Tag: Kevin Sperry

Oklahoma and Northern Iowa add new quarterback recruits

It’s been a busy week in the quarterback recruiting business.

It’s been a busy week in the quarterback recruiting business. Three prominent football schools from around the nation have added notable prospects at this position over the last three days.

First, Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Fla.) Junior QB Cedrick Bailey Jr. committed to NC State on Monday.

Later in the day, the Oklahoma Sooners got a commitment from Rock Hill (Texas) Sophomore QB Kevin Sperry.

Sperry (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) has a three-star rating from Rivals. He had offers from 20 other schools, including Baylor, Florida State, Oregon and Tennessee. He is the first commit for Oklahoma’s class of 2025.

Then on Tuesday, Marian Central Catholic (Ill.) Junior QB Cale McThenia committed to the University of Northern Iowa.

McThenia is a dual-threat QB who posted 2,604 passing yards and 27 touchdowns this past season, plus 408 yards and eight scores as a rusher.

247Sports has McThenia (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) listed as a two-star prospect. According to On3, he also had offers from Iowa State and Ball State.

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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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2025 QB Kevin Sperry commits to the University of Oklahoma

After receiving his Oklahoma offer less than a week ago, 2025 quarterback prospect Kevin Sperry commits to the Sooners.

The writing was on the wall ever since the offer came through, but the Oklahoma Sooners picked up their first commitment in the 2025 cycle. Rock Hill quarterback [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] announced via his Twitter account that he’s committing to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Sperry received his Oklahoma offer just last week, and within the hour, a pair of crystal ball predictions favored the Sooners in his recruitment. It didn’t take long for the momentum to grow to a fever pitch, with recruiting analysts from every major publication favoring the Sooners.

Though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise with the way the predictions were trending, what is a surprise is that Sperry’s commitment came while Oklahoma’s still looking to break the ice on their 2024 class. That commitment could come at any point, but for now, the Sooners have a serious headstart on a recruiting class that is still nearly two years from national signing day.

Sperry spoke with Brandon Drumm of OUInsider to discuss what led to his quick commitment.

Getting their quarterback on board will help them recruit the rest of the cycle on both sides of the ball. Kevin Sperry is an incredibly talented player for just being a sophomore. Here’s what I had to say about him the other day.

He has a strong arm that can get the ball down the field and hit all the intermediate throws. He does a great job throwing with timing and anticipation. Sperry excels throwing on the run in both directions.

Equally impressive is his ability to run the ball, a staple in Jeff Lebby’s offense. He’s a natural ball carrier that is unafraid to initiate contact but is also able to make players miss at the second level. He’s got the speed to get to the outside, and his agility allows him to move well in the pocket. – John Williams, Sooners Wire

The Sooners got a good one. Sperry is a fantastic fit for what Jeff Lebby wants to do offensively. Someone who can be equally dangerous with his legs as he can with his arm. With two years to continue to develop his game, Kevin Sperry looks like yet another great quarterback prospect to make his way to Norman.

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Sooners receive another prediction for 2025 QB Kevin Sperry

Sooners receive another prediction for talented 2025 quarterback Kevin Sperry out of Rock Hill High School.

A few days ago, the Oklahoma Sooners offered 2025 quarterback [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag]. Not long after the offer became public, OUInsider’s Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm issued crystal ball predictions in favor of the Sooners.

Oklahoma looks like the favorite in what will be a high-profile recruitment for the 2025 prospect out of Rock Hill High School (Frisco, Texas).

The Sooners received another prediction, this time from Chad Simmons, On3’s director of recruiting.

Sperry is unrated across the recruiting landscape, but when 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN drop their evaluations, Sperry will easily be considered a four-star prospect in the early going.

As a sophomore for Rock Hill, Sperry showed off what will make him one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

He has a strong arm that can get the ball down the field and hit all the intermediate throws. He does a great job throwing with timing and anticipation. Sperry excels throwing on the run in both directions.

Equally impressive is his ability to run the ball, a staple in Jeff Lebby’s offense. He’s a natural ball carrier that is unafraid to initiate contact but is also able to make players miss at the second level. He’s got the speed to get to the outside, and his agility allows him to move well in the pocket.

Though we’re a long way from 2025 national signing day, the Oklahoma Sooners already look well-positioned for one of their future quarterbacks.

With [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] on the way and the possibility of [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] coming in the 2024 cycle and Sperry in 2025, Jeff Lebby has the future looking bright at the quarterback position.

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Sooners next to offer 2025 QB KJ Lacey out of Alabama

Oklahoma joins Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina to offer 2025 QB KJ Lacey.

The University of Oklahoma has cast a wide net for their pursuit of a quarterback for the 2025 recruiting class. That net got a bit wider with the Sooners sending an offer to 2025 QB K.J. Lacey out of Saraland, Alabama.

Lacey is slight in size as he currently stands 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds. He is a dynamic player, though, with a good arm that he uses to push the ball downfield. He can also make throws on the run, showing off excellent accuracy outside the pocket.

Lacey looks to have the attention of some high-profile programs already. He has offers from Alabama, Florida State, and Tennessee in addition to his OU offer. He is the third QB offer the Sooners have sent out for the class of 2025, joining [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] and [autotag]Cobey Sellers[/autotag].

KJ Lacey’s Recruiting Profile

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Sooners look to be a player in race for 2025 QB Kevin Sperry

The Oklahoma Sooners offered 2025 QB Kevin Sperry, and recruiting analysts from OUInsider at 247Sports issued crystal balls in OU’s favor.

Oklahoma was put in a bind last year when starting quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was unable to play after suffering a tough concussion in Oklahoma’s loss to TCU. Their scholarship quarterbacks weren’t good enough to run their offense. So the Sooners ran a wildcat-style offense during the Red River Showdown and were promptly shut out 49-0. It was downright embarrassing. However, the staff seemed to take that personally.

They’ve been aggressive in their pursuit of the quarterbacks they want, so they won’t be in a situation that dire again.

Five-star QB [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is in the building. They are in hot pursuit of their quarterback for 2024, Michael Hawkins, and now, their 2025 QB target seems to have emerged.

Kevin Sperry out of Rock Hill High School in Prosper, Texas is a talented dual-threat signal caller and is tracking to be a top 2025 prospect. He was the Texas district 5-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore.

With 20-plus offers, there’s no mistaking that Sperry will be one of the nation’s most coveted QBs in 2025. He has a strong arm, and the ball just effortlessly jumps off his fingers.

Jeff Lebby has obviously made an impression on Sperry, and two of 247Sports’ resident Oklahoma insiders believe the Sooners are already in the driver’s seat to land Sperry’s commitment.

Hours after Sperry received his offer, Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider at 247Sports entered crystal balls in OU’s favor.

Kevin Sperry’s Recruiting Profile

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OU, Bedlam to play host to big names with a number of prospects descending on Norman

Oklahoma takes on in-state rival Oklahoma State for Bedlam and will be doing so with a massive group of recruits in attendance. From @thatmanbryant

There’s a fairly significant amount of importance surrounding Bedlam this year. The amount of games left between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State has been reduced significantly with Oklahoma’s impending move to the SEC on the horizon.

We may have 2023 and 2024, but the rivalry will cease as we know it in the next few years. Every game has always mattered but these last few, like the one on Saturday night, will mean a lot more.

Additionally, Oklahoma is fighting for bowl eligibility. They need one more win to participate in 2022’s bowl season.

Lastly and arguably most importantly, Oklahoma has its biggest recruiting weekend of the football season with Oklahoma State coming to town. We’ll revisit 2022 Bedlam several years from now and look back and remember it as a pivotal moment in Oklahoma’s last five to ten years.

There are some big-time names across multiple recruiting classes that will be in attendance for Oklahoma including five-star DT and Texas A&M commit David Hicks and recently dubbed 2024 five-star DT David Stone. More than 20 recruits have already committed to being in Norman, some via social media and others per OUInsider.com.