New Commit

[Frozen Sooner]

Tyler Stradford

http://oklahoma.rivals.com/commitlist.asp

[OklahomaTuba]

Good to see we were able to beat out powerhouses like UConn and Memphis for his services.

[chbrew09]

Good to see we were able to beat out powerhouses like UConn and Memphis for his services.

good too see you have trust in our coaches...i say way to go...the reason he's rated so low is that he's played at three different high schools in 4 years due to katrina.

[BASSooner]

does anybody know anything about this guy? ive never heard of him before. What's he like? any film of him available?

[Collier11]

Good to see we were able to beat out powerhouses like UConn and Memphis for his services.


See Chris Messner, Mark Clayton, Josh Heupel, Roy Williams, etc...

[Curly Bill]

I for one do have faith in OUr coaches on this one. With Kirkendoll having us #1 for now, with Bryant still a possibility, and Anyiam (sp) as well, I feel that there has to be a good reason for us to be taking this guy. Be interesting to find out more about him over the next few days.

[Collier11]

Also remember that we have a small amount of schollys this year, so if we did take this guy there must be good reason

[OklahomaTuba]

Heh, wasn't saying he sucked or anything, just making fun of the competition for him. ;)

[OklahomaTuba]

See Chris Messner, Mark Clayton, Josh Heupel, Roy Williams, etc...

I'd take a guy like one of those guys any day.

[BASSooner]

I hope we're starting to go back to OUr old ways of recruiting...taking underrated players and turning them into athletic machines. Do you guys think we'll find a 5'7 160 pound HB in a couple of years? ;)

[Collier11]

If you look at our recruiting past, the ones that have backfired on us are the highly rated guys and the ones that have really worked out well for us are the under appreciated athletes who have a chip on their shoulder. I like that we seem to be getting back to a balance of small school guys, oklahoma guys, and big-timers

[Frozen Sooner]

^^

Canard.

Adrian Peterson was highly rated.
Rufus Alexander was highly rated.
Malcolm Kelly was highly rated.
Reggie Smith was highly rated.
Marcus Walker was highly rated.
Darrien Williams was highly rated.
Lendy Holmes was highly rated (as a WR, though, not a DB)


These guys seem to have worked out pretty well.

There's plenty of guys that we've recruited that were two- three-star players that didn't pan out, we just don't really hear about it because they were recruited for depth and we weren't expecting to see that much of them.

[Frozen Sooner]

However, in this case, I think that the reason he's a two-star guy is because he bounced around a lot after Katrina and didn't have his act together when it came to recruiting.

[Collier11]

Thats not what im saying, what I was saying is that the ones that havent worked out in terms of being trouble makers or transferring out were usually higher ranked players. I wasnt saying that all the 5 stars that Stoops has ever recruited were bad eggs

[Scott D]

we've had plenty of 2-3 star players not pan out and transfer or be trouble makers as well. Any player generally ends up being a crapshoot as to whether or not they've maxed out in ability, and if they may or may not develop character issues.

[Collier11]

Crap shoot would be an accurate term. Of the big-time recruits since 2002, Chris Brown, Trent Williams, Brody Eldridge, Jon COoper, Matt Clapp, Duke Robinson, Allen Patrick, Jaquin Iglesias, Garrett Hartley, Brandon Braxton, Corey Bennett, Joe Jon Finley, Lewis Baker, Alonzo Dotson, Carl Pendelton, John Williams, Darien Williams, Paul Thompson, Davin Joseph, Chris Messner, J.D. Runnels, and Larry Birdine were all 3star or lower....

[Collier11]

...in the meantime. four and five stars that have transferred or caused our program problems have been Josh Roberts, Micheal Hawkins, Aaron Miller, Moe Dampeer, Tony Cade, Chijioke, Cody Freeby, Tommy Grady, Akeem Millington, Bomar, and Patterson

[Frozen Sooner]

Right off the bat, Chris Brown was a four star.

[Collier11]

Not according to Scout.com, that is where I got all the info

[Collier11]

im not posting this to try and argue with you, just thought it was interesting

[Frozen Sooner]

Scout's rankings are kind of garbage. Rivals tend to be a bit more accurate.

Allen Patrick was a four-star on Rivals.

So was Duke.

Clapp was a three-star, but that was due to his position. FBs don't usually get ranked above three.

[TripleOption14]

When he puts on about 10-15 lbs. he will be really good size for a WR. That is if he stays at that position. I could see the staff moving him into the DB. I thought we were pretty set on WR for a couple of years.

[Rook65]

He was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and kind of flew under the radar according to James Hale, but he is an excellent talent. I too trust our coaches.

[Mjcpr]

...in the meantime. four and five stars that have transferred or caused our program problems have been Josh Roberts, Micheal Hawkins, Aaron Miller, Moe Dampeer, Tony Cade, Chijioke, Cody Freeby, Tommy Grady, Akeem Millington, Bomar, and Patterson

What problems did Chijoke cause?

[starrca23]

Problems in the secondary, mainly getting beat deep.

[Mjcpr]

A corner that got beat? Surely you jest.

Everyone bags on Chijoke only because he wasn't the next Deion Sanders as he was purported to be. He came here and started, I'd say he did alright.

[Okieflyer]

I heard he's a "Soft" commit.

Do you think I should forward him some of those e-mails I get? :confused:

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/viagra-2.jpg

[Vaevictis]

The problem isn't the players rankings. Bomar's the poster child, and yeah, he was a big name, but if you'll recall, Quinn got booted at the same time, and he was a 3 star (Rivals).

The problem isn't raw talent or rankings, the problem is personality. Cheaters and quitters can have talent too, right?

And while our coaches need to do a good job of figuring these things out, by nature it's going to be a crap shoot at best. Personality is tough to evaluate, especially when you have rules limiting contact.

[Scott D]

Crap shoot would be an accurate term. Of the big-time recruits since 2002, Chris Brown, Trent Williams, Brody Eldridge, Jon COoper, Matt Clapp, Duke Robinson, Allen Patrick, Jaquin Iglesias, Garrett Hartley, Brandon Braxton, Corey Bennett, Joe Jon Finley, Lewis Baker, Alonzo Dotson, Carl Pendelton, John Williams, Darien Williams, Paul Thompson, Davin Joseph, Chris Messner, J.D. Runnels, and Larry Birdine were all 3star or lower....

ok I'll say it in slow english.

Recruiting
Rankings
Are
Vastly
Over-
Rated.

Ratings for kids change today simply because of what school is interested in them.

There could be a kid nobody's ever heard of that is a 1 star today, as soon as it's out there that he has interest from USC or ND, I guarantee you within two weeks that kid would turn into a 3 star minimum, but more likely a 4 star player.

[starrca23]

Scott, I think there is some truth in that, but don't turn conspiracy theorist on us.

[Collier11]

ok I'll say it in slow english.

Recruiting
Rankings
Are
Vastly
Over-
Rated.

Ratings for kids change today simply because of what school is interested in them.

There could be a kid nobody's ever heard of that is a 1 star today, as soon as it's out there that he has interest from USC or ND, I guarantee you within two weeks that kid would turn into a 3 star minimum, but more likely a 4 star player.

That is why I said that I just thought it was interesting the way that many low star recruits pan out and many high star recruits end up being trouble.

[Frozen Sooner]

ok I'll say it in slow english.

Recruiting
Rankings
Are
Vastly
Over-
Rated.

Ratings for kids change today simply because of what school is interested in them.

There could be a kid nobody's ever heard of that is a 1 star today, as soon as it's out there that he has interest from USC or ND, I guarantee you within two weeks that kid would turn into a 3 star minimum, but more likely a 4 star player.

Er, yeah. That's kind of how recruiting rankings work. The services look at which schools are competing for a kid, and that's one of the factors that goes into how many stars they assign.

Say a kid runs a 4.25 40, benches 500, whatever. However, the only schools recruiting him are RICE, Middle Tennessee State, and the Mount Holyoke School for the Preservation of Shepherding. The services figure there's probably something going on that isn't great with the kid-character issues, grades, can't actually play football, something.

Near as I can tell, the four major components in star rankings are:

1. Measurables. Height, weight, strength, speed.
2. High School Performance (which includes level of competition-a guy making 100 tackles per year in Alaska Small School Ball isn't going to get the same rating as a guy making 100 tackles a year in Dade County.)
3. Interest from Division 1-a schools.
4. Perceived likelyhood of qualifying.


The recruiting rankings are for US, not for the coaches. Trust me on this: Bob Stoops and staff have their own rating system that may correlate with the one Scout or Rivals uses, but can very likely have some players rated much higher or lower than either service. A good example is Teddy Lehman-the coaches rated him VERY high on their recruiting board based on what they'd seen of him, yet neither Scout nor Rivals rated him highly because of his level of competition in high school. Derrick Strait is another good example-everyone knew he had all the talent in the world, but because his grades were pretty suspect he was rated a two-star. Our coaches thought they could get him eligible, and they did.

I think we're all a bit skewed on our perceptions of what a highly-recruited player and a non-highly recruited player is simply because we've had so much recruiting success. A three-star player developing into a solid D-1 player is not a surprise. That's what three-star means-someone who is a very solid D-1 prospect who should turn into a solid player and probably start at some point in their career for a mid to high-level D-1 team. A four-star is someone who the scouting services think has a good shot at being an all-conference type performer, while a five-star is someone they think has a good shot at all-american.

[Scott D]

Scott, I think there is some truth in that, but don't turn conspiracy theorist on us.

eh, no conspiracy theory here. both rivals and scout are so vastly overrated it's amusing.

[Mjcpr]

eh, no conspiracy theory here. both rivals and scout are so vastly overrated it's amusing.

Based on what rating system?

[Widescreen]

Yeah, I give Rival **** and Scout ***.

[RacerX]

My bull**** rating service has a better swag than your bull**** rating service!

[Scott D]

Based on what rating system?

the MPAA's rating system.

[Mjcpr]

the MPAA's rating system.

That rating system is so vastly overrated it's amusing.

:D

[Scott D]

That rating system is so vastly overrated it's amusing.

:D

But it's not as overrated as the RIAA's rating system...now THAT is amusing :D

[OklahomaTuba]

Say a kid runs a 4.25 40, benches 500, whatever. However, the only schools recruiting him are RICE, Middle Tennessee State, and the Mount Holyoke School for the Preservation of Shepherding. The services figure there's probably something going on that isn't great with the kid-character issues, grades, can't actually play football, something.

Hope that's not the case with our new WR commit. He wasn't exactly attracting the powerhouse schools. ;)

[Frozen Sooner]

Hope that's not the case with our new WR commit. He wasn't exactly attracting the powerhouse schools. ;)

Heh. He actually has some visits scheduled with some bigger names that haven't offered yet.

In this case, the reason why a lot of schools haven't offered is they didn't have his tape and stuff until late in the recruiting season. Suffice it to say that his ranking will climb higher as we get closer to February. I imagine he will be a three star at least.

Plus, there's an OL that went to the same high school as this kid that, though committed to Ole Miss, lists OU as his leader now. Stay tuned...

[snp]

Chijioke

What problems? Chijoke was fine for us.

[Collier11]

What problems? Chijoke was fine for us.



Correct em if im wrong, but didnt chijioke get in trouble for having some green on him???

[snp]

Correct em if im wrong, but didnt chijioke get in trouble for having some green on him???

I don't think so. Had some grade problems and he recently busted a girl's mirror, but he's not one of those thugs types. He's a really calm and laid back dude who got a little angry.

[Collier11]

I must have mistaken him for one of our ex bball players...LOL! My fault

[Mjcpr]

I must have mistaken him for one of our ex bball players...LOL! My fault

Maybe it was a different Chijoke Onyenegecha.

[Collier11]

That is possible, too many damn John Smiths and Chijiioke Onyenegecha's in this world

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

. However, the only schools recruiting him are... the Mount Holyoke School for the Preservation of Shepherding. This one should not have been listed, as it is NOT a 4-year, fully accredited college, and it's not even in Mt. Holyoke!

[BASSooner]

Scout's rankings are kind of garbage. Rivals tend to be a bit more accurate.

Allen Patrick was a four-star on Rivals.

So was Duke.

Clapp was a three-star, but that was due to his position. FBs don't usually get ranked above three.
Larry Fitz was a 4 star along with chris leak. Dbrickshaw ferguson(however you spell his name) was a two star coming in as well. Birdine was a 3-star and so on. All of the recruiting services are garbage. a player is determined on how a coach uses him i believe.

[snp]

Larry Fitz was a 4 star along with chris leak. Dbrickshaw ferguson(however you spell his name) was a two star coming in as well. Birdine was a 3-star and so on. All of the recruiting services are garbage. a player is determined on how a coach uses him i believe.

Leak was a 5*. Birdine isn't the greatest example of recruiting services not being that accurate. He is kinda overrated.

You can't talk recruiting and totally dismiss rankings. Yea, we know they are not the bible - so quit bringing it up when they mess up occasionly. They also get a lot of players right, AD, VY, Reggie Bush etc.

[mikeyp]

what about joe john finely? He was highly recruited by mich usc and ND. I just wish that we would have took some xrays of his hands before he commited to us. Because you know his hands are made of stone. There wasn't one game that would go by that he didn't drop at least 3 passes, how about the one in the bcs game the reverse te screen pass, 3 fricken times it hit his hands and yet he still managed to drop it. Get # 84 in there ( can't remember name ) maybe he does it a little better.... And don't get me started on chris ( i can't block) messynerd uuuuhhhhhh







all the sudden I feel better!!!

[soonerboy_odanorth]

what about joe john finely? He was highly recruited by mich usc and ND. I just wish that we would have took some xrays of his hands before he commited to us. Because you know his hands are made of stone. There wasn't one game that would go by that he didn't drop at least 3 passes, how about the one in the bcs game the reverse te screen pass, 3 fricken times it hit his hands and yet he still managed to drop it. Get # 84 in there ( can't remember name ) maybe he does it a little better.... And don't get me started on chris ( i can't block) messynerd uuuuhhhhhh

all the sudden I feel better!!!

Do you even watch football? Or if you do, do you even understand the game?

Joe Jon was more than capable this year. He made several critical catches, is a very solid blocker, and put points on the board for us at least a couple of times. All of which is EXACTLY what you need out of the TE position. And guess what. Football is a difficult sport. No running back, tight end, or wide receiver catches every single ball thrown to them, even when they are spot-on perfect passes. And # 84? Uhhhhh yeah.... he's not a tight end, Gomer.

I've not been a huge fan of Messner myself, but only because of his physical attributes. However, he almost never busts an assignment and plays his *** off every single game. Heart matters in this game, and he has it. And apparently the Big XII coaches and writers think so too. I'll value their opinion over yours.

Your blasts are ignorant and unwarranted.

[KingDavid]

Do you even watch football? Or if you do, do you even understand the game?

Joe Jon was more than capable this year. He made several critical catches, is a very solid blocker, and put points on the board for us at least a couple of times. All of which is EXACTLY what you need out of the TE position. And guess what. Football is a difficult sport. No running back, tight end, or wide receiver catches every single ball thrown to them, even when they are spot-on perfect passes. And # 84? Uhhhhh yeah.... he's not a tight end, Gomer.

I've not been a huge fan of Messner myself, but only because of his physical attributes. However, he almost never busts an assignment and plays his *** off every single game. Heart matters in this game, and he has it. And apparently the Big XII coaches and writers think so too. I'll value their opinion over yours.

Your blasts are ignorant and unwarranted.

Finley is poised to be all big XII next year. His body has changed so much in three years. This will be the first year where he comes back with the same frame he took into the previous season. It will make a difference when he can apply all of his experience in a body to which he's become more accustomed. Plus, if they play double tight-end sets, Gresham will be keeping everyone very honest on the other side, or even out wide.

We are going to have a freaking good offense next year, folks. I could line up at Quarterback and it wouldn't matter all that much.

[chbrew09]

what about joe john finely? He was highly recruited by mich usc and ND. I just wish that we would have took some xrays of his hands before he commited to us. Because you know his hands are made of stone. There wasn't one game that would go by that he didn't drop at least 3 passes, how about the one in the bcs game the reverse te screen pass, 3 fricken times it hit his hands and yet he still managed to drop it. Get # 84 in there ( can't remember name ) maybe he does it a little better.... And don't get me started on chris ( i can't block) messynerd uuuuhhhhhh

all the sudden I feel better!!!

wow...ignorant post of the year award? Where the hell did you come from buddy? I've disagreed with people on this board, but this is the first time in a year and a half of reading this board that I have felt the need to reply to something of such low football intelligence. I clearly remember being at the Fiesta Bowl and watching Joe Jon drop that pass and two different people turn to me and say "no way! he never drops passes". Yes, he's a tight end and yes, he will occasionally drop passes, but he was one of the more important safety nets and just overall threats for Paul in a few key situations throughout the year. I like how he dropped three passes every game also...Considering you don't know who's who on our team every drop by any player you were probably like "damn it Joe Jon!" Before you ever decide to post your opinion again, at least...at the VERY least please run by soonersports.com to figure out who our tight ends and what their numbers are. I'm sorry, but your request and suggestion for #84 will never be met unless our coaches decide that Quentin Chaney, (probably the receiver with the worst hands on the team at this point...#84!) is better at playing tight end than Joe Jon, Gresham AND brody eldridge. I'm happy for your sake that you happened to not post on the football board because you'd have a whole new thing coming. Congratulations...you won the award in my book...My favorite part of your post had to have been the Chris..."I can't block" Messynerd...THAT WAS CLEVER HAHAHAHAHA WAY TO GO!!!! Will you please teach me how you make such funny nicknames sometimes? So clever!

[Seamus]

Well, there's pwn3d and then there's pwn3d.

Heh.

[KingDavid]

Get # 84 in there ( can't remember name ) maybe he does it a little better.... !!

While you may criticize Mikeyp for this seemingly idiotic statement, I happen to know that ever since the Fiesta Bowl Chaney has been working out 16 hours a day under the guidance of Schmidty. He consumes 20,000 calories every 6 hours, 90% of which are in protein, super-mass-building shakes. Furthermore, he has not been allowed to take a dump in over three weeks. They have actually sewed his arsehole shut.

Chaney is now up to 258 pounds and is making a bid to displace both Gresham and Finley on the depth chart. His one problem has been an inability to catch the ball. Many suspect that he is distracted by the pressure building up in his bowels, but Quentin is not the type to let that distract him.

Some other surprising depth chart developments (that I'm sure Mikeyp will corroborate):

- #72 (Duke Robinson) will be trying his hand at Quarterback. (On a strict diet of Celery and ex-lax, George is dropping the lb's like a high school wrestler).
- #1 (Manuel Johson) is sliding down to the LT position. (He would be up to 260 by now if the stitches in his butt had not burst last week.)
- #10 (Garrett Hartley) will be lining up at NT, and lastly
- #60 (Curtis Bailey) is trying his hand at near-side CB.

Crazy times, these.

[Scott D]

While you may criticize Mikeyp for this seemingly idiotic statement, I happen to know that ever since the Fiesta Bowl Chaney has been working out 16 hours a day under the guidance of Schmidty. He consumes 20,000 calories every 6 hours, 90% of which are in protein, super-mass-building shakes. Furthermore, he has not been allowed to take a dump in over three weeks. They have actually sewed his arsehole shut.

Chaney is now up to 258 pounds and is making a bid to displace both Gresham and Finley on the depth chart. His one problem has been an inability to catch the ball. Many suspect that he is distracted by the pressure building up in his bowels, but Quentin is not the type to let that distract him.

Some other surprising depth chart developments (that I'm sure Mikeyp will corroborate):

- #72 (Duke Robinson) will be trying his hand at Quarterback. (On a strict diet of Celery and ex-lax, George is dropping the lb's like a high school wrestler).
- #1 (Manuel Johson) is sliding down to the LT position. (He would be up to 260 by now if the stitches in his butt had not burst last week.)
- #10 (Garrett Hartley) will be lining up at NT, and lastly
- #60 (Curtis Bailey) is trying his hand at near-side CB.

Crazy times, these.

Dear Castiglione,

you were told to tell us when you brought John Blake back.

Sincerely,
Reality

[OU-HSV]

what about joe john finely? He was highly recruited by mich usc and ND. I just wish that we would have took some xrays of his hands before he commited to us. Because you know his hands are made of stone. There wasn't one game that would go by that he didn't drop at least 3 passes, how about the one in the bcs game the reverse te screen pass, 3 fricken times it hit his hands and yet he still managed to drop it. Get # 84 in there ( can't remember name ) maybe he does it a little better.... And don't get me started on chris ( i can't block) messynerd uuuuhhhhhh







all the sudden I feel better!!!
Whoa..wtf? Who let a troll get in here!

[Seamus]

Merciless. I laugh.

[soonerthanu]

Thanks mikeyp, I needed a good laugh.

[Desert Sapper]

Well, there's pwn3d and then there's pwn3d.

Heh.

If I could find a picture of that block Joe Jon had against the UAB LB (the one that led to the AD 69-yard TD), that would be the definition of PWNAG3.

[Seamus]

True, dat. One seriously awesome hit.

I actually get more geeked for that kind of play than I do for scores -- when someone gets their Lsudeek knocked into the dirt. Remember that block -- by Harry Stamps, I think -- in the Carrier Dome against Syracuse, on the backside pursuit. I thought that guy was dead for a second.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Gettin' off topic here, but best one I ever saw was that Joe Bowden/Reggie Barnes (can't remember which one it was) pasting of the NU receiver over the middle in the 45-10 1990 victory. Talk about "thought he wasn't gonna get up"... I just remember the sound of the hit reverberating...

[snp]

Decommitted for Southern Miss as a CB.

Didn't see that one coming. But we should all be use to missing on SEC area kids.

[Rhino]

Weird deal.

I hope I'm in the clear to make fun of his eyebrows now.

[Frozen Sooner]

You know what I love about Insiders?

The same people that were all PO'd about us recruiting a two-star recruit are all PO'd about losing a recruit to Southern Miss.

[The Consumate Showman]

You know what I love about Insiders?

The same people that were all PO'd about us recruiting a two-star recruit are all PO'd about losing a recruit to Southern Miss.


apparently he is a little better than his 2 star rating shows. remember, he was one of the katrina kids that got lost in the shuffle.

[Rhino]

The good thing is that this appears to not affect Alex Williams' recruitment.

[snp]

Weird deal.

I hope I'm in the clear to make fun of his eyebrows now.


It's also acceptable to now complain that he wasn't all that great anyways and to bash his character.

[Frozen Sooner]

apparently he is a little better than his 2 star rating shows. remember, he was one of the katrina kids that got lost in the shuffle.

Oh, I know. I just find the ability to hold contradictory ideas in one's head to be interesting.

[Rhino]

It's also acceptable to now complain that he wasn't all that great anyways and to bash his character. Hooray!

[Collier11]

probably realized that he wouldnt see the field at OU, im not bashing the guy and saying he is trash cus he decomitted, just that we have a load of really good wr's already plus a couple of guys like murray and madu who could play in the slot at times plus two good te's.

[Desert Sapper]

I wonder if Terrance Tolliver is still considering us?

[RedStripe]

I wonder if Terrance Tolliver is still considering us?

No, but we are working on Dez Bryant

[Mjcpr]

Appears that Kirkendoll has de-committed as well.

[Rhino]

Mack is pretty good at making recruits believe this probation is gunna happen.

[sooner94]

Gettin' off topic here, but best one I ever saw was that Joe Bowden/Reggie Barnes (can't remember which one it was) pasting of the NU receiver over the middle in the 45-10 1990 victory. Talk about "thought he wasn't gonna get up"... I just remember the sound of the hit reverberating...

Reggie Barnes made that hit near the east sideline. I felt that impact up in the student section.

[PLaw]

good too see you have trust in our coaches...i say way to go...the reason he's rated so low is that he's played at three different high schools in 4 years due to katrina.


Spot On - The poster dissin' this latest Sooner commitment probably said the same thing about a 2-star Juaquin Iglesis. He can play on my team any day.

Boomer Sooner

[jk the sooner fan]

who besides kirkendoll has de-committed?

[PLaw]

Reggie Barnes made that hit near the east sideline. I felt that impact up in the student section.


Yeah, but that doesn't compare to Rod Shoate's exploits. Wicked.

Boomer Sooner

[snp]

who besides kirkendoll has de-committed?

The other recent WR commit, Tyler Stradford. Heading to USM to be a CB.

[colleyvillesooner]

Mack is pretty good at making recruits believe this probation is gunna happen.

I really ****ing hate him.

[Harry Beanbag]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2001/11/24/texas_south_ap/lg_brown_ap-01.jpg