Tag: 2022 recruiting cycle

What does new QB recruit Nick Evers bring to the Sooners?

A look at new 2022 quarterback commit Nick Evers and what the Sooners can expect from him early.

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After losing their prized 2023 quarterback of the future when Malachi Nelson flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to USC to follow Lincoln Riley, there was a lot of angst about the future of the QB position in Norman.

The Sooners didn’t have a head coach or offensive coordinator either so things were up in the air. There was, and still is the trepidation about whether impact true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams would stay or go since Riley has left for sunny southern California.

The question remains about Caleb Williams’ future but over the last two weeks, things have stabilized in Norman. A new head coach is in the building and for the first time in six years, the Sooners will have a new play-caller not named Lincoln Riley.

Jeff Lebby, the up-and-coming offensive coordinator who led multiple top-five offenses while at Ole Miss came back to his alma mater to lead the Sooners offense. His first order of business? Secure a commitment from 2022 QB Nick Evers.

Evers had been recruited by Lebby at Ole Miss and although Evers originally committed to Florida, his relationship with Lebby stood firm and helped open the doorway to him becoming a Sooner.

But what are the Sooners getting with Nick Evers?

Evers is a true dual-threat quarterback much like Caleb Williams. However, his skills may not look the same as Caleb Williams.

Evers stands tall at 6-foot-3 and has the frame to add about 10 pounds if needed. While being a bit taller than some of the other Oklahoma quarterbacks of late, Evers runs with long strides on the field to the point it doesn’t look like he’s running all that fast.

He’s quite proficient running with the ball, totaling 894 yards rushing the last two years of high school. His arm is lively and he’s not afraid to throw over the middle of the field. If you’re going to do that you need accuracy, some velocity, and some major confidence to do so. And Evers has all three.

Evers is far from a finished product and will need some seasoning in this offense and processing at much faster speeds. The best thing going for him is the fact that Lebby’s offense is similar in ways to what his high school offense looked like but obviously highly more nuanced. It should help on a concept level and the more reps he gets at practice in this system the better off he’ll be.

There’s some serious upside in Nick Evers and while he’s not the five-star QB recruit the Sooners had grown accustomed to, he’s plenty talented to make a major name for himself in Norman, Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma Sooners get commitment from 2022 4-star quarterback Nick Evers

The Oklahoma Sooners get a big-time commitment from 2022 four-star quarterback out of Flower Mound, Texas Nick Evers.

After Lincoln Riley left, the 2022 and the 2023 recruiting classes took major hits. They lost five-star commitments in both classes and the future looked bleak after Malachi Nelson flipped to USC.

Since Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby have come on board, the tide has turned. They’ve been hot and heavy on the recruiting trail and picked up their first commitment in 2022 four-star quarterback Nick Evers early Monday morning.

Nick Evers is the eighth-ranked quarterback per 247Sports and 10th in their composite rankings. On3 has Evers ranked as the No. 6 quarterback and No. 67 overall in the 2022 class.

The Flower Mound product has had a hot and heavy recruitment of late. After de-commiting from Florida on Dec. 7, the Oklahoma Sooners contingent of Jeff Lebby and Joe Jon Finley paid a visit to Evers the next day. That visit led to Oklahoma extending an offer on Dec. 8. Over the weekend, Evers and his family made an official visit to Norman and now the Sooners picked up the first big win of Jeff Lebby’s tenure in securing the commitment of the four-star prospect.

In Evers, the Sooners get a guy who was a  6-6A All-District selection his junior season when he threw for 25 touchdowns and rushed for another four. In 2021, Evers threw for 19 and rushed for 14 touchdowns as a senior.

After falling into the 20s in 247Sports team rankings, the Sooners are back in the top 15 with Evers commitment. On3 has the Sooners all the way up to ninth in their team rankings.

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Brent Venables makes first offer as Oklahoma head coach to 2022 defensive tackle

Getting the party started, new head coach Brent Venables sends a scholarship offer to 2022 defensive tackle prospect out of Florida.

The Brent Venables era is off and running on the recruiting trail. After yesterday’s introductory event in Norman, Venables hit the road and has been visiting with players to continue to bolster the 2022 recruiting class.

In the wake of Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy’s de-commitment and flip to Texas A&M, Venables, and the Oklahoma Sooners sent out their first official offer to Ahmad Moten, a three-star defensive tackle from Florida.

According to 247Sports, Moten is a 6-3, 290-pound defensive tackle who helped Cardinal Gibbons win a 4A state title in 2020.

Yesterday, in his first press conference as head coach, Venables hammered home the idea that he wants the offers that Oklahoma sends out to mean something, to have value. They aren’t planning to offer kids just to give offers and want the players they offer scholarships to be team-first players who aren’t simply looking for individual accolades.

Venables defenses are physical at the point of attack, and that starts with interior defensive linemen that can disrupt the running game and crash the pocket in the passing game. Moten has the size and length to be able to do both.

It’s still early in Brent Venables’ tenure as head coach, but it’s no coincidence that the first official scholarship offer he made was to an interior defensive lineman. That’s where Venables wants to set the tone defensively. With the early signing period right around the corner, Moten would provide a boost to a recruiting class that needs some players on the defensive line.

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’22 5-star defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy flips commitment from OU to Texas A&M

As the new era of Oklahoma Football begins, the Sooners lose 5-star defensive tackle commit to Texas A&M.

It’s been a whirlwind of changes for the Oklahoma Sooners over the last nine days. Since the initial news broke of the coaching change, OU has had players de-commit, reaffirm their commitments, and pick up new targets on the recruiting trail.

With Brent Venables coming on board, it would seem the Sooners would have been able to hold on to some of their defensive commitments, but all bets are off at this point.

After Raleek Brown flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to USC a few days ago, the Sooners have now lost their only other five-star commit for the 2022 class, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy.

Brownlow-Dindy announced yesterday via Hayes Fawcett of On3 recruiting that he’ll be playing his college ball at Texas A&M.

OU’s most significant competition came from A&M until the big-time defensive tackle committed to Oklahoma back in October.

It was inevitable that the Sooners would see a dip in their recruiting classes, but it’s disappointing to see a player like Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy drop off the commitment ledger. Venables has a strong track record of getting interior defensive linemen into the NFL. Gerald McCoy, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins were each first-round picks who played under Venables at Oklahoma and Clemson.

The Sooners still have time to recover their recruiting class in 2022 before national signing day, but it appears it won’t reach the top seven status it once was.

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2022 4-star Running Back Gavin Sawchuk reaffirms his commitment to Oklahoma via Social Media

In a post on Twitter, four-star running back for the 2022 recruiting class Gavin Sawchuk reaffirmed his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ next two recruiting classes took a bit of a hit in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure. From the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, they lost three five-star skill position players, who have since flipped to USC to follow the former Oklahoma Sooners head coach.

Over the past week, the Sooners have seen more players make affirmations of their commitment to the University of Oklahoma and four-star running back out of Littleton, Colorado is the latest to let it be known his plans haven’t changed.

In a not safe for work (NSFW) Twitter post, Gavin Sawchuk shared that he’s “not leaving” via a scene from the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

It’s great news for the Oklahoma Sooners who’s running back depth chart looks a little thin heading into 2022. Kennedy Brooks is expected to head to the NFL, leaving Eric Gray and Marcus Major as the lone scholarship backs on the roster if Brooks moves on.

Sawchuk would have a great opportunity to get work early in his career if he’s able to get acclimated and work his way up the depth chart.

With the Oklahoma Sooners seemingly on the brink of announcing their next head coach, all of the news seems to be trending in the right direction with Gavin Sawchuk announcing his intentions to stay committed to the University of Oklahoma.

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Bob Stoops, OU Assistant Coaches making an impact on current roster, recruiting trail

Not missing a beat, Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners assistant coaches have been making a big impact on the recruiting trail.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a long way to go in securing the football program’s future, but in the wake of all the chaos that’s surrounded the last several days, they’re still in a promising position. And that’s thanks to the efforts of the Oklahoma assistant coaches and interim head coach Bob Stoops on the recruiting trail.

Still, just a few days removed from the sudden departure of Lincoln Riley and other assistants, those who’ve remained loyal to the program haven’t wasted any time. With the opening of in-home visits across the country, they’ve made quick work getting to their top recruits in the 2022 recruiting class to continue to build relationships with the players and their families.

Guys like DeMarco Murray, Cale Gundy, and Joe Jon Finley have been active with Bob Stoops to continue to put Oklahoma’s best foot forward. Although nothing is certain, the efforts being made by the Oklahoma contingent have meant a lot to the OU prospects.

When Stoops took over as the interim head coach, he made it known that his priority was stabilizing the program for the current players and then getting out on the trail to remind recruits that “this is still Oklahoma.”

Stoops was doing just that on a visit yesterday with 2022 running back Gavin Sawchuk in Nevada. He was in Arlington, Texas, recently as well visiting with Xavion Brice. The other night, he was with Robert Spears-Jennings in Tulsa. At the same time, Joe Jon Finley was in Kansas to further his relationship with Kaden Helms.

With the early signing period approaching, the Sooners current staff of coaches are making a significant impact furthering the interests of the University of Oklahoma. It remains to be seen just how much the coaching change will hurt the Sooners over the next couple of recruiting cycles, but whatever happens, it won’t be because the assistants who stuck with the Sooners didn’t give their best efforts.

Despite the uncertainty of their future, the assistant coach team at Oklahoma continues to grind away for the betterment of the program. Bob Stoops’ passion and commitment to the program helps to add to the relationships the assistants already have with the kids their visiting or attempting to retain.

Their relationships with current and (hopefully) future Sooners is what will make the difference in December of 2021 and beyond.

Former players, social media react to Bob Stoops introduction as OU’s Interim Head Coach

How did former players and social media react to the introduction of Bob Stoops as interim head coach at the University of Oklahoma?

As quickly as Lincoln Riley exited as Oklahoma’s head coach, in steps Bob Stoops to stem the tide of frustration and disarray surrounding Riley’s departure for USC. Stoops, not a stranger to big moments, seized the day to remind everyone that “this is still Oklahoma.”

While the University of Oklahoma conducts what it hopes will be a quick coaching search, Bob Stoops will take the reins as interim head coach. His purpose, to steady the program as uncertainty drives some players into the transfer portal and recruits to decommit.

In a state of the program address that featured Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz, athletic director Joe Castiglione and Stoops, the trio successfully calmed the storm that raged around the program before getting to work on righting the ship.

Living up to his word, Stoops traveled to Broken Arrow to meet with Robert Spears-Jennings. Stoops will be active in persuading current players to stay and prospects to come to Norman, selling the program’s long run of success that even predates Bob Stoops himself.

Like we did in the aftermath of Lincoln Riley’s departure for USC, let’s take a look at how some former players and others reacted on social media to the return of Bob Stoops.

Three-star LB Eoghan Kerry decommits from Texas

Kerry is the third player to decommit from Texas this week.

It has been a rough week for Steve Sarkisian’s 2022 recruiting class.

There is no doubt that the disappointing 5-7 season has had a major impact on recruiting.

Three-star linebacker Eoghan Kerry reopened his recruitment on Saturday making it three straight days with a decommitment for Texas. Kerry joined running back Jamarion Miller and wide receiver Armani Winfield in backing off their Texas pledges.

The 6-foot-3 linebacker plays on one of the best high school football teams in the country. Mater Dei high school in Calif. is currently ranked No.1 in the nation according to Maxpreps.com.

Arlington Martin product Trevell Martin remains the only inside linebacker committed in Texas’ 2022 class.

Texas is currently holding on to the No. 8 ranked 2022 class in the nation according to 247sports. Good for second in the Big 12 conference, behind rival Oklahoma.

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ESPN names this defensive player the key recruit for the Oklahoma Sooners

With early signing day just five weeks away, ESPN takes a look at the key recruit for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have changed the narrative of their defense during the Alex Grinch era. They’ve made a jump from one of the worst in the country before Grinch arrived to 56th in the nation in scoring defense in 2021, allowing 24.22 points per game.

Statistically, the defense hasn’t been as good as last year, but it has been a big part of the Oklahoma Sooners remaining undefeated while playing without key contributors Woodi Washington or Jalen Redmond for a large stretch of the season.

While perhaps underwhelming at times, it’s important to note this team is attracting more and more talent each year. And that’s evident by the Oklahoma Sooners commitment from five-star defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. Ahead of the early signing period, ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren took a look at the key recruit for the top teams in college football, naming Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy the key piece for the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class.

Brownlow-Dindy, the No. 2 tackle in the class, is a 6-foot-3, 280-pound prospect out of Lakeland, Florida. The knock on Oklahoma over the past few seasons has been the defense, but coordinator Alex Grinch has done a nice job improving it on the field and in recruiting.

Brownlow-Dindy is Oklahoma’s highest-ranked commitment in the class, and he’s one of four defensive ESPN 300 commitments in the Sooners’ class. Having a five-star defensive tackle lead the class is never a bad thing, and he will only help Oklahoma’s defense get better. – Tom VanHaaren

Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class ranks seventh according to 247Sports team rankings with the early signing period looming in December. While most years are headlined by offensive skill players, the defense is taking the lead for Oklahoma’s 2022 cycle. Four of its top six commits are on the defensive side.

While it hasn’t been perfect this year, the identity of the Oklahoma Sooners is becoming more balanced from the early days of the Lincoln Riley era. As Grinch begins to get head coaching interviews, first with Texas Tech, it’s evidence of the impact Grinch has had on the defensive culture of the Oklahoma Sooners. [listicle id=45952]

Report: Oklahoma Sooners flip wide receiver with OU ties from the Oregon Ducks

The Oklahoma Sooners got a much-needed wide receiver addition to the 2022 recruiting class with the commitment of Nicholas Anderson.

This weekend wasn’t just good for Oklahoma on the field. We chronicled before the game, the Sooners would have some visitors in town for their matchup with Texas Tech. At the top of the list sat Nicholas Anderson. He was an Oregon commit and was in town to watch the Sooners play on an unofficial visit.

Whatever took place on this visit, had a profound impact on Anderson as he flipped his commitment from the Oregon Ducks to the Oklahoma Sooners.

It should be noted that Nicholas Anderson is no stranger to the Crimson and Cream. He’s the younger brother of former Sooners great Rodney Anderson. It may seem as though a visit in the game-day atmosphere once again was all Anderson needed to make his decision. He’s now the lone wide receiver committed for Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class and is a much-needed addition after Oklahoma lost three previous commits at the wide receiver position.

Anderson is tall at 6’3 and is long, lanky, and has track speed. He can fly and he’ll have to add weight but he’s considered one of the best route runners in the state of Texas for his class. This is a very solid pickup for Oklahoma at a position that needed depth in this class.

Anderson may be a project receiver but with his athletic gifts, he’s worth bringing in and seeing how he develops under outside wide receiver’s coach Dennis Simmons’ tutelage.

Nicholas Anderson’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 3 n/a 44 55
Rivals 3 n/a 65 63
ESPN 4 106 22 13
247 Composite 4 237 38 38

Vitals

Hometown Katy, TX
Projected Position WR
Height 6’3
Weight 195

Recruitment

  • Offered on November 1st, 2021
  • visit on October 30th, 2021

Offers

  • Oregon Ducks
  • Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  • Texas A&M Aggies
  • Auburn Tigers
  • USC Trojans
  • Tennessee Volunteers
  • Penn State Nittany Lions
  • Florida State Seminoles
  • Virginia Tech Hokies
  • Stanford Cardinal

Crystal Ball

Film

Nicholas Anderson film

Twitter

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