Tag: Jaren Kanak

‘Unfinished Business’: DaShaun White returning to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2022 season

After losing 6 defensive starters, the Oklahoma Sooners got some good news with DaShaun White’s decision to return for the 2922 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners have seen a ton of turnover this off-season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball where they’ve lost six starters (5 to the NFL, 1 grad transfer). At the same time, the Sooners are bringing in an entirely new defensive staff.

With Brian Asamoah one of the NFL draft declarations, the Sooners lost a veteran leader and one of their more important second level defenders. The Oklahoma Sooners have options to replace him, but thankfully they won’t have to replace both of their starting linebackers heading into 2022.

DaShaun White announced via social media that he’s got “unfinished business” and will be with the Sooners for the 2022 season.

White returns to the Sooners after a nice 2021 season. He set career highs in tackles with 60 after playing in 12 games for Oklahoma. Over four seasons, he’s played in 41 games (five his freshman season). With 4.5 tackles he was half a tackle shy of his 2020 total, which is a career high for White.

DaShaun White returns to a linebacker room that is as deep as any position on the Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2022. David Ugwoegbu, Shane Whittier, and Danny Stutsman figure to lead the way for the Sooners linebacker corps that will be joined by 2022 freshmen Kobie McKinzie, Jaren Kanak, and Kip Lewis.

As a fifth-year senior White will be the unquestioned leader on the defense, taking over for Caleb Kelly who graduated and is entering life after football.

With the departure of Asamoah to the NFL, having DaShaun White return is huge for continuity as the Sooners welcome new faces into the locker room and on the coaching staff.

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Making it official, 2022 4-star athlete Jaren Kanak commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

Making it official, 2022 four-star athlete Jaren Kanak commits to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The long-awaited official announcement is in. Jaren Kanak has committed to play football for the University of Oklahoma. Kanak, who was primarily recruited by Brent Venables when he was the defensive coordinator at Clemson, was intent on playing for Venables, even if the new Sooners coach wasn’t planning on poaching recruits from his former employer.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise as the former Clemson commit enrolled at Oklahoma for the Spring semester, making his commitment a foregone conclusion.

It was back in the first week of December that Kanak was first projected to flip his commitment from the Clemson Tigers to the Oklahoma Sooners by Ryan Wallace who covers Kansas State football and recruiting for GoPowerKat.com. Then less than 10 days later Anna Hickey of Clemson 247 flipped her projection to the Sooners. Four days later, Jaren Kanak looked to be enrolled at the University of Oklahoma making his commitment all but official. While his official commitment came nearly two weeks after decommitng from Clemson, the writing was on the wall. The Sooners were going to add the No. 1 player from the state of Kansas to Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense.

Kanak has legit track speed and looks as if he’ll play linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners. Though with his speed and size, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Sooners could use him at safety.

Here’s what National Recruiting Analyst Allen Trieu of 247Sports had to say in his recruiting profile of Kanak.

Track guy who has run as fast as 10.37 at over 200 pounds. Multi-positional player in high school but future projection is most likely outside linebacker. Explosive player who has good burst, acceleration and obvious speed to pursue on defense. Ball skills he shows on offense should translate to defense where he should be a strong coverage backer if that is indeed where he ends up playing. Times his blitzes well, and when combined with his quickness, that allows him to penetrate and make plays in the backfield. He shows physicality as a blocker on offense which should translate to taking on blocks in college, although right now, we see him running free more on his high school film than needing to go through blockers. In general, there are few glaring weaknesses here, just a need to concentrate on one position and learn to play that spot. We assume he will easily add the weight needed to play linebacker but guys with his track speed and offensive background tend to be very succesful in making that transition. – Trieu, 247Sports

Jaren Kanak gives the Oklahoma Sooners 14 four-star commitments for the 2022 recruiting class. Kanak ranks as the No. 10 athlete in the nation and the No. 253 player in the nation for the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Under Brent Venables, the Sooners continue to add fast and athletic players to a defense that is being reshaped before our very eyes.

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2022 4-star Athlete Jaren Kanak officially decommits from Clemson

Four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak officially decommitted from Clemson. The Hays, Kan., product is headed to Oklahoma.

Four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak officially announced his decommitment from Clemson. The Hays, Kan., product is reportedly already enrolled at Oklahoma.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for the abundance of opportunities I have been blessed with. I want to thank coach Swinney, and the entire Clemson staff for everything they have done for me, all the love they have shown, and the energy they invested into me and my family. After very extensive thoughts, prayers, and discussions with loved ones, I have decided to decommit from Clemson University. I have faith in God’s plan for me and with his guidance, I am excited to see what the future holds,” Kanak wrote in his announcement.

On3 ranks Kanak as the nation’s No. 75 player and the fifth-best linebacker prospect in the country. The 6-foot-2, 215 pound linebacker ranks as the No. 191 player in the On3 consensus rankings and the No. 252 player in the 247Sports composite player rankings.

According to 247Sports’ own player rankings, Kanak is listed a little higher as the nation’s No. 121 player and the nation’s sixth-best athlete.

On3 Director of Scouting Charles Power described what kind of player OU appears to be adding to its 2022 recruiting class.

One of the fastest players in the 2022 cycle, regardless of position. Has posted some scintillating track times, including a best of 10.37 seconds in the 100 meters. Plays quarterback for his high school but projects as a box defender and likely linebacker long term. Physically developed with a muscled-up build. Shows a very strong burst as a runner, getting to top speed quickly. Breaks off long runs with regularity and plays at a different speed than the competition. Also shows some considerable power and contact balance as a runner. Had a play where he ran over multiple defenders in the playoffs as a senior that went viral. Will need to adjust to defense and hone his coverage skills. May take a year or two to make the transition to defense but has high physical upside. Does not face strong competition in Kansas. – Power, On3

Kanak would join an Oklahoma recruiting class that already includes a pair of four-star linebacker signees in Kobie McKinzie (Lubbock, Texas) and Kip Lewis (Carthage, Texas).

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Clemson officially loses another commit

Clemson has officially lost another commitment in the class of 2022. Hays (Kan.) High School four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak announced his decommitment from Dabo Swinney’s program on Thursday via social media. He had been publicly committed to the …

Clemson has officially lost another commitment in the class of 2022.

Hays (Kan.) High School four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak announced his decommitment from Dabo Swinney’s program on Thursday via social media.

He had been publicly committed to the Tigers since July 30, 2021.

“I want to thank Coach Swinney, and the entire Clemson staff for everything they have done for me, all the love they have shown, and the energy they invested into me and my family,” Kanak wrote in a Twitter post.

“After very extensive thoughts, prayers, and discussions with loved ones, I have decided to decommit from Clemson University.”

As The Clemson Insider reported on Tuesday, Kanak has already enrolled as a student at Oklahoma.

He was recruited to Clemson by former Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who is of course now the Sooners’ new head coach.

Kanak (6-2, 210) is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 prospect in Kansas, No. 6 athlete nationally and No. 121 overall prospect in the 2022 class.

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Clemson commit heading to Oklahoma

A four-star prospect in the class of 2022 that has been publicly committed to Clemson since July appears to now be an Oklahoma Sooner. While Hays (Kan.) four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak had not officially announced a flip to Oklahoma as of Tuesday …

A four-star prospect in the class of 2022 that has been publicly committed to Clemson since July appears to now be an Oklahoma Sooner.

While Hays (Kan.) four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak had not officially announced a flip to Oklahoma as of Tuesday afternoon, a search on the school’s website confirms that he is now enrolled as a student there, and our sources confirm he is expected to be a Sooner.

Kanak (6-2, 210) is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 prospect in Kansas, No. 6 athlete nationally and No. 121 overall prospect in the 2022 class.

He was recruited to Clemson by former Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who is of course now the Sooners’ new head coach.

 

 

Clemson commit and 4-star athlete Jaren Kanak appears enrolled at Oklahoma

With the early signing period come and gone, the Oklahoma Sooners got good news with the reported enrollment of four-star athlete Jaren Kanak.

The early signing period may have come and gone, but the Oklahoma Sooners aren’t done adding players with National Signing Day a little over a month away. Per SoonerScoop.com’s Bob Przybylo, Jaren Kanak’s enrolled at the University of Oklahoma.

After Brent Venables was named the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, it didn’t take long for Kanak’s name to come up as a potential flip. Just last week, Clemson Insider for 247Sports put in a crystal ball projection for Kanak to the Sooners as well.

While Venables was adamant that he wasn’t interested in attempting to flip commitments from his former team, Kanak looked to be heading Venables way whether he was receuited to OU by the new head coach or not.

Brandon Drumm of OUInsider reported Dec. 17 that the flip was only a matter of time. Drumm — who has now reported Kanak will be put on financial aid until Feb. 3, where he will then sign a letter of intent — said that Kanak has always made it clear he wanted to play for Venables because of his success coaching defensive players. Venables also molded former Clemson linebacker and Olathe, Kansas, native Isaiah Simmons into a first-round NFL Draft pick. – Riley Gates, 247Sports

This is a big addition for the Oklahoma Sooners who’ve already added four-star linebackers Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis to their 2022 recruiting class. This gives the Sooners a really strong linebacker group for Brent Venables and Ted Roof to build their defense.

Though Jaren Kanak can’t officially sign his letter of intent to play for the Sooners, this makes the commitments flip all but official.

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Clemson insider puts in Crystal ball for four-star Tigers commit to land at Oklahoma

Four-Star athlete Jaren Kanak is predicted to land in Oklahoma according to a crystal ball prediction by Clemson insider.

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While the early signing period may be coming to a close soon, the Oklahoma Sooners are far from done. We chronicled some names that remain as possible targets for Oklahoma as they now focus their recruiting efforts on the official national signing day in February.

One of those names is Jaren Kanak, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete out of Hays, Kansas. Since the summer, Kanak is rated as a four-star player with 247Sports and has been a Clemson commit. He committed to Clemson when Venables was there and planned to play linebacker. A lot of things have changed since the summer, with Venables making the move to Oklahoma.

The speculation that Kanak would follow Venables to Oklahoma has ramped up since Venables’ official introduction as the Sooners head coach. The first crystal ball projecting Kanak’s flip to the Sooners came in a day later and the rest has been hushed whispers of not why or how but when would Kanak take the leap.

Venables loosely mentioned in a press conference after the Sooners signed all but two of their commits that there were still some signees to come.

To add even more fuel to the fire, Anna Hickey of Clemson Insider put in a crystal ball of 7/10 confidence in Kanak to Oklahoma. That brings six total predictions that he will flip from Clemson to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma seems to be trending in the right direction for a talented kid with a very high ceiling and an athletic profile to match.

Given Venables’ track record of linebackers and molding them into sideline to sideline playmaking machines, adding a guy like Kanak to a room already filled with David Ugwoegbu, Danny Stutsman, DaShaun White, Shane Whitter, and soon to be Kip Lewis, and Kobie McKinzie could turn Oklahoma’s linebacker unit to one of the best position groups on the entire team.

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Where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand with several big name 2022 recruits?

The Sooners have already started signing their 2022 class. They still have a shot to add several big names. Who are they?

We’ve reached the last month of the year, which means that another college football recruiting cycle is entering its third and final act. Much like any movie, the plot of this particular movie has evolved and we’ve finally reached the endgame where we find out where the movie’s journey has taken all of the characters.

For college football, the movie is the world of recruiting and its twists and turns sometimes feel like it could only be penned by a decorated Hollywood writer.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, the last month or so has been a roller coaster of crazy proportions, and their recruiting world was turned upside down. They lost their head coach of the last five years to USC and had a week-long search to find his replacement. The week of uncertainty cost them recruits across the 2022 and 2023 classes. Bob Stoops and Sooners assistants, followed by the additions of Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby have helped them recover their 2022 recruiting class, providing optimism that 2023 will see similar results.

There is no time like the present and that’s where we are with the Sooners’ 2022 class. Sooners Wire has made it easy to track all of the 2022 commitments with this handy-dandy tracker. With the early signing period already here and the official national signing day in February, a hefty amount of those names will put ink to paper and officially complete the paperwork to become Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners are still out on the recruiting trail trying to swing last-minute recruits to join this class. We’ve compiled a list notable names that are trending up or down with the Sooners and updates on other players who are or were Sooners commits below.

247Sports reporter flips crystal-ball projection for Jaren Kanak to Oklahoma

Ryan Wallace of 247Sports’ GoPowercat flipped his crystal-ball prediction for four-star athlete Jaren Kanak to the Oklahoma Sooners.

In the wake of former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley’s sudden departure to USC, several decommitments have rocked Sooner Nation over the past couple weeks. The most recent was five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy who flipped from Oklahoma to Texas A&M.

Brownlow-Dindy is rated as the nation’s No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 8 player overall in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.

With Brent Venables officially announced as Oklahoma’s new head football coach, there could potentially be some good news on the horizon, though.

247Sports’ Ryan Wallace of GoPowercat.com flipped his crystal ball prediction for four-star athlete Jaren Kanak from Clemson to Oklahoma.

Kanak ranks as the No. 6 athlete and 120th player nationally according to 247Sports’ Class of 2022 rankings. The 6-foot-2, 210 pound product from Hays, Kan., is the top-rated player in the Sunflower state.

Kanak committed to Clemson back on July 30. Here’s what Catch It Kansas wrote about Kanak’s decision at the time.

Kanak’s recruiting took off following a standout showing at the Sharp Performance combine in 2020, and continued through a strong performance in running the second fastest 100 time (10.37) in all of Kansas during track season. Now a 4-star recruit according to both Rivals and 247 Sports, the 6-2 athlete is headed to play for another Kansas native in Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Also a receiver and returner for the Indians, most recruiting services project him as a linebacker or safety at the collegiate level.

Kanak chose the Tigers over 34 other schools, including Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, USC, and in-state schools Kansas and Kansas State. He visited the Tigers on the first official day of the recruiting period opening up following extended time without school visits due to the pandemic.

The number 8 athlete in the country, Kanak has drawn comparisons to another Kansas native in Isaiah Simmons. The Olathe native helped lead the Tiger defense to a National Championship before being selected in the top ten of the 2020 NFL Draft. – Catch It Kansas staff

It’s no certain thing that Kanak winds up at Oklahoma. He’s still committed to Clemson right now. However, Venables was the lead recruiter for Kanak, so his decision to become Oklahoma’s new head coach could open the door for the Sooners to pull off a late recruiting flip of their own.

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What They Are Saying: Clemson commits react to big official visit weekend

Clemson played host to most of its commitments in the 2022 class this past weekend for their official visits, while the Tigers also welcomed priority wide receiver target Andre Greene Jr. for an official visit beginning Sunday. A number of future …

Clemson played host to most of its commitments in the 2022 class this past weekend for their official visits, while the Tigers also welcomed priority wide receiver target Andre Greene Jr. for an official visit beginning Sunday.

A number of future Tigers reacted to their official visits via social media after the big weekend. Check out what they had to say:

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