Tag: Jason Llewellyn

Oklahoma Sooners 2022 Recruiting Class Commitment Tracker

As early signing day approaches, where does the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class stand?

It’s been a wild couple of weeks for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail. What once had the makings of a top-five recruiting class dipped down to 27 a week ago in the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings. Now, on the eve of the early signing period, the Oklahoma Sooners have climbed back into the top 10 and could climb higher over the next couple of months with National Signing Day a couple of months away.

The Sooners have seen their fair share of de-commitments along the way, as one would expect with a coaching change. But that hasn’t stopped Brent Venables and his staff from making a statement in the 2022 recruiting cycle. The Sooners have had several players affirm their commitments over social media.

With early signing day set to kick off, here’s a list of the current commitments according to 247Sports. We’ll update the tracker as it evolves, but here’s Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class thus far.

Kaden Helms, Jason Llewellyn still all-in on commitments to Oklahoma

Three-star tight ends Kaden Helms and Jason Llewellyn both confirmed they are sticking with their commitments to Oklahoma.

Kaden Helms and Jason Llewellyn gave Oklahoma fans good news to start the week. After the hiring of new head coach Brent Venables had Sooner Nation feeling the warm and fuzzies, Helms and Llewellyn shared that they are sticking with their commitments to Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class.

Helms, a product of Bellevue West High School in Nebraska, had some fun with his announcement, too.

Helms is rated as a three-star tight end according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-5 tight end actually checks in as a four-star in 247Sports’ own rankings and the site has him as the nation’s No. 16 tight end.

Llewellyn out of Aledo High School in Aledo, Texas, ranks as the nation’s No. 18 tight end according the 247Sports composite rankings.

It helps with Helms and Llewellyn’s recruitments that tight ends and H-Backs coach Joe Jon Finley looks like he’s one of the assistant coaches being retained.

In his introductory press conference, Venables discussed how he plans to sell recruits on sticking with OU.

“Well, I have a career of almost 30 years of being loyal. Just look at my career. If I’ve been something, I’ve been loyal. And so, I haven’t been a coach that’s jumped all over. Taken this job to take this job to take this job. I think that that speaks for itself. Again, it’s not an easy thing to sell, but I do think that they chose Oklahoma for a reason and we always challenge recruits to take the recruiting coach out of it. And just what a wonderful place it is to chase your dreams, to get a great, quality education, to develop holistically. It’s much more than just one person. I recognize that being the head coach has a very important place in all of that. But, again if they’re looking for…again, for me for example, if they’re looking for a program with stability, a program of success. This is a program first of all that’s displayed that on its own and then my career has been exactly that as well. On the biggest stages in the biggest games and have that kind of experience to sell,” Venables said.

Venables was asked if he planned on retaining any of the coaches on the current staff.

“Obviously, you prepare yourself for a long time way before. Every battle is won before it’s fought. That’s the same kind of mindset when it comes to staffing. We’re working through that right now. The same with our current staff. There’s some terrific options right here at home and we’re looking at everything. Obviously, we want to do it sooner rather than later and we’re working aggressively on both fronts,” Venables said.

Venables also said it’s his intention to hire a defensive coordinator. OU has already seen outside linebackers and defensive ends coach Jamar Cain announce his intentions to join the USC staff and it’s fair to expect other changes to be on the way.

Those staffing changes will have a direct impact on Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class between now and when the upcoming Early Signing Period begins on Dec. 15.

In the meantime, here’s a comprehensive list of recruits that have announced their intentions to remain with the Sooners.

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Sooners commitments can help Oklahoma’s case to be considered TE U

The Oklahoma Sooners are attracting quite a group of tight ends in the 2022 and 2023 recruiting cycles that could assert its case for TE U.

Several schools can make an argument to be considered the best university in college football at the tight end position. As discussed last week in ESPN’s position U rankings, the Oklahoma Sooners finished seventh at the position.

They have had some of the greats at tight end, including Keith Jackson, Jermaine Gresham and Mark Andrews. Austin Stogner hopes to carry the torch in 2021. However, it’s the group that’s coming next that has a chance to position the Oklahoma Sooners as tight end university.

Over the weekend, the Sooners gained a commitment from 2023’s No. 2 tight end, Luke Hasz. When he arrives on campus in 2023, he’ll join a tight end room that will include two top tight ends from the 2022 recruiting class, Jason Llewellyn and Kaden Helms. Led by tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley, the Oklahoma Sooners are becoming quite the destination for the nation’s top tight ends.

 

During Lincoln Riley’s time with the Sooners, he has loved running three wide receiver or two tight end sets. Like Iowa State did last year against the Sooners, Riley might have to start incorporating more three tight end looks into game plans to utilize Llewellyn, Helms, and Hasz.

Their size, athleticism and speed will create mismatches galore for Riley to exploit when they get on campus. The only question is, will there be enough footballs to go around.

We’re still two to three years away from seeing the Sooners tight end trio on the field at the same time, but thinking of what’s to come, the possibilities are endless for Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners offense.

It’s certainly early to be discussing them among the all-time great tight ends at the University of Oklahoma. However, if they live up to their billing, they’ll have a chance to join the conversation. If they arrive as advertised, the Sooners will have a strong case for tight end U.