2024 Head to Head with the Big Boys: Oklahoma Edition

[lindend]

First Edition tracking our success recruiting against the big boys for key recruits. Since Venables has made it personal with Mario, we're going to start w/him and Oklahoma as I'm suspecting Mario will be focusing on getting revenge with recruits and not in verbal banter.

Venables clearly has his negative recruiting against the Canes schpeel down and so far, he's been very effective.

2025 Cycle

HS Grade: TBD
Portal Grade: TBD

Recruit	College	Comments
Trystan Haynes	Oklahoma	Unless there are extenuating circumstances, its going to be tough (impossible?) to pull an elite CB from Oklahoma
Cortez Mills	Oklahoma	Miami and FSU cooled late in the cycle, was trending towards Clemson then picked the Sooners.
Floyd-Dawens Boucard	U$C Oklahoma	Picked Oklahoma then flipped to U$C. No real SFL roots and insider reports are very mixed on what happened in his recruitment.
Elijah Melendez	Auburn Miami	Says Miami was his only serious OV then flipped to Auburn.

2024 Cycle

HS Grade: F
Portal Grade: A

Recruit	College	Comments
Davon Mitchell	Oklahoma	Reportedly 50/50 until decision day
James Nesta	Oklahoma	Not sure why, but was a priority for the staff.
Jayden Jackson	Oklahoma	Huge miss here. No way to spin this.
David Stone	Oklahoma	Stone has been rumored to be Sooner lean for a long time. Jackson's commit might be the final nail in the coffin.
Wyatt Gilmore	Oklahoma	Norman may be a good decision for him.
Demetrius Freeney	Miami	OU wanted him badly as a portal CB (especially after Davis left for the portal to Miami)
Sione Laulea		Trending strongly to USCw
Matt Lee	Miami
Eddy Pierre-Louis	Oklahoma	Picked OU

2023 Cycle

Recruit	College	Comments
Kaleb Spencer	Miami	Flipped him late in the cycle
Reuben Bain	Miami	OU wanted him bad

2022 Cycle

Recruit	College	Comments
Ahmad Moten	Miami	Was all OU until Mario made a late push
Mason Thomas	Oklahoma	Mario couldn't overcome OU with a late push

 

[Suhrthing]

I think the boomers take it this season.

 

[Headhunter]

???

Lol Mario doesn’t give two fooks who the Sooners are after he is looking for the best players that fit this team period.

 

[bobbydigius]

???

Lol Mario doesn’t give two fooks who the Sooners are after he is looking for the best players that fit this team period.

That’s kinda the OPs point…

 

[lindend]

Mitchell and Jackson are the ones I'd guessing we're going to work on flipping until the bitter end. Ditto for Stone.

Personally, I'd much rather have Cole and Hayes rather than Nesta so IDK we continue to recruit him.

 

[canecrazy23]

I think the boomers take it this season.

Yeah take it up the rear by their big brother Texas.

 

[canecrazy23]

Mitchell and Stone are the ones I'd guessing we're going to work on flipping until the bitter end. Ditto for Stone.

Personally, I'd much rather have Cole and Hayes rather than Nesta so IDK we continue to recruit him.

Did you mean Mitchell and Scott?

 

[Baba Yaga]

 

[lindend]

Did you mean Mitchell and Scott?

Nope. But I now see the typo you're referring to.

Mean Mitchell and Jackson. Good catch, thanks.

 

[Damiencane86]

Can only hope we have a good year and get to play them in a bowl game to shut them up in the best way possible

 

[canecrazy23]

Nope. But I now see the typo you're referring to.

Mean Mitchell and Jackson. Good catch, thanks.

You don't think we will keep trying to flip Scott or is that a wrap?

 

[lindend]

You don't think we will keep trying to flip Scott or is that a wrap?

I do, I think all hands are still on deck for flipping Scott. But that will be in the Head to Head against O$U thread.

 

[lindend]

@can

You don't think we will keep trying to flip Scott or is that a wrap?

O$U thread created and my Scott commentary here

Head to Head with the Big Boys: O$U Edition

Second thread tracking our success recruiting against the big boys for key recruits. For years, Hartline has used SFE as a farm team and implemented reign of terror, taking whichever elite WR he wants from South Florida. Flo says the guard starts to change beginning with this cycle and the...

www.canesinsight.com

 

[WestGA'Cane]

Would love to be a fly on the wall for the Jackson recruitment. Have to wonder if all things were equal in terms of the NIL offers respectively. Though he was clearly a take, size was a concern for me in terms of his ceiling. And looking at photos he appears to have short arms (I'm no expert). So IF the measurables impact his ceiling, it's logical to think it would potentially limit the NIL offer, where we're purported to have a definitive pecking order as well as a commitment to not overspend on certain recruits. Just another layer to consider in today's recruiting battles.

 

[One9]

At the end of 22, Venables & Mario held Cardinal Gibbons teammates Ahmad Moten (Miami) & R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma) for OVs Jan 21st to Oklahoma & Jan 28th to Miami. Split 1-1.

2023 JUCO CB Demetrius Freeney was also in on Oklahoma prior to signing to Miami. Him & his 2024 JUCO teammate Sione Laulea both visited OU in May.
Not sure if you'd count it for OU but since Venables wants to be a *****, Rueben Bain took an OV to OU during their big OV weekend last June.

Also if you are including portal, both Oklahoma and Miami were after Matt Lee out of UCF. W for Miami there.

 

[G Reg3rdLeg]

Are we sure a Venables led OU program should even be considered a “big boy”?

 

[lindend]

At the end of 22, Venables & Mario held Cardinal Gibbons teammates Ahmad Moten (Miami) & R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma) for OVs Jan 21st to Oklahoma & Jan 28th to Miami. Split 1-1.

2023 JUCO CB Demetrius Freeney was also in on Oklahoma prior to signing to Miami. Him & his 2024 JUCO teammate Sione Laulea both visited OU in May.

I forgot about those battles, OP updated.

Not sure if you'd count it for OU but since Venables wants to be a *****, Rueben Bain took an OV to OU during their big OV weekend last June.

Oh, I'm petty, very petty. OP updated. Venables has made this personal not just dissing Mario but all of us.

Venables knows defensive recruits so it makes it doubly important.

Also if you are including portal, both Oklahoma and Miami were after Matt Lee out of UCF. W for Miami there.

OP updated.

 

[lindend]

After updating the OP to include all the battles @One9 mentioned, I can visualize things better. Until the last couple of weeks, Mario had Venables in a closet with the door shut, and the key in the trash. It will be interesting to see if Mario can flip some of these losses and return things to their normal state of Miami owning Oklahoma on the trail.

 

[WestGA'Cane]

Yeah, some good Oklahoma conversation going on in the Ohio St. thread lol..
Boomer Sooner will be a good watch for the hopeful face plant this season (flip(s))?
We know the staff is working Stone, though apparently his preference is clear. Wonder if they're still pursuing Jackson?

 

[rustywalkedaway]

Are we sure a Venables led OU program should even be considered a “big boy”?

That was my immediate thought. Right now the "big boys" are who we hope to be, right? For recruiting purposes, as we can't make any on the field argument, those are Alabama, Georgia, OSU...and everybody else?

By "everybody else" I mean we are realistically (maybe optimistically) competing with the Clemsons, Oregons, USCs, Michigan, Texas, USC, and Oklahomas? Each brings different things to the table, but none can show any recent combination of top recruiting classes and and actual production (meaning conference championships and playoff participation).

And, before people get wound up, go check 247 recruiting history and post season "success". Clemson did not have great classes, they had very good classes, and a couple of great QBs. Oregon might have underperformed relative to classes. Michigan the opposite. Miami is in a dead heat with Texas, OU, and USC to see which program can come back from the dead to real, national prominence. Not just visibility.