Sooners get commit #15 TE/FB Dimitri Flowers

[8timechamps]

Dimitri Flowers
6'3" 220 lbs
Churchill High School
San Antonio, TX

Decommitted from Boise State. Committed to OU


More info to come...

[Jacie]

What? How? Did he look in his closet and decided everything went better with Sooner maroon than Boise blue? Was it the thought of playing in a cold-weather climate that put him off? Has he somehow been shielded from seeing clips of that Fiesta Bowl? This is huge!

[vtsooner21]

Repeat after me: Crimson, Crimson, Crimson....

Boomer

[cyclonesooner]

Sorry, Jacie, this is not a huge windfall for the Sooners. I coached Flowers a few years back and was absolutely SHOCKED to see that OU had offered him today. I never thought that he could play for Boise or Bokchito for that matter. Very, very average speed at best. Sometimes it appears that it might take him 30 minutes to run out of sight. haha Great kid but definitely receiving these offers based on his dad being a former 1st round draft choice out of Arizona State, I believe. Not the most coachable person in the world either. More like 6'1 instead of 6'3 and 210 lbs instead of 225 too. These types of signings just mires us deeper in mediocrity. Sorry.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Sorry, Jacie, this is not a huge windfall for the Sooners. I coached Flowers a few years back and was absolutely SHOCKED to see that OU had offered him today. I never thought that he could play for Boise or Bokchito for that matter. Very, very average speed at best. Sometimes it appears that it might take him 30 minutes to run out of sight. haha Great kid but definitely receiving these offers based on his dad being a former 1st round draft choice out of Arizona State, I believe. Not the most coachable person in the world either. More like 6'1 instead of 6'3 and 210 lbs instead of 225 too. These types of signings just mires us deeper in mediocrity. Sorry.

Should we save this like the Gresham threads? ;)

The question is whether he competes. We've had slow kids come in before and get much quicker (Mark Clayton comes to mind). The problem is that it requires a lot of want too.

[SoCal]

http://www.expressnews.com/sports/high_school/high_school_football/article/Football-big-part-of-Flowers-family-4924470.php#/0

October 25, 2013

A thousand band members, cheerleaders and others marched through the city of Windcrest on Jan. 20, 1996, in a “dream parade” for the state champion Roosevelt Rough Riders.

They had a 16-0 season that culminated in the Class 5A Division II title. One of the area's best defenses of all-time, Roosevelt allowed just 8.7 points per game behind star defensive ends Erik Flowers and Dwayne Missouri.

Flowers didn't stay at that celebration long, though.

Dimitri Flowers was born on Jan. 20, 1996.

“The state championship, Roosevelt football, it was all an afterthought,” Erik said. “My son fell asleep in my arms that night.”

Erik laughed when he thought back to his Roosevelt days, which seemed so long ago. He went on to play at Arizona State and was a first-round NFL draft pick in 2000.

Now, his son Dimitri is a star himself. A senior at Churchill, Dimitri is an All-Area receiver committed to Boise State.

On Saturday, Dimitri and Churchill face Erik's alma mater Roosevelt at 7 p.m. at Comalander Stadium.

“I'd say I have the edge over my dad in speed, looks and athleticism,” Dimitri said.

In that order.

“I can't believe you'd write that down,” Erik said. “Kids these days, they're delusional.”

They compete in everything, father and son, with the video game Super Smash Bros. currently drawing the most attention.

Those are moments Erik values, after football took him away from home for much of Dimitri's childhood.

After Roosevelt, he went to Trinity Valley Community College, where he won a junior college national championship in 1997. Then came Arizona State, and the No. 24 overall pick in the NFL draft by Buffalo. He bounced between three teams in five seasons before a back injury ended his career.

Erik said there were difficult times living and playing away from his son, especially in college when he couldn't easily afford trips back to Texas. But he said family always was the priority.

Erik credits those values to his support system: his grandparents Rudolph and Doretta Flowers, who raised him; Melissa, his wife of 13 years and Dimitri's step-mother; and his defensive coordinator at Roosevelt, Glenn Hill.

Flowers said he grew to respect the discipline Hill instilled. Hill once benched Flowers after a 14-tackle game because he wasn't doing what the coaches said. They stayed in close contact after Flowers graduated.

Hill is now Dimitri's head coach at Churchill.

“That's the greatest compliment anyone could give me,” Hill said, “that he would trust me with his son.”

Erik hopes to coach some day. He's currently a manager at an H-E-B, manipulating his schedule so he can attend games for his three children — Dimitri, 17; Deziree, 12; and Braeden, 8. He doesn't talk much about his NFL days, preferring to talk about his kids instead.

“If he went into coaching, he probably wouldn't be able to be there as much,” Melissa said. “Yes, he was in the NFL. But he's made it clear to his kids that they're his life.”

While Erik played defense, Dimitri said he always wanted the ball. He's third in the area in receiving this season with 738 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with three rushing scores.

He's a little shorter than his father at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, but Hill said Dimitri and Erik both have the same knack for seeing the field and reading opponents, adding that they are two of a handful he's coached that you can “fully trust on the field.”

According to Hill, Dimitri's confidence and competitiveness is stunningly similar to how Erik acted at Roosevelt back in 1995.

“My dad does have a state championship ring that he can hold over me,” Dimitri said. “I don't have one ...

[Mjcpr]

Has he decommitted yet?

[cyclonesooner]

I coached high school football for over 30 years at schools of all classes and believe me, "he is no Gresham or even close. I believe he will compete. I just think his footspeed and quickness will hamper him severely. I also coaches in the same high school district with Johnny Manziel. I was always curious as to whether the Sooners ever recruited him ? Anyone know ?

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I coached high school football for over 30 years at schools of all classes and believe me, "he is no Gresham or even close. I believe he will compete. I just think his footspeed and quickness will hamper him severely. I also coaches in the same high school district with Johnny Manziel. I was always curious as to whether the Sooners ever recruited him ? Anyone know ?

It was a joke based on Gresham's recruiting. 0fer was the color announcer for his games and he said that Gresham refused to block in high school.

If you think he has a motor and can compete, he'll probably surprise you at how good he gets. We've had plenty of TEs over the years that were good players for us and didn't get drafted.

As for Manziel - he was an early commit to Oregon and stayed that way until a last minute switch to aTm. We went legacy that year with Kendall Thompson. I don't know if Josh would have taken any other 3 star guy.

[cyclonesooner]

Hopefully you are right, jkm. He is probably as talented as the TE a few years back, I believe he was from Woodward Can't recall his name. We will see.

[8timechamps]

Sorry, Jacie, this is not a huge windfall for the Sooners. I coached Flowers a few years back and was absolutely SHOCKED to see that OU had offered him today. I never thought that he could play for Boise or Bokchito for that matter. Very, very average speed at best. Sometimes it appears that it might take him 30 minutes to run out of sight. haha Great kid but definitely receiving these offers based on his dad being a former 1st round draft choice out of Arizona State, I believe. Not the most coachable person in the world either. More like 6'1 instead of 6'3 and 210 lbs instead of 225 too. These types of signings just mires us deeper in mediocrity. Sorry.

Sounds like you've had a lot of experience, but if you coached Flowers a few years back, then you probably have missed on some major changes in his development. I'm sure you know, but kids change at ton at that age, and apparently this kid has garnered the attention of some big time programs. While being a legacy (or son of a famous/talented player) would earn offers at some schools, OU doesn't typically offer a kid for that reason alone. I've had a chance to watch some film on Flowers, and there's no question he has a ways to go, he certainly has the talent to play at a high level. I think a lot will ride on coaching with him.

[8timechamps]

Sounds like OU recruited Flowers as a FB/TE hybrid. A Millard type of player. That's some big shoes to fill, but the Sooners passed on a couple of other kids to get Flowers.

[cyclonesooner]

Hard for me to believe that isn't better or equally talented players in Oklahoma to sign for a position such as this. Are times that hard ?