Sooners Going Fisher-Ing at A&M?
Recruiting has always been a dog eat dog world but now with the portal the chain reactions to coaching changes are even more seismic. Now, with the news of Jimbo Fisher‘s firing at Texas A&M, staffs around the country stare at College Station with five-stars in their eyes.
Five-Stars Could Come Back into Focus for Sooners
Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting is largely put to bed but a few of the premier names they’ve pursued and missed out on, Terry Bussey and Dominick McKinley, could be back on the market. Lets look at both the situation the Sooners have been in to date with each player but also why things could make sense going forward for Oklahoma.
Where Sooners Have Been: Bussey was a player that Oklahoma was on the outside looking in for quite some time. However, as that time went on Emmett Jones helped the Sooners make a bigger and bigger move. When it came down to it the Sooners came up short against A&M and seemed to end up behind LSU as well.
Why It Could Work for OU: Since that time Bussey has visited LSU and the Tigers are making a move. Still though there’s no denying that Oklahoma did a lot to impress him. Both with their passing game as well as his relationship with Jones. Beyond that the Sooners are set on him playing at receiver, an option that may pay dividends.
Where Sooners Have Been: McKinley is another player that Oklahoma seemed distant for in a good part of his recruitment. However, at the end the Sooners seemed to be the one most notably pushing Texas A&M.
Why It Could Work for OU: His relationship with Todd Bates and his family’s connection to Oklahoma’s methodology of handling recruiting – the SOUL mission, etc. – are a key pair of aces. Now, is it enough to get things going at this late date? We’ll see but it’s not impossible to imagine.
OU Will be Watching A&M’s Portal News as Well
But, again, as mentioned, it’s not just about recruiting. Oklahoma, like most of college football, has suffered many tough recruiting losses to Texas A&M in recent years. A few notable ones that Sooners fans will keep an eye on are sophomore offensive lineman Kam Dewberry, and freshman Katy (Texas) Paetow teammates David Hicks and Daymion Sanford.
Dewberry, has been a spot starter so far, and chose the Aggies on Early Signing Day 2021. It was a point in time just a few weeks after Lincoln Riley‘s shock departure from Norman. At the time of his decision he was open about the change playing a real role in his final decision.
Dewberry is close with Bill Bedenbaugh and should he look around it would seem the Sooners would make sense. It only makes more sense considering Oklahoma could be looking at three new starters on the interior of the offensive line in 2024.
Hicks and Sanford, high school teammates, and friends was an avenue Oklahoma tried to exploit once before. Sanford was offered almost exactly a year ago, Nov. 3, in hopes of landing him as well as reeling in Hicks with him. A year later with Oklahoma only having one commitment who is truly considered a linebacker landing a talent like Sanford could help OU.
He’s talented but not once but twice the Sooners had come up just short on Hicks and tried to leave no stone unturned. Following a visit in the summer of 2022 Hicks seemed to be set to the Sooners. As time went on that confidence never wavered until the final hours of his recruitment. At that point Texas A&M shocked most everyone and had the big man headed to College Station.
Still though the Sooners have had few more near misses in recent recruiting than Hicks, who has appeared in eight games for A&M. There’s little doubt if he were to look to the portal Oklahoma would immediately have a key role.
