Tag: Jamarrien Burt

Oklahoma safety Damond Harmon enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma safety Damond Harmon intends to transfer. Harmon was a former four-star recruit in the class of 2021.

Oklahoma’s defensive back takes another hit as the Sooners lose their second defensive back to transfer portal this week. According to Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune of OUInsider safety Damond Harmon has decided to enter the transfer portal following Oklahoma’s spring game.

Harmon, a former four-star recruit becomes the eighth signee of Oklahoma’s 2021 class to depart for other opportunities. Harmon made his most notable splash as a player in two starts last year after playing primarily special teams as a freshman in 2021.

For his career, Harmon amassed 22 tackles in 23 career games. Harmon’s departure is a case of where he was on the depth chart.

Billy Bowman, Reggie Pearson, Key Lawrence, and Robert Spears-Jennings all seemed to have supplanted him on the two deep and it seemed unlikely for Harmon to supplant either this upcoming season. The addition and rapid rise of Peyton Bowen complicated his path to playing time as well.

Harmon broke thru last year as a consistent rotational member at safety before a concussion, and other players returning from injury, pushed him back down the depth chart.

Harmon was listed as the No. 26 cornerback and No. 304 overall prospect in the 2021 class and picked Oklahoma over schools like Michigan and Florida.

Harmon, Jamarrien Burt, and Jaden Davis have all entered the transfer portal in the past two weeks. Oklahoma only figures to bring just one high school defensive back in four-star safety Daeh McCullough this summer.

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Oklahoma cornerback Jamarrien Burt enters the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners DB Jamarrien Burt has entered the transfer portal.

Spring ball has come and gone and the Oklahoma Sooners hadn’t really seen much attrition via the transfer portal. Now with the offseason settling in again, there’s some movement happening. Cornerback Jamarrien Burt announced via social media that he’s entering the transfer portal.

According to Pro Football Focus, Burt appeared in four games for the Oklahoma Sooners. Primarily a special teams player as a true freshman in Norman, Burt registered 26 special teams snaps and just three defensive snaps. His lone tackle came on special teams for the Sooners.

Now, the former three-star prospect is looking for a new home.

He’s an athletic player with decent size who should find a new landing spot somewhere in the college football ranks. A year spent with Brent Venables, Jay Valai, and the Oklahoma Sooners is invaluable experience that will help him as he transitions to his next team.

Though it’s not surprising to see a name hit the portal after the spring game, it is a bit surprising to see a player with just one year of experience under Venables making the leap to the portal.

However, like it’s been all offseason, the guys entering the portal weren’t likely to see an extended role with the Sooners in 2023.

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247Sports asks if the Oklahoma Sooners secondary can step up

247Sports reporter Chris Hummer’s one burning question for Oklahoma entering 2022: can the Sooners’ secondary step up?

Any doubt that follows the Oklahoma Sooners as they get set for the start of spring practice on March 22 is largely due to the losses on the defensive side of the football. Oklahoma lost five starters to the NFL and Pat Fields transferred to Stanford. Delarrin Turner-Yell and Fields’ departures leave a huge leadership void at the back end of the Sooners’ defense.

247Sports reporter Chris Hummer has one burning question for Oklahoma entering the 2022 season: can the Sooners’ secondary step up?

With so much new in Norman this spring, there are a number of pressing questions. Quarterback will be under the microscope. So will the o-line, wide receiver depth and the defensive scheme. But if there’s been a continued weakness for Oklahoma, it’s the secondary. Oklahoma never ranked better than 58th in passing yards allowed per game under Lincoln Riley, and the team dropped all the way to 109th last year after moderate improvements the previous two seasons.

Can it improve next year? Perhaps. But Brent Venables will have to work with rather similar personnel. There are two losses at safety with Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields moving on. Turner-Yell was probably the best player in the secondary and Fields might have been the worst. As for the returning cornerbacks, they’re all back. There’s also North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison, who projects to play safety, and Wyoming cornerback transfer C.J. Coldon.

Coldon and Morrison are experienced pieces who are near locks for the two-deep. But the ceiling of this room will be determined by younger pieces taking a step. Can Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman emerge as difference makers? Will D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington be better at cornerback after up-and-down debut seasons as starters? Can young players like Kani Walker, Jayden Rowe and Robert Spears-Jennings take a step? Those questions will define the Sooners’ spring. – Hummer, 247Sports.

It’s a fair question to ask. As Hummer points out, Oklahoma plummeted all the way to 109th nationally in passing yards allowed as the Sooners surrendered 261.8 passing yards per game and 26 passing touchdowns on the season. By comparison, the two top passing defenses in the Big 12 last season were Iowa State and Oklahoma State. The Cyclones ranked 11th nationally surrendering just 188.2 passing yards per game, while the Cowboys ranked 36th nationally allowing 210.2 yards per game.

One bit of good news for Oklahoma is that new head coach Brent Venables arrives with the pedigree of producing strong defenses annually. That should provide some form of an immediate boost. Clemson’s defense ranked 34th nationally after surrendering just 209.2 passing yards per game in 2021.

OU has plenty of options on the back end of its defense. Cornerback is boosted by the returns of both starters in D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington. C.J. Coldon comes over from Wyoming where he recorded 68 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 2021.

Key Lawrence showed serious flashes last season at both cornerback and safety. It’s likely he’ll slot in at safety alongside Justin Broiles. Morrison is another interesting option in OU’s defensive backfield. He made starts at both safety and nickel back for North Carolina last year.

Oklahoma also brings back cornerbacks Jaden Davis and Joshua Eaton as well in addition to the signings of Gentry Williams and Jayden Rowe. At safety, the Sooners also return Jordan Mukes and Bryson Washington and signed Robert Spears-Jennings. Defensive back Jamarrien Burt signed with Oklahoma, too.

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Oklahoma defense has ‘good blend’ of returning players and newcomers

Oklahoma defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof discussed what OU has added to its roster defensively.

Oklahoma is replacing six starters defensively, so there were always going to be plenty of new faces across the Sooners’ defense in 2022. It feels like quite the defensive overhaul, though, thanks to a rash of transfer portal additions, several late signees and a defensive coaching staff that’s brand new at every position group.

In addition to its 2022 signees, Oklahoma added transfer defensive linemen Jeffery Johnson from Tulane and Jonah Laulu from Hawaii; linebacker T.D. Roof from Appalachian State; and Wyoming transfer C.J. Coldon, North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison and Louisville transfer Kani Walker in the defensive backfield.

“The emphasis is get better at every spot, you know, because at a place like this, when you go through the grind of a season, you’ve got to have quality depth. One deep is not going to get it done. I know that we’ve got some guys that have started some games in the front, but we were able to address the defense at every level. Certainly, if you’re not winning up front on defense, you’re not going to win very many ball games. If you can’t get to the quarterback and you can’t stop the run, that’s going to be a long day at the office,” defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof said on national signing day.

“We’ve got some guys returning that we’re really excited about. At the same time, needed to add depth there and we did between the portal and obviously high school. We’ve addressed it at every level and there’s opportunities. At the same time, really like what we’ve got here that were already on the roster, so I think it’ll be a good blend.”

Of course, Roof likes the numbers that Oklahoma has added across the board. Combining the signing class arrivals with transfer portal additions, OU is bringing in seven defensive linemen, four linebackers and seven defensive backs.

He also feels OU’s additions provide more than just balance in numbers across the board. According to Roof, they’re the right type of players to join Oklahoma.

“You want to as you recruit have the balance in your classes as you go along, but there were some things, opportunities and some things that were out of our control that created opportunities. When they came, we had to have first of all players that fit Oklahoma from a skill standpoint, from a character standpoint, from just a fit, because the longer that I’m in it, the more I believe it’s about getting players that fit where you are,” Roof said.

“Whether from a mentality standpoint, obviously from an ability standpoint, but from a work ethic standpoint, all those things where a guy has to fit because we’re a blue-collar program and you’ve got to work to be successful here. If you’re going to be in this program and be part of it, you’re going to have to put in the work and you’re going to have to grind, so getting the right type of young man in here was critical. Things had popped up where we knew some guys. I had recruited a couple of those kids before, so there was some opportunity there, some familiarity and it worked out.”

It makes sense because it’s the position group Roof will coach directly, but there’s a genuine excitement from the longtime collegiate coach about what Oklahoma already had at linebacker.

“You’ve got DaShaun [White] and David [Ugwoegbu], two of the older guys there that have played a lot of football who are doing a great job leading in the offseason program. You’ve got Shane [Whitter], you’ve got Joseph [Wete] and Danny [Stutsman]. You know, Danny has some real toughness and some grit and I love that about him that he’s shown so far. With Shane, the athleticism that he has, the speed. He’s got some real ability there and looking forward to working with those guys,” Roof said.

And, of course, what the Sooners are adding at linebacker as well.

“Then, have added a combination of three young guys and an older guy to that room. All of those guys are unique in what they bring. Jaren [Kanak] is, he’s really mature in his body. His strength numbers and speed and his measurables are all off the charts for somebody his age from where he is. He’s worked really hard to get there. Kobie McKinzie has a really high football IQ that, again, understands concepts and things of that nature. Kip Lewis has got a huge upside, a guy with a lot of ability and a lot of want-to. So, we’re looking forward to developing those three young men. And then, T.D., you know, he’s been around the block a time or two. It’s a good blend and excited about all of them, the unique things that they bring to the table. A couple of the grad transfers that we signed were captains at their schools, so, we’re putting leaders into our locker room as well from a grad transfer standpoint,” Roof said.

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Oklahoma football’s official recruiting class after national signing day 2022

A look at the 2022 recruiting class and where each player ranks with the four major recruiting services after national signing day.

The Oklahoma Sooners put together one of the eight best recruiting classes in the country through national signing day. The declarations of the Sooners’ demise was greatly exaggerated as Brent Venables and his staff has breathed new life into a program that had struggled to maintain its top spot in the Big 12 over the last couple of years. That ultimately led to missing the Big 12 title game altogether in 2021.

Unlike other major college programs that experienced a coaching change, the Sooners were able to create positive momentum heading into the spring despite the coaching change.

The Sooners are the only team in the top 10 without a five-star recruit. While it would be nice to land Josh Conerly or Lebbeus Overton in the 2022 cycle, the teams high ranking in the cycle reveals just how good their four and three-star players are.

The Sooners have several incoming freshman that could come in and earn an opportunity right out of the gate. A top eight class is nothing to sneeze at and it speaks to the tremendous talent of the players and the work done by the coaching staff to get the guys on board.

As we continue our look at national signing day, here are where the Sooners 21 incoming freshman rank across the four major recruiting services; 247Sports, On3, Rivals, and ESPN.

ESPN tabs Oklahoma ‘winners’ on national signing day

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren included Oklahoma among his national signing day “winners.” Here’s why.

National signing day saw Oklahoma ink five more players to its 2022 signing class. As a result, ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren included Oklahoma among his national signing day “winners.”

The Sooners have added quite a few pieces in the transfer portal to help fill voids, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel, defensive lineman Jonah Laulu and a few others.

The new staff, led by Brent Venables, has done a nice job in recruiting, as well, with the limited time they have been given. On Wednesday, Venables landed a commitment from four-star wide receiver Jamarrien Burt, who had been committed to Florida at one point in the process.

The Sooners also got a commitment from ESPN 300 defensive lineman Gracen Halton, the No. 264 prospect overall. In addition to Halton, Oklahoma got three-star defensive end R. Mason Thomas to commit as well.

Venables was able to keep ESPN 300 athlete Gentry Williams in the class after other programs recruited him down the stretch. – VanHaaren, ESPN.

Williams was the first to sign with OU on national signing day. According to 247Sports‘ composite rankings, Williams is the Sooners’ highest-rated player in the 2022 signing class. In its composite rankings, 247Sports ranks Williams as the top player from the state of Oklahoma, the No. 11 cornerback and the nation’s No. 92 player overall.

After Williams’ ink met paper, Oklahoma quickly added the signing of R Mason Thomas. On3 ranks Thomas as the 20th-best player from the state of Florida, the No. 17 EDGE and the No. 140 player nationally.

Then, the Sooners got more secondary help in the form of another Sunshine State talent. Jamarrien Burt, who was originally committed to Florida, signed with OU. In On3’s consensus rankings, Burt is rated as a three-star signee, the No. 453 player overall and the No. 43 cornerback.

The fourth player to sign with Oklahoma was a flip from Oregon. Gracen Halton is a four-star signee in the 247Sports composite rankings. 247Sports lists Halton as the No. 34 defensive lineman.

Lastly, OU secured one final flip. Oklahoma signed four-star EDGE Kevonte Henry. According to 247Sports, Henry is the No. 216 player nationally and the No. 24 EDGE.

Oklahoma absolutely closed strong on national signing day. The Sooners aren’t necessarily entirely done either. OU is also targeting five-star defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton, who just reclassified into the 2022 class, and five-star offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr.

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Oklahoma bolsters defensive backfield with signing of Jamarrien Burt

Oklahoma made it a big national signing day in the defensive backfield, adding the signature of Jamarrien Burt out of Ocala, Fla.

National signing day has turned into a big day for the future of Oklahoma’s defensive backfield. Earlier this morning, OU secured a signature from the No. 1 player in the Sooner State, four-star defensive back Gentry Williams.

Now, Oklahoma has locked in the signing of Jamarrien Burt. Burt has been a two-way player at Forest High School in Ocala, Fla., but the expectation is for Burt to wind up as a piece in OU’s secondary in the future.

In just two weeks time, Oklahoma managed to add Burt to a talented 2022 defensive backs class. Originally a Florida commit, Burt decommited from the Gators on Nov. 21 after then-head coach Dan Mullen was fired.

Oklahoma offered Burt on Jan. 20 and he visited OU a day later. Now, he joins Williams, safety Robert Spears-Jennings and cornerback Jayden Rowe as defensive back signees.

ESPN ranks Burt the highest of the four recruiting services. According to ESPN, Burt is a four-star signee, the No. 52 wide receiver and the 48th-best player from the state of Florida.

247Sports, Rivals and On3 all rank Burt as a three-star signee. According to 247Sports, Burt is the the nation’s No. 29 athlete and the No. 54 player out of Florida. Rivals rates Burt as the country’s No. 55 cornerback and the No. 75 player from Florida. Lastly, On3 ranks Burt as the nation’s No. 61 cornerback and the No. 72 player from Florida.

Jamarrien Burt’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 4 N/A 48 52
Rivals 3 N/A 75 55
247Sports 3 N/A 54 29
247 Composite 3 471 60 28
On3 Recruiting 3 N/A 72 61
On3 Composite 3 453 59 43

Vitals

Hometown Ocala, Fla.
Projected Position Defensive Back
Height 6-1
Weight 175

Recruitment

  • Offered on Jan. 20
  • visit on Jan. 21

Film

Here’s a look at Burt’s Hudl tape.

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Oklahoma Sooners National Signing Day Preview: Here are the players you need to know

A deeper look at the Sooners as they head into National Signing Day and a look at the 7 prospects they’re trying to finalize commitments for.

At long last, the time is nearing. The close of another recruiting cycle across the NCAA.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, this cycle has been nothing short of eventful. There’s been ups and downs, highs and lows, and yet with the national signing day on the horizon the Sooners currently sit with a top 10 class and are knocking on the door of adding more,commits to that class. We’ve taken the liberty of mapping all you need to know for this signing class below.

The Committed

As it stands the Sooners currently have 16 signees already in the boat. Of that total over half are currently on campus and enrolled at Oklahoma while others like four-star OL Jake Taylor, four-star RB Gavin Sawchuk will join the team in the summertime.

The Sooners made sure to make in-state Oklahoma star, and commit, Gentry Williams a priority and because of it will have fought off the likes of Florida, Arkansas, and Jackson State. They will see him sign for Oklahoma on signing day.

Williams needed to meet and hear from the current staff before making any final decisions on if he would back off his commitment or not. He won’t and he’ll be a Sooner we will be able to see in the summer.

The Targets

The Sooners have seven prospects in their sights as we approach signing day. One of these particular seven won’t be signing until March but the others will be seeing their recruitments close in just a short few days.

Oklahoma’s updated 2022 class rankings ahead of signing day

Just a few days away from national signing day, where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand in 2022 team recruiting rankings?

Though the Oklahoma Sooners experienced a few decommitments in the aftermath of Lincoln Riley’s departure to USC, Brent Venables and his staff have done a fantastic job rebuilding OU’s 2022 class while looking ahead to 2023 and 2024.

With national signing day right around the corner, let’s take a look at how each of the major recruiting services sees the Sooners class in the 2022 team recruiting rankings.

  • 247Sports: 10
  • On3 Recruiting: 8
  • Rivals: 10
  • ESPN: 15

The Sooners are the only team in the top 10 without a five-star commitment. That could certainly change with a commitment from five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell. However, their ranking speaks to the level of talent the Sooners have in their four-star commitments.

Oklahoma is one of two teams in the top 10 of 247Sports team composite rankings that has fewer than 20 commitments. With potential signing day additions, that will change, but will it be enough to see the Sooners rise in the recruiting rankings?

Players that Oklahoma could still get commitments from on national signing day:

  • Devon Campbell: five-star offensive lineman
  • Gracen Halton: four-star defensive lineman
  • Ahmad Moten: four-star defensive lineman
  • John Locke: three-star tight end
  • Gavin Freeman: three-star athlete
  • Kevonte Henry: four-star edge (Michigan commit projected to flip).
  • Jamarrien Burt: four-star athlete/cornerback
  • R. Mason Thomas: three-star edge

The Sooners could offer some signing day surprises since new names have popped up on the recruiting radar with the change in the coaching staff. As things stand now, Oklahoma’s firmly set as a top 10 recruiting class for 2022 and has a chance to move up a bit in the rankings.

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2022 ATH/CB Jamarrien Burt forecasted to Oklahoma by Rivals

SoonerScoop co-publisher and recruiting editor Josh McCuistion put in a Rivals FutureCast for cornerback Jamarrien Burt to Oklahoma.

It looks like this recruiting weekend might soon lead to a commitment and eventual signing for Oklahoma.

SoonerScoop co-publisher and recruiting editor Josh McCuistion of the Rivals network submitted a FutureCast for 2022 athlete and cornerback Jamarrien Burt to Oklahoma.

Burt was one of several players across the 2022 and 2023 classes that visited OU this past weekend. As Bryant Crews touched on in that piece, Burt wasn’t on the previous Oklahoma coaching staff’s radar, but he quickly decided to take an official visit to Norman after receiving an offer from the current Sooner staff.

Burt is a 6-foot-1, 175 pound prospect out of Ocala, Fla. He originally committed to Florida last summer on June 24, 2021, but Burt decommitted from the Gators back on Nov. 21.

Burt has played on both sides of the football at Forest High School in Ocala. His ability to play both offense and defense has him listed as an athlete by 247Sports and as a wide receiver by ESPN. On3 and Rivals both have Burt listed as a cornerback.

247Sports ranks Burt as the nation’s No. 27 athlete in the 2022 class and the 54th-best player from the state of Florida. ESPN rates Burt as the country’s No. 54 wide receiver and the state of Florida’s 49th-best prospect.

On3 ranks Burt as the No. 45 cornerback and Florida’s 56th highest-rated recruit in the 2022 class. According to Rivals, Burt is the No. 57 cornerback and 80th-best player from Florida.

In the On3 consensus rankings, Burt is ranked as the No. 408 player overall and the No. 40 cornerback. Meanwhile, in the 247Sports composite rankings, Burt checks in at No. 458 nationally and as the No. 28 athlete.

Jamarrien Burt’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247Sports 3 N/A 54 27
Rivals 3 N/A 80 57
ESPN 4 N/A 49 54
247 Composite 3 458 58 28
On3 Recruiting 3 N/A 56 45
On3 Composite 4 408 53 40

If Burt does wind up committing and eventually signing with Oklahoma on Feb. 2 during National Signing Day, he will join a class that includes the following players in the defensive backfield: safety signee Robert Spears-Jennings, cornerback signee Jayden Rowe and cornerback commit Gentry Williams.

Oklahoma currently has the No. 8 class nationally according to On3‘s consensus team rankings and the No. 10 class according to 247Sports and Rivals‘ team rankings.

The Sooners have also added three players to their defensive backfield via the transfer portal: cornerback C.J. Coldon from Wyoming, defensive back Trey Morrison from North Carolina and cornerback Kani Walker from Louisville.

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