Sooners add pledge from Jalil Farooq, who says 'we're trying to make a movement'
Lincoln Riley has officially added a 15th piece to Oklahoma’s 2021 recruiting class, as SI1000 wideout Jalil Farooq gave his verbal pledge to the Sooners on Sunday evening.
The long-anticipated announcement gives Oklahoma its first hard commit since mid-August. However, Farooq confirmed to SI Sooners that he had been silently committed to Oklahoma for several months.
He’s the fourth DMV-area prospect to choose the Sooners, following in the footsteps of QB Caleb Williams, DL Kelvin Gilliam and DB Damond Harmon. With SI99 offensive lineman Tristan Leigh strongly considering Oklahoma as well, the Sooners could plausibly secure a full quintet of elite 2021 prospects from the Washington, D.C. vicinity.
“[Jalil’s] a huge hit for us in the recruiting class,” said Gilliam. “He’s another one of those elite wide receivers, like Mario Williams, whom Caleb has recruited and wants to throw the ball to. And seeing him on film, he’s explosive. He has good ball technique. He’s an elite player and I know he’ll fit right in with this ’21 class.”
It’s the culmination of a long recruiting process that saw Farooq earn offers from national powerhouses like Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State. But Farooq’s talent was apparent long before he hit the prep circuit, at least according to his father Jamal Farooq.
“When he first started [football], he was playing with older kids,” said the elder Farooq. “And he fit in. I didn’t know he was that fast at the time. And then you see that he’s faster than most kids. You could see he was special as a kid, and it just progressed as he got older. Then, right before high school, that’s when I realized he really is special.”
And in those pre-high school days, Farooq shared the field with another player who would also turn out to be pretty special. That player was none other than Caleb Williams.
“My relationship with Caleb — we grew up together, basically,” said Farooq. “We had a great bond. He played QB, I played running back, so that’s always a good relationship.”
But Farooq wasn’t just Williams’ backfield mate. The offensive jack-of-all-trades soon emerged as the primary playmaker in the passing game as well.
“Jalil was playing running back, but whenever a pass was needed on third or fourth down, Jalil would play receiver,” said Jamal Farooq. “And that’s who they would go to in order to get the first down. You could see that Caleb was a great kid, and I think they both fueled each other. And they’re both getting better as they go.”
Though they attend different high schools, Williams and Farooq regularly work out together, and often post videos of their throwing sessions to social media. The former teammates’ paths diverged after junior high, but Farooq emphasized that they always intended to reunite as collegians.
“We just continued to put work in with each other,” he said. “And our goal was always to go to the same school with each other, so we’re making that come true.”
As one might expect, Williams played a significant role in Farooq’s decision to attend Oklahoma. In fact, Farooq acknowledged that when the Sooners began to recruit him, all he knew about the school was information he’d heard secondhand from Williams.
“They started recruiting me my junior year,” said Farooq. “They really sold me on the schemes, how they would we use me in the system and everything. I kind of liked how they run their offense, so it definitely opened my eyes. I really had no clue about Oklahoma; I just knew Caleb talked big about them.”
But before long, Farooq developed relationships with several of the Sooner coaches. It started with Lincoln Riley, whom Farooq cites as a “father figure.” But outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons also earned Farooq’s trust and respect.
“Coach Simmons is also a great guy,” Farooq remarked. “I talk to him often; he’s like a brother to me. He talks to me a lot, and we continue to build our bond. He teaches me through Zoom, stuff I can work on. He’s a great coach for being able to do that.”
Farooq had seen and heard enough to commit to Oklahoma at the end of his junior year, but he’d never actually been to campus. That changed in August, when he joined Williams and a slew of other top prospects at Sooner Summit. He returned home fully confident in the decision that he’d made sight unseen.
“That was probably my best [recruiting] experience,” Farooq admitted. “I was able to view the campus, see some practices, and I was able to bond with some of the other commits. I knew a lot about OU, but being able to go on campus and seeing how a practice goes, seeing the fun spots off campus, I was just enjoying the [state] of Oklahoma.”
Another thing he enjoys is the seemingly endless array of deployments that are part and parcel of Riley’s scheme. Farooq is more than comfortable taking reps in the backfield or split wide. In fact, Clemson actually wanted Farooq to play defensive back, which stands as perhaps the single greatest testament to his versatility. But Riley and his staff wanted Farooq on offense, and pitched a vision that utilizes every aspect of his skill set.
“They said they were gonna move me around a lot, inside, some outside, maybe some tailback,” Farooq said.
His adaptability lends itself well to an offense that constantly shifts personnel and packages. If there’s a type of player who fits the Riley mold, it’s a player who can line up anywhere on the field.
“I think he’ll fit right in,” Jamal Farooq said. “The coaches I talked to, they’re really family-oriented, and I see that the offense will be a great fit for Jalil. It’ll be hard to double Jalil in that offense.”
Indeed, as a Sooner, Farooq will seldom draw the kind of coverage he’s had to deal with throughout high school. With weapons like Marvin Mims, Mario Williams and Cody Jackson keeping defenses honest, Farooq should have no trouble finding space to create in the open field. And who better to feed him the ball than his childhood friend and teammate?
“I’m definitely excited,” Farooq said. “Caleb’s grown a lot as a person. He’s definitely more of a leader now, and I can’t wait for him to lead us to the national championship. it doesn’t get better than that.”
It certainly helps that the Sooners are assembling one of the finest recruiting classes in the country, and now Farooq has officially joined the ranks. Don’t expect him to be the last, either.
“I would say since we’re all cool [with each other], we’re trying to make a movement,” said Farooq. “Make our class of 2021 the best class at OU, and the best class possible.”
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