DL Jonah Laula from Hawaii transfers to OU.
- Thread starter CTOkie
- Start date
It's always important to have depth on the DL, but I don't know much about this guy's talent level (hard to judge Mountain West competition). According to 247 Sports, he was a 2* coming out of high school with offers from UNLV and Hawaii. Of course, some guys end up playing above their ratings and it could be the case with this guy.
He had offers from Georgia and LSU, plus others while in the portal. JS.
Where are the days when OU could afford to 'Pick 'n' Choose'? In our rear-view mirrors? 
And Bookie was a 5 star. To your point, it really doesn't matter after they've played college ball for a couple of years. As SoonerSA said, he had portal offers from other heavyweights. Getting this guy now is like getting a 4 star or better out of highschool.
If Venables wanted him, that's good enough for me.
Where are the days when OU could afford to 'Pick 'n' Choose'? In our rear-view mirrors?
1973-1988? The glory years for me.Where are the days when OU could afford to 'Pick 'n' Choose'? In our rear-view mirrors?
It may be that Laula came to Hawaii as a 2-star recruit and then was developed into being a very good player and one that was wanted by a few blue-blooded teams.
Having players being "coached up" doesn't seem to happen much at OU and I believe there is a sense of entitlement plaguing too many highly recruited players on the OU roster who believe they don't need to get better. Case in point would be the offensive line and the defense.
Turner-Yell, and Willis were listed on OU's commitment listed as 3-star players with low 5.5 ratings, so they are to me a good example of players who were coached up. Willis is a very underrated player but will be very important to OU's offense this season.
The OL has or has had players with 4-stars who can have good games, but too often get dominated even by weaker teams. And some just don't even see playing time and leave.
Riley had a good 55-10 record but when I look back over his time here, some things to light as to why there were some poorly played games, win or lose, which really came to a head in 2021. OU was never a CFP caliber team under Riley as well and the blowout losses prove it. Riley had to go and he made OU's task of relieving him very easy.....but somewhat costly as far as recruiting and the roster goes. In time, it will prove to be worth the sacrifice.
Having players being "coached up" doesn't seem to happen much at OU and I believe there is a sense of entitlement plaguing too many highly recruited players on the OU roster who believe they don't need to get better. Case in point would be the offensive line and the defense.
Turner-Yell, and Willis were listed on OU's commitment listed as 3-star players with low 5.5 ratings, so they are to me a good example of players who were coached up. Willis is a very underrated player but will be very important to OU's offense this season.
The OL has or has had players with 4-stars who can have good games, but too often get dominated even by weaker teams. And some just don't even see playing time and leave.
Riley had a good 55-10 record but when I look back over his time here, some things to light as to why there were some poorly played games, win or lose, which really came to a head in 2021. OU was never a CFP caliber team under Riley as well and the blowout losses prove it. Riley had to go and he made OU's task of relieving him very easy.....but somewhat costly as far as recruiting and the roster goes. In time, it will prove to be worth the sacrifice.
Jaxon Player, Tulsa is high on Brent's list as is a DL guy from TAMU (name unknown to me) in the portal. Lebby, Gundy, Bedenbaugh and Murray are rumored to be hard at work on the portal and high schoolers. We have lost a lot of known talent but it sounds as if our coaches have made progress in filling those holes. This should go far in holding guys like Mims and Farooq. Keep the faith!!
I’m an OU grad/fan living in Hawaii and I think I’ve seen all of La’ulu’s games at Hawaii. Looks great on paper, but not instinctive or explosive. It will be fascinating to see if the OU coaching can take him to the next level.
I think Venables is just looking at some players he can bring in to help out since we’re losing players with staff turnover/ attrition/opting out early. Hopefully these guys can bridge the gap and hopefully for them to help their potential draft status while they’re at it.