Tag: jay valai

Sooners make top five for in-state cornerback Devon Jordan

Devon Jordan, a composite four-star corner out of Oklahoma, named his top five on Tuesday.

Oklahoma’s big miss on Williams Nwaneri will sting a bit, but the Sooners’ [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] is far from done. There’s still numerous prospects Oklahoma is right in the thick of things for. While missing on the five-star is unfortunate, they must refocus and recalibrate so they can reel in more prospects from their big board.

Another high-priority target is four-star cornerback Devon Jordan, a prospect out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jordan plays at Union High School. He’s a composite four-star player in the 247Sports composite and has the makings of a player who may outperform his slot as he continues to develop.

Oklahoma hosted Jordan for the ChampUBBQ, at which [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] was able to spend a bit more time with him. This summer has allowed Jordan to focus on his recruitment. Earlier this summer, he released his top 10. Now he’s chopped that list in half and has named a top five.

The Sooners make the cut again along with TCU, Oklahoma State, Alabama and Texas A&M. Jordan eliminated Iowa State, Missouri and Miami from the mix when he cut it down. Oklahoma has one cornerback committed in the class of 2024, four-star [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag] out of Arizona.

Jordan’s elite speed and quickness allow him to match up well with receivers. He would make a great addition to Oklahoma’s cornerback room, where speed, athleticism and length are being prioritized.

No decision date is set for Jordan, so it remains to be seen when he’ll make his final decision. With Jordan only taking one official visit (Oklahoma State), he’s likely to take more of his officials during the season.

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Offseason Stock Up, Stock Down for the Oklahoma Sooners

Taking stock of certain aspects of Oklahoma’s football team after a long offseason. Who is trending up and down?

The offseason is coming to a close, and the 2023 football season is right around the corner. When the pads go on, teams take the intensity up a notch as they dig deeper to prepare for the season.

Oklahoma’s offseason has been pretty quiet, all things considered. Conference realignment isn’t dominating headlines for Oklahoma. Its focus is on being the best Oklahoma team it can be in its final Big 12 season.

Each week during the season, we take stock of where the Sooners are as a team and which way individuals within the program are trending. Here’s an offseason look at the stock report.

Oklahoma makes top 10 for elite 2025 cornerback

The Oklahoma Sooners got more good recruiting news but as history tells us, this won’t be a battle that ends anytime soon.

It is never too early to start preparing for the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. We’ve already seen the Oklahoma Sooners land several commitments and could be landing more in the coming weeks.

Some more good news came out on Thursday as five-star cornerback and top 10 player in the nation [autotag]Devin Sanchez[/autotag] released his top 10. The Sooners made his top 10 list and seem to be in a pretty good spot in his recruitment.

The Sooners are joined in his top by the Michigan Wolverines], Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans, Florida State Seminoles, Oregon Ducks, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. There is still a lot of ways to go, and they’ll have to fight off some elite programs but [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] hopes to be able to build that relationship and get the job done.

The Houston, Tx native is obviously a highly touted player. He would be an elite addition to a secondary that already has five-star [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] at safety. There’s no doubt a good season could go a long way in helping land Sanchez when it’s all said and done.

Devin Sanchez’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • 100% Texas on Rivals
  • 30% Alabama on On3

Film

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‘He’s been on a mission’: Sooners CB Gentry Williams pushing for big role in 2023

Brent Venables and Jay Valai spoke glowingly of Gentry Williams and the work he’s put in this offseason.

When the Oklahoma Sooners open the season on September 2 against Arkansas State, [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] will get the start at one of the cornerback spots. Who occupies the starting cornerback position on the other side of the field is still in question.

Since getting a few snaps in his true freshman season, there’s been buzz about the potential of Tulsa native [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag].

Williams was the top prospect in the Sooners’ 2022 recruiting class, Brent Venables’ first as head coach.

With an opportunity to start for the Oklahoma Sooners right in front of him, Venables believes Gentry Williams has put his best foot forward this offseason.

“He’s been on a mission,” [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] said at Oklahoma Football’s media day Tuesday. “That’s the best way I can describe it. He’s locked and focused. And it’s not that he wasn’t as a as a freshman, but maybe it’s given him an appreciation.”

That appreciation may come from a health scare Williams experienced during spring ball.

Back on March 8, the talented cornerback from Booker T. Washington suffered what was called an exertional collapse.

Since then, it’s been all work for Williams.

“Mission type of mindset,” Venables shared. “Incredible work ethic, teammates love him. He’s got a great ceiling. All of his best football is still in front of him. He’s long, and he’s athletic. He’s tough as all get out. Really talented, young player. You know, players really respect him.”

Williams saw 60 snaps in 2022, but never more than 11 in a game. But he flashed in the time he earned, finishing with an interception, four tackles, and two stops per Pro Football Focus.

Now it’s about taking the offseason work and building off of last season’s first foray into college football.

But to hear co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] tell it, the sky is the limit for Williams because of his work ethic, speed, and athleticism.

“He’s biting every single day,” Valai said of Williams at OU media day. “Work ethic, leading the group. He’s leading all the sprints in the summer, 23 miles per hour running, which is insane. And you know he’s Gentry. He’s working his tail off on a daily basis.”

For a team that needs to see improvement on the defensive side of the ball to reach the level of success that’s expected at the University of Oklahoma, Williams has a chance to be a big part of that improvement.

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Trio of Sooners assistants named to 247Sports All-Big 12 first-team coaching staff

Three Sooners assistants were named to both 247Sports All-Big 12 first and second team coaching staffs.

The Oklahoma Sooners are less than seven weeks away from the start of the 2023 college football season. It’s a team that’s expected to improve from their 6-7 season after having one of the worst defenses in the country in 2022.

There’s a belief that this coaching staff can turn things around. The only question is how quickly can they. The staff has shown a proclivity for recruiting in Norman. While the results aren’t where everyone wants them, this coaching staff has proven their ability throughout their careers. Several assistants were named to 247Sports All-Big 12 team, including three first-teamers.

Here’s how 247Sports grades their assistants.

The All-Big 12 staff comprises the highest-graded coaches in the Coach Rating Index. The CRI is “a massive grading system with over 30,000 individual unit profiles and over 250,000 annual coaching result reports. If a coach was designated in an on-field role in that period in either the FBS or FCS levels, he is in the database with a career number rating and accompanying career star rating.”

  • All coaches must have at least four years of coaching experience at the position.
  • Two defensive back coaches on each team
  • Grades must only include on-field results and not their value as a recruiter, which is a separate grade. – Brandon Marcello – 247Sports
Here’s a look at the coaches recognized by 247Sports.

2024 5-Star cornerback Kobe Black announces official visit to Oklahoma

One prospect Sooner fans should keep an eye on is 2024 5-Star Cornerback Kobe Black who announced he’ll be in Norman next Friday, June 9.

If it’s anything like last year as we enter into the summer months, recruiting will soon start to take off for the Oklahoma Sooners.

One prospect Sooner fans should keep an eye on is 2024 five-star cornerback [autotag]Kobe Black[/autotag] who announced on Twitter he’ll be in Norman next Friday, June 9.

June 9 is shaping up to be a big recruiting weekend for the Sooners as five-star DL Williams Nwaneri is also expected to be there along with four-star cornerback Kaleb Beasley among others.

The Sooners made Black’s top 11 back in April and they’ll be competing against LSU, Ohio State, Alabama, USC, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, TCU and Florida for his commitment.

Black is another highly talented guy the Sooners hope to add to this DB room as they head into SEC play in 2024 but it won’t be an easy recruiting battle to win. He’s currently projected to go to Texas according to On3 and Rivals.

As we saw just last year with the recruitment of 5-Star defensive back [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], the Sooners are never out of it as [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] hope to lure the Texas native to the Sooner state.

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Oklahoma Sooners offer JUCO CB Demetrius Freeney

Oklahoma is still looking to fill out its defensive back unit as they offered JUCO corner transfer Demetrius Freeney Jr.

Oklahoma is enjoying its last bit of time off before the grind of the season starts. Summer workouts begin in June, and fall camp will come soon after. A relatively quiet spring saw Oklahoma welcome a slew of early freshmen enrollees and a host of transfers is now behind them. However, player acquisition never ends.

This spring saw a changing of the guard in the defensive back room. Several players transferred out and Oklahoma brought in a blue-chip class of secondary players. Brent Venables has been working to reshape his defensive back group since taking over.

Most of the departures were holdovers from the Alex Grinch “Speed D” era. And that transition is near completion, but with a young group, there’s still room to improve. So it’s no surprise that they offered JUCO cornerback Demetrius Freeney Jr. out of the College of San Mateo.

Freeney stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds. He flashes in press coverage while also playing off and displays good awareness in zone. In his Hudl highlights, Freeney showed the ability to pass off his man in coverage and keep his eyes on the quarterback. That ability translated to an interception return for a touchdown.

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Woodi Washington is locked in as one starter for Oklahoma. But with Jaden Davis departure to Miami, there’s an opportunity for someone to take over as the second and third cornerback.

There could be a path for some snaps if Freeney commits and makes an impression in summer ball. But if not, he would have at least three more years to make a splash.

Freeney Jr. has received offers from Indiana, Houston, Colorado, Louisville, and San Jose State in addition to Oklahoma’s offer. He’s set up official visits with Lousiville, Houston, Colorado, and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma will host him on May 25. It’s too early to tell how this goes, but it may be something to monitor going forward if Freeney enjoys his visit to Norman.

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Sooners circle back to Tampa Catholic to offer four-star athlete Jameer Grimsley

Oklahoma returned to Tampa Catholic to offer four-star athlete in Jameer Grimsley.

An underrated aspect of recruiting is building relationships with high schools and leveraging those relationships to help you on the recruiting trail in future recruiting battles.

Oklahoma is in the thick of that process. The Sooners recently revisited Tampa Catholic, a Florida school that produced 2023 class signee Lewis Carter, a four-star linebacker.

Carter will join the Sooners in the coming weeks along with the few remaining members of the 2023 class that didn’t early enroll in January.

While at Tampa Catholic, Carter was the most talented player on the team. His departure leaves a void for another talented athlete to fill, and four-star athlete Jameer Grimsely plans to do just that.

Grimsley transferred from Bloomingdale High School after a 2022 season in which he took snaps at wide receiver and cornerback. He caught 25 passes for 356 yards and 3 TDs in 10 games. Defensively, he totaled 10 tackles, one pass broken up and an interception, according to MaxPreps.

The talented athlete stands 6 feet, 3 inches and around 185 pounds. As a junior, he posted 10.96, 11.15 and 11.37 times in the 100-meter dash.

Grimsley has seen his recruitment jump, and he has offers from Michigan, North Carolina, Alabama and Penn State among others. Official visits to the aforementioned schools have been scheduled for June.

Considering Grimsley mentioned Jay Valai, Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof in the post announcing his offer, it’s safe to infer the Sooners want him on the defensive side of the ball.

Jameer Grimsley’s Recruiting Profile

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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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Oklahoma stays hot on recruiting trail with commit from 2024 four-star safety from Texas

Jaydan Hardy joins the Sooners 2024 recruiting class and becomes the fifth player to commit.

Oklahoma started its 2024 class in March with the commitment of four-star corner Jeremiah Newcombe out of Arizona. It continued in April when four-star quarterback Michael Hawkins, three-star wide receiver KJ Daniels and three-star offensive tackle Isaiah Autry committed to the Sooners.

The run continues. Four-star safety Jaydan Hardy joins the 2024 class after his commitment on Saturday while at the spring game.

Hardy hails from Lewisville, Texas, and he picked Oklahoma over SMU, Oregon, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

 

Hardy is a 6-foot, 170-pound safety that showed the versatility to line up in the nickel and the box as a run defender and showcased the range to play deep for his high school team. He also played corner and doubled as a two-way player that made plays at wide receiver and lined up as quarterback. In short, Hardy is a multi-faceted athlete. For the 2022 season, he was the Texas District 6-6A Co-MVP as a junior.

Coach Jasy Valai led the charge for Hardy with Brandon Hall as his wingman. Hardy is the No. 132 overall player in the country in 247Sports’ ranking and is 162nd on the 247Sports composite. His recruitment picked up in late March when four predictions were logged in Oklahoma’s favor in two days. On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman tossed his hat into the mix by predicting Hardy would be a Sooner, while three crystal balls were placed from insiders at 247Sports.

The Sooners continue to rise in recruiting rankings. They have risen into the top 30 in team recruiting rankings.