Oklahoma's Top 20 recruiting what-ifs, No. 11: Tony Cade
Tony Cade's bio in the 2003 OU media guide
Tony Cade’s stay in Norman was short but burned hot.
Cade redshirted in 2003, then played in all 12 games in 2004 — mostly on special teams — before he was asked to leave one of the Sooners’ early Orange Bowl practices for what OU catches thought was excessive contact.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Cade was born in Tulsa but came to OU as one of the top recruits in the country in the 2003 class out of Lewisville, TX. Scout tabbed Cade a 5-star safety; Rivals labeled him a 4-star. He also played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio and was rated by Rivals as the No. 1 defensive back in Texas. SuperPrep named him the Southwest Defensive Player of the Year and he was accorded All-State honors after his junior and senior seasons.
Tony Cade with the Saints
Photo: New Orleans Saints
His fearless style of old-school, punishing contact was just what Sooner coaches wanted — just not in practice.
Cade made just five tackles and recovered a fumble during the season, but he didn’t get to go on the bowl trip. When the team returned from Miami, he decided to transfer.
Tony Cade at UNLV
Photo: UNLV Athletics
Cade’s next step took him to City College of San Francisco, where played his sophomore season in junior college. Then Cade played his final two years at UNLV, where he made 99 tackles in two seasons for the Runnin’ Rebels and made the 2006 and 2007 Academic All-Mountain West Conference teams.
Cade spent time with the New Orleans Saints in 2008, then became a personal trainer. Now “Coach TC” runs the True Legends Foundation, a non-profit youth organization in Texas.
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This series
National Signing Day is around the corner, so SI Sooners is examining Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting what-ifs of the last 20 years.
This is about players who arrived (or almost arrived) at Oklahoma but then, for whatever reason, left well before they reached their potential.
This is what college football recruiting is all about: the risk-reward that comes with not knowing a prospect's potential. For every Adrian Peterson, there's a Rhett Bomar. For every Tommie Harris, there's a Moe Dampeer.
The time period is since 2000, when online recruiting services and the current "star" system became prominent.
The rankings were compiled by SI Sooners publisher John Hoover, Sports Animal host Al Eschbach, KREF host James Hale and Sooner Spectator publisher Jay Upchurch.- - - - -
How Hoover voted:
I ranked Tony Cade No. 18 in my top 20. Watching him in practice, it was clear early that he had talent, ability and attitude to become a big-time force in college football. Cade relished contact, and many beat writers who covered the team then figured his aggressive style in practice was an effort to impress the coaching staff.
No. 11 on my list was 2015 ATH Dalton Wood. Wood captivated many who followed Oklahoma recruiting with his talent and versatility. He was a workhorse at McAlester High School, where he played quarterback and defense but projected in college as a tight end, H-back, defensive end or linebacker. This was the year after Blake Bell's "Belldozer" era at Oklahoma, so there was a lot of anticipation that the 6-4, 250-pound Wood could fill that role, too. But Wood left Oklahoma soon after he arrived and made the decision to not play football again after what was widely reported as a custody battle for his then 3-year-old daughter.
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Top 20 Oklahoma Recruiting What-Ifs
(since 2000)
