Tag: Kobie McKinzie

UNLV transfer linebacker Jacoby Windmon commits to Michigan State

Texas will have to look elsewhere for help at the linebacker position.

Disappointing news for Texas as former UNLV linebacker Jacoby Windmon has committed to play at Michigan State.

Windmon had a standout season at UNLV tallying an impressive 118 tackles and 6.5 sacks. 247Sports has him rated among the top 20 players in the transfer portal.

Although Windmon was a priority target for Steve Sarkisian and his staff, all hope is not lost at linebacker. Texas received great news earlier in the week as DeMarvion Overshown announced he will return for the 2022 season and the commitment of four-star linebacker Kobie Mckinzie.

Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski did not have his first year go as planned. The Texas defense ranked outside the top 100 in the country against the run, a major contributor for the team’s 5-7 record.

The Horns will still look to add more depth to the linebacker position as national signing day approaches and more talent enters the transfer portal.

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5 recruits Brent Venables’ can secure as he becomes Oklahoma’s next head coach

As he starts to settle in, who are the 5 recruits that Brent Venables and the current staff should focus on?

After an agonizing week filled with rumors, misinformation, smokescreens, de-commitments, and borderline scandals, the Oklahoma Sooners have found their man. The name is familiar in Oklahoma as Brent Venables takes the reigns as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. From 1999 to 2011, Venables coached at Oklahoma, where he served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach for the Sooners under legendary head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops is currently serving as interim while things are sorted out for Venables and the rest of the potential new staff.

For Venables, the bit of mess he walked in isn’t catastrophic, but it’s worthy of note. They are less than two weeks away from the Early Signing Day, and their 2022 class is currently 17th on 247Sports team rankings after being 7th just a week ago.

They’ve lost four 2022 recruits since news of Riley’s departure to USC, and Venables will have his work cut out for him to regain those commitments, add others, or bring guys from Clemson’s recruiting class.

Who are the five players that Brent Venables and the current staff should look to close the deal on?

Texas lands commitment from four-star linebacker Kobie McKinzie

BOOM! Texas lands a huge commitment from four-star LB Kobie McKinzie.

Reinforcements are Austin bound, as Texas was able to benefit off the departure of Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, and land a huge commitment from a former Sooner pledge.

Texas’ 2022 recruiting class is welcoming another member in four-star linebacker Kobie McKinzie out of Lubbock, Texas. After committing to Oklahoma almost a year ago, McKinizie decided to re-open his recruitment after the sudden departure of Riley.

As soon as Riley left and McKinzie decommited, the Texas staff was quick to offer him and get him to Austin for an official visit. The visit clearly left a lasting impression, as just two days after he went to check out the Forty Acres, he announced his commitment to Texas.

Defense has been a major point of emphasis in recruiting for a Texas team that ranked No. 100 in the nation in total defense, giving up 456 yards per game.

Texas’ class stays at No. 7 in the 247Sports rankings, behind schools such as Penn State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff will have ample opportunities to add even more talent to the class prior to early signing day on Dec. 15, and need to capitalize on all the coaches moving around and try to flip some high level players.

As Riley moves on, the decommits from Oklahoma’s 2022 class begin to pile up

With Lincoln Riley heading to USC, the 2022 OU’s recruiting class has taken a hit with the early signing period right around the corner.

By now, it’s probably painfully obvious what has happened. The Sooners no longer have Lincoln Riley as their head coach as he decided Sunday to bolt for the head coaching position at the University of Southern California. It was a move that has shaken the core of the Sooners program and its community of fans with massive implications for the landscape of college football.

On the surface, the Sooners need a head coach sooner rather than later. Early signing period opens on December 15th. When news of Riley’s departure hit the internet, it was only a matter of time before Oklahoma commits would begin to jump ship and reassess their options. While the 2023 class was ranked number one in the country for its class, we’ll focus on the more pressing and immediate future of the 2022 class, who with two weeks away from making the biggest decisions of their lives are left without the head coach they committed to play for.

Derrick Moore, DE

Maryland native Derrick Moore announced his de-commitment Monday morning.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Moore committed to the Sooners on July 4 after visiting for the signature ChampU BBQ. He came on his official visit to Oklahoma in late September for the game against West Virginia.

Moore was recruited heavily by Jamar Cain, who remains on staff as of right now. At the time, the Sooners beat out Penn State, Ohio State, and Alabama for his services. Moore was a consensus four-star recruit across all major recruiting services and was in line for some early opportunities considering what Oklahoma will lose likely on their defensive line. It’s a massive loss as it stands right now.

Demetrius Hunter, IOL

Demetrius Hunter marks another tough blow for the Sooners 2022 recruiting efforts. Hunter had been committed since March of this year but has now backed out of his commitment. With Bill Bedenbaugh likely headed to USC with Riley, the lack of a head coach makes Oklahoma a difficult sell for Hunter.

While Hunter wasn’t ranked highly, just 353rd nationally on 247Sports’ composite rankings, Bedenbaugh saw something in him to take a chance, and with his track record of developing less-heralded guys, the Sooners may miss out on a gem. The product of West Orange-Stark High School now opens up his recruitment with signing day just around the corner.

Kobie McKinzie, LB

The first commit of the Sooners 2022 class has announced he will also be de-commiting from Oklahoma. Kobie McKinzie sent shockwaves through the recruiting world when he committed to Oklahoma as a sophomore after being recruited by Brian Odom. Odom is currently still employed by Oklahoma but his first major recruit while on staff is no more.

McKinzie hails from Lubbock, Texas which is notable considering that’s where Texas Tech is. Texas Tech has had their eye on him since he started high school football and with the new hire of Joey McGuire will likely set their sights on him again.

McKinzie is a consensus four-star linebacker recruit that the Sooners were ecstatic about having. In a lot of ways, he was a clone of former Sooner turned first-rounder Kenneth Murray.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for a team that started the 2021 season as national title contenders. As the 2022 recruiting class begins taking hits, stay tuned here at the Sooners Wire for further updates as the situation unfolds.

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Oklahoma linebacker commit to visit during ‘ChampU BBQ’ event

Top Sooners defensive commit Kobie McKinzie announced official visit to Norman.

The NCAA’s dead period will be coming to an end very soon and that means official visits are once again in play. One of the big events for the Oklahoma Sooners is their annual BBQ event every summer in which they host a number of recruits. Last year’s event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and they had to get creative. Much the reason for Caleb Williams putting together the ‘Sooner Summit’.

There have been plenty of announcements about players attending the three-day event in June, including a pair of defensive backs. You can add one more to that list with current linebacker commit, Kobie McKinzie.

The top defensive commit of the class will be making his official visit to Norman, Oklahoma. McKinzie is the No. 5 inside linebacker of the class according to 247Sports composite rankings. He is No. 91 overall and No. 18 in the state of Texas as a four-star recruit.

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Four Oklahoma commits rank in top 100 of ESPN’s prospect rankings

A total of five Oklahoma Sooner commits among the ESPN 300 recruiting rankings that were released on Thursday.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a hot start on the recruiting trail for the 2022 cycle but has since cooled a bit. Continue reading “Four Oklahoma commits rank in top 100 of ESPN’s prospect rankings”

Trio of 2022 Sooners commits named to MaxPreps junior All-American team

Three of the four Oklahoma Sooners commits for the 2022 cycle have been named to the junior All-American team by MaxPreps.

The 2021 recruiting cycle will come to a close on Feb. 3 as National Signing Day is almost upon us. The Oklahoma Sooners currently sit with the No. 10 class in the country. On Wednesday, the class will be all wrapped up and the team can focus on the upcoming season. It remains to be seen as to whether or not there will be a spring game this year.

Looking beyond the 2021 recruiting cycle and the 2021 college football season, we have the 2022 recruiting class. The Sooners already have four commitments, with three coming at wide receiver. One of those three, Luther Burden of Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, Missouri, was named to the MaxPreps Junior All-American team.

Oklahoma commit was selected on the Class 3A first team by the Missouri Football Coaches Association.

Burden was named along with Ryan Peppins of Thompson (Alabaster, AL) as the two first-team wide receivers. On the defensive side of the ball, fellow Sooners commit Kobie McKinzie of Cooper (Lubbock, TX), was named to the first-team defense at linebacker.

Oklahoma commit was a monster during his junior year and has some of the game’s most impressive tape.

On the second-team offense, MaxPreps listed another Oklahoma commit in wide receiver Talyn Shettron of Edmond-Sante Fe.

Oklahoma commit hauled in 61 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns for the runner-up in 6A-I.

This trio of commits looks to be huge building blocks for the 2022 recruiting class as they get underway in the coming weeks. Lincoln Riley appears to be putting together yet another class of athletes who can get the Sooners over the hump and into the National Championship game.

Fab Four: Selecting Oklahoma football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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Two Oklahoma Commits in First Rivals 250 for 2022

Rivals has released its first set of rankings for the 2022 signing class. A pair of Sooner commits made the cut.

Rivals has released its first set of rankings for the 2022 signing class, including the top 250 prospects from across the country.

A pair of Sooner commits made the cut. LB Kobie McKinzie came in at No. 155 and Garland WR Jordan Hudson at No. 184. Rivals rates both as four-star prospects.

McKinzie is a 6-foot-3, 225 lb inside linebacker from Cooper High School in Lubboclk, TX. Hudson is a  6-foot-1, 185 lb wide receiver from Garland High School in Garland, TX.

As of right now, McKinzie and Hudson make up OU’s entire 2022 class. 247Sports ranks OU fifth in their 2022 class rankings. But McKinzie may be on the move soon.

He announced in February that he will be graduating next may rather than May 2022, opening the door for him to reclassify to class of 2021.

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Oklahoma lands commitment from four-star 2022 WR Jordan Hudson

Lincoln Riley and his staff picked up their second 2022 commit on Tuesday, in the form of four-star WR Jordan Hudson out of Garland, TX. 

As Oklahoma’s 2021 class shoots up the recruiting rankings, 2022 is already off to a hot start.

Lincoln Riley and his staff picked up their second 2022 commit on Tuesday, in the form of four-star WR Jordan Hudson out of Garland, TX.

Hudson, the No. 15 WR in his class per 247Sports, also had offers from Alabama, LSU, Texas, and USC.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound wideout joins four-star OLB Kobie McKinzie in what is now the No. 4 class in the nation.

OU offered Hudson back in February, when he had only a handful of Division 1 offers.

Once the Sooners began recruiting him, he quickly picked up offers from Texas, Arkansas, Nebraska, LSU, Alabama, USC and many more.

It appears that Riley’s eye for talent, especially at wideout, is gaining increasing notoriety all across the country.

As a sophomore, Hudson racked up 79 catches for 1,270 yards and 20 touchdowns. He averaged 16.2 yards per catch and was named Texas District 10-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Since committing, Hudson has implied that he’s already hard at work recruiting for OU’s 2022 class.

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Class of 2022 Oklahoma linebacker commit could reclassify to 2021 recruiting class

2022 Oklahoma commit Kobie McKinzie announced Wednesday he will be reclassifying to the 2021 recruiting class. 

Class of 2022 Oklahoma linebacker commit Kobie McKinzie announced on Wednesday that he will graduate a year early in May of 2021.

Listed at 6’3″ 227 lbs, The Cooper high school product is the No. 1 ranked outside linebacker in the 2022 cycle, according to 247sports.com. He is ranked No. 38 nationally, and the second-ranked player in the state of Texas.

The Texas native does not yet have a ranking on Rivals.

McKinzie verbally committed to the Sooners in January, nearly one month before he announced he could reclassify. McKinzie will join wide receiver Cody Jackson, linebacker Ethan Downs, and offensive tackle Cullen Montgomery in the Sooners 2021 class. He was the Sooners only 2022 commit.

Oklahoma’s 2021 class is currently ranked 24th according to Rivals.com, but could certainly see a boost with the addition of McKinzie.

Ohio State currently holds the No. 1 class in 2021 with ten total commits, eight of those being four-star recruits. Clemson holds the second-ranked class and Florida, No. 3. Texas is the top-ranked Big 12 school at No. 5. Kansas State currently sits at No. 13.

Oklahoma’s 2020 spring game, a massive recruiting weekend for Lincoln Riley and his staff, will kick off on April 18. With McKinzie already making a handful of unofficial visits already, expect him to be at the Sooners’ big weekend in April.

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