Remembering Stoops' first OU recruting class

[badger]

Fun read.

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OU/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20120127_92_B1_CUTLIN267292)

A few fun tidbits:


When John Blake's tenure ended, Oklahoma was more than behind. The program was in disarray. And with an empty recruiting cupboard, the immediate future looked impossibly bleak.

Blake and his fleeing lieutenants, it seemed, had left computer hard drives erased, recruiting databases devoid of names or numbers or schools, manila folders emptied of their contents.


Stoops called in Johnson (then and now, director of football operations), hired Bobby Jack Wright (a Texas assistant for 12 years who wasn't retained by Mack Brown the year before) and even employed new strength coach Jerry Schmidt (he just joined Stoops from Florida) to help scribble down as many names as they could as quickly as possible.

A typical recruiting class might start with maybe 1,000 names, but Stoops and Wright hit the road in mid-December with about 100. And of those, everyone says, there weren't many legitimate major college prospects.

But there were football players: Brandon Everage. Quentin Griffin. Kory Klein. Torrance Marshall. Matt McCoy. Ramon Richardson. Antwone Savage. Derrick Strait.

[Rocko]

It's a really great storyline.

[cleller]

Lots of good Oklahoma raised players on that list.

[LVSOONER15]

Some great names on that list.

[badger]

Some great names on that list.

Word.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/articleimages/2012/b3oubox01272012.jpg

Dare I ask who the best was? :D

[SoonerAtKU]

If I could pick one of those guys to start back at OU as a freshman this fall, it would probably be Derrick Strait. Torrance is an option, but if you have to lose two years of eligibility, I'd take Strait.

[badger]

I'd take Jason White... yes, I know that inevitably he's going to lose both of his knees, but I think that helped shape him as a Heisman-caliber quarterback.

Now... if I could get the Heisman rocket arm AND his mad skillz of mobility pre-ACL issues, we'd have another No. 1 NFL Draft pick on our hands :)

[SoonerAtKU]

I just figured the greater needs at the moment are at CB and MLB, so...

White isn't a bad choice, and neither is Griffin.

I don't think I take Everage if they're going to leave him at QB like that, though.

[EatLeadCommie]

Man, whatever happened to Jamar Mozee? He was kind of thought of as a steal out of Missouri at the time, IIRC. Did Chase Williams ever see the field?

[SoonerAtKU]

Mozee cost OU Wes Welker, if I recall. You think Bob might like a do-over on that one?

[SoonerTerry]

I'd take Jason White... yes, I know that inevitably he's going to lose both of his knees, but I think that helped shape him as a Heisman-caliber quarterback.

Now... if I could get the Heisman rocket arm AND his mad skillz of mobility pre-ACL issues, we'd have another No. 1 NFL Draft pick on our hands :)

I remember reading a story about jason White having foot races in the hotel hallways, and was one of the fastest guys on the team. Pre knee injuries.

I really thought he would have a career in the NFL even with the ACL stuff.

[SoonerTerry]

Mozee cost OU Wes Welker, if I recall. You think Bob might like a do-over on that one?

It scared the hell out of me every time OU kicked the ball to that guy.

[Scott D]

Clearly that article hit on a key line. They went after football players, not athletes :)

[Sooner in Tampa]

I remember rooting for Eric Thunander to make it...I really wanted to see him succeed on the football field

It's my understanding that he has succeeded in real life, so that's the most important thing

[LVSOONER15]

I would of wanted Torrance on the D today.

[SoonerAtKU]

I remember rooting for Eric Thunander to make it...I really wanted to see him succeed on the football field

It's my understanding that he has succeeded in real life, so that's the most important thing

Um, actually there was some pretty awful stuff that came out in 2008 or 9 about him and some child porn and other extremely unacceptable behavior.

[Salt City Sooner]

Um, actually there was some pretty awful stuff that came out in 2008 or 9 about him and some child porn and other extremely unacceptable behavior.
Unfortunately, this. He's not scheduled to get out until 2020, & he's actually pretty lucky that it's that early because they suspended a large portion of his sentence.

[Sooner in Tampa]

Um, actually there was some pretty awful stuff that came out in 2008 or 9 about him and some child porn and other extremely unacceptable behavior.
OH DAMN...I missed that.

FACK.

[70sooner]

but, but I thought the 2000 MNC was because of all that Boo did for OU. I mean didn't Bob really win with Boo's players?????

[mojorisen2014]

Um, actually there was some pretty awful stuff that came out in 2008 or 9 about him and some child porn and other extremely unacceptable behavior.
OH DAMN...I missed that.

FACK.

Yeah hes a virtual sandusky

[rekamrettuB]

Great story...bookmark this and anytime someone throws "Blake's players" please shove this down their f'n throat. Then you could go further and show which players changed positions/sides of the ball too.

[LVSOONER15]

Yeah hes a virtual sandusky

Never remember that happening. Thanks for sharing.

[badger]

Now wait a second guys... you have to give Blake some credit for that 1999 recruiting class. It's not like John Blake wasn't out recruiting for OU during his entire tenure as OU's head football coach. You can't just say that Stoops started from nothing the day he walked in the door!

Oh wait...


Blake and his fleeing lieutenants, it seemed, had left computer hard drives erased, recruiting databases devoid of names or numbers or schools, manila folders emptied of their contents.

I think this should also erase any credit we give him for the players that were already there when Stoops arrived. Ten-fold.

[BeaSooner]

Derrick Strait - one of my fav Sooners.

[badger]

A cool story on Matt McCoy's recruiting:

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sportspost.aspx?On_Bob_Stoops_big_day_his_phone_ca ll_changed_Matt_McCoys_mind;_a_new_attitude_change d_the_Sooners_fortunes/12-13944)


At Jenks, McCoy had been offered a scholarship by John Blake. But when Blake was fired, McCoy figured the new coach might not retain that offer.

Football ops chief Merv Johnson called to assure him the offer would stand, but McCoy had his doubts.

So during and in-home visit from then-Oklahoma State coach Bob Simmons, McCoy committed to OSU.

But the night before Jenks’ state championship showdown with Union — the same day Stoops was all over the news after his on-campus introduction — McCoy got a phone call.

It was Stoops.

“He said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ve still got a scholarship. And, I’m gonna be at your game tomorrow,’ ” McCoy said. “I was like, ‘This is sweeeeet!’

[AzianSooner]

Well I am not surprised if in 1998 Bob and OU coaching staff scramble to a list of players and picked them out based on their instincts.

Then after that they might use some professional agency to give them a list of players (just like other school...) then it starts going down.

Use your instinct coach.. you know you are good at it.

[47straight]

Derrick Strait. What an absolute 4-year beast. How soon till his kids can get an offer?

[Eielson]

Lots of good Oklahoma raised players on that list.

I don't know about that.

[cleller]

I don't know about that.

What? Kory Klein, Matt MCoy, Ramon Richardson, Michael Thompson, Jason White: All Oklahoma kids that were not 5 star blue chip studs that made a serious impact for OU.

I'm a homer for the home kids.

[Eielson]

What? Kory Klein, Matt MCoy, Ramon Richardson, Michael Thompson, Jason White: All Oklahoma kids that were not 5 star blue chip studs that made a serious impact for OU.

I'm a homer for the home kids.

Is that year really that far out of the ordinary? I guess I haven't looked too closely. The '06 class was ridiculous.

[70sooner]

as I remember, Blake tried to recruit Jason White, but JW was leaning toward U of Miami and didn't even really want to talk to Blake. After Boo was fired and Stoops came in, JW was an OU recruit.

[picasso]

It scared the hell out of me every time OU kicked the ball to that guy.
Really? Tech never concerned me when Welker played there.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Mozee cost OU Wes Welker, if I recall. You think Bob might like a do-over on that one?

Welker was a 2000 recruit. Technically the guy that cost us Welker was Mark Clayton. However, given how ineffective our "4 star" WR recruit Ataleo Ford was at the college level I think you could say he was our first casualty of recruiting services.

[King Crimson]

Boo got a little lucky that OK kids like Calmus and Trent Smith still wanted to play for OU.

i remember being pretty excited abut Mozee. heh.

edit: Heinecke, Hollyman, Bubba Burcham....all OK kids too, IIRC. Jeff Ferguson from Edmond? long snapper Ben Panter.

[King Crimson]

anyway, i think all of Blake's classes were ranked in the 20's and 30 nationwide....not like they were the top 10 classes some would have you believe.

[Salt City Sooner]

Blake's recruiting "prowess" (& by prowess I mean blind luck) at work:

http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no08williams.html

[OkieThunderLion]

Mozee cost OU Wes Welker, if I recall. You think Bob might like a do-over on that one?

Mozee was on of the highest rated kids in that class. I'd be surprised if it came down to him vs Wes.

[OkieThunderLion]

I remember reading a story about jason White having foot races in the hotel hallways, and was one of the fastest guys on the team. Pre knee injuries.

That was in high school against a DB from OSU, forgot his name.

[OkieThunderLion]

Man, whatever happened to Jamar Mozee? He was kind of thought of as a steal out of Missouri at the time, IIRC. Did Chase Williams ever see the field?
Williams did not.

[OkieThunderLion]

Welker was a 2000 recruit. Technically the guy that cost us Welker was Mark Clayton. However, given how ineffective our "4 star" WR recruit Ataleo Ford was at the college level I think you could say he was our first casualty of recruiting services.

This is correct. We signed 3 WRs (if I remember) in 2000, Clayton, Ford and Ant Perkins.

[StoopTroup]

John Blake was instrumental in making available 12 Season Tickets that were all together for my Family to sit it over the last 13 years. We purchased them all in 1995 when my youngest Brother Graduated. The Stadium was empty do to his Coaching. He was so awful that OU replaced not only the Head Coach but the AD.

Replacing the AD was instrumental in getting Bob Stoops not only to OU but to also help raid the KSU Coaching Staff that assisted Bob in putting together a Team his first year that would allow OU Fans to again enjoy seeing their Foitball Team represent their School in a Bowl Game again.

Yeah some of John's Players were smart enough not to bail and leave OU and allow the new Coaching Staff to bring in some new players to play with some that were told they would win football games when they were recruited but never realized it would come true until Joe Castiglione hired a group of young guns who could figure out what Blake could not. Win.

The Story is a good one and I think many folks forget exactly what happened.

This is a good read. Especially for kids who were very young when Bob won #7.

http://www.soonersports.com/school-bio/castiglione.html

[SoonerAtKU]

Wow, I hadn't thought about Ataleo Ford in forever.

[12]

Our cuppeth ran over. Wow! What a fun time to be Sooner.

[12]

Torrance was the nuts and bolts of it, though. Kid played hard.

[AzianSooner]

1999-2000 OU players were a bunch of unwanted players. They had no stars on their chest. They commited to play for a losing program which even its fans feeing sorry for them to play there.

They came out and wrote their name to the history of college football. It was just like a good spiritual movie.

On the other hands, in the past few years there were some saying like "this is what it take to play at the University of Oklahoma" or "This is why you commit to play at the Univ. of Okla..." and the results can't even measure up to the mark that just a decade ago, a gangs of not-wannted players had scrapped.

Please, bring the spirit back. bring the thrill of the hungers to prove their-wrong sprit to this team again.

Boomer Sooner!

[8timechamps]

Torrance was the nuts and bolts of it, though. Kid played hard.

He was the poster child for what a MLB should look and play like. We need another TM on the defense.

Remember when he told Weinke "You got my boys trophy, I'm here to get it back" at the BCS title game cointoss? Greatness.