Oklahoma 2024 OL Commit Discusses ChampU BBQ

Landing offensive lineman Isaiah Autry was a huge sigh of relief for Oklahoma back in April.

At the time, the Sooners had no trench players committed in the 2024 class, and were in need of protection for their brand new quarterback commit, Michael Hawkins. Autry was being pursued by numerous high l-level programs, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, which made OU’s victory on the recruiting trail even sweeter.

After not seeing the same volume of commitments that other schools had already seen, Autry’s pledge to the Sooners assured fans that OU was still in position to secure a very talented class. Since the April flurry, which saw Oklahoma gain five commitments in the span of three weeks, the Sooners haven’t had a single pledge in the 2024 class.

This could change very quickly, however, after a big recruiting weekend for OU. Brent Venables and company hosted over 20 prospects this weekend, including Autry and a few other Oklahoma commits.

“I enjoyed (this weekend) a lot,” Autry told AllSooners on Monday. “I got to meet the o-line. I got to hang out with them and everything. The barbeque and all that, that was amazing too.”

My Family appreciates the entire ⭕️U staff and family for a great OFFICIAL VIST! I had an Amazing time with the coaches an future SOONERS! @OU_Football @OU_CoachB @OUCrystalBall @CoachVenables @OU_Athletics @IAHS_FB @BigGameBoomer @_ClaytonWoods @LoadholtPhil pic.twitter.com/pkHfyeMqHR
— Isaiah Autry-Dent (@Isaiah_Zay73) June 19, 2023

Autry, the cousin of former Sooners’ running back Marcus Dupree, is a 4-star recruit and one of the top 15 players in Mississippi according to Rivals. The rising senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School said he was able to speak to many of OU’s offensive line targets at this weekend’s ChampU BBQ, including massive 3-star offensive tackle Kaedin Massey of Lyndon, KS.

Having a player, like Autry, who is already committed to Oklahoma at the barbecue is a huge help to the Sooners’ coaching staff, who can lean on the pledge to help persuade other recruits to consider OU. Additionally, with schools like Alabama and LSU on Autry’s offer list, Bill Bedenbaugh and company need to maintain a good relationship with the talented lineman to keep him locked in to Oklahoma.

Sooner fans likely don’t have to worry about the Mississippi native changing his mind, though. Autry told AllSooners that his family loved their most recent visit to Norman and have liked OU since their first trip to campus.

“They felt like that was the best place for me on my first visit up there, before I commited,” Autry said. “I’m really glad I chose OU.”

The rising senior mentioned that he got the chance to speak with a number of the Sooners’ coaches, including Bedenbaugh, Venables and Jerry Schmidt. Oklahoma’s o-line coach has formed a great relationship with Autry, who applauded Bedenbaugh's “tough love” approach.

“He’s a very hard coach, and not a lot of people can handle his type of coaching,” Autry said. “It’s all really just tough love. He’s going to push you. You never want to go to a college and want somebody to be soft on you, because that won’t make you any better at all. You want somebody to push you past your limit.”

Autry also said that he was able to speak to a number of current OU players in addition to multiple former Sooners. The 6-foot-6 o-lineman specifically mentioned talking with Sooners’ linemen Jacob Sexton and Nate Anderson as well as current Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.

The Sooners’ lone 2024 o-line commit continued on to say that he enjoys the familial environment that OU is known for. Autry said that he and his family were both looking for a school that cared about him beyond the football field, and that Venables displays his compassion for his players on a personal level.

“(Oklahoma is) the only school that felt like a family away from home,” Autry said. “One thing they’re more worried about than football is just making sure you graduate, and having something planned for once you’re done with football.”

As for the ChampU BBQ itself, Autry said that the recruits were shown OU’s new facilities in addition to Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium, and that the group even completed a scavenger hunt while on the tour. He went on, saying that the prospects and their families ate inside the stadium in the evening before heading over to an airplane hangar later in the night.

Inside the hangar, Autry detailed multiple planes and luxury cars, saying that members of OU’s football team joined the group there playing basketball, eating and talking with players and coaches for the rest of the night. The two-sport athlete, who also competes in powerlifting, said that spread included ribs, lobster and more options to choose from.

Along with a rave review from Autry, it is likely that plenty of other recruits enjoyed the weekend as well. Autry seems to have further cemented his commitment to the Sooners after a weekend in which he said he had a great time.

If the massive recruiting event went as well for other prospects as it did for Autry, Oklahoma could be receiving some great news in the near future.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!
Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!
Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news!
Want even more Sooners news? Check out the SI.com OU team page here!
Listen and subscribe to the AllSooners Podcast!
Watch more Sooners videos and subscribe on YouTube!