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Oklahoma extends offer to in-state 2025 tight end Nate Roberts

Oklahoma extends an offer to in-state tight end Nate Roberts of the 2025 class.

Oklahoma slowly but surely continues to build its recruiting board for its 2025 class. There’s no better place to do that than within your own backyard. The Sooners’ latest offer went out to rising in-state star Nate Roberts, a tight end from Washington, Oklahoma.

Roberts is a massive athlete for his age, already standing at 6-foot-3 and over 200 pounds. He has lined up all over the field already for his high school team, playing defensive end and quarterback, in addition to tight end. It runs in his family as well, considering his older brother plays tight end at the University of North Texas.

 

Outside of football, Roberts plays baseball and was part of a 3A state championship-winning team this past spring. Roberts also plays power forward for Washington as well.

So far, he owns offers from Oklahoma, Kentucky, Baylor, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Texas, and Missouri. Early in the 2025 recruiting process, Roberts hasn’t been rated yet by the recruiting services.

With no commitments from tight ends in 2024 or 2025, Oklahoma is already looking to build and cultivate relationships with tight ends for the future. Sooners tight end coach Joe Jon Finley is in the stages of building his recruiting board for the next few years after landing the commitment of Kade McIntyre for 2023.

Roberts joins Davon Mitchell as the only other tight end in the 2025 class with an offer. Mitchell is listed as a five-star with 247Sports.

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Social media reactions leading up to Florida vs Tennessee game

College GameDay was in Knoxville Saturday morning, and that sparked plenty of conversation about the Florida-Tennessee matchup.

Florida is on the road for the first time in 2022, and college football fans can’t stop talking about the Gators’ matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers on social media.

ESPN’s College GameDay was in Knoxville for the game, which helped drive the conversation, but most of the excitement came from the UT faithful. That’s because the Volunteers are favored by more than 10 points over the Gators for the first time in decades. However, Florida tends to have Tennessee’s number on the gridiron and is looking for win No. 17 in 18 years.

The GameDay crew spent a good deal of time talking about both starting quarterbacks, [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and Hendon Hooker. Richardson’s struggles have been obvious over the past two weeks, but the narrative being painted is that it’s not entirely his fault. Many believe that he needs to break out of his funk in this one or Hooker might end up being the Heisman candidate folks are talking about afterward.

Here’s all the buzz surrounding the Florida and Tennessee game.

What does Florida have to do to upset Tennessee?

The Volunteers tend to stumble when they face the Gators as the favorite to win. Here’s what ESPN says Florida needs to do to beat Tennessee.

It’s been a while since Florida came into a matchup with Tennessee as this big of an underdog.

In fact, ESPN says it’s the first time in 20 years that the Volunteers have entered the weekend as a five-point favorite or better. The good news is that Florida has a habit of defying the odds when it comes to facing Tennessee, but what exactly will it take for the Gators to pull off the upset?

The answer, according to ESPN, isn’t so simple. Florida’s strengths don’t match up well with Tennessee’s weaknesses. The Gators have excelled at running the ball, but the Vols are a top-10 team against the rush. That leaves things up to quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], who has struggled mightily over the last two weeks.

After going 17-for-24 for 186 yards against Utah, Richardson has gone 23-for-53 for 255 yards and four interceptions over the last two weeks. He’s also yet to throw a passing touchdown so far. Florida needs the Week 1 Anthony Richardson to show up on Saturday if its going to have any shot at winning.

“Teams have found some success throwing mostly short, quick passes on Tennessee — the Vols are 83rd in completion rate allowed and 51st in passing success rate allowed — and if Florida is going to score the 30-plus points it might take to win this game, Richardson must rediscover his rhythm. The Gators probably can’t do enough damage on the ground alone.”

The other key will be the defense slowing down Tennessee’s offense. The Gators aren’t great at forcing three-and-outs, and the Volunteers thrive after they get that first down. Getting [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] back might help, but he’s listed as “questionable” and should be a game-time decision.

There are a lot of what-ifs going into this game for Florida, but that was made clear when the Gators struggled against USF last week. They’ll have to execute things to near perfection to pull this one off.

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DeMarco Murray continues pursuit of 2024 running back with offer to Tory Blaylock

Continuing to build their recruiting board for the future, Oklahoma offers talented 2025 RB Tory Blaylock.

DeMarco Murray has hardly taken a break since landing two running backs for the class of 2023 within a few months’ time. In short order, he’s back on the recruiting trail looking for more ball carriers for the classes to follow.

His latest offer takes him right back south of the Red River to Humble, Texas where Tory Blaylock of Atascocita High School landed an offer from the Oklahoma Sooners.

Blaylock, a speedy runner, who also doubles as a track star. He’s very much a one-cut-and-go type of back who thrives when picking a hole, planting his foot, and getting downhill. That’s where his speed is able to shine.

Blaylock is currently unranked on 247Sports but that won’t last long. His offer list clearly indicates significant national attention early for the class of 2025 recruit.

Getting out in front of potential national recruits like this is the only way to keep yourself competitive for their services. It’s a great sign to see Oklahoma as an early contender for what may end up being a blue chip prospect.

Tory Blaylock’s Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma adds OL commitments on consecutive days as Logan Howland joins the 2023 class

New Jersey offensive tackle Logan Howland commits to the Oklahoma Sooners over Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers and others.

For the second time in consecutive days, the Oklahoma Sooners added to their 2023 class.

On Friday, it was four-star, top 100 tackle Cayden Green out of the state of Missouri.

Today it’s Logan Howland, an offensive tackle prospect out of New Jersey. New Jersey isn’t a place the Sooners frequent on the recruiting trail but for Bill Bedenbaugh, the idea is that he may have found a diamond in the rough.

Though he’s only played offensive tackle for one year, Howland brings some athleticism to the table. He’ll have another year to refine his technique and get stronger before he spends the next three to four years being coached by Bill Bedenbaugh and  Jerry Schmidt.

Howland joins a 2023 recruiting class that went from 41st at the start of July to absolutely top 15 in the last nine days.

The offensive line commit checks in as a three-star but looks like a player that should get a bump in the rankings simply because of the teams that have targeted him. There’s something to be said as teams like Iowa, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Miami, and Tennessee were all in pursuit of the New Jersey native.

Howland joins Cayden Green, Heath Ozaeta, and the long-time commit Joshua Bates as offensive line members of the Sooners 2023 recruiting class.

The class is 13 commits strong and figures to grow even more very shortly. With Howland in hand, it virtually seals up Bill Bedenabugh’s efforts for 2023 barring a big name like Samson Okunlola starts trending towards Oklahoma which at this juncture seems unlikely.

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Florida set to host this former Tennessee, West Virginia DL on midweek visit

Darel Middleton is as close to a journeyman as it gets in college football. Could Florida be the final stop on his list?

The Florida Gators could use some depth on the defensive line, and Billy Napier is looking to the transfer portal to fill that hole for the upcoming season. The latest name to join the list is former Tennessee and West Virginia defensive lineman [autotag]Darel Middleton[/autotag], according to Blake Alderman of 247Sports.

Middleton and Napier have had discussions with each other, and the 6-foot-7-inch, 305-pound lineman plans on meeting the staff in person on June 2 and 3, per Alderman’s report. No offer is on the table just yet, but an in-person visit is sure to speed up that process.

A four-star recruit out of high school, Middleton attended East Mississippi CC in 2017 and 2018 before transferring to Tennessee. He’d start six games and appear in all 13 for the Volunteers in 2019, finishing the season with 28 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. In 2020, he played in nine games and started another six, totaling just 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two pass breakups.

He decided to transfer to West Virginia last year but wound up playing just three games for the Mountaineers before leaving the team in October to reenter the transfer portal. Reports surfaced at the beginning of the year that Middleton had committed to Alabama A&M, but that no longer appears to be the case. Aside from Florida, Jackson State, Tennessee State and Texas Tech are in the mix. Each will play host to Middleton over the summer.

Four schools in six years can shine a bad light on a player, but Middleton certainly has the talent. Napier has been nothing but a strong judge of character since he stepped onto campus, so bringing him in to meet face-to-face should help him gauge if Middleton is right for the program.

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Florida falls short in SEC Tournament championship game against Tennessee

The Vols were clearly the better team, but Florida’s run to the SEC Tournament championship game had the team in much better spirits heading into regionals.

Florida fell just short of winning it all in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday losing to the Tennesee Volunteers, 8-5, in the final round of the SEC Tournament.

The Gators threw [autotag]Carsten Finnvold[/autotag], a freshman out of American Heritage Del Ray in Palm Beach County, Florida, and he kept Tennessee quiet through four innings. His low-speed fastball kept the Volunteers off balance and quiet through four innings, but the No. 1 team in the country got going in the fifth.

[autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] sent a ball to first that [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] couldn’t snag to put a runner on second with no outs. Blake Burke singled Evan Russell over to second and Finnvold got Cortland Lawson swinging. Seth Stephenson bunted for an RBI-base hit on a ball that Finnvold could’ve made a play on if he wasn’t tripped up by his own team. Luc Lipcius took strike three looking for out two in the inning.

[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] decided to walk the bases loaded for Tennessee’s No. 4 hitter Drew Gilbert and it almost paid off. Finnvold got a fly ball to left field, but [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] came in on the ball and let it go over his head to clear the bases. Four runs were scored in the inning and none of them were earned for Finnvold.

[autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] came in to get out of the inning, but he’d get back into trouble in the sixth. The Vols put up a three-spot on the Gators’ best reliever and took a commanding 7-0 lead. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] pitched the eighth for UF without much trouble. Only a Stephenson single threatened throughout the inning.

[autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run shot against Ben Joyce, who was throwing over 100 mph. Joyce was Tennessee’s fourth pitcher of the night after lefty Camden Sewell gave the Vols a five-inning start. Will Mabrey and Mark McLaughlin were first out of the bullpen, then Joyce and Zander Sechrist, and finally Kirby Connell finished it up through eight.

The Gators added one more run on a two-out [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] single, but [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] hit a weak grounder to third for an easy tag out of Jud Fabian.

Gilbert got ahold of another one in the ninth and made it 8-3 with a solo shot. Lipscomb doubled and knocked Abner out of the game for [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag]. Russell almost took another ball out, but Langford got it on the warning track.

Redmond Walsh finished it off for the Volunteers. Pinch hitter Kendrick Calilao popped up on a 2-2 count into foul territory for the first out of the inning. Langford doubled to start the final push, and [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] doubled him home.

Riopelle moved Thomspon over to third, and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] drove him in on an error by the second baseman who was shifted out of position. [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] gave a ball a ride, but the left fielder tracked it down and Florida’s rally fell short. It’s a disappointing end to a great run by the Gators, especially considering four of Tennessee’s runs came unearned.

Going into the tournament, Florida’s postseason hopes looked bleak. A win or two in the regional round seemed to be the best possible outcome, but this SEC Tournament run has Florida in the conversation to host a regional. The NCAA will announce hosts at 8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday night.

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Oklahoma offers 2024 four-star linebacker Kristopher Jones out of Virginia

Oklahoma offers 2024 4-star linebacker Kristopher Jones, a top-three player out of the state of Virginia.

As the days go by, the offers keep going out for the Oklahoma Sooners as the Sooners continue to put their roots down across the east coast. It may be a bit early to see how well it works out for them but the OU’s diligence in recruiting talent from that side of the country is very apparent.

One of their latest offers goes out to Virginia and was received by four-star linebacker Kristopher Jones out of Stafford, VA. Jones is a linebacker in every sense and flashes the ability to move sideline-to-sideline to make plays. He’s decisive in his reads and makes sure he’s violent yet controlled when getting to the ball carrier.

At 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds he has the frame to fill out into a high-level college linebacker that could play in the middle but looks best playing off-ball and as a situational pass rusher.

Jones becomes the sixth linebacker offered by Roof and Venables since they joined the Oklahoma Football program.

Kristopher Jones’ Recruiting Profile

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Gators fall in extras to give Tennessee the series sweep

This one hurt. At least, the Gators have their Sunday starter locked in with Brandon Neely.

Florida’s starting pitcher on Sunday, [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag], did everything he could to give the Gators a shot at avoiding the sweep from Tennessee on Sunday, but a ninth-inning collapse sent the game into extras and allowed the Volunteers to secure the best start against conference opponents in Southeastern Conference history.

Designated hitter Christian Moore delivered the final blow in the form of a two-run home run on a full count with one out in the top of the 11th inning. Vols up, 6-4. To say that Florida looked deflated after the ball cleared the fence would be an understatement. The Gators were one strike away from a much-needed win in the ninth, and their best reliever, [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag], couldn’t get the job done. Now, they needed to mount a comeback of their own.

Florida went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eleventh, and the final out was, perhaps fittingly, a robbed [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] home run that was sure to clear the left-field fence. The Volunteers skipped off the field with their metaphorical brooms in hand, and the Gators are once again left wondering if they’ll be able to turn things around in time for the NCAA Tournament (assuming they make it in the first place).

[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] said that there’s not much he can do to right the ship after Saturday’s game, and it will be hard for him to come up with a better answer after this loss. He’s figured out the No. 3 spot in the starting rotation with Neely and made the right call by giving [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] his first collegiate start.

Caglianone drove in two of Florida’s runs with a big fly in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth. He was removed from the game in the bottom of the ninth after being hit by a pitch in favor of pinch-runner [autotag]Corey Robinson[/autotag].

Neely has taken over the Sunday spot in the rotation and is settling into the role nicely. After holding Vanderbilt to one run through 6 1/3 innings last weekend, he carried Florida through seven innings of one-hit, one-run baseball while racking up eight strikeouts and walking two. In other words, he was brilliant against the best team in the country when Florida desperately needed a win.

Unfortunately, the Gators couldn’t finish things off and now need a strong close to the regular season to have any hope of a playoff run. Florida has the whole week to regroup before hosting Kentucky, a far more manageable team than Vanderbilt or Tennessee.

Next weekend is now a must-win series for the Gators and they’ll have to do it without their ace, [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag]. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and Neely have been robbed of a few wins in recent weeks, so all eyes are on the offense.

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Need for speed: How Oklahoma’s renewed focused on tempo will be great for the Sooners

Under Jeff Lebby, the Oklahoma Sooners are bringing back uptempo offense.

Speed kills. It’s an old adage in sports. Especially in the world of football.  The impact that speed can have on a game is almost unquantifiable at times. For the Oklahoma Sooners, it’s not just about the players being fast themselves, it’s about operating their offense fast and wearing down opponents.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] has made a name for himself over the last several years thanks productivity and explosive nature of his offenses. The uptempo offense Lebby ran last season in Oxford for the Ole Miss Rebels finished No. 6 in the nation, averaging 492.5 yards per game in 2021. He experienced similar results in Orlando while at UCF, where now Sooners starting quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] first started in college.

Lebby’s offenses have a few foundational aspects to them and one of them is simply the rate at which they operate play-to-play. The week six matchup between Lebby’s Rebels and [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag]’s Tennessee Volunteers featured the two fastest teams in the Power Five in 2021. They were the top two teams in the country in plays per minute with the Rebels averaging 2.89 plays per minute in 2021.

On the season, they’d average 78.2 plays per game, No. 2 in the nation. That volume of plays at that type of breakneck pace will wear down any defense at any level. It’s just not possible for teams to perform well defensively if they don’t have the depth and the execution required to stop the offense. And those two areas are exactly what playing uptempo is trying to prey upon.

“The constant is the tempo,” Lebby said in his recent media appearance. “We’re going to play incredibly fast. We’re going to push the tempo. We’re going to dictate how the game is played. That’s where it starts for us.”

That’s why the Sooners will up the ante so to speak from Lincoln Riley’s more methodical, yet still highly productive offenses. It’s all about being the one in control and being proactive against defenses instead of calling games in reaction mode.

While the tempo will remain a focal point, other aspects of his offense will continue to evolve from the previous stops.

And for the Sooners, that may be okay. At times, former head coach and play-caller [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] struggled with getting the ball to his best players Whether that was getting [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] more touches or running the ball more with Kennedy Brooks. Far too many times it seemed he overcomplicated things by not letting his best players touch the ball more.

One reason Lebby’s offenses have thrived is that they focus on getting their best offensive players the ball as much as they can. Couple that with the tempo at which he wants to play at, it isn’t a stretch to think the Oklahoma offense can be better than it was the last two seasons under Lincoln Riley.

Lebby expects the Sooners to be ready physically and mentally for the grind of the up-tempo life by day 15 of spring ball. A part of that will also be on the shoulders of [autotag]Jerry Schmidt[/autotag], who returned to Oklahoma after spending the last four years at Texas A&M as their director of Strength and Conditioning. Schmidt physically and mentally prepared the up-tempo Sooners of the Kevin Wilson and [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag] and will be tasked with doing it again under Jeff Lebby.

Sooners fans will get their first look at the new-look offense during the Oklahoma spring game on April 23rd.

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