Tag: Brycen Sanders

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 Sooners target 4-star OL Brycen Sanders sets commitment date

Oklahoma Sooners target and 4-star offensive lineman Brycen Sanders sets commitment date.

Clarity is coming for the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class. With summer around the corner, high school prospects will begin narrowing the list of schools they’re considering and making commitments ahead of their senior season.

Brycen Sanders, a four-star offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class is honing in on his decision and has set a commitment date for June 23. Sanders shared the news via his Twitter account.

The Tennessee native is a consensus top 250 prospect and ranks inside the top 30 at his position. According to 247Sports and On3 Recruiting, he’s a top 15 offensive line prospect in the 2023 cycle.

Sanders recently announced a top four of Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee. He told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports that he’s planning an official visit to Oklahoma for the first weekend in June (VIP Access). According to On3’s recruiting prediction machine, the LSU Tigers appear to be the front-runner with Tennessee in second.

Don’t count Oklahoma out though. Bill Bedenbaugh has the credentials to sway a player to commit to the Sooners.

Brycen Sanders’ Recruiting Profile

Film

Here’s a peek at Sanders’ Hudl tape.

Oklahoma target Josh Conerly Jr. picks Oregon over Oklahoma, Michigan, USC

After making his top six, the Sooners miss out on the commitment of five-star offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. who committed to Oregon.

After virtually being the only major prospect available on recruiting boards across America, five-star offensive lineman target [autotag]Josh Conerly Jr[/autotag]. has made his decision. He will be staying in the Pacific Northwest and playing his college ball with the Oregon Ducks.

Conerly was a target of Oklahoma’s for a while. Despite getting an official visit in January, it always seemed like Conerly was likely to go elsewhere. The Sooners made the top six for Conerly’s services which included the USC Trojans, Michigan Wolverines, Washington Huskies, Miami Hurricanes, and the Ducks. Ultimately, the Sooners fell short.

With Conerly heading elsewhere, the Sooners’ 2022 high school recruiting efforts look finished after missing out on Conerly and Top247 five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Lebbeus Overton[/autotag].

The Sooners look poised to finish with the 8th ranked class in the nation. Along the offensive line, they received signatures from four-star offensive tackles, [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag]. While missing on Conerly Jr. is unfortunate, the Sooners have multiple highly-rated offensive linemen squarely in their sights for their 2023 class such as four-star offensive tackle Cayden Green, four-star Brycen Sanders who they hosted on a visit recently, and four-star Knijeah Harris to go along with their three-star guard commit in Joshua Bates.

Bill Bedenbaugh will be hot on the recruiting trail over the next few months as he turns the page to the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes. Adding offensive line talent in the next two cycles will be paramount as Oklahoma gets set to embark on its SEC journey.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Oklahoma offers 2023 4-star Tennessee offensive lineman Brycen Sanders

Oklahoma offered Brycen Sanders, a consensus four-star offensive lineman from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

After rounding up all of the offers Oklahoma has extended to interior offensive linemen in the 2023 class, it’s time to add another name to the list. Oklahoma offered consensus four-star offensive lineman Brycen Sanders from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

According to On3, Sanders is the nation’s No. 213 prospect overall, the No. 15 interior offensive lineman, and the fourth-best player from the state of Tennessee. 247Sports rates Sanders as the No. 215 player nationally, the No. 8 interior offensive lineman and the fifth highest-rated recruit from Tennessee.

ESPN and Rivals both list Sanders as an offensive tackle. According to ESPN, Sanders is the 293rd player nationally, the No. 23 offensive tackle and the eight-best player from Tennessee. Rivals ranks Sanders as the country’s No. 29 offensive tackle and the No. 8 player from Tennessee.

In the On3 consensus rankings, Sanders checks in as the No. 254 player nationally, the No. 17 interior offensive lineman and the sixth-best player from Tennessee. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Sanders is the nation’s No. 275 player overall, the No. 16 interior offensive lineman and the No. 6 player from Tennessee.

At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, Sanders certainly has the size to play just about anywhere on Oklahoma’s offensive line in the future.

Sanders earned a day three NFL Draft projection from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna. Here’s what Petagna wrote about Sanders in his evaluation on Feb. 16.

Displays good athleticism at multiple positions across the offensive line, showing the ability to anchor both tackle spots and kick inside to either guard spot.

Appears to have good knee bend and hip flexibility in and out of stance. Demonstrates good foot and body quickness off the LOS. Flashes some quick twitch explosiveness at the point of attack. Possesses above average play strength, shows the ability to move defenders naturally off the line of scrimmage. Plays with good balance and body control, understanding how to leverage defenders and finish blocks. Has some nasty to him. Shows the ability to be able to play out in space, with the ability to play in a power or zone scheme.

Position versatile lineman that can play multiple positions on the offensive line. Long term home could be inside as a guard at the next level but has the ability to play right tackle if needed. Has an excellent play temperament and adds excellent value to an offensive line unit with his versatility. Projects as a high level multi-year starter at a Power Five program at the next level. – Petagna, 247Sports.

According to 247Sports, Sanders holds 23 offers. In addition to Oklahoma, that list includes schools such as Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, TCU and Tennessee.

Brycen Sanders’ Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 4 293 8 23
Rivals 4 N/A 8 29
247Sports 4 215 5 8
247 Composite 4 275 6 16
On3 Recruiting 4 213 4 15
On3 Composite 4 254 6 17

Vitals

Hometown Chattanooga, Tenn.
Projected Position OL
Height 6-5
Weight 280

Recruitment

  • Offered on Feb. 24

Film

Here’s a peek at Sanders’ Hudl tape.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Elite Volunteer State OL planning return visit to Clemson this spring

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with an offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class, who Clemson has been showing a lot of interest in since Thomas Austin took over as the offensive line coach. Baylor School (Chattanooga, TN.) four-star …

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with an offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class, who Clemson has been showing a lot of interest in since Thomas Austin took over as the offensive line coach.

Baylor School (Chattanooga, TN.) four-star IOL Brycen Sanders updated his current recruitment and went into detail about how Clemson’s interest in him has increased over the past couple of months.

“Since Coach Austin took over, he’s been texting me a lot,” Sanders told TCI. “He’s actually coming down to my school next Thursday to watch me practice wrestling, just see me in person and meet with my coaches. I think I’m gonna head down there in March for one of their junior days, they invited me for that. A bunch of their coaches have reached out and followed me on Twitter.”

What does that mean to Sanders?

“I definitely trust that Coach Swinney and Clemson is putting together the best staff,” he said. “Coach Austin’s definitely qualified enough for it. Coach Caldwell was a great coach too, but then he retired and they replaced him with Coach Austin, who I’m sure is gonna be a great coach and gonna help Clemson go to the next level.”

Sanders told us this past summer that he impressed Caldwell with his play at the Dabo Swinney Camp. And while Clemson remained interested, it wasn’t until Austin took over that the Tigers started to make a push for the big-time Volunteer State interior offensive lineman.

“He definitely seems like a really cool guy,” Sanders said of Austin. “I got to meet him when I was in camp over the summer. He taught me some stuff and he’s just really, really good at communicating with technique and stuff. He seems like a great guy.”

Speaking of technique, Sanders is wrestling again for the first time since he was in middle school. Fortunately, he played at 290-pounds this season, so he only had to cut about five pounds to make his weight class.

Just about every college offensive line coach that Sanders talks to absolutely loves that he wrestles.

“Wrestling, in my opinion, is tougher than football,” he said. “It’s tough out there. You definitely got to be able to fight. It definitely helps with aggressives and technique, staying low and getting those angles. It’s definitely going to help with football.”

At nearly 6-6, Sanders has the height to play either tackle position at the next level, but most programs view him as an interior lineman. This past season, he played every offensive line position, except center, for the Baylor School.

Sanders considers himself to be pretty versatile, but says he feels just a little more comfortable at the guard position. He was able to put on film what he wanted to do across his junior campaign.

With that being said, what does Clemson like about Sanders’ game?

“They really like how aggressive I am and how versatile I am,” he said.

Sanders has a little bit of nastiness to him. He tries to play until the whistle, but gets carried away sometimes. He estimates that he picked up around 3 or 4 personal foul penalties this past season.

“I’m pretty aggressive,” Sanders said when asked to describe himself as a player. “I’m gonna block the guy until the whistle and probably after the whistle too. I’m very technically sound. I don’t give up sacks. I don’t blow my assignment(s). I’m very good at getting to the second-level and to the linebackers.”

As far as his recruitment is concerned, Sanders is keeping his options wide open. He currently holds offers from programs like Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami (OH.), Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.

A potential Clemson offer is not a subject that has been broached in his conversations with Austin, but Sanders is hopeful that will happen in the near future,

“Not yet, but hopefully when I see them next week and when I go down in March, the topic will come up,” he said.

Sanders is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 8 interior offensive lineman and No. 5 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee for the 2023 recruiting class.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

 

2023 in-state offensive lineman announces Tennessee visit

2023 in-state offensive lineman announces Tennessee visit on Jan. 22.

Second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his staff continue to recruit future Vols.

2023 offensive line prospect Brycen Sanders announced he will visit Tennessee Jan. 22.

“I’ll be at Tennessee next Saturday,” Sanders said.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Sanders is from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Tennessee offered Sanders on March 22, 2021. He has Southeastern Conference offers from the Vols, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

Tennessee’s 2023 football commitment tracker

Vols’ 2023 recruiting tracker: Running back offers

Vols’ 2023 recruiting tracker: Quarterback offers

Follow us at @VolsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of University of Tennessee athletics.

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