Editor’s Note: This is Part 11 of a 14-part collection on Oklahoma’s early enrollees within the 2023 recruiting class.
Many occasions, graduating highschool early and launching one’s faculty soccer profession pays off. Many occasions, it doesn’t.
While early enrollees are navigating new realms of ache and dedication, a variety of their buddies are again house — enjoying basketball, operating observe or simply hanging out and taking full benefit of the affliction often known as “senioritis.”
In Oklahoma’s case, 14 newcomers have chosen to make that sudden transition from boys to males. Jerry Schmidt’s winter exercises might sound not possible at first, after which the summer season grind is even more durable. In between, the teaching workers takes over, and spring soccer observe places them forward of their summer season counterparts.
In this collection, AllSooners examines every of the 14 newcomers and tasks their impression on Brent Venables’ soccer group in 2023.
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The strides a participant like Ashton Sanders could make in his first semester at Oklahoma are nearly immeasurable.
He misplaced some 80 kilos over the previous yr or so, so this winter, he’ll search to put a few of that again on within the type of muscle.
He was a three-year starter at Cathedral High School, however he’ll get a style of Division I teaching within the upcoming particular person teaching stations now accessible to faculty soccer gamers.
And when spring observe begins, he’ll get 15 days to grasp the ceaselessly advanced nuances of Brent Venables’ protection.
Ashton Sanders
Ashton Sanders by way of Twitter
“It’s mainly — you just gotta learn the language,” Sanders instructed AllSooners. “Yes, there’s like a quarter of the playbook … that I really have to like, ‘OK, I need to learn this in practice.’ It’s not the easiest.
“But it’s only hard if you don’t study.”
By learning earlier than he bought to Norman, Sanders already did a few of the exhausting stuff. Now it’s simply repetition and retention. Sanders has a excessive soccer IQ, so studying the complexities of Venables’ scheme hasn’t been simply mind-numbingly troublesome.
DL Ashton Sanders
- 6-1, 275
- Los Angeles
- 247 Sports: 3-star, No. 589 general, No. 65 Defensive lineman
- Rivals: 3-star, unranked general, No. 55 Defensive deal with
- On3: 3-star, unranked general, No. 73 Defensive lineman
- ESPN: 3-star, unranked general, No. 27 Defensive deal with
- Background: At Cathedral High School in LA, Sanders was actively recruited by Cal, Washington, Wisconsin, Arizona State and others. He really dedicated to Cal in July, then decommitted in August. Maryland provided in September, but it surely wasn’t till he bought a suggestion from Oklahoma on Oct. 31 that he actually felt he knew what he wished to do. A consensus 3-star prospect, Sanders performed between 340 and 350 kilos as a sophomore and junior. He mentioned he reduce out sugar and now weighs round 275 — OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof even referred to as him “twitchy.” He dedicated to the Sooners on Nov. 20.
- 2023 Projection: At 275 kilos, Sanders could be a candidate for rapid enjoying time within the previous “Speed D.” Under Brent Venables and Todd Bates, nevertheless, he’s going to want just a little time to add the sort of muscle and mass that can take him to an excellent 300 kilos. That means a variety of weightlifting and protein dietary supplements over the following a number of months. Sanders will definitely be taught new strategies below Bates, however he has fast toes, violent palms and an excellent soccer IQ. That’s why, at a place that loses Jeffery Johnson, Josh Ellison and Jalen Redmond, Sanders might need an excellent likelihood to play in 2023.
Now he simply has to play — and that’s the simple half.
“He’s so versatile,” mentioned defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “You look at what happened with his play on tape, he’s really, really explosive as far as getting off the ball. He can play a lot of different techniques for us.”
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Sanders will get his likelihood. The Sooners misplaced three front-line gamers on the defensive inside and wish rapid assist. Can that assist come from a real freshman whose closest factor to faculty soccer expertise subsequent fall would be the Red/White Game?
Sanders thinks so. That’s why he dedicated to shedding all that approach, why he selected to graduate highschool and enroll early, and why he’s studied Venables’ playbook so stringently.
Ashton Sanders
Ashton Sanders by way of Twitter
“His defense is amazing,” Sanders mentioned. “I noticed that (during his official visit for) the Oklahoma State game. The offense kind of got shut out for three quarters, but Coach Venables’ defense was able to hold on and stop ‘em. Yes, they scored a few times, but that’s just football. His defensive scheme is, in my opinion, one of the best in college football. From what I saw, they highlight the d-line. It’s very technical, but it’s not as hard as it looks. It’s simple.”
From Roof’s perspective, Sanders has the suitable strategy.
“The main thing we want to do is attack and get vertical off the ball from the defensive line,” Roof mentioned. “He can do that. He’s really, really twitchy and explosive.”
“Really excellent athlete,” Venables mentioned. “He’s a bigger guy … tremendously agile with great feet.”
Sanders additionally writes poetry — one motive he will get alongside so nicely with OU defensive position coach and self-described poet Todd Bates — and is planning to main in enterprise.
Oklahoma’s 2023 early enrollees
“It’s a good foundation,” Sanders mentioned, “because the way the world is elevating, business is gonna be one of the degrees that will never have any drought, only incline. Also, with that business degree, I’m able to learn about entrepreneurship, trading, stocks, investing, stuff like that. That will never die down because businesses are rolling through, in and out every day and every year, and a lot of ‘em just need that extra hump of money and you’ve got to find someone to invest in. There will be an Amazon to come by, and I want to be the one to catch it.”
See? Football actually would not want to be all that onerous.
Sanders plans on getting the entire expertise out of his time away in school. He simply feels lucky it’ll be at OU.
“Once they called, that was my sign from God telling me to always believe and always keep pushing,” he mentioned. “Because that’s what I told every coach this year. I wasn’t really too much worried about recruiting. I was just trying to win a ring. Unfortunately I didn’t do that. But I was just focused on playing with my guys in high school, and doing my job and being a leader out there and trying to be able to showcase my talent alongside them — and get the opportunity to go off to Oklahoma.”
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