Tag: Jeremy Payne

Oklahoma makes top 6 for 2024 four-star RB Anthony Carrie

Oklahoma makes the top 6 for a talented four-star runner out of Tampa, Florida in Anthony Carrie.

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag]’s impact on the running back recruiting world cannot go unnoticed. Murray cast a wide net for 2024, and it’s paid massive dividends. Oklahoma has multiple options at the position this cycle.

[autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], [autotag]Tovani Mizell[/autotag], [autotag]Jeremy Payne[/autotag], and [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] all have some projection that favors Oklahoma.

The Sooners will not be taking four running backs, so ultimately, the spaces will be a numbers game.

Added into that mix is another 2024 running back. Anthony Carrie joins the running backs tied to the crimson and cream as he listed Oklahoma in his top six via a post on his social media pages.

Carrie, a 247Sports composite four-star running back out of Tampa, Florida, is a versatile runner willing to lower his pads and fight for the tough yards. He’s not overly imposing in size, but he runs with real purpose and doesn’t shy away from running thru arm tackles.

At 6-feet and clocking in around 185 pounds, Carrie should be able to add more mass once part of a collegiate weightlifting program.

Outside of Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ole Miss rounded out his top six. As it stands right now, it’s more than likely he doesn’t end up a Sooner.

Projections favor Oklahoma going in other directions at the position, but to be included in the top six for another four-star running back is a statement of the job that DeMarco Murray’s done on the recruiting trail.

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Sooners trending favorite for 2024 4-Star RB Caden Durham

Oklahoma Sooners pick up a couple more crystal ball predictions for 2024 4-Star running back Caden Durham out of Duncanville, Texas.

The Sooners earned their first high school commitment since they wrapped up their 2023 class on Monday night with the commitment of 2025 quarterback Kevin Sperry. Sperry’s commitment secures Oklahoma’s 2025 class and allows them to build around the talented signal caller over the next few years.

In the more immediate future, Oklahoma is still waiting for that first 2024 commitment. It’s unclear who it may come from first, but the Sooners are positioning themselves nicely to land commitments from multiple prospects.

One such candidate is running back Caden Durham, a talented lightning bolt of a runner from one of Texas’ premier football powers. Durham plays at Duncanville High School, winners of a 6A title in 2022. In 24 hours, Durham received two crystal balls from Parker Thune of OU Insider and Mike Roach of Texas Insider. Both have him projected to go to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is the favorite to earn Durham’s commitment according to On3’s recruiting prediction machine, with national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman logging a prediction Oklahoma’s way in December.

Durham is listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, but he is a tough runner you won’t catch if he sees daylight in the open field. He had 100-meter times of 10.70 and 10.72 at the AAU Region 18 qualifier in July 2022. Durham is also a Sooner legacy, with his mother being a former OU Track and Field star.

The legacy angle is there, and the connection with running backs coach DeMarco Murray surely helps. Emmett Jones, hired to coach receivers, is also a significant figure in Dallas area recruiting and has likely chipped in on Durham’s recruitment.

Oklahoma is trending for multiple running backs in 2024 as Tovani Mizell, Xavier Robinson, and Jeremy Payne all have projections in Oklahoma’s favor to join along with Caden Durham. There’s a significant chance that it’s a matter of first come, first serve, and the Sooners could take as many as three running backs in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag].

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Top-10 RB Jeremy Payne puts Oregon among top schools in 2024

The Ducks are among the top schools for Jeremy Payne, the No. 10 RB in the 2024 class.

The Oregon Ducks have a strong history at the running back position over the past several decades, and that hasn’t changed at all under Carlos Locklyn, who took over as the RB coach under Dan Lanning in 2022.

The Ducks have brought a number of highly-rated RBs to Eugene over the past couple of seasons, landing guys like Jordan James, Dante Dowdell, and Jayden Limar in the recruiting world, while also bringing Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington to Eugene via the transfer portal.

It appears that Oregon is in good shape going forward, as well, landing among the top schools for 2024 4-star RB Jeremy Payne. Standing at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Payne is rated as the No. 10 RB in the class, and No. 153 overall player in the nation, per 247Sports.

The Ducks extended an offer to Payne back in December of last year, and have not yet received a visit from the Texas back. We will likely see that change going forward.

Jeremy Payne’s Recruiting Profile

MSU football listed in top 12 for Texas 2024 4-star RB Jeremy Payne

Michigan State football remains in the hunt for a big-time running back target in the 2024 class

Michigan State football remains in the hunt for a big-time running back target in the 2024 class.

Four-star running back Jeremy Payne of Missouri City, Texas revealed his top 12 schools on Wednesday, which included the Spartans. Michigan State was joined by TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Houston, Kansas, Oregon, Duke, Auburn, Penn State and Oregon State.

Payne ranks as the No. 14 running back and No. 195 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2024 class. He is also marked as the No. 32 player from the state of Texas.

Michigan State is one of 23 programs to offer Payne a scholarship, according to 247Sports. Oklahoma is considered the early favorites to land Payne’s commitment, but we will see in time how the Spartans shake out for this elite prospect.

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Sooners receive Rivals FutureCast for in-state RB Xavier Robinson

Oklahoma continues to build recruiting momentum for 2024 as they earned a Rivals Futurecast for one of Oklahoma’s best offensive players, Carl Albert’s Xavier Robinson.

Oklahoma football had a pivotal weekend as a program. In Indianapolis, former Sooners from last year’s team were partaking in the interview of their lives at the 2023 NFL Scouting combine. Back in Norman, Oklahoma, the Crimson and Cream hosted another massive Junior Day with over 25 recruits.

The list of prospects was long and star-studded, and by all accounts, Oklahoma did a great job giving recruits a lot to think about going forward.

One in-state recruit in attendance, 2024 three-star RB Xavier Robinson, really enjoyed his visit. Josh McCuiston, Oklahoma Recruiting Editor for Rivals, believed that the Sooners hit it out of the park for the OK preps star and dropped in a Rivals Futurecast for the prospect.

https://twitter.com/OUCrystalBall/status/1632389307582369792?s=20

Robinson is rated the fifth-best player in the state per Rivals. He was named 2022 MaxPreps Oklahoma High School Football Player of the Year. He was a driving force for his Carl Albert team that went 12-2 and won the 5A State title. Robinson was also named The Oklahoman’s Offensive Player of the Year.

He rushed for 2,598 yards and 39 touchdowns to lead his squad. Kansas State, Kansas, Memphis, and Iowa State are all schools recruiting Robinson in addition to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma doesn’t have a running back committed in 2024 but figures to be in the race for Robinson along with [autotag]Jeremy Payne[/autotag], [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], and [autotag]James Peoples[/autotag]. If following their precedent from these least two classes, expect Oklahoma to sign at least two backs.

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‘You learn so much’: DeMarco Murray’s NFL experience valuable for Sooners running backs

Speaking to 94.7 The Ref, running back Jaden Knowles spoke on what DeMarco Murray meant to him and the Oklahoma Sooners.

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] has been on a roll over the last couple of recruiting cycles. He’s helped the Oklahoma Sooners land a pair of four-star running backs in back-to-back recruiting classes.

And it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. The Sooners have been projected to land four-star running back [autotag]Jeremy Payne[/autotag] in the 2024 cycle and are trending in a positive direction with [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], another four-star runner.

His experience as a highly-productive collegiate and NFL runner is paying dividends for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail and in Norman. It’s that experience that former running back Jaden Knowles pointed to when asked about DeMarco Murray and his impact on “The Weatherman.”

“By far my favorite coach ever by far,” Knowles shared with The Rush on 94.7 The Ref in Norman. “We had a great connection. I learned so much from him when I first got here at OU. He just took my game to the next level because you learned so much from different eyes. Especially from somebody who was in the NFL, and you know, exceeded in the NFL. You learn so much stuff because you think you already know a lot about football and how to run the ball because you’ve been doing it for your entire life. But there’s some things that I’ve learned that I never thought of and that, you know, I translated to the field, which helped me a lot, you know, gave me an opportunity in 2021 season. You know, I’m just so thankful for him and wish him the best.”

Knowles was able to get some run in the 2021 season as Kennedy Brooks worked his way back after his opt-out season in 2020, and Eric Gray got up to speed with the Sooners’ offense.

The Sooners were the beneficiaries of a breakout season from [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], someone who’d been lost in the shuffle in 2021 under the previous regime. And with DeMarco Murray leading the way, Oklahoma looks to have a pair of runners that will be highly impactful in 2023 as well.

Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk led the way for the Sooners’ offense in the Cheez-It Bowl loss to Florida State, each going over 100 yards rushing. They ran hard, and they were decisive in a game where Oklahoma was rolling out four new offensive linemen against a really good Seminoles defensive front.

DeMarco Murray has had a huge impact for the Oklahoma Sooners as a recruiter and as a coach. In Jeff Lebby’s offense, the running game is the engine that makes it go. What Murray has done on the recruiting trail and on the development side, he’ll have the Sooners rushing attack humming for as long as he is in Norman.

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Recruits react to weekend spent in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma hosted an important recruiting weekend for the 2024 class, and here’s how they reacted on social media.

A rough first season on the gridiron for Brent Venables, and his staff didn’t slow them down one bit on the recruiting trail for 2023. And it’s unlikely to hinder anything they do in the 2024 cycle as well.

A month removed from a strong performance in the Cheez-It Bowl, the Oklahoma coaching and recruiting staff have been grinding in preparation for this past weekend’s “Junior Day” on campus at the University of Oklahoma.

The Sooners hosted a number of top prospects in the 2024 recruiting class, including four-star quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag], four-star running back [autotag]Jeremy Payne[/autotag], four-star OL [autotag]Casey Poe[/autotag], and four-star safety [autotag]Aaron Flowers[/autotag]. Each has been trending in the Oklahoma Sooners’ favor.

Venables and his staff also hosted four-star in-state product [autotag]Xadavien Sims[/autotag], a defensive lineman out of Durant, Oklahoma. Michigan State is heavily pursuing Sims in addition to David Stone, who will be coming to Norman in a couple of months. These will be two crucial recruiting battles for the Sooners, especially after losing Norman’s Bai Jobe to the Spartans.

The Sooners’ staff has shown that they can recruit in the little more than a year they’ve spent in Norman. This weekend was a big opportunity to make some headway in some notable recruitments.

Here’s how a number of those prospects reacted to their time in Norman.

Sooners pick up another projection for 2024 4-Star RB Jeremy Payne

The Oklahoma Sooners are trending in a positive direction for four-star RB Jeremy Payne after receiving another Rivals FutureCast prediction

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another prediction for 2024 four-star running back, Jeremy Payne. This time from SoonerScoop.com’s Josh McCuistion.

Less than a week after receiving a Rivals FutureCast from national recruiting analyst Nick Harris, McCuistion followed that up with a favorable Sooners prediction of his own.

Oklahoma running back coach DeMarco Murray has become a machine on the recruiting trail. Though he hasn’t landed a five-star running back yet, he’s consistently landing four-star running backs for the Sooners.

If Payne were to commit, that would make the third cycle in a row in which Murray landed a four-star running back. In the 2022 cycle, they brought in Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk. In 2023, Daylan Smothers and Kalib Hicks.

Payne is a shifty runner with breakaway speed. He regularly makes people miss in the open field. He’s got excellent vision and agility and is a threat to score every time he touches the football. In the passing game, he looks more like a wide receiver with the way he brings in the ball. He’s a natural hands catcher that will be effective down the field on wheel routes, over the middle on Texas routes, or in the screen game.

Jeremy Payne is a dynamic player that brings a home-run hitting ability that would be a huge asset for the Oklahoma Sooners if they were to land his commitment.

Jeremy Payne’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • FutureCasts from Nick Harris at Rivals and Josh McCuistion of SoonerScoop.com at Rivals.
  • On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine projection currently has the Texas A&M Aggies as the current leaders for Payne.

Film

Hudl

Sooners earn Rivals FutureCast for 2024 four-star RB Jeremy Payne

Oklahoma received a Rivals Futurecast for four-star RB Jeremy Payne on Monday evening.

The Oklahoma Sooners look like the favorite to land 2024 four-star quarterback Michael Hawkins if he keeps his original commitment date. While getting that QB in the boat is important, so is building a class around him. What better way to do that than to surround him with dynamic playmakers as well?

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] is doing his part to make sure that’s a reality, as he has been recruiting running backs for the 2024 class. One running back he’s focused on, Jeremy Payne, received a FutureCast from Rivals national recruiting analyst Nick Harris in favor of the Sooners Monday evening.

Payne, a four-star back out of the Houston area, has built an excellent rapport with Murray. The Sooners’ running backs coach is looking for another strong recruiting class after landing a pair of four-star players in each of the 2022 and 2023 cycles.

Payne was a Texas district 20-6A unanimous first-team selection as a junior and amassed 19 total touchdowns. He showcased the ability to catch out of the backfield and also returned kicks as well. His short-area quickness allowed him to make something out of nothing on multiple occasions.

As it stands, no commitment date is scheduled, and Payne is likely to take his officials before the season starts.

A Payne commitment would be the fifth four-star back in the last three cycles for Murray. It would also still leave the door open for one more running back commitment which could include names like Caden Durham, Stacy Gage, or Taylor Tatum.

Jeremy Payne’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • FutureCast from Nick Harris at Rivals.
  • On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine projection currently has the Texas A&M Aggies as the current leaders for Payne.

Film

Hudl

Each Quarterback and Running Back the Oklahoma Sooners have offered in the 2024 recruiting class

With the focus on 2023 this summer, let’s take a look at the quarterbacks and running backs the Oklahoma Sooners have offered in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Oklahoma’s had a lot of success recruiting the quarterback and running back positions since in the school’s history. Though the style of player has changed from the dynastic eras of the Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer days, Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners were able to attract some of the best skill players the country has had to offer.

Since the turn of the century, Oklahoma’s had some of the best offensive players the game has seen, as evidenced by their four Heisman trophies, several finalists, and highly productive rushing attacks.

And now with Jeff Lebby running the show, Oklahoma’s going to continue that run of highly skilled offensive players at the Palace on the Prairie.

The Sooners have a nice group of quarterbacks to work with over the next couple of years with [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag], [autotag]Davis Beville[/autotag], and [autotag]General Booty[/autotag] on the 2022 roster and [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] coming in 2023.

At running back, Oklahoma is also looking really good with [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] on the depth chart for 2022 with four-start running back [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] to come in 2023.

While the Sooners continue their push for the 2023 recruiting class, let’s take a look ahead to see who they’re targeting in 2024.