Tag: Anthony Evans III

2023 4-star wide receiver Anthony Evans includes Oklahoma in his Final Four

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to add speed to the 2023 recruiting class. After receiving a commitment from 2023 four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, the Sooners received good news from another speedy 2023 four-star wide receiver, Anthony …

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to add speed to the 2023 recruiting class. After receiving a commitment from 2023 four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, the Sooners received good news from another speedy 2023 four-star wide receiver, Anthony Evans.

Evans, who has been trending to Oklahoma after decommitting from the Arkansas Razorbacks included the Sooners in his top four along with Texas A&M, Georgia, and Penn State.

It’s hard to know how the commitment of Pettaway will influence Evans’ decision, but the Sooners look to be right in the thick of things on this front. According to On3 Recruiting, Evans won’t make his decision until August 26.

Anthony Evans’ Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma offers 2023 4-star DL Johnny Bowens, a former Texas A&M commit

Oklahoma offers four-star defensive line prospect Johnny Bowens out of Converse, Texas, who recently decommitted from Texas A&M.

Oklahoma is picking up some serious momentum on the recruiting trail and they look to capitalize on it in any way they can. While they might have started slow, the Sooners have a plan and are content to let that plan manifest itself. Aside from quarterback, every position group could very well use another commitment or two in the Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class.

There is currently no defensive line commits for 2023 but Oklahoma continues to recruit and reach out to prospects almost daily. The latest defensive line prospect they issued an offer to was four-star DL Johnny Bowens. Bowens hails from Judson High School in Converse, Texas.

Bowens was previously committed to Texas A&M but backed off the commitment on June 28th. The Sooners swooped in with the offer on June 29th.

At 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, Bowens was a Texas 27-6A first-team all-district selection at DE as a junior. He plays multiple spots along the defensive front lining up with his hand in the ground, rushing standing up, and playing in the interior as well. That versatility will serve him well in college as modern defenses love positional flexibility from their defensive linemen.

While the Sooners are getting a late start, they have a chance here. They also have the added bonus of having already seen Bowens before as they’ve scouted his high school well considering they are also recruiting his high school teammate wide receiver Anthony Evans. The Sooners are looking for a rare two recruits from one high school in the same class. It won’t be easy but the next step is getting Bowens on campus

Johnny Bowens’ Recruiting Profile

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Social media reactions to big OU recruiting week with Brent Venables Camp and ChampU BBQ

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners’ big week on the recruiting front with Brent Venables camp and the ChampU BBQ.

It was a big week in Norman for the Oklahoma Sooners who spent time hosting players of all ages for multiple camps, with the high school camp already reaping the reward with the commitment of four-star wide receiver Keyon Brown.

The biggest event of the week came in the ChampU BBQ, where the Sooners football program hosted players from the 2023 class, many for official visits. 2023 takes center stage for the next eight months as the Oklahoma Sooners attempt to lock in commitments through 2023’s national signing day next February.

Though he still has several official visits to attend, top 10 offensive line prospect [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] was in Norman for his official visit with the Sooners. He’s received numerous projections to land with Oklahoma over the last couple of months.

As they look to “win Oklahoma,” the Sooners also had in four-star athlete [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag] out of Mustang. Johnson, the No. 2 player in the state according is projected to land with Oklahoma as well. Johnson and several other visitors shared thoughts on their time with Oklahoma with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong.

[autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], a four-star edge rusher, and top 20 player according to On3 Recruiting shared his thoughts with Chad Simmons on his time with the Sooners.

It was a great week for Oklahoma Football. They’ll have more official visits coming this week, but let’s take a look at some of the best social media reactions from recruits, parents, and coaches.

Oklahoma Sooners lose 2023 4-star WR commit Ashton Cozart to Oregon

2023 four-star WR Ashton Cozart flips commitment from the Oklahoma Sooners to the Oregon Ducks.

It wouldn’t be summer recruiting without any surprises. Recently, it was a bit of a surprise to hear that 2023 WR commit Ashton Cozart was visiting the Oregon Ducks. So, it doesn’t come as much of a shock that Cozart has decided to flip his commitment from the Sooners to the Ducks.

The commitment is less of a surprise than some may think because Cozart had been vocal in recent interviews about recruiting and visiting other schools. We chronicled the news that Cozart would be visiting Eugene, Oregon this weekend earlier in the week. That visit coupled with the likely communication that has been taking place over the last few weeks was enough to seal the deal for Cozart who now becomes a Duck.

Cozart told On3 Recruiting, “The biggest factors with my decision are development, culture, and the relationships I have with the University. I’ve grown up in the Pacific Northwest most of my life and have dreamed of playing there since I was a kid.”

Cozart represented the Sooners’ only skill-position commit for the 2023 class when he picked Oklahoma just over three months ago. A promising visit helped solidify his thoughts on OU in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure and the hiring of Brent Venables as head coach and Jeff Lebby as offensive coordinator.

Considering how it all went down, this seems like a final split between Oklahoma and Cozart with the Sooners now resetting their board at wide receiver to focus even heavier on names like Mikal Harrison-Pilot, Jaquaize Pettaway, and Anthony Evans. The Sooners recently landed two receivers in the transfer portal with multiple years of eligibility, Javian Hester and LV Bunkley-Shelton, and it’s hard not to imagine that those commitments also likely played a factor in Cozart’s decision to look around elsewhere too.

In the end, this entire mini-saga is just another day in the college football recruiting world. The Sooners have multiple wide receiver targets in their sights and will spend the rest of the summer and fall trying to land two if not all three of them.

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Oklahoma Sooners summer recruiting primer for the 2023 recruiting cycle

With the summer on the horizon, we took a look at the names to know as the Sooners look to make a push on the recruiting front for 2023.

Brent Venables and Co. are weeks removed from their first spring as a staff together. It was a successful one with no notable injuries and some standout performances across the board. All told, things went as well as they could’ve hoped considering the positive reviews from the media and recruits in attendance.

The spring game served as an eye-opener for recruits and gave the Oklahoma Sooners some significant momentum to ride as they head into the most crucial time of the year for recruiting. With spring ball done and the team going home to recharge before fall camp, the staff will be all in on recruiting. With that in mind, it’s time to map out the targets to watch as the 2023 class begins to materialize this summer.

ChampU BBQ: Who’s coming to Norman for the Oklahoma Sooners mega recruiting event?

The ChampU BBQ is right around the corner and with the Oklahoma Sooners hosting several top prospects, here’s a running list of who will be coming to Norman.

The ChampU BBQ has been extremely kind to the Oklahoma Sooners these last few years and it figures that as long as they keep hosting it, it will always remain that way. Generally, the Sooners’ have an absolutely elite collection of talent in Norman during the summer at a time when school is no longer a factor and prospects are focusing on recruiting.

Last year, the Sooners had flashy luxury cars and every notable Oklahoma player of the past that they could find in attendance. Adrian Peterson was there. Kyler Murray was there. CeeDee Lamb was in attendance. Sam Bradford and Lane Johnson were in the building. Roy Williams was there. Marquise Brown and Billy Sims joined the party. Kenneth Murray and Trent Williams were in attendance.

The event serves as the Sooners’ premier recruiting event of the calendar year and every year it seems to deliver as commitments follow shortly after.

Will this year under a new regime bring the same results? We don’t know but what we do know is who will be in attendance for this mega event.

We’ve taken the liberty of chronicling every confirmed ChampU BBQ visitor below.

Oklahoma earns On3 prediction for 2023 3-star wide receiver Anthony Evans

Oklahoma Sooners received an On3 prediction from National Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman for 2023 3-star wide receiver Anthony Evans III.

The 2023 recruiting class is beginning to come together with the latest commitment from safety [autotag]Kaleb Spencer[/autotag] coming earlier this week to give the Oklahoma Sooners five commits in the cycle. As spring turns to summer, more and more commitments will begin to roll in with athletes wanting to get their decisions in before the start of their senior seasons.

While a lot of the focus is on four and five-star players, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables hasn’t been shy about seeking out the diamonds in the rough with three-star offers to rising prospects. They’ve landed Erik McCarthy and Spencer, players that will be factors on their defense and look to be in the driver’s seat for another three-star player, wide receiver Anthony Evans III out of Converse, Texas.

National Recruiting Analyst for On3 Sam Spiegelman issued an On3 prediction in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently gives the Sooners a 90.9% chance of landing Anthony Evans III with Georgia in second place at 4.4%. He’s expected to make an official visit to Georgia on June 10.

Evans has made two unofficial visits to Norman according to 247Sports, first on April 15, and then again a week later for Oklahoma’s spring game. He’s expected to go to Norman again for an official visit on June 3.

“It’s family down there. The spring game had 75,000 fans.” Evans told On3’s Sam Spiegelman. “[autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag], [autotag]Marquise Brown[/autotag], and [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag] were all there and they showed love and it was amazing up there. The staff is great, especially Coach (Brent) Venables, and they’re in touch every day.”

Evans is a good route runner with excellent hands. Displays a strong ability to catch the ball away from his body with a good catch radius. Wins in contested situations down the field and on back-shoulder fades. He has a good feel for where to find space against zone coverage and makes himself a good target for the quarterback. He’s really good after the catch, with the speed to break away from defenders and the toughness to fight through tackles. He doesn’t go down on first contact and fights for extra yards. Played both in the slot and on the outside as a junior and does a good job manipulating defenders in his route concept. Converse used him often on jet sweep and reverse concepts and he showed good speed to win the edge and get upfield. Evans is a really good returner that can make plays in both the punt and kick return game.

Anthony Evans’ Recruiting Profile

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Recruits react on social media to Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game weekend

How did recruits react on social media to their experience in Norman for the Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game?

The spring game is always more than just a football game for college teams. It’s an opportunity to show off your program to not only fans but to recruits as well. For Brent Venables, it was his first opportunity to put his team and vision on display for the world’s consumption.

And what a display it was.

The Sooners hosted more than 200 former players and a long list of more than 50 recruits according to Brandon Drumm of OUInsider (VIP).

Those recruits were treated to more than 75,000 Sooners fans in attendance showing the support they have not only for the current state of the program but for the past as well.

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma’s sixth Heisman winner, received an outpouring of love from the Sooners faithful, which had to stand out to the recruits in attendance.

Here’s some of what the recruits had to say via social media after their weekend in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma Sooners offer Arkansas 2023 commit WR Anthony Evans III

The Oklahoma Sooners join the list of recent teams to offer 2023 3-star wide receiver and Arkansas Razorbacks commit Anthony Evans III.

As Oklahoma knows, nothing is official until recruits sign on the dotted line during the early signing period or on national signing day. In Brent Venables first two months with the Sooners, they were able to flip [autotag]Kevonte Henry[/autotag] from Michigan, [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] from Iowa State, and [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] after he flipped to Texas.

They’ll never feel like they’re out of a race until the prospect signs their national letter of intent. That’s why one of their more recent offers went out to Anthony Evans III, a wide receiver out of Texas who has already committed to the University of Arkansas.

Back in November, he shared with HawgsSports.com, part of the 247Sports network what led to his commitment, and RazorbacksWire broke it all down.

“I pulled the trigger mainly because of (Arkansas head coach Sam) Pittman and (wide receivers coach Kenny) Guiton,” Evans said. “They’ve been in constant contact several times a week with phone calls and text and truly made me feel like I was a priority.”

Coaches are a strong draw to a school and it sounds like Evans is excited about his opportunity with the Razorbacks. At the same time, he hasn’t shut his recruitment down by any stretch of the imagination. He’s received 10 offers since his commitment including Oklahoma’s. Six of those offers have come since the beginning of March with notable schools like Georgia and Tennessee wading into the fray.

With 7-on-7 season underway and camps coming in the summer, Evans looks to be a player on the rise with power programs like the Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs vying to flip his commitment from the Razorbacks.

Anthony Evans III’s Recruiting Profile

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