Tag: Brandon Hall

‘He is serious about defense’: Sooners commit Reggie Powers shares what led to OU commitment

In Reggie Powers, the Oklahoma Sooners landed a versatile athlete. Powers shared what led to his commitment to the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] got a boost when they received a commitment from four-star safety prospect [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag].

Powers, out of Dayton, Ohio, pledged to the Sooners on Saturday to become the 28th commitment in the cycle. It wasn’t long after Powers received an offer from the Sooners that he backed off his pledge to the Michigan State Spartans.

Down the stretch, it was a race between the Sooners and the UCLA Bruins. Like Oklahoma, the Bruins were experiencing a strong defensive turnaround as well. So what was it about OU that gave the Sooners an edge?

“It is a national program that is all in with football,” Powers shared with Sooners Wire. “I followed Coach (Venables) from his time at Clemson and knew he is serious about defense. Coach V, Coach (Brandon) Hall, and Coach (J.P.) Losman were very aggressive in my recruitment.”

Venables has built a reputation as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football for more than 20 years. He’s been a part of three national titles and played in several more national championship games. [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag] has done an excellent job recruiting the safety position since arriving in Norman, and Powers is the latest big-time pickup at safety for Venables and Hall.

Powers is the No. 7 player in the state of Ohio and the No. 154 player in the 247Sports player rankings for the 2024 recruiting class. Powers is currently the fifth-highest-rated prospect in Oklahoma’s 2024 class. His size and versatility give the Sooners a high-ceiling prospect for the safety group.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Powers already has good size for a player who won’t turn 18 until June of 2024. With basketball athleticism and great play speed, the Sooners plan to put that athleticism to work in several ways.

But how do the Sooners plan to use him when he gets to Norman? “They think I can play all the safety spots,” Powers said. “Cheetah and strong safety for sure, and in certain packages, I would play the deep safety.”

Brent Venables wants to be able to line his defenders up in multiple formations so as not to tip off the offense pre-snap. Powers’ athleticism, speed, and versatility provide Venables and Hall a player who can line up in a number of spots and make an impact in the game.

He was in town for the Oklahoma Sooners win over UCF and said he had a great time on his visit.

“It was a great environment,” Powers said. “Place was packed, and the staff made sure my dad and I felt like priorities. I really had fun myself.”

He joins fellow safeties [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] and [autotag]Mykel Patterson-McDonald[/autotag] in the 2024 cycle. Reggie Powers plans to join the Sooners as an early enrollee this winter to get a headstart on his collegiate career. That’ll give him an opportunity to make an impact early in his Oklahoma Sooners career.

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Oklahoma Sooners receive two predictions for 2024 4-Star safety

Oklahoma recruiting continues its hot streak, earn crystal ball predictions for 4-Star safety.

The Oklahoma Sooners had an eventful weekend. They picked up a pair of commitments on the defensive side of the ball and then defeated the UCF Knights. The Sooners also received a crystal ball prediction favoring OU in the recruitment of four-star safety Reggie Powers on Friday. Sunday evening, the Sooners picked up two more crystal ball predictions from 247Sports.

Powers is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety from Dayton, Ohio. He was once committed to the Michigan State Spartans. Right now, the Sooners are competing with the [autotag]UCLA Bruins[/autotag] for Powers’ services.

Physically strong, well-built prospect who also has a basketball background. Has been to events and verified size and also put up solid testing numbers which include good agility times at his size. Has good play speed, is aggressive and shows instincts and ability to diagnose plays in run support. Is an excellent box defender. Shows that he can also play in coverage. Ultimately is likely a strong safety or hybrid defender depending on the scheme but is a high-floor prospect who can fit into the framework of multiple defenses and be effective. – Allen Trieu National Recruiting Analyst 247Sports

The two predictions the Sooners received Sunday evening came from national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu and director of football recruiting Steve Wiltfong.

Powers was in Norman over the weekend on an unofficial visit and now looks to be trending heavily toward choosing the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners have been active in their pursuit of the four-star safety as they look to add him to an already strong defensive recruiting class in 2024.

There has been some speculation Sooners could go on a run in recruiting to end this month and start November. The commitments they’ve received in the last few days combined with the predictions trending for Oklahoma with Powers certainly support that speculation.

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Sooners freshman Peyton Bowen continues to make a name for himself

Peyton Bowen continues to show why stars matter on the football field.

We are six games into the 2023 college football season, and it seems like in every game, [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] is making a key play. Whether it’s blocking a punt or forcing a fumble in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag], Bowen has been everywhere.

The Sooners haven’t had a player like Bowen on the defensive side of the ball in a long time. He’s the perfect example why you bring in a coach such as [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]: to get those guys to wear the crimson and cream.

Bowen reflected on his first six games as a Sooner.

“It’s been fun,” Bowen said. “There’s games where it’s like the same, but then there’s games that it’s big time. The plays are bigger, the moments are bigger.”

The best attribute Bowen possesses might be how those big games and big moments never seem too big for him. He stays calm and collected at all times.

Bowen doesn’t act like a freshman off the field, either. While everyone is already talking about a rematch, Bowen admitted to feeling that way, too, he knows there’s still work to be done.

“We just have to take care of business,” Bowen said. “Job ain’t finished. There are still teams out there that can give us a little problem. We just have to keep playing. Can’t get complacent.”

That’s been the mindset for the team this season. Time and time again, we hear them talk about wanting to go 1-0 each week and not looking ahead to the future. Saturday was a huge win, but as Bowen said, “job ain’t finished.”

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Sooners safety Robert Spears-Jennings now healthy and ready to make an impact

Robert Spears-Jennings was one of many Sooners who battled injuries this offseason but now he’s healthy and ready to go.

The Oklahoma Sooners safety room is one of the deeper rooms on the entire team. It is full of experience with [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] and [autotag]Key Lawerence[/autotag].

It also has some very skilled younger players like [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag]. Spears-Jennings battled an injury this off-season but now is back and ready to make an impact on the field.

He told reporters it wasn’t too tough watching Week 1 waiting for his chance to play.

“I told my guys right before the game I’m going to be their biggest fan that game,” Spears-Jennings said. “Every time they made a play, I was the loudest one on the sideline and cheering those guys on.”

But now Spears-Jennings is back as he made his season debut against the SMU Mustangs. He finished with three tackles on the night.

Each one of the safeties brings a different element to the Sooners’ defense which is good to have. Spears-Jennings is someone who can make plays on the ball, but he’s arguably the hardest hitter of the group.

He’s someone who has no issue with laying the wood on someone and helping stop the run game as well.

Safeties coach Brandon Hall has a really good group and so far it has been the best group on the field for the Sooners defense in 2023.

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Sooners earn crystal ball prediction for 2024 3-star safety

With his commitment coming Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners earn crystal ball for 2024 safety and Westmoore product Mykel Patterson-McDonald

The “Party at the Palace” is coming to a close.

This was another successful recruiting week as they’ve landed commitments from a pair of prospects in the 2025 class, and more 2024 commitments are right around the corner.

The next scheduled commitment is set for Monday when three-star safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald announces his decision.

This recruitment is big in more ways than one. On one hand, he is very good friends with five-star defensive lineman David Stone who will announce his commitment on Aug. 26, 2023. But if you think Oklahoma is just after Patterson-McDonald to land Stone, you haven’t been paying attention.

The Westmoore High School and Oklahoman is a very talented player in his own right. He had 108 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions as a junior. He shows impressive ball skills and coverage ability. He’s about 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. He can line up as a free safety or play in the box in nickel situations.

He’s also an impressive track athlete. Patterson-McDonald ran a 22.67 200-meter dash and hit 21-9 in the long jump this spring as a junior.

Patterson-McDonald is the No. 6 player in the state of Oklahoma.

With his commitment a couple of days out, the Sooners picked up another prediction in its favor on Friday. This one comes from Collin Kennedy of Sooners Illustrated and 247Sports.

Oklahoma’s main competition for his commitment seems to be the UNLV Rebels. However, the Sooners have long been the favorite to pick up the talented in-state prospect. 

If the Sooners are able to earn his commitment, he’ll join a talented pair of defensive backs in the 2024 class in Jeremiah Newcombe and Jaydan Hardy.

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Safeties bring the most depth to the Oklahoma Sooners’ roster

Heading into 2023, the safety position arguably has the most depth of any other on the Sooners roster.

Last season the safety position was filled with inexperience. [autotag]Patrick Fields[/autotag] and [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] were gone after starting the previous three seasons.

Billy Bowman played some in a rotational role as a true freshman, but it has been a rocky couple of years in Norman. [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] and [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] had experience but were mainly role players.

This upcoming season the safety position arguably has the most depth of any on the Sooners’ roster. Lawrence and Bowman are back. They then added [autotag]Reggie Pearson Jr.[/autotag] who started at Texas Tech.

[autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] is also back this year after playing some as a true freshman last season. He’s been injured this offseason but is expected to be good to go by the start of the regular season.

Then the Sooners added five-star [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. If you read our article on the five freshmen who could make an immediate impact, you’ll see why he will factor into the safety room.

All in all, this room is the one with a ton of depth and talent. It could be the best position group on the team. The secondary as a whole could be very good in 2023.

Now, they’ll only be as good as their pass rush allows them to be. If the Sooners don’t get pressure on the quarterback, you could put Deion Sanders back there, and it won’t matter. Given enough time, wide receivers get open.

They have to work together as a team but if they do, this defense should see a ton of improvement in 2023.

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Oklahoma offers 2026 defensive back Blaine Bradford

Oklahoma Sooners offer 2026 safety Blaine Bradford out of Louisiana.

The class of 2026 has a ways to go before it gets to college campuses, but recruiting those players starts long before then. Oklahoma has offered multiple athletes from that class and hosted many more to various recruiting events over the last few months.

Recruiting is built off relationships, and most, not all, take time to develop. Oklahoma’s decision to pay attention to the 2026 class early makes a lot of sense. Oklahoma offered 2026 defensive back Blaine Bradford out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last week.

Bradford’s offer came from Brandon Hall, signaling the Sooners likely view him as a safety at the collegiate level. Bradford checks in at 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds as a rising sophomore, indicating there’s still room for him to grow.

In addition to Oklahoma, Bradford has been offered by Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State and in-state powerhouse LSU.

LSU’s track record with defensive backs makes it a threat in recruiting players in the secondary. Considering Bradford is a Baton Rouge native and has the home school a stone’s throw away from him, it’ll be tough to overcome the Tigers.

On film, Bradford is a proper free safety. He roams the deep middle effortlessly, shows the versatility teams look for to line up in the slot, and he plays fearless running downhill to make tackles in the short passing game. He also shows an excellent knack for play recognition, as his ability to diagnose screens immediately gave him a multi-step advantage on opposing players, ultimately resulting in short gains or negative plays.

In the big picture, this could be a tough battle for Oklahoma to win, but the Sooners’ early offer should allow them to form a relationship and see how things go from there.

 

Oklahoma Sooners offer 2025 in-state athlete Marcus James

Oklahoma Sooners offer Carl Albert 2025 athlete Marcus James.

Oklahoma has offered under-the-radar 2025 athlete Marcus James. Though he’s an under-evaluated prospect at the moment, he might be a breakout player for the 2025 class. James comes from Carl Albert High School in Midwest City.

His recruitment should heat up over the summer and going into his junior year. He looks like he could play offense or defense at the next level. He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds. With Brandon Hall and Brent Venables the primary recruiters, it looks like safety is where the Sooners see James fitting best. However, with his size and athleticism, James could plug in as the Sooners’ cheetah as well.

Right now he only has four scholarship offers from UTSA, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma. That number is going to go rise, he just needs to get more eyes on him as a prospect.

What stands out the most from his game tape is how athletic he is. He obviously has the size, but he can really move too.

Oklahoma was smart to get in on the ground floor of James’ recruitment because he seems like he’s going to blow up in the recruiting space. The Sooners have made it a point to target long and tall athletes that could play linebacker, safety, or cheetah and James certainly fits the bill.

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Oklahoma stays hot on recruiting trail with commit from 2024 four-star safety from Texas

Jaydan Hardy joins the Sooners 2024 recruiting class and becomes the fifth player to commit.

Oklahoma started its 2024 class in March with the commitment of four-star corner Jeremiah Newcombe out of Arizona. It continued in April when four-star quarterback Michael Hawkins, three-star wide receiver KJ Daniels and three-star offensive tackle Isaiah Autry committed to the Sooners.

The run continues. Four-star safety Jaydan Hardy joins the 2024 class after his commitment on Saturday while at the spring game.

Hardy hails from Lewisville, Texas, and he picked Oklahoma over SMU, Oregon, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

 

Hardy is a 6-foot, 170-pound safety that showed the versatility to line up in the nickel and the box as a run defender and showcased the range to play deep for his high school team. He also played corner and doubled as a two-way player that made plays at wide receiver and lined up as quarterback. In short, Hardy is a multi-faceted athlete. For the 2022 season, he was the Texas District 6-6A Co-MVP as a junior.

Coach Jasy Valai led the charge for Hardy with Brandon Hall as his wingman. Hardy is the No. 132 overall player in the country in 247Sports’ ranking and is 162nd on the 247Sports composite. His recruitment picked up in late March when four predictions were logged in Oklahoma’s favor in two days. On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman tossed his hat into the mix by predicting Hardy would be a Sooner, while three crystal balls were placed from insiders at 247Sports.

The Sooners continue to rise in recruiting rankings. They have risen into the top 30 in team recruiting rankings.

Sooners make Top 10 for four-star DB Aaron Flowers

Oklahoma is firmly entrenched as one of the 10 schools best positioned to land four-star defensive back Aaron Flowers.

Slowly but surely, Oklahoma’s starting to see a little more clarity with some of their 2024 targets. As prospects progressively trim their schools and predictions begin to come their way, the Sooners are building momentum for the 2024 class.

One prospect on Okalhoma’s radar is four-star defensive back, Aaron Flowers. Flowers hails from Forney, Texas, and has been on the Sooners radar for a while now. Oklahoma has been steadily pursuing Flowers and covets his positional versatility. He can play corner and safety for many Power Five schools.

With so many suitors and his senior year on the horizon, Flowers is beginning to hone in on the schools that legitimately have the best chance of earning his commitment.

Flowers dropped his list of top 10 schools on Tuesday afternoon and features Oklahoma along with some of its current and future conference rivals.

Oklahoma joins a list featuring Alabama, Washington, Tennessee, Louisville, Oregon, USC, Texas Tech, Michigan State, and Baylor. The Sooners are the only school with any projections in their favor at the moment.

Josh McCuiston of SoonerScoop and Parker Thune of OUInsider both believe he’s likely to end up a Sooner when all is said and done.

The race is not over, but after landing in the top 10 and with some momentum in their favor, Brandon Hall and Jay Valai have to feel ecstatic about where they have Oklahoma positioned. With two unofficial visits to Norman, the next step is to lock down an official visit for Oklahoma, which looks to close on a priority target.

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