Tag: raleek brown

Photos from Tulane’s dramatic Cotton Bowl win over USC and Alex Grinch

The outcome was a gut punch for #USC fans who want Alex Grinch fired, but the action was intense, and the game photos were really colorful.

That isn’t how the USC Trojans had wanted their season to end.

Late in the fourth quarter, USC held a 45-30 lead, but chaos ensued.

Tulane scored a ling touchdown, Mario Williams bobbled the kickoff at the one yard line, Tulane got a safety on USC, and then, the Green Wave scored the game-winning score with eight seconds left.

After all of that, the Green Wave walked out of the Cotton Bowl with a stunning 46-45 victory, and USC’s defense suffered another colossal defeat in Lincoln Riley’s first year in California.

It won’t be an easy game to forget, but the photos from this will be memorable nonetheless.

Austin Jones and Raleek Brown will have to replace Travis Dye vs UCLA

After being #USC’s secondary running backs all season long, Austin Jones and Raleek Brown will need to give the Trojans a lot vs UCLA.

It was never a surprise that Travis Dye became the more featured, dependable, high-usage running back in the 2022 USC offense compared to Austin Jones. Dye was always the centerpiece of the USC attack, given his versatility and leadership. Dye exhibited complete mastery of the craft, excelling in pass protection and other non-running components of the running back position. Austin Jones did not. That matters, and it has to matter. Lincoln Riley played Dye a lot more for a reason, and Dye’s injury isn’t merely a slight problem for USC; it’s a huge one with UCLA and Notre Dame on deck. It puts the Trojans in a very difficult spot.

However, Austin Jones — while not as good as Dye — is no chump.

Let’s look at what he and Brown can bring to the table with Dye out for the closing stretch of the season:

Raleek Brown is impressive, but Travis Dye and Austin Jones can teach him at USC

One play from Saturday’s game vs Stanford showed why Raleek Brown still has a lot to learn. Travis Dye and Austin Jones can help him improve.

Raleek Brown struck a Heisman pose after scoring a touchdown against Rice in Week 1. It is clear he has a bright future. Yet, he has a few things to learn before he maximizes his potential.

Raleek Brown ran for 4,174 yards, with 9.2 yards per carry and added 54 rushing touchdowns for his career at Mater Dei. Brown also had an astonishing 1,600 reciving yards for 23 touchdowns on 85 receptions. Brown was also a top defensive back for the Monarchs with 61 career tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles. Brown played for Stockton Edison high school for his freshman and sophomore seasons prior to joining Mater Dei.

Mater Dei went 12-0 in his senior season and won the 2021 national, state Open Division and CIF Southern Section Division I titles. At Mater Dei, Brown won two national titles in four years. He played with Elijah Brown, J.T Daniels, Bru McCoy and current USC Trojans Domani Jackson, C.J. Williams, Raesjon Davis, Kyron Hudson, Josiah Zamora, and Solomon Tuliaupupu.

The 5-foot-8, 188-pound true freshman all-purpose back made his presence felt against Rice, accounting for 76 yards (six rushes, two receptions) all in the first half. Against Stanford, he didn’t have as prominent a role because he was slightly injured in the Rice game.

One moment from the Stanford game illustrated what Brown still has to learn. He had a chance to run straight ahead but danced to the side and was tackled two yards short of a first down. Kirk Herbstreit, calling the game for ABC, noted Lincoln Riley’s displeasure with Brown.

When we watch Travis Dye and Austin Jones carry the ball for USC, they go straight ahead and maximize the amount of yards they can get. This is a lesson for Brown, who has tremendous talent and now needs to learn how to squeeze every ounce of potential out of his natural gifts.

Travis Dye and Austin Jones can show him how to evolve.

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Where the decommits from Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class ended up

Where did the players go that decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class?

While the 2022 recruiting class ended up as a top 10 group, it’s hard not to look back and consider what could have been. Though it’s no fault of the current coaching staff, assistant holdovers included, the Oklahoma Sooners had quite a few decommits, even from Lincoln Riley’s tenure as the head coach, that negatively impacted the 2022 class.

Over the last year and a half, the Oklahoma Sooners lost commitments from three five-star players, four four-star players, and one three-star player. They’ve seen them go to current and future conference foes. Notably Texas, TCU, and Oklahoma State nabbed once-Oklahoma Sooners commits. If the Sooners move to the SEC sooner rather than later, they’ll face players that ended up at Missouri and Texas A&M.

While the Oklahoma Sooners are moving forward after rebuilding their 2022 class creating momentum toward National Signing Day, let’s take a look at where former Oklahoma commits ended up after the early signing period.

2022 4-star Running Back Gavin Sawchuk reaffirms his commitment to Oklahoma via Social Media

In a post on Twitter, four-star running back for the 2022 recruiting class Gavin Sawchuk reaffirmed his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ next two recruiting classes took a bit of a hit in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure. From the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, they lost three five-star skill position players, who have since flipped to USC to follow the former Oklahoma Sooners head coach.

Over the past week, the Sooners have seen more players make affirmations of their commitment to the University of Oklahoma and four-star running back out of Littleton, Colorado is the latest to let it be known his plans haven’t changed.

In a not safe for work (NSFW) Twitter post, Gavin Sawchuk shared that he’s “not leaving” via a scene from the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

It’s great news for the Oklahoma Sooners who’s running back depth chart looks a little thin heading into 2022. Kennedy Brooks is expected to head to the NFL, leaving Eric Gray and Marcus Major as the lone scholarship backs on the roster if Brooks moves on.

Sawchuk would have a great opportunity to get work early in his career if he’s able to get acclimated and work his way up the depth chart.

With the Oklahoma Sooners seemingly on the brink of announcing their next head coach, all of the news seems to be trending in the right direction with Gavin Sawchuk announcing his intentions to stay committed to the University of Oklahoma.

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

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Raleek Brown looking to bring ‘Reggie Bush vibes’ to USC

New USC commit Raleek Brown is looking to play with a Reggie Bush-esque electricity in Los Angeles.

Five-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei running back Raleek Brown committed to Oklahoma to have a chance to play for one of the brightest offensive minds in college football.

Now, he’ll be doing so at USC.

Brown flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to the Trojans on Thursday, becoming the latest former Sooners pledge to follow Lincoln Riley to Southern California. The Mater Dei star teased a flip to USC shortly after Riley was hired as the program’s next head coach and quickly made that reality after hosting Riley and his USC coaching staff for an in-home visit earlier in the week.

“Lincoln Riley, that’s my guy,” Brown told 247Sports. “He and coach Simmons were the two guys that were recruiting me and now they’re both at USC. I was shocked he was leaving but then excited he was coming to USC.

“I’ve been up to USC a ton of times, since before I even got to high school and I’m super familiar with it there. I have a strong comfort level at the school and a lot of family nearby so it’s honestly a great situation for me.”

Brown is an explosive playmaker who is widely thought to be one of the best running backs in the class of 2022. USC has had its fair share of dynamic tailbacks in recent years, but none with the potential that Brown carries. He’s looking to translate that potential into production that reminds Trojans fans of one of the best running backs in program history.

Brown has a lot of work to do to reach Bush’s level. The former Heisman Trophy winner is not just one of the best running backs in USC history. He’s one of the best running backs in college football history, helping the Trojans reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Brown has the tools to make a similar impact when it’s all said and done. Even if he doesn’t climb quite as high as Bush, the vibes have definitely been restored in Los Angeles with Riley bringing a group of elite talent along with him.

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Much ado about something? A look at the Oklahoma running back position over the last few years

A look at how things have gone for OU’s running backs and a look at what there is to look forward to going forward.

Like life, college football personnel has its highs and lows. There are times where you’re able to recruit, develop and send players to the league at an astonishing rate. Conversely, there are times when you experience turbulence within a position group seemingly every year.

It may be on field production (or lack thereof) or off the field issues that just deplete your position group.

The Oklahoma Sooners over the last decade have seen both sides of the coin.

From recruiting guys like Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, Rodney Anderson and watching them go to the NFL to having running backs transfer in and practice for less than 14 practices and then transfer back out in less than 2 months, OU has seen it all of late.

Let’s take a look at the Sooners running back issues and where they are headed going into the future.

Jay Boulware, former Sooners running back coach helped recruit the men mentioned previously in Perine, Mixon and Anderson. Much to the chagrin of the Sooners faithful, he will be remembered for his misses in recruiting in the state of Texas more than anything.

He was let go largely due to the lack of production and development of guys he brought in. In stepped DeMarco Murray.

Murray, a former Sooners running back who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans took over after his first coaching stint at the University of Arizona.

Murray has suffered from some of the same issues Boulware dealt with. Failures to close on guys that were seemingly within reach (Camar Wheaton) or having to deal with suspensions/ineligible guys (Seth McGowan, Marcus Major, Mikey Henderson). The latest wave of running back problems has left OU with two scholarship running backs in a year where the Sooners are more equipped to win the national title than they’ve been since 2008.

How do they bounce back going forward to push this horrible string of mishaps and lack of depth behind them?

It starts with the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes first and foremost. OU is at a big disadvantage with a week until the start of the 2021 season. There’s no real solution for this year outside of hoping walk on Jaden Knowles can be serviceable and eat some carries to spell Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks.

That’s also contingent on Brooks and Gray remaining healthy. Things could get real desperate if one/both is injured at any point.

H-Back Jeremiah Hall will likely see carries this year too. Just maybe a receiver lower on the depth chart converts over or Micah Bowens (transfer QB from Penn State with some real mobility) steps up and becomes a RB.

Regardless, this year’s problems will have to be fixed in house.

2022 will see Raleek Brown, Gavin Sawchuk and possibly one more RB (high school recruit or grad transfer) come in to Oklahoma for next season. One of the duo of Gray and Brooks is almost a lock to leave for the NFL after this season with Brooks being the likely one. Gray could leave if he has the season that many anticipate and the Sooners win the national title.

In that scenario four running backs at minimum would need to find their way to OU next year assuming Marcus Major is eligible next year of course.

Four-star running back Jovantae Barnes out of Las Vegas, Nevada has a close relationship with RB coach Murray. Can Murray seal the deal and fight off Alabama and USC for the young man’s pledge?

In 2023, Treyaun Webb has gotten the ball rolling for running backs. Listed as the nation’s no. 3 RB on 247Sports, Webb is an excellent notch on the belt of Murray as long as he can keep him in the fold for the next two years. Guys like Richard Young and Reuben Owens are other names the Sooners are looking at for the class of 2023.

There’s no doubt some of the issues that OU has faced are completely out of the control of the guys in the program. But as we all know to be true, being proactive instead of reactive is the way to go.

Grinding on the recruiting trail and locking down these recruits will go a long way to providing stability in OU’s running back room and preventing such turnover and uncertainty heading into future seasons.

Sooners commit has big night in Mater Dei win over Duncanville

Sooners 2022 commit Raleek Brown makes big plays in huge win for Mater Dei on Friday night.

Friday night football is back. In a rare interstate matchup, the Max Preps No. 1 team in the country, Mater Dei of Santa Ana, traveled to North Texas to face Duncanville. Mater Dei dominated in a 45-3 win over the Panthers.

2022 Sooners commit Raleek Brown had a big day for the Monarchs, carrying the ball five times for 83 yards, and a touchdown. He added one catch for 17 yards to give him 100 yards from scrimmage in the blowout win.

Brown’s big moment came when he took the first-quarter handoff and showed his impressive vision and elusiveness. After finding a lane to the second level, Brown displayed the game-breaking speed, leaving Panthers defenders in the dust on his way to a touchdown.

While the running back position is left with some question marks for the Sooners, the future looks incredibly bright with Brown coming to town. His versatility as a pass-catcher and his explosiveness will provide Oklahoma with a playmaker who can score from anywhere on the field.

Combined with another top 2022 commit, Gavin Sawchuk, and 2023 commit Treyaun Webb, the Sooners have top talent coming down the pipeline for DeMarco Murray’s backfield. Though the 2021 depth chart looks a little thin, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel that will have better depth beyond this season.

Raleek Brown and OU a perfect fit says Bleacher Report

Looking at Raleek Brown’s role as a running back and slot receiver at OU in 2022.

Recruiting is a two-way street. Colleges need players and players need places to play. However, the situation the players and schools envisioned when they formed a commitment to each other doesn’t always play out that way.

Bleacher Report mapped out some of the notable and possible perfect fits for some of the 2022 class of football recruits.

One of the more important recruits for Oklahoma’s 2022 class, Raleek Brown, was mentioned. Writer Brad Shepard said this about Brown’s fit into the Sooners’ offensive plans going forward:

“The running back corps is going be much deeper than a season ago, highlighted by the return of Kennedy Brooks and the transfer of shifty Tennessee back Eric Gray, who could be a star-in-the-making.

Both of those players are eligible to head to the NFL after this season, and it’s a safe bet at least one will test the waters.

That will leave a spot on the offense for Raleek Brown, who is heading to OU from the prestigious Mater Dei High School in California. The four-star running back is a burner who is electric in the open field and can even split out and play slot.”

Brown’s physical gifts, speed and agility, make him the perfect Swiss Army knife for Lincoln Riley’s wide-open air raid attack. With a severe lack of depth behind Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray heading into 2021, the room will thin out with at least one all but guaranteed to head to the NFL draft. That would leave OU with Tre Bradford, a transfer from LSU, and Marcus Major as the only returning scholarship backs. Major was recently ruled ineligible for 2021 due to academic issues. 

Brown and Gavin Sawchuk are the only running backs currently committed to Oklahoma. With Brown’s ability to play in the slot quite frequently, it allows for the more traditional running back, Sawchuk, to see the field. Brown may not have this possible amount of early playing time if he had chosen to stay at home and play for USC.

Time will tell how things work out for Raleek Brown and OU. As it stands, Brown and OU fit like a perfect jigsaw puzzle.

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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”