Tag: DeAndre Moore

Texas continues to trend for four-star WR DeAndre Moore Jr.

Moore is the No. 81 overall player and No. 14 WR in the On3 consensus.

The Alabama Crimson Tide dealt Texas a tough loss on the recruiting trail this week. Nick Saban won out for talented Longview wide receiver Jalen Hale.

It appears it only took the Longhorns a couple of days to get over the loss.

Steve Sarkisian and company are trending for a big time wide receiver in the 2023 class. Current Louisville commit DeAndre Moore Jr. appears to be keeping his options open, and Texas is squarely in the mix.

Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas entered a prediction in favor of the Longhorns on Thursday.

The elite receiver hails from St. John Bosco, a California private school you have probably heard if you follow recruiting closely. A win would be huge for Sarkisian as he tries to build a pipeline from California to Texas in recruiting.

Here is what On3 Sports had to say about Moore.

Has strong long speed, running a wind-legal 10.90 in the 100 meters as a junior. … Uses his burst to quickly get upfield after the catch. Shows good contact balance with the ability to bounce out of and break tackles at the second level.

Moore is the No. 81 overall player and No. 14 wide receiver in the On3 consensus.

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WATCH: Texas target DeAndre Moore gets shifty in Vegas

Texas target DeAndre Moore is as shifty as they come!

The Longhorns are pushing hard to bring in reinforcements to replenish their wide receiver room.

While they will return freshman superstar Xavier Worthy for at least two more years and they added a very talented player in Wyoming transfer Isaiah Neyor, Steve Sarkisian knows that he needs to add more talent to this group to sure up the depth of the future.

Especially considering that after the 2022 season, Texas is also set to lose Jordan Whittington, as he has already expressed he will be moving on from college football after next season.

While Whittington hasn’t been able to last a whole season without being injured, he has shown that he can be relied upon when he is healthy so it is still a huge loss.

Outside of those three, Marcus Washington is the only receiver with notable playing time and he has yet to show he can be a playmaker. Jaden Alexis, Troy Omeire, and Brenen Thompson are all receivers Sarkisian has high hopes for, but are all coming off injury and in the case of Omeire, multiple injuries.

The good thing for Texas is the fact that the 2023 class has a surplus of talent at wide receiver, and they are in good standing for a few of the nation’s best. One of those players being DeAndre Moore, who recently expressed that Texas is one of the top contenders for his recruitment.

Moore is one of the Texas targets participating in the Las Vegas 7-on-7 tournament, and showed off his speed and shiftiness on Sunday.

Moore is a four-star that is rated the No. 6 overall prospect in California for the 2023 recruiting class and the No. 5 wide receiver in the country, according to 247Sports

The Longhorns are set to host Moore for a visit after he recently decommitted from Oklahoma and re-opened his recruitment.

Texas expected to receive an official visit from four-star WR DeAndre Moore

Texas has a great shot at the former Oklahoma commit.

Texas is in great position to potentially land four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore. Continue reading “Texas expected to receive an official visit from four-star WR DeAndre Moore”

Oklahoma Sooners the best at recruiting running backs in 2022 according to ESPN

The Oklahoma Sooners running back additions in the 2022 recruiting cycle make OU the best at recruiting the position in 2022 per ESPN.

One of the brightest spots on the recruiting trail over the last few years has been the emergence of running backs coach DeMarco Murray as one of the best recruiters in college football. In the wake of the coaching change at OU, several players made it clear they were planning on staying with Oklahoma as long as DeMarco Murray was with OU.

Two of those players are 2022 signees Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes, two highly-ranked running backs and players that could have an immediate impact as freshmen. Recruits weren’t the only ones to take notice, though.

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren put out a list of the best schools at recruiting each position on offense (ESPN+). The Sooners made his list as the best at recruiting running backs, according to VanHaaren.

Gavin Sawchuk is the No. 60 recruit overall and the fourth-best running back in the class out of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. He’s joined by Jovantae Barnes, who is ranked No. 93 overall and as the No. 7 running back. He’s a 5-11, 185-pound back out of Las Vegas, and both should be able to provide some impact in 2022. – VanHaaren, ESPN

Due to Murray’s success in the NFL and his abilities as a college coach and recruiter, he’s opened access to the western half of the United States, particularly Las Vegas, for the Sooners.

Barnes and fellow 2022 signee Jake Taylor hail from Murray’s hometown in Nevada. 2023 four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore, who recently withdrew his commitment, was originally from Vegas before moving to Los Alamitos to play with Malachi Nelson and Makai Lemon.

The Sooners lost Moore’s commitment through no fault of Murray’s as Moore relayed a lack of communication from the new coaching staff as part of why he reopened his commitment.

With Barnes and Sawchuk, the Sooners landed two of the top 10 running backs in the country, setting them up for the next several years at the position. But as long as DeMarco Murray is in Norman, Oklahoma will remain at the top of the sport recruiting the running back position for a very long time.

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ESPN says Jeff Lebby’s biggest challenge is to ‘keep Oklahoma a QB destination’

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg says that the biggest challenge for OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is to keep OU a destination for quarterbacks.

If the biggest challenge coming in was to keep Oklahoma a popular destination for quarterback and offensive skill players as ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg writes, then consider new OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s first month and change a success thus far.

OU flipped and signed 2022 four-star quarterback Nick Evers away from the Florida Gators. Then, Lebby landed one of the most highly-regarded quarterbacks out of the transfer portal in UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel.

To top it all off, Lebby and Oklahoma also added a commitment from class of 2023 four-star quarterback Jackson Arnold out of Denton Guyer in Texas.

Rittenberg said Oklahoma provides Lebby with “a new degree of autonomy” as he’s paired up with a defensive-minded head coach in Brent Venables as compared to Art Briles, Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin.

But Oklahoma also had to offset the impact of Riley’s departure for its offense. The Sooners need to remain an attractive program for quarterbacks and other offensive playmakers, which is why Lebby’s hiring will be so significant. Lebby has been part of dynamic offenses at Baylor, UCF and most recently Ole Miss. He has coordinated top-four offenses in each of the past three years. But he also has worked alongside offensive-minded head coaches (Art Briles, Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin).

Oklahoma provides him a new degree of autonomy.

Lebby’s arrival is off to a promising start. Oklahoma added quarterback transfer Dillon Gabriel, who initially committed to UCLA but switched to OU after Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal. Gabriel played under Lebby at UCF in 2019, passing for 3,653 yards and 29 touchdowns. Lebby also has helped fortify Oklahoma’s quarterback room for the future. Oklahoma landed ESPN 300 quarterback Nick Evers, a Florida commit, just before the December signing date, and recently added Jackson Arnold, ESPN’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and No. 43 overall junior for the 2023 class. Lebby inherits an offensive depth chart that took several hits after Riley’s departure, but if he can get through 2022, better days are likely ahead.

He also should benefit from Oklahoma retaining four offensive coaches from Riley’s staff, including longtime Sooners assistants Bill Bedenbaugh (started as offensive line coach in 2013) and Cale Gundy (has coached OU’s wide receivers or running backs since 1999). – Rittenberg, ESPN.

With the talented quarterbacks that Oklahoma has brought into the program, it’s apparent that Lebby can land highly sought-after signal-callers. While OU lost the commitment from 2023 wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., it looks like the Sooners may soon be adding a commitment from 2023 wide receiver Ashton Cozart based on recent recruiting projections.

The continuity with the coaching staff helped the Sooners retain and sign running back Gavin Sawchuk and wide receiver Nicholas Anderson. Oklahoma also flipped and signed wide receiver Jayden Gibson from Florida, so the early returns are that OU is going to continue to find talented skill talent.

The best way to remain an attractive destination to quarterbacks and offensive skill talent? Recapturing the Big 12 title, making a College Football Playoff return and doing so with an explosive offense.

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Sooners receive Crystal Ball projection for 2023 four-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart

The Oklahoma Sooners received a second Crystal Ball projection for 2023 four-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart of Texas.

The Oklahoma Sooners didn’t seem to miss a beat on the recruiting trail during the transition. Though they might have lost a few players that were committed to Lincoln Riley, they’ve rebounded nicely and continue to make progress to landing a top recruiting class in 2023.

While they only have three players for the 2023 class currently committed, it’s still set up to be a nice haul with four-star players DeAndre Moore, Jr., Jackson Arnold, and fast-rising three-star Joshua Bates in the fold. Although they’re a year away from 2023 national signing day, they’re making great progress on some of the top recruits in the 2023 class.

Yesterday, the Sooners received a 247Sports Crystal Ball projection from OUInsider’s Parker Thune. Over the last month, that’s the second Crystal Ball projection in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners. Earlier in January, Brandon Drumm, also of OUInsider at 247Sports issued a projection for Cozart to land with the Oklahoma Sooners. On3 Recruiting currently projects a 63% chance that the Sooners will land a commitment from Ashton Cozart.

There has been mutual interest between Cozart and Oklahoma, but because of the coaching change things were left in flux for the 2023 four-star wide receiver out of Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. While the coaching staff was in transition, Cale Gundy and the rest of the assistants continued their push for Cozart who’s received interest from a lot of the top schools in the country, including Alabama and Texas.

One of his primary recruiters from Alabama was new cornerbacks coach Jay Valai. Ole Miss was also showing interest in Cozart during his recruitment. Ole Miss’ former offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby, now resides in Norman and is calling plays for the Sooners. There are quite a few dots connecting between the Sooners and the talented junior.

Cozart is rated as a four-star wide receiver by both 247Sports and On3 Recruiting composites and ranks inside the top 23 at his position nationally every but Rivals. He has nice size at 6-foot-3 and 190 lbs to be a starter on the outside for the Oklahoma Sooners and ran a 10.74 100-meter dash as a sophomore in high school.

Ashton Cozart’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 4 97 19 19
Rivals 3 – 78 48
247Sports 4 120 25 13
247 Composite 4 167 31 23
On3 Recruiting 4 63 9 8
On3 Composite 4 117 21 19

Vitals

Hometown Flower Mound, TX
Projected Position Wide Receiver
Height 6-3
Weight 190 lbs

Recruitment

Notable Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Auburn
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Florida State
  • Miami
  • Michigan State
  • Ole Miss
  • Texas

Crystal Ball

Film

 2021 Season Highlights via Hudl

Twitter

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Sooners offer the nation’s top safety of the 2023 recruiting class, Caleb Downs

Caleb Downs, the consensus No. 1 safety in the 2023 class, received an offer from Oklahoma.

With national signing day quickly approaching on Feb. 2, Oklahoma’s 2022 signing class will officially be finished up soon. The Sooners have already signed 15 players and linebacker Jaren Kanak arrived on campus this weekend as well.

There’s been several transfer portal additions for Oklahoma, too, and OU isn’t done adding from the transfer portal.

Still, it’s just about time for the Sooners to turn their collective attention to the 2023 class.

Oklahoma has a pair of commitments in its 2023 recruiting class. Four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. from Los Alamitos High School and three-star interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates out of Durango High School.

On Sunday morning, class of 2023 safety Caleb Downs announced he has received an offer from Oklahoma.

Downs is the consensus No. 1 safety nationally across each of the four major recruiting services. The 6-foot, 185 pound defensive back is regarded as one of the best players overall in the 2023 cycle.

247Sports ranks the Hoschton, Ga., native as its No. 8 player overall in 2023, On3 rates Downs No. 11, Rivals has him No. 24 and ESPN places Downs at No. 31 nationally.

In the On3 consensus rankings, the Mill Creek High School product is No. 9 nationally and he’s ranked No. 12 in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Caleb Downs’ Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247Sports 4 8 2 1
Rivals 4 24 3 1
ESPN 4 31 2 1
247 Composite 5 12 2 1
On3 Recruiting 5 11 2 1
On3 Consensus 5 9 2 1

Here’s what 247Sports’ Southeast recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins wrote about Downs in his scouting report.

An elite safety prospect and one that should star on Saturdays before eventually lacing up the cleats on Sundays. Simply moves different than others as he’s fluid in almost everything he does and always seems to be in control of his body. Plays with a vigorous demeanor and likes to hit people. Built like more of an in-the-box safety, but has the speed and range to cover the deepest parts of the field. Quick to trigger and react to what’s going on in front of him. Takes strong angles in run support, almost always arriving with the intentions of leveling someone. Uses leverage and his core strength to to drop ball carriers of all different sizes. Excels as a defensive back, but has also been featured as a running back and wide receiver at the high school level. Could honestly play both positions in college if he wanted to. Totaled 57 tackles, 14 pass break ups and four interceptions as a sophomore playing in the Peach State’s highest classification. Continued to make shine on both sides of the ball as a junior. Comes from a football family as his father was an NFL running back while his brother was an All-American wide receiver that signed with North Carolina. Should be viewed as a future impact player for a Top 25 program. – Ivins, 247Sports.

According to On3’s director of recruiting Chad Simmons, new Oklahoma cornerbacks coach Jay Valai had a strong relationship with Downs while he was at Alabama.

That’s a relationship that OU will be counting upon to win out against an offers list that includes a cluster of the country’s top programs. Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and plenty of others are all in the mix for Downs.

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Oklahoma Sooners re-offers class of 2023 DB Jayvon Thomas

With a new coaching staff in place, the Sooners re-offered class of 2023, four-star defensive back Jayvon Thomas.

There’s plenty happening for Oklahoma with potential transfer portal additions and OU welcomed some 2022 recruits this weekend as well.

The Sooners’ coaching staff hasn’t forgotten about the 2023 class either, though.

Oklahoma extended an offer to four-star defensive lineman Kelby Collins. Four-star defensive back Jayvon Thomas said he has been re-offered by OU, too.

Thomas tagged a pair of Oklahoma coaches in his tweet, safeties coach Brandon Hall and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai. According to 247Sports’ timeline, the Sooners were one of the first schools to offer Thomas.

OU offered Thomas in March of 2021. Of course, that was with a different head coach and defensive coaching staff.

The South Oak Cliff High School standout in Dallas, Texas, is a consensus four-star defensive back. ESPN ranks Thomas No. 85 player overall in its class of 2023 player rankings and the No. 7 athlete.

247Sports ranks the 5-foot-11, 170-pound recruit as the No. 113 player nationally and the No. 12 cornerback. On3 places Thomas No. 124 nationally and No. 14 among cornerbacks. Rivals rates Thomas as the No. 36 cornerback.

In the On3 consensus rankings, Thomas is No. 119 nationally and the 14th-best cornerback. 247Sports’ composite rankings has Thomas No. 133 nationally and the country’s No. 11 cornerback.

Jayvon Thomas’ Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247Sports 4 113 23 12
Rivals 4 N/A 63 36
ESPN 4 85 15 7
247 Composite 4 133 25 11
On3 Recruiting 4 124 19 14
On3 Composite 4 119 22 14

The Sooners are starting fresh in Thomas’ recruitment as Hall and Valai hadn’t offered Thomas while at Troy and Alabama, respectively. Oklahoma can sell Thomas on proximity to Dallas, playing at the Cotton Bowl and the opportunity to play in the SEC.

Currently, the Sooners have a pair of commitments from four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. and three-star interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates in the 2023 class.

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Oklahoma offers class of 2023 four-star DL Kelby Collins

Oklahoma extended an offer to consensus four-star class of 2023 defensive lineman Kelby Collins out of Gardendale, Ala.

It’s turned into a weekend filled with some high-profile campus visits from the likes of USC transfer targets Jaxson Dart and Michael Trigg.

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Oklahoma has also already secured a commitment from Tulane defensive tackle transfer Jeffery Johnson.

That doesn’t mean Oklahoma’s coaching staff is taking a break from their pursuit of talented high school players that can help bolster OU’s upcoming recruiting class. The Sooners extended an offer to class of 2023 defensive lineman Kelby Collins.

Collins is a consensus four-star recruit out of Gardendale High School in Gardendale, Ala. Rivals rates Collins as the nation’s No. 31 player in the 2023 class and as the No. 6 defensive end.

On3 and ESPN also have Collins inside the nation’s top-100 class of 2023 players. On3 ranks Collins as the country’s 55th-best prospect overall and the No. 8 defensive lineman in the class. Meanwhile, ESPN has Collins as the No. 98 player nationally and No. 9 defensive tackle.

247Sports ranks Collins as the nation’s No. 135 player and No. 18 defensive lineman.

In the On3 consensus rankings, Collins is the country’s 43rd highest-rated player and the No. 9 defensive lineman. 247Sports’ consensus rankings has Collins at No. 71 overall and the No. 10 defensive lineman.

Kelby Collins’ Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247Sports 4 135 10 18
Rivals 4 31 3 6
ESPN 4 98 8 9
247 Composite 4 71 7 10
On3 Recruiting 4 55 8 8
On3 Composite 4 43 7 9

247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna wrote this about Collins after a Jan. 13 player evaluation.

Collins possesses the prototypical size and frame to develop into an interior lineman at the next level. Displays good athletic ability and position versatility showing the ability to line up in multiple positions across the defensive line.

Possesses some slight hip and ankle stiffness but overcompensates with an explosive first step, initial quickness, and heavy hands. Has the ability to beat you with speed or power and shows the ability to close space quickly once in the backfield. Can anchor in the run game and also offers a consistent pass rush ability as an interior lineman.

Explosive athlete that has the ability to play the run and the pass. Could grow into a 300-pound plus interior player, but more than likely projects to beginning his career as a three-technique at the next level. Well built player with an ideal frame that will more than likely need one to two years to develop and projects as an impact multi-year starter at a Power Five program at the next level. – Petagna, 247Sports.

Collins also holds offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M.

The Sooners currently have a pair of commitments in their 2023 class from four-star Los Alamitos, Calif., wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. and from three-star Durango, Colo., interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates.

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Oklahoma offers pair of wide receivers, Kyren Lacy and Cayden Lee

Oklahoma extended offers to Louisiana transfer wide receiver Kyren Lacy and four-star class of 2023 wide receiver Cayden Lee.

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Oklahoma isn’t wasting any time responding to fill the expected vacancy that would be left by freshman wide receiver Mario Williams if he does in fact transfer to USC.

247Sports’ Chris Hummer was the first to put in a crystal-ball prediction for Williams to USC after the 5-foot-9 receiver’s visit to USC over the weekend.

The Sooners extended offers to Louisiana transfer wide receiver Kyren Lacy and class of 2023 wide receiver Cayden Lee out of Hillgrove High School.

Lacy, a 6-foot-3, 213 pound sophomore, has 50 career receptions, 668 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over his two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In 2021, Lacy hauled in 22 receptions for 304 receiving yards with six touchdown grabs.

Lacy was rated as a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 51 wide receiver by 247Sports in its 2020 player rankings.

Since announcing he was entering the transfer portal on Jan. 8, Lacy has also received offers from the likes of Auburn, Houston, Ole Miss, LSU and UCF.

Lee is ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN. 247Sports and On3 list Lee as a three-star prospect. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound receiver is ranked highest by ESPN where Lee is regarded as the nation’s No. 219 player overall in the 2023 class and the nation’s 31st-best wide receiver.

The Powder Springs, Ga., product holds offers from Auburn, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and UCF.

Of course, Lacy would be another immediate addition out of the transfer portal if he chooses Oklahoma.

Lacy would join UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cal offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, Missouri tight end Daniel Parker Jr., Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu and Appalachian State linebacker T.D. Roof. Here’s a look at SoonerWire’s full transfer portal tracker.

If Lee commits to Oklahoma, he would join four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. out of Los Alamitos, Calif., and three-star interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates out of Durango, Colo., as a member in OU’s 2023 recruiting class.

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