Tag: gentry williams

Sooners cornerback Latrell McCutchin enters transfer portal after one season

Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Latrell McCutchin has entered the transfer portal.

It’s probably been said a million times in the last month and a half but it bears repeating once more: The portal giveth and the portal taketh away.

That’s the phrase of this offseason more than years past as the Sooners lose yet another player to the transfer portal. This time it comes from a somewhat unexpected place in the form of cornerback Latrell McCutchin.

 

While there is no confirmed reason as to why McCutchin entered the portal, based on his post he highlights recent staff changes as one of the reasons he decided to enter.

Roy Manning has been off the staff for a while now and it was pretty well known via social media that most of the players weren’t the biggest fans of his. A possible other explanantion would be that McCutchin and his family may not mesh well with incoming Sooners cornerbacks coach in Jay Valai.

Valai was on the staff at Texas when McCutchin was being recruited out of high school in Austin, Texas. He bypassed Texas and Alabama as well to come to Norman. It’s not for sure but considering how anti-Texas McCutchin was during his recruitment it may be the hint that Valai and McCutchin never mixed thus prompting McCutchin to head for the portal before giving Valai another shot.

In his single season, McCutchin posted some really good PFF coverage grades but also had his fair share of rough moments, which were to be expected of a true freshmen cornerback. McCutchin becomes one of the highes rated corners in the transfer portal and opens the door even wider for the Sooners to look to the portal for defensive backs.

The Sooners currently have D.J. Graham, Woodi Washingon, Joshua Eaton, Billy Bowman, Kendall Dennis, and swiss army knife Key Lawrence as possible cornerback options right now.

On the recruiting trail, Gentry Williams and Jayden Rowe are their lone cornerback commits in the 2022 recruiting class and McCutchin’s departure opens the door for them to get on the field early in their Sooners’ careers.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=52729]

Oklahoma ranks inside ESPN’s top-10 recruiting classes after bowl season

ESPN’s Craig Haubert took a look at the nation’s recruiting classes following bowl season and the Sooners check in at No. 10.

One of the most encouraging signs to start the Brent Venables era at Oklahoma has been how the Sooners have been able to hold their 2022 recruiting class together and continue to add to it.

ESPN’s Craig Haubert took a look at the nation’s top 2022 recruiting classes following the conclusion of bowl season.

According to ESPN, the Sooners check in with the country’s No. 10 recruiting class right now.

Here’s what Haubert wrote about Oklahoma’s 2022 class.

The Sooners were competing for a top-five class, but the unexpected departure of Lincoln Riley has set this class back a bit. New hire Brent Venables and his staff, though, have the Sooners climbing back up the rankings and into the top ten. The Sooners have a top-10 running back on board in Sawchuk, a wiry back with a good blend of speed, power and agility. They also added late in the process Jovanate Barnes, out of Las Vegas, the same city former Sooner RB great and their current RB Coach Demarco Murray came out of. The new staff made its first key pickup in ESPN 300 QB Nick Evers, who won positional MVP at the Dallas Under Armour camp this past spring. To protect that offensive talent, they have secured multiple ESPN 300 commitments on the offensive line in OTs Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor. The defense took a hit with several ESPN 300 front-seven prospects deciding to open up their recruitment, but there is still some strong talent on that side of the ball on board. Robert Spears-Jennings, a top in-state prospect with quick feet, could contribute on either side of the ball with upside as a defensive back. Williams gives them another versatile player; the fluid, speedy in-state prospect is projected to the secondary as well. – Haubert, ESPN.

According to ESPN, running back Gavin Sawchuk is Oklahoma’s top offensive player and defensive back Gentry Williams is the Sooners’ top defensive player in the 2022 class.

Again, it’s been a terrific start for Venables and his staff and Oklahoma ranking inside the nation’s top-10 recruiting classes is an indication of that.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=50598]

Where the top Oklahoma prospects signed in the 2022 recruiting class

Where did the top 10 2022 prospects from the State of Oklahoma sign to play their college football?

The Oklahoma Sooners put together a nice recruiting class for the 2022 cycle. They’re in the top 10 in both 247Sports and On3 composite team rankings, with much of their success coming from the state of Oklahoma.

Over the years it’s been a mixed bag for the Sooners in their home state. This year’s class provided the Sooners with four local kids, but over the past 12 recruiting cycles, they’ve averaged just three in-state signees. This year, Oklahoma tied with Oklahoma State for the most in-state prospects signed at four. Before Talyn Shettron flipped his commitment this past Summer to Oklahoma State, the Sooners had half of the top 10 from the state of Oklahoma committed to play in Norman.

Only two of the top 10 2022 prospects in the state of Oklahoma left for opportunities out of state; defensive lineman Chris McClellan (Florida) and Maurion Horn (Texas Tech). Here’s a rundown of how the Sooners have done recruiting Oklahoma by recruiting class since the 2011 cycle.

  • 2011: 2/10 signed
  • 2012: 3/10 signed
  • 2013: 4/10 signed
  • 2014: 4/10 signed
  • 2015: 4/10 signed
  • 2016: 1/10 signed
  • 2017: 5/10 signed
  • 2018: 4/10 signed
  • 2019: 1/10 signed
  • 2020: 2/10 signed
  • 2021: 2/10 signed
  • 2022: 4/10 signed

Up next, let’s take a look at where each of the top 10 prospects signed or committed to play their college ball from the 2022 recruiting cycle.

In the immediate aftermath of losing their best recruit for the 2022 class, what’s next for Oklahoma’s roster?

After the Sooners lost their highest-ranked commit from the 2022 recruiting cycle Monday night, it begs the question. What’s next?

It’s going to be alright. That’s the first thing any Oklahoma Sooner fan should be telling themselves after the last 10 days. It’s going to be alright.

A head coach pulled a very heavy rug from under the whole program which led to a head coaching search that somehow led to a rumor that included Dabo Swinney. It was chaotic but the Sooners found their guy and they brought him back home to Norman, Oklahoma where he first became a star.

Brent Venables is the new Sooners head coach and after a warm, warm welcome he’s immediately put his Jordans on and has gone straight to work recruiting the 2022 class.

Here’s the thing: The 2022 class is looking extremely frail right now. In the week between Lincoln Riley’s departure through yesterday evening, the Sooners lost 9 commitments combined between their 2022 and 2023 classes. We’ve got a running thread for the 2022 recruits that have left the class and are going elsewhere right here.

The biggest gut-punch the Sooners have to get up from is the one that came when their most decorated, and most highly touted recruit, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy flipped from Oklahoma to Texas A&M Monday evening.

That’s a tough pill to swallow and it may feel like swallowing a rock when you also consider that Gentry Williams was visiting Arkansas recently as well. At this point, all bets are off.

Any recruits that haven’t publicly reaffirmed their commitments could very well be candidates to get flipped as Early Signing Day looms. Maybe, they flip some of these recruits back. Maybe they don’t.

And again, that’s okay Sooners fans.

While it sucks, this happens at almost every school when they experience changes at head coach. It’s only exacerbated by the fact that the Sooners lost their coach and gained a new one less than a month before a signing day.

So now what? Well, it’s time to realize the 2022 recruiting class is going to be a combination of the remaining kids that didn’t de-commit, a surprise commit or two (possibly current Clemson commits), and a whole lot of transfers.

Yes, a lot of transfers.

Oklahoma is going to see a lot of new faces next year with guys leaving for the NFL, the guys that have transferred or are planning to transfer, and then there’s graduation.

Someone get Venables and his staff memberships to any store that sells in bulk.

There will be quite a bit of portal shopping over the next two months for Oklahoma. That’s okay. It will allow the Sooners to remain competitive while not completely giving up on a season. The stability that comes from those more seasoned players will allow the Sooners to hit a hard reset on the 2023 class and recruit for 2023 and beyond the way Venables wants.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Will the Sooners be signing a few more three-stars than they’d like to admit? Probably. Between those and the number of transfers that will enter the portal, they’ll be able to at least patch up the holes created by players they will lose over the next month or two.

Part of this equation that should be considered is who does Venables get to fill out his staff? There’s currently no offensive coordinator and not a single staff member on the defensive side of the ball is likely to be retained. Once that picture becomes more clear, it can really give us better insight into how Oklahoma puts together a scholarship roster as they head into spring ball.

Breathe. 

You’ve got your guy and he made it loud and clear he plans to carry this team at least a decade-plus into the SEC. He embraces the challenges that come with coaching at one of the premiere programs in college football. Given his pedigree and the success he’s had at Clemson and in his previous stint at Oklahoma, all you can do is trust the process.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[vertical-gallery id=49575]

5 recruits Brent Venables’ can secure as he becomes Oklahoma’s next head coach

As he starts to settle in, who are the 5 recruits that Brent Venables and the current staff should focus on?

After an agonizing week filled with rumors, misinformation, smokescreens, de-commitments, and borderline scandals, the Oklahoma Sooners have found their man. The name is familiar in Oklahoma as Brent Venables takes the reigns as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. From 1999 to 2011, Venables coached at Oklahoma, where he served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach for the Sooners under legendary head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops is currently serving as interim while things are sorted out for Venables and the rest of the potential new staff.

For Venables, the bit of mess he walked in isn’t catastrophic, but it’s worthy of note. They are less than two weeks away from the Early Signing Day, and their 2022 class is currently 17th on 247Sports team rankings after being 7th just a week ago.

They’ve lost four 2022 recruits since news of Riley’s departure to USC, and Venables will have his work cut out for him to regain those commitments, add others, or bring guys from Clemson’s recruiting class.

Who are the five players that Brent Venables and the current staff should look to close the deal on?

Recruiting roundup: Checking out the 2022 recruiting class and other notes

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand with certain players in the 2022 recruiting class?

The Oklahoma Sooners are riding a lot of momentum as the calendar has flipped to November. They are undefeated, ranked in the top eight of every major ranking, and can currently boast a top 10 recruiting class.

While the on-field product has been good and still has the potential to be great this season, great programs don’t just neglect the other part of the team. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college sports. Especially college football despite what Florida head coach Dan Mullen might suggest.

It’s a 365 days a year job and it never stops.

Despite some hiccups, the Sooners are closing in on another top 10 class for the 2022 recruiting cycle. We would seriously be talking about a top 3 class had they not lost a top 10 national recruit in Luther Burden earlier this year. They also lost Jordan Hudson and Talyn Shettron as well.

However, the Sooners picked up the slack in terms of sheer star power and talent by their October run landing two of this senior’s class best talents in Gabriel Brownlow Dindy and Gentry Williams according to the USA Today Sports High School Composite Player Rankings.

With an early signing day of December 15th, the Oklahoma Sooners can put pen to paper and close the deal for good by having many guys sign and send in their National Letters of Intent.

As it currently stands, Oklahoma’s well on its way to locking down their 2022 class as no one currently looks like a surprise flip to somewhere else at the moment with a month to go.

However, there are a few recruits who could still jump on board namely guys like Jovontae Barnes, Hero Kanu, Marvin Jones Jr., Azareyeh Thomas, and Chris McClellan.

Jovontae Barnes, a running back from Las Vegas is set to visit Oklahoma for the Iowa State game. He plans to silently commit and announce his decision at one of the winter All-Star games in January. The Sooners are in an excellent spot here if you’ve followed our coverage over the months.

Hero Kanu, a defensive lineman originally from Germany, but playing football in California, is another huge possibility for the Sooners here. Judging things right now, this seems like it may be down to Oklahoma and Ohio State, which may be a theme for Oklahoma over the next few months on the recruiting trail.

Marvin Jones Jr. plays with 2023 Sooners commit Brandon Inniss. The chance is there for them to play in college as well. Jamar Cain is on the prowl and is positioning Oklahoma to be right in the thick of it over the coming months in a battle with Alabama and Florida State for the highly talented edge rusher.

Azareyeh Thomas popped onto the scene after a visit a few weeks ago and Oklahoma is trending well enough to have garnered multiple crystal ball predictions on 247’s site. Thomas is listed as an athlete but looks to be playing safety if he plays for the Sooners.

Most, if not all of these guys will be names to monitor in the coming months as letters of intent begin to get signed and as players end their high school seasons, allowing them to focus solely on their recruiting journeys as their senior football seasons come to an end.

October was full of treats for Sooners recruiting: How Oklahoma won the month

On3 recruiting dubs Oklahoma winners in recruiting for the month of October.

While Halloween has passed for this year, the Sooners found themselves with a lot of treats as they enter the month of November. On the field, they made a switch at QB and their offense has seen a massive uptick.

Off the field, recruiting efforts of two years or more paid off in a big way as the Sooners landed two of the top 50 players in USA TODAY Sports’ High School Composite Player Rankings.

Gentry Williams and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy both have ties to the Sooner state. Dindy is an Oklahoma legacy, the son of two former Sooners who then moved to Florida, where he’s spent the majority of his life. Williams is an in-state star from Tulsa, Oklahoma who grew up rooting for the Sooners. Both are major defensive additions for a Sooners team flipping the script on the narrative of how the Sooners play defense in Norman these days.

On3 recruiting put together a list of a few teams that won the month of October in recruiting and Oklahoma’s efforts landed them in the company of recruiting juggernauts like Alabama and Georgia.

Chad Simmons of On3 wrote this on Oklahoma:

Lincoln Riley wants to keep the best of the best at home and he did that with Gentry Williams. Schools like Arkansas, Florida and USC gave the four-star athlete something to compare the Sooners to, but he committed to the in-state school.

Williams wasn’t the only highly-touted defender to commit to the Sooners last month. Oklahoma went into Florida to land five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. The No. 3 player in the country chose Oklahoma over Texas A&M. Dindy’s parents graduated from Oklahoma. – Simmons

Both are massive headliners for a consensus Top 8 class across all recruiting services. With the way Oklahoma’s depth chart projects for the next year, it’s very likely both players see the field early as well.

On top of the pledges of Williams and Brownlow-Dindy, Oklahoma hosted Nicholas Anderson over the Halloween weekend. If the Anderson name raises your eyebrows, it’s because he’s the younger brother of former Sooners running back Rodney Anderson. The familiarity, the fact that Oklahoma had no commits at receiver all led to a perfect storm. Anderson joined the 2022 class on Nov. 1 but his Halloween visit proved more than enough to flip the former Oregon commit.

So taking into account Anderson’s visit and commitment, the Sooners seemingly landed three commits at three important positions in need of talent over the course of October. It was a month full of treats, king-size candy if you must. The Sooners head into November with a mountain of recruiting momentum and look poised to add more over the next few months.

‘Staying Home’: Social Media Reacts to Gentry Williams commitment to the Sooners

How did social media react to the commitment of 4-star athlete and Tulsa native Gentry Williams?

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to hit home runs on the recruiting trail. This time getting a commitment from 2022 4-star athlete Gentry Williams. Getting Williams’ commitment is significant as the Sooners landed the top player in the state of Oklahoma for the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Williams joins a recruiting class that was previously ranked eighth in the nation, but will jump Ohio State for the seventh spot in 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2022.

A true “athlete,” Gentry Williams has experience lining up all over the field including quarterback during his time playing high school football. The Oklahoma Sooners plan to put him on Alex Grinch’s defense as a cornerback. His size, championship-level track speed, ball skills, and competitiveness will make him a welcomed addition to an Oklahoma secondary that continues to add top-tier talent.

Though the Oklahoma Sooners were in a good place with Williams, there were strong pushes from USC and Florida to acquire the Tulsa native.

As the Oklahoma Sooners continue to build their defense, getting top home-grown defensive talent is key. It’s an indication that the narrative about the Oklahoma Sooners defense is changing. Despite giving up 79 points combined the last couple of games, the Sooners are making progress.

‘Staying Close to Home’: Sooners secure commitment from 2022 4-star athlete

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to hit home runs on the recruiting trail with the commitment of this 4-star athlete out of Tulsa.

Less than one week after securing a commitment from one kid with Oklahoma ties, the Sooners grab another with ties to the state. The number one player in the state of Oklahoma, Gentry Williams, is now officially a Sooner. He slots in tied for 47th in USA Today’s High School Sports Composite Player Rankings.

After three years of recruiting Williams, the Sooners finally finished the race and kept the state’s best athlete in-state to play in Norman. Williams is a Tulsa product and plays at Booker T.Washington High School. He’s lined up at corner, safety, quarterback, and as a wide receiver in his high school career.

He will be playing cornerback in college, where he can use his length and state champion speed to great use. He was the Oklahoma 6A state champion in 400 meters (47.70) and runner-up in 200 meters (21.14) as a freshman in high school.

Oklahoma fought off a serious onslaught from USC, who has led at various points through his recruitment due to Gentry’s relationship with USC interim head coach and cornerbacks coach Donte Williams.

Sooners Wire discussed how that relationship was altered when news of Clay Helton’s departure went public. Uncertainty around the next coaching staff may have helped make things a bit easier with Williams. Florida and Missouri were also in the mix.

Gentry Williams is also very close with current Sooners starting safety Patrick Fields. Both are from Tulsa, and Williams considers Fields a “big brother”. With Williams commitment, the Sooners will likely leapfrog the Ohio State Buckeyes in 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2022.

After securing Gabriel-Brownlow-Dindy last week, the Sooners continue to add high-level defenders, and without a doubt, the defensive coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for their continued success on the recruiting trail. Grinch’s revitalization of the Oklahoma Sooners’ defensive identity has paid major dividends on the field. Because of the on-field product, it’s easier to sell kids to come to play at Oklahoma when your actions match your words.

Missing out on highly rated in-state national recruits has been a significant thorn in the side of Oklahoma’s efforts to rebuild a defensive identity over the last 10 or so years. Names like Daxton Hill (Michigan) and Josh Proctor (Ohio State) come to mind. Securing Gentry Williams is a strong step towards maintaining recruiting superiority over the state of Oklahoma.

Gentry Williams’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 21 1 3
Rivals 4 67 1 8
ESPN 4 59 1 3
247 Composite 4 37 1 8

Vitals

Hometown Tulsa, OK
Projected Position CB
Height 6’0
Weight 170

Recruitment

  • Offered on April 29th, 2019
  • Official visit on September 17, 2021

Offers

  • Oklahoma Sooners
  • USC Trojans
  • Florida Gators
  • Arkansas Razorbacks
  • Missouri Tigers
  • Oklahoma State Cowboys
  • LSU Tigers
  • Georgia Bulldogs
  • TCU Horned Frogs
  • Ole Miss Rebels
  • Michigan Wolverines

Crystal Ball

Film

Gentry Williams film links right here.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes,, and opinions.

 

Coveted in-state 4-star Oklahoma target announces commitment date

Gentry Williams, long time Sooners recruit announces date for commitment.

Highly rated four-star cornerback Gentry Williams is ready to wrap it up. The in-state star took to Twitter to announce he’ll be committing at Booker T. Washington High School on October 18th. In a post that included a graphic, four teams are in the last race for Williams’ commitment: Oklahoma, USC, Missouri, and Florida.

The Sooners have recruited this young man since he was a freshman in high school. It’s been a long journey for them but they can confidently say they put in the work to be in a position to keep the talented in-state star home.

Williams was recruited as an athlete by colleges for his first couple of years in high school. After time passed and it became increasingly clear he was zeroing in on playing defense in college, he began to be listed as a cornerback and recruited by schools to play as a cornerback. Williams has great size, athleticism, and speed to play corner. He’s far from raw but he’s still in theory a developmental cornerback. However, due to his athleticism and size that you can’t teach, he’s a must-have for this Sooners defense.

Oklahoma cornerbacks coach Roy Manning has been at the front of the recruitment for Williams with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch following right behind. The duo looks to land the highest-rated cornerback commit of their time in Norman. It’s also important to note that Williams has a strong relationship with current Sooners starting safety and captain, Pat Fields. Both have grown up in Tulsa and know each other very well.

According to the crystal ball predictions on 247 sports, the predictions lean 80 percent in favor of Oklahoma and 20 percent in favor of USC. The contrast wasn’t always like this as USC was thought of as the biggest threat to lure him away from home due to his close bond with USC cornerback and interim head in Donte Williams. Upheaval within the program following the midseason firing of Clay Helton and uncertainty of where Williams may be next year has likely opened a rift in the closeness between the two allowing Oklahoma to feel a bit more confident in their chances.

The Sooners had the last visit as Williams had his official visit for the Nebraska game. The initial returns from the visit were good as Rivals forecasts and crystal ball predictions started trending in Oklahoma’s favor days after. Steve Wiltfong, 247’s superstar football recruiting lead has a pick for Oklahoma with a confidence level of 8/10.

Gentry Williams’ Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 4 37 1 3
Rivals 4 67 1 8
ESPN 4 63 2 3
247 Composite 4 21 1 8

Vitals

Hometown Tulsa, Oklahoma
Projected Position CB
Height 6’0
Weight 175

Recruitment

  • Offered on April 29th, 2019
  • The official visit took place September 17th, 2021

Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma State
  • Florida
  • USC
  • LSU
  • Missouri
  • Arkansas
  • Nebraska
  • Baylor
  • Michigan
  • Georgia

Crystal Ball

Film

Check out Gentry Williams work over at HUDL.

Twitter