NORMAN, Okla. — A complete of 25 gamers signed within the 2023 class, which is now within the Top 5 of the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. Sooners head coach Brent Venables introduced the remainder of the additions Wednesday, the primary day of the Early Signing Period, they usually embody 16 of the four-star selection or greater.
All however one are highschool seniors, with the opposite—defensive again Kendel Dolby—coming from the junior faculty ranks. Ten of the signees are offensive gamers (one quarterback, two operating backs, two broad receivers, one tight finish and 4 offensive linemen) and 15 are on the defensive facet of the ball (5 D-linemen, three linebackers and 7 D-backs).
Defensive coordinator Ted Roof stepped to the rostrum to speak about these 15 signed on his facet, together with Dolby. OUInsider.com brings all of that dialogue to you proper right here.
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How Ashton Sanders has modified his physique during the last couple years: “Yeah, how about that? At one point, I think he was 350 pounds and decided that that wasn’t a good weight for him, that he needed to do something about it, and because he wasn’t playing like he wanted to. And [he] did. And man, you’re talking about some respect for a guy who can make a decision like that because that’s tough. Think about how many sizes of clothes difference that is. Right? So, we had to probably buy—his parents had to probably buy him a whole new set of clothes 80 pounds later. And that says a lot about his commitment to him being as good as he can be, to me.”
If he finds that it’s widespread the place guys have a second once they notice they should get severe about soccer like that: “I don’t think it’s common in America. No, I don’t. You look at our country. No, I don’t think that’s common. I think that’s very uncommon. And to me, that’s what separates him and that’s why I have a lot of respect for him, because he did make that decision because he wasn’t happy with where he was. Instead of talking about it, he did something about it. And man, that’s a wonderful thing.”
If that gives him confidence he may play the zero-tech: “Well, he’s so versatile. And you look at what happened, his play, his tape, he is really, really explosive as far as getting off the ball. He can play a lot of different techniques for us. But the main thing we want to do is attack, get vertical off the ball with our defensive line. And he can do that. He is really, really twitchy and explosive.”
On PJ Adebawore and his ceiling: “Yeah, you know, another guy that’s really, really explosive and really, really long. He’s got [length]. I don’t know what his wingspan is. It’s big, whatever it is. And you look at him rushing the passer and doing things like that, and not just rushing the passer for sacks, but also being able to get his hands up and bat balls. And that’s a big deal as well. But man, he’s a great fit here. I love his spirit. And he’s got a lot of energy, a lot of really good positive energy, and on top of a lot of ability with a lot of commitment and loyalty to The University of Oklahoma. So, I’m really excited about him.”
On the good thing about evaluating gamers as they’re going by means of the season: “Well, you are still a younger man, so that you in all probability do not bear in mind this. But again within the day earlier than the early provide factor began, that’s what folks did. They performed their senior years and if groups favored their tape their senior years, then they acquired presents after their senior season or throughout their senior season. And then with all of the early provide factor, I believe that began within the ‘90s, late ‘90s or early 2000s. Then, sometimes guys that like made great jumps during their senior season didn’t have the type of offers that maybe their play warranted. And, you know, certainly we want to find them early, but whenever we find them, then we evaluate them as good fits here for what we do and what we believe in. And yeah, it comes at all times.”
On the versatility of the linebacker group and potentially being able to play all three positions: “Yeah, you look at all of them, all of them, their high school coaches are all good coaches and they wanted to get their best players the ball, on top of tackling the guy with the ball. So, they found different ways to get them the ball. They all were very, very productive. You know, Sammy Omosigho at wide receiver, Phillip Picciotti fullback some, tailback, and then Lewis [Carter] at Wildcat quarterback, tailback, all over the place, blocking kicks in the special teams or returning kickoffs for touchdowns. So, all that, I love that. I love the guys that have that because I think that helps instincts. When you know the other side of the ball, the opposite side that you play on, there’s a variety of worth in that as a result of then you’ve got a greater understanding of the opposite facet of the ball, which makes you a greater participant on the defensive facet of the ball.”
On Adebawore becoming in not solely on the sphere however off the sphere with his focus on teachers: “Yeah, well he’s—he values what we value. You know, he values accountability. He values toughness. He values structure. He values connection. He values family. He values education. And those are the things that like, regardless of how this landscape of college football changes, those things last forever. The other things that come with it sometimes don’t last forever. But those things can last forever. And I think he’s a great fit here.”
If there’s a typical thread with the defensive again that they’ll simply play whatever the place: “Yeah, I mean, you’re right. They all do multiple jobs as far as having a lot of flexibility and versatility. So, that part of it, that’s what you want because what that enables you to do is get your best players on the field, whoever they are, and not get bogged down by this guy is only this or this guy is only this; to have the wherewithal to be able to move the pieces and at the same time for them to have the football IQ to learn the system and things of that nature, which it’s gonna be a fun deal to add to the young men that we already have. Yeah.”
How exhausting it’s to seek out out the place guys finest match: “Well, again, if I’m a high school coach, I want my best player on the field, whether it’s playing defense or playing linebacker or tailback on offense or Wildcat quarterback or whatever because they want to win games, too. And they’ve got to [think that way]. I think they have a unique vantage point because they’re not bogged down by this guy is only this or this guy is only that. They can do that. And I think that’s what good coaches do on every level, is find a way to put their best players in a position to make them successful and certainly not be limited by that. But again, to have versatility and flexibility is just football players. That’s a great thing.”
If they talk about these sorts of issues akin to whether or not Jacobe Johnson could be a greater receiver or defensive again: “As far as discuss, yeah, we discuss everything about them. But again, you know, you have so many slots on your roster that scholarships allotted to this position, so many scholarships allotted to this position. So, you’ve got to be allotted somewhere and excited about that.”
How he sees Omosigho becoming into what they do defensively each quick time period and long run: “Well, you know, you start with his high school position. He plays wide out. They give him the ball some. He plays defensive end. He plays outside linebacker. And he plays safety. And he plays on all special teams. He never comes off the field. So, you look at that, and his skill set he’s a tremendous athlete and an even better person that comes from a fantastic family, fantastic family. But to see where he fits in, he’s probably—obviously he’s gonna be a linebacker. And we’re still evaluating things as far as the best spot for him. And some of that we won’t know until he gets here, but a space linebacker because those are [where] when you’re out in space and everything comes at you from one direction, that’s a little bit easier to play than when you’re in situations where actions are coming at you from both both directions. So, I think it’s easier to play as a freshman the further away from the ball you are. But we’ll see what happens.’’
On Omosigho fitting that Cheetah position: “Yeah, SAM, Cheetah, WILL. And so much of it, as coaches we study tape and we evaluate and we get to know these guys, but there’s still a certain part of it to being exactly certain once they step on your campus and once you see them actually play football and practice football and how they retain and learn and things like that. So yeah, there’s a lot of factors. But that’s where we seem him, in a very general role right now. Yeah.”
What it’s like discussing with a participant whether or not they’ll be on offense or protection: “Well, it’s been a few minutes since I was a recruit, so I don’t really remember that. But as far as being on this side of the table, it just the culture and the values that Coach Venables has laid the foundation for and obviously accentuating what it exactly is we’re looking for. You want to get the right people. And again, a guy like him that plays both sides of ball, again. But it’s good. We have—Joe Jon [Finley] and I were joking at the table with him about this, that and the other and who’s gonna get him, who’s not, whatever. But no, it’s just being around good people and really good players. And again, if you get tough guys that are committed to doing it, that are bought into your culture, that are talented, you’re not gonna go wrong.”
What he sees out of Dolby and the way necessary it was to get some expertise again within the secondary: “Yeah, you see versatility. You see versatility. You see elite transition. You see physicality. You see ball skills. And then you meet him and you see he’s the right fit for Oklahoma. And, again, excited about Kendel as well.”
On flipping Daeh McCullough and what assembly that household was like: “Yeah, you know, that’s the world in which we live right now. But as far as meeting the family and recruiting the young man, you do it like you do everybody. You get to know them. You treat them right. You explain and talk to what we’re looking for and what this place is about and where we see him fitting in and things like that. And then you present that to him and see if it’s a good fit and then go from there. Yeah.”
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