Tag: josh conerly

2022 Five-star tackle Josh Conerly sets announcement date

Uncommitted five-star offensive tackle and Oklahoma Sooners target Josh Conerly announced commitment date.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, their 2022 class is all but complete while two prospects that the Sooners remain in contention for remain without college destinations. One of those is Josh Conerly, a consensus top 25 recruit and the highest-rated unsigned offensive lineman in the 2022 class.

Conerly hails from Seattle, Washington so it only makes sense that the Washington Huskies figure heavily into his recruitment. In addition to the Sooners and Huskies, schools like USC, Miami, Michigan are also in the mix. As it stands right now, Michigan and USC are the only schools with crystal ball predictions for Conerly. Bill Bedenbaugh and the Sooners hosted Conerly for a visit back in January but it remains highly unlikely the Sooners get Conerly’s signature.

We’ll find out for sure on April 8th when Conerly announces his decision on CBS Sports HQ. The five-star Army All-American is a high upside player and is a potential early-round draft pick. He could play on the defensive side of the ball if he chose to due to his elite athleticism.

The Oklahoma Sooners have already landed two tackles in this class in Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton. If they were able to add Conerly to that mix it would make for one incredible haul for Bill Bedenbaugh, who is looking for a bounce-back year from his offensive line after inconsistency plagued his unit and saw two of his starters depart for the NFL Draft.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=50598]

Spring recruiting party: Updated list of prospects visiting Oregon Ducks this weekend

Some really big names are coming to Eugene for recruiting visits this weekend. Here’s an updated tracker of players expected on campus.

After the recruiting dead period was lifted following the month of February, the Oregon Ducks have hit the ground running when trying to attract some of the best prospects in the nation and sell them on what Dan Lanning and Co. are starting in Eugene.

Last weekend, we saw a handful of incredibly talented players flock to Eugene to take both official and unofficial visits to Oregon, and on this second weekend in March, the Ducks are taking it much a notch.

The list of confirmed visitors is still growing, but already we can confidently say that it is among the biggest recruiting weekends of the spring for the Ducks, who will play host to a number of high-profile players in the 2022 class, as well as the 2023 and 2024 classes as well. On top of that, there is even an all-Pac-12 pass-rusher coming to town fresh off of his transfer from the UCLA Bruins.

So who can we expect to see in Eugene this weekend? Here is an updated list:

5-star Matayo Uiagalelei, No. 1 DE in 2023 class, to make return trip to Eugene this weekend

Oregon’s recruiting weekend just got bigger. According to @DUiagalelei No. 1 DE Matayo Uiagalelei will join numerous 5-star recruits on campus.

[jwplayer Rv1Bar6c]

The Oregon Ducks’ recruiting weekend just got bigger than it already was, with the father of 5-star edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei announcing on social media that his son would once again be in Eugene to see Dan Lanning and Co. this coming weekend.

Uiagalelei, who is the No. 1 rated DE in the 2023 class, made a visit to Oregon near the end of January right before national signing day. He obviously has a lot of interest in the Ducks, which is supported by his decision to return again so quickly.

[lawrence-related id=20814]

Uiagalelei is the younger brother of DJ Uiagalelei, the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers. He has offers from the USC Trojans, Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Clemson Tigers, and Ohio State Buckeyes, among numerous other top programs.

This coming weekend was already going to see a lot of top players come to Eugene, with 5-star OT Josh Conerly and 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton also coming to town. On top of that, All-Pac-12 DE Mitchell Agude, a transfer from UCLA, will also be on campus to see the facilities ahead of making his decision.

The Ducks start spring practice on Thursday and will take the field again on Saturday, giving the recruits a chance to see what Lanning and his staff are about in action. Here’s to hoping they see everything they need to see.

[listicle id=20607]

5-star OT Josh Conerly, 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton set for official visits to Oregon this week

Josh Conerly and Lebbeus Overton, the top unsigned OL and DL in the 2022 class, will be taking official visits to Eugene this weekend.

The Oregon Ducks have an important recruiting weekend ahead of them, with some of the top available prospects in the nation coming to Eugene to check out the facilities.

According to 247Sports, both 5-star OT Josh Conerly and 5-star DL Lebbeus Overton will be in Eugene this coming weekend for official visits, getting a chance to see new head coach Dan Lanning and check out the Oregon facilities.

Conerly is listed as the No. 2 OT in the 2022 recruiting class, and the No. 15 player overall. He is a highly coveted prospect, and among the best players left unsigned after delaying his recruiting process until after national signing day. He recently listed Oregon in his top-6 ahead of his commitment.

One of the other top unsigned players in the 2022 class is Overton, who was originally part of the 2023 recruiting class, but reclassified after NSD and will look to start his college career this fall. Overton, who is the No. 5 DL in the nation, and No. 18 player overall, will be accompanied by his brother, Micaiah, who is a defensive lineman at Liberty who recently entered the transfer portal and announced he plans to transfer to whichever team signs his younger brother. The Ducks offered a scholarship to both Overton brothers earlier this month.

On top of those two visits, Oregon will also be hosting Mitchell Agude, an all-Pac-12 edge rusher who is transferring from UCLA this offseason.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=none image=https://duckswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=20607]

Where do Ducks stand in recruiting battle for 5-star OT Josh Conerly?

5-star OT Josh Conerly is among the top unsigned players in the 2022 class, and Oregon will battle USC down the stretch for his commitment.

[jwplayer YqJXx42j]

Though the Oregon Ducks added a number of highly ranked recruits to their 2022 class on national signing day in February, at least one big fish is left in the sea.

That big fish is five-star offensive tackle Josh Conerly, out of Rainier Beach, Washington. Conerly stands 6 feet, 5 inches and 283 pounds. He is ranked the No. 2 OT in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 15 player overall, according to 247Sports.

[lawrence-related id=20466]

Earlier this year, the Washington native announced he would hold off on his commitment until the spring — after he had the chance to take more official visits once the recruiting period opened back up. One of the visits he is planning to take is to Eugene to see Dan Lanning and the Ducks.

While we wait for him to do that, On3 Recruits offered an update on which teams have the best chance to land him, and Oregon is in the mix, behind the USC Trojans.

While the Trojans are considered the favorites, it will be interesting to see if that changes after Conerly takes his visit to Eugene. Everyone knows the Ducks’ have some of the nicest facilities in the nation. The ace up their sleeve has long been their ability to get recruits on campus and ‘wow’ them simply by just showing them around Autzen Stadium and the neighboring complex.

Will Adrian Klemm and the Ducks be able to impress Conerly enough to flip him to Oregon? Early predictions might suggest he will head to Los Angeles, but everything can change after a visit. We will surely be keeping a close eye on this and waiting for more news about Conerly’s eventual visit and his commitment in the end.

[listicle id=20369]

Elite recruit and Sooner legacy Lebbeus Overton is reclassifying to the 2022 class

The Sooners landed in the top five for newly reclassified 2022 recruit and OU legacy Lebbeus Overton.

National signing day never passes without surprises. In this case, the surprise comes the day after the first day of the regular signing period for prospective Division 1 football players.

Early Thursday morning, elite defensive line recruit Lebbeus Overton announced he would reclassify from the class of 2023 and join the 2022 class, thus making him officially able to sign and play in the fall.

The announcement creates a massive ripple in the college football world and the recruitment is already narrowed per an article by recruiting aficionado Steve Wiltfong. Five schools are in the running for Overton and he plans to use his official visits to those five: Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Oregon.

Oklahoma’s ties to Overton run deep. Like DNA deep. Overton’s father was a former Oklahoma Sooner from 1991-1994 as an offensive lineman. He started four seasons, graduated and returned to OU for a master’s degree. He is the athletic director at Kennesaw State University.

Lebbeus doesn’t play along the offensive line, but he’s dominant in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball. Oh, and he’s a star on his high school basketball team. He was a significant contributor on a Milton High School team that won a state championship at the 7A level in Georgia and finished seventh nationally per MaxPreps in 2021.

When announcing why he was still considering Oklahoma, Milton said this: “Coach Venables going there you can tell they’re trying to switch the program to more a defensive one. He played a main role of being in my top five.” It’s hardly surprising considering how many recruits in recent weeks have echoed some variation of the same sentiments that Venables character and personality stands out above all else. 

Oklahoma offered Overton under the Riley regime and Calvin Thibodeaux led the recruiting efforts. While that was going on, the Clemson Tigers were very much in the mix, led by a few familiar names that wear Crimson and Cream now. Venables and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates were the leads of his recruitment when both were at Clemson, and you can imagine both will be using that relationship now that both are at Oklahoma. 

Bates and Venables are no strangers to landing elite defensive line talent. They tag-teamed the recruitment of defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, 2019’s No. 1 recruit who signed and plays with Clemson. Bates also helped land three other top 100 defensive tackles in the last few years while at Clemson.

The Sooners have a shot here, but it will not be easy. The field is full of some massive major destinations for an elite defender.

Ohio State is Ohio State, puts players in the league at an outstanding rate and is a national contender almost yearly. Texas A&M’s recruiting for the 2022 class is historic and is already filled with five-star defensive line talent thanks to quite possibly college football’s best recruiter, Elijah Robinson. Oregon has Dan Lanning, who was the defensive coordinator at Georgia before being hired by the Ducks as their head coach. The familiarity means something as Overton mentioned. The same can be said about Georgia, which is the hometown school, fresh off a national title, and loses quite a few interior defenders such as Jordan Davis and Travon Walker to the NFL.

A&M is the trending pick right now. With a decision not likely anytime in the next month, this is a major story to watch over the college football offseason.

The Sooners should empty the tank and go all-in for Overton. They had a five-star defensive lineman, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, who was another Sooners legacy. But Lincoln Riley’s exit and Calvin Thibodeaux heading to work at SMU after not being retained by Venables sealed the Sooners’ fate.

They have a shot at another legacy recruit and have nothing stopping them from going all in and applying the full-court press. Only Overton and Josh Conerly remain as Sooners’ targets for the class of 2022. Landing the two would be massive, but landing Overton seems more attainable due to a few factors the Sooners have in their favor. 

This is a situation we’ll monitor over the next few months or so. Stay tuned to Sooners Wire for more information as it comes out.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=50598]

After missing out on five-star Devon Campbell, what’s next for OU’s offensive line recruiting?

After missing out on Devon Campbell what’s next for Oklahoma’s offensive line recruiting for the 2022 cycle?

With the first day of the signing period behind us, we can all finally let out a deep sigh of relief. While exciting, it can be a lot and taking a step back gives you the luxury of looking at the bigger picture.

For example, the Sooners missed out on a few targets they had one their board but they also signed four of the six recruits they were recruiting hardest leading into national signing day.

It’s all about the perspective there. That same level of perspective will be needed as the Sooners do have to live with their misses on signing day. One of the two misses will sting a bit harder as consensus five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell chose the Texas Longhorns over the Sooners on signing day.

We’ve maintained for a while now Texas was in the lead here but make no mistake offensive line coach did everything possible for him to get the Sooners to this point in the race.

Ultimately, Texas won out and the Longhorns have assembled and incredible amount of offensive line talent to block for transfer QB Quinn Ewers over the next few years. That brings us to this question: Where do the Sooners stand with the rest of their offensive line recruiting for this class?

As it stands there are just two offensive line in the 2022 recruiting class for the Sooners. At least, currently. They’ve got four-star talents Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor signed and they have a shot on one other highly ranked offensive lineman in the 2022 class, Michigan Wolverines lean Josh Conerly.

Josh Conerly Jr. is a consensus five-star offensive tackle recruit out of the state of Washington. His recruitment is down to six teams, including the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners had Conerly in for a January official visit. He won’t decide his college decision until March but the Sooners are putting their best foot forward there. Who knows where it stands or what it may amount to but if they lose it won’t be for lack of trying.

A commitment from Conerly paired with the signings of four-star offensive tackle Jake Taylor and four-star Jacob Sexton would be a very solid offensive line class overall.

Take into consideration with the Sooners missing out on Campbell, they’ve not signed a consensus five-star offensive line prospect in the last decade. Pretty remarkable that a place of Oklahoma’s caliber has been unable to land such a talent especially considering a couple of the NFL’s best offensive linemen, Trent Williams and Creed Humphrey are Sooners.

The Sooners have the facilities, staff and whatever is necessary to land these five-star talents on both sides of the trenches but until they see it happening, there will always be that disappointing feeling seeing  a player like Campbell get away.

The Sooners should continue to recruit elite offensive linemen going forward and by the looks of the offers to the offensive linemen of the 2023 class, the Sooners are planning to do just that.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=50598]

Oregon expected to add preferred walk-on OL Ben Hartman in 2022 class

The Ducks are adding some depth to the offensive line, getting Ben Hartman to join the team as a PWO.

[jwplayer 5vkP2FkJ]

It’s always nice to add depth.

Oregon had to mix and match along the offensive line last season with injuries, but the Ducks are hoping not to have to piece the unit together any time soon. But if they have to, stockpiling talent is the right thing to do.

Offensive lineman Ben Hartman, a 6-foot-4, 295-pounder out of Austin, Texas, and Milton High School announced he intends to join Oregon as a preferred walk-on.

Under Mario Cristobal, the Ducks began building a wave of offensive line talent. Even though new coach Dan Lanning is a defensive coach, he certainly will not be ignoring the other side of the ball in recruiting top talent. Oregon is heavily recruiting offensive linemen Dave Iuli and Josh Conerly. Whether they sign with the Ducks remains to be seen, but Lanning is definitely covering all of his bases with his first recruiting class.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. 

[listicle id=17410]

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 lands at No.6 in USA TODAY Sports’ ‘Way to Early’ top 25 for 2022

After finishing 11-2 and losing their head coach in the process, the Sooners place 6th in USA TODAY Sports “way to early” top 25 for 2022.

Just mere days after the 2021 season ended with the Georgia Bulldogs staking their undeniable claim to the throne atop the college football world by beating Alabama in the national championship game, the world is already looking forward to the next season. Our friends at the mothership at USA TODAY Sports released an early top 25 for 2022 (subscription required) as we head into the offseason. Here’s What Paul Myerburg and Erick Smith had to say about the Oklahoma Sooners.

Transition season doesn’t even begin to describe the changes in Norman. Lincoln Riley is gone after his fifth season as coach and heralded freshman quarterback Caleb Williams is in the portal. Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables arrives with a different approach that should make the Sooners better at stopping opponents. There are enough pieces to quickly become one of the top units in the Big 12 with Jalen Redmond and Woodi Washington among the leaders. The challenge to continue the program’s offensive success starts with new coordinator Jeff Lebby. Dillon Gabriel, his former quarterback at Central Florida, arrives in the transfer portal. Marvin Mims leads what should be a strong receiving unit. The offensive line has several vacancies, but has been an area of disappointment and it could improve under the physical approach of Venables. – Myerburg and Smith, USA TODAY Sports

The two college football analysts bring some valid points to the discussion. Redmond and Washington are undoubtedly going to have to be leaders on the field for Oklahoma to be successful defensively. On top of that, they’ll need bigger presences off the field in the locker room too.

With Dillon Gabriel in Morman, Lebby has at least one quarterback he trusts and knows well. The Sooners have to replace their quarterback as it’s all but a foregone conclusion that Caleb Williams will not be returning.

The offensive line poses some of the biggest questions. Tyrese Robinson and Marquis Hayes are off to the NFL. There’s not a ton of experience to bring in to replace them. Incoming transfer McKade Mettauer figures to be a guy who fights for a real opportunity to start having been at California and starting 28 games in a row before he transferred. The Sooners are also competing for the services of two five-star offensive linemen in Josh Conerly and Devon Campbell.

Coming in at No. 6 seems a bit high but if things fall their way and they are able to maximize some opportunities in the transfer portal, heading into the season as a top 10 team isn’t that far off at all.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=52729]