. He’s far from raw but he’s still in theory a developmental cornerback. However, due to his athleticism and size that you can’t teach, he’s a must-have for this Sooners defense.

Oklahoma cornerbacks coach Roy Manning has been at the front of the recruitment for Williams with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch following right behind. The duo looks to land the highest-rated cornerback commit of their time in Norman. It’s also important to note that Williams has a strong relationship with current Sooners starting safety and captain, Pat Fields. Both have grown up in Tulsa and know each other very well.

According to the crystal ball predictions on 247 sports, the predictions lean 80 percent in favor of Oklahoma and 20 percent in favor of USC. The contrast wasn’t always like this as USC was thought of as the biggest threat to lure him away from home due to his close bond with USC cornerback and interim head in Donte Williams. Upheaval within the program following the midseason firing of Clay Helton and uncertainty of where Williams may be next year has likely opened a rift in the closeness between the two allowing Oklahoma to feel a bit more confident in their chances.

The Sooners had the last visit as Williams had his official visit for the Nebraska game. The initial returns from the visit were good as Rivals forecasts and crystal ball predictions started trending in Oklahoma’s favor days after. Steve Wiltfong, 247’s superstar football recruiting lead has a pick for Oklahoma with a confidence level of 8/10.

Gentry Williams’ Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 37 1 3
Rivals 4 67 1 8
ESPN 4 63 2 3
247 Composite 4 21 1 8

Vitals

Hometown Tulsa, Oklahoma
Projected Position CB
Height 6’0
Weight 175

Recruitment

  • Offered on April 29th, 2019
  • The official visit took place September 17th, 2021

Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma State
  • Florida
  • USC
  • LSU
  • Missouri
  • Arkansas
  • Nebraska
  • Baylor
  • Michigan
  • Georgia

Crystal Ball

Film

Check out Gentry Williams work over at HUDL.

Twitter

 

Recruiting Update: Sooners gaining ground with top recruits

A look at the Sooners and updates on their pursuit of two homegrown talents and an out-of-state talent with strong Oklahoma ties.

The Oklahoma Sooners have not had an easy go of it this season but they’ve found ways to win games and still impress recruits. The Sooners on-field product hasn’t been the most aesthetically pleasing to watch but it’s getting results. Underneath those results, they are still finding ways to impress possible Sooners.

The Sooners recruiting has hardly taken a dip although their current product as a whole does not remotely resemble what they’ve been known for. However, recruiting goes on and the only way to remain relevant and near the top of college football as long as they have is to continue recruiting at a high level.

As it stands, the Sooners have the 12th ranked recruiting class in the country for 2022. They’ve hosted some significant targets on their recruiting big board over the last few weeks with names like four-star corner Gentry Williams, four-star defensive lineman Chris McClellan and five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. The Sooners have landed some excellent players in the 2022 class but a bonafide top seven recruiting class became increasingly hard when they lost commitments from their three receiver commits in Jordan Hudson (now committed to SMU), Talyn Shettron (now committed to Oklahoma State to play with his brother) and Luther Burden (likely a future UGA or Missouri commit.)

Those commitments over the summer took the steam out of a class that was shaping up to be elite. Good things come to those who wait and those who close in recruiting. The Sooners are closing in on the likes of Williams, McClellan, and Dindy as the fall rolls on.

Gentry Williams, a homegrown Oklahoma talent has had the Sooners and the USC Trojans jockeying back and for the most part due to his relationship with cornerback and interim head coach Donte Williams. USC’s future is very uncertain and that level of stability has not gone unnoticed as new crystal balls at 247Sports  have forecasted Williams to Oklahoma and a Rivals’ future cast has the Sooners as the landing spot now.

Another in-state star Chris McClellan was in town for the West Virginia game. The Sooners have been fighting off Florida and Ohio State the heaviest for his services. In the last week, he’s received a few crystal balls to classify him as an Oklahoma lean as it stands.

Last but certainly not least, another player with organic ties to the state of Oklahoma, five-star Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. His parents are Oklahoma Sooners alums and the connection has been there since the beginning for Oklahoma.

They enter this final stretch in a heated battle with Texas A&M who employs his father as well. They are not to be counted out but a crystal ball from Steve Wiltfong (director of football recruiting for 247Sports) is absolutely nothing to scoff at. Dindy plans to make a decision soon as he has plans to be an early enrollee.

Just playing a bit of a guessing game but commitments from these would be more than enough to take Oklahoma from 12th into the top 10 of the 2022 rankings. That is not taking into account any receivers Oklahoma may try to flip or the possibility of running back Jovontae Barnes or Marvin Jones Jr who the Sooners are also in hot pursuit of.

The Sooners despite their troubles keeping three excellent receivers in the fold are well positioned to finish with at minimum a top ten recruiting class. As long they remember, recruiting is always about how you finish and not always how you start.