Raheim Sanders on Old Buddy Jaden Davis: "I'm Definitely Trying to Do the Same Thing He's Doing"
Oklahoma stayed active on the recruiting trail this past week, unleashing a flurry of new offers to prep football standouts across the country.
One of the recruits that drew a scholarship offer from the Sooners is 2021 graduate Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, a hulking two-way athlete from Rockledge, Florida. OU represents Sanders’ 32nd FBS offer.
“I can’t even drop a top 10 right now,” Sanders said of the surge of interest. “There are so many schools [looking] at me right now.”
Take one look at Sanders’ tape and it’s easy to see why. He’s got breakaway speed, formidable size and ridiculous agility, and he’s earned looks from collegiate programs as both an offensive slash weapon and a defender.
“There’s a couple teams, a couple college coaches that say they’ve got a position where I can play a little bit of running back and wide receiver on the offensive side,” said Sanders. “Most of the defensive coaches are saying that they want me to play linebacker, safety or corner.”
Sanders is understandably torn between playing offense and defense at the collegiate level. He expressed that he’ll likely postpone that decision until the last possible moment.
“It’s pretty hard,” he said. “I’m gonna pick that whenever I choose to commit. It’s pretty hard because I like both sides of the ball.”
And as a potential early enrollee, Sanders says that he’s going to take his time with his decision to commit. He’s in no rush to pick his destination.
“I’ll probably commit late,” he said. “Probably around December, because I might be leaving early.”
The 2019 season was Sanders’ first at Rockledge, as he transferred from East River High School in Orlando after his sophomore year. And though his impact at Rockledge was immediate and significant, he believes he’s only scratched the surface.
“I got the ball a lot,” he said. “But [the coaches] didn’t have the type of trust they’re going to have this year. It’s going to be my second year playing with them, so they’re going to have a lot of trust in me. So I’m gonna have the ball in my hands a lot, and it’s gonna be more highlights.”
Sanders complements his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame with fantastic instincts, which only makes him all the more dangerous with the ball in his hands.
“I’ve always had great IQ,” Sanders said. “That’s the main reason why I make moves early. I can tell when somebody’s coming at me from different directions.”
His speed and agility certainly caught the eye of Brian Odom, who reached out to Sanders with the initial offer. Though Oklahoma has plenty of competition for Sanders’ commitment, Sooner Nation should be very encouraged to know that he has an existing connection with one of OU’s standout defenders.
“I’ve actually got a guy that plays for Oklahoma,” Sanders said. “Jaden [Davis]. I grew up with him. I’m definitely trying to do the same thing he’s doing.”
Davis, a fellow Florida product, earned a significant role for the Sooners last year as a true freshman defensive back. And while Sanders has a desire to make an immediate impact, he also wants to experience a taste of home in his collegiate environment.
“What I’m looking for in a college is making me feel like family, making my family feel like family,” he said. “One thing that I want coaches to put in my mom’s head is, I want her to know all that I know about that school before I attend.”
Among the myriad other programs vying for Sanders’ services are Florida State, Auburn and West Virginia.
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