Tidbits from the Trail: Notes from the Week in Sooner Recruiting
Let's start with the obvious: Any concerns about 2021 being a down recruiting year for Lincoln Riley and company have been laid to rest.
When Caleb Williams announced his commitment to Oklahoma Saturday night with an emphatic Horns Down flourish, Sooner Nation reveled. The most coveted signal-caller in America is headed to Norman, and figures to be the next man up once Spencer Rattler's time has come and gone. Upon Williams' decision, Oklahoma shot up Rivals and 247Sports' team recruiting class rankings. Once well outside the consensus top 25, the Sooners jumped to 14th by 247's metrics and 15th according to Rivals.
Let me leave the realm of the objective for a moment to offer an opinion: I scouted Williams at the Elite11 finals this past week. And I'm fully convinced that even should Rattler light up scoreboards and stat sheets in 2020, his starting job still won't be safe come 2021. Caleb Williams is just that talented. I've never seen an arm like his, and neither had any of our SI All-American team in attendance. One of my SIAA colleagues said in total sincerity, "He could win two Heismans at Oklahoma."
The Sooners missed on three top wide receiver targets Saturday, as J.Michael Sturdivant committed to Cal, Keon Coleman pledged to Kansas and Latrell Neville chose Nebraska. It seems a long shot that Oklahoma lands Emeka Egbuka at this point, so their focus will likely turn to Jalil Farooq. The four-star wideout has expressed significant interest in the Sooners, and it helps that he, like Williams, hails from the DMV area.
The Sooners made the top 8 for five-star DT Maason Smith on Saturday, and cracked the top 10 for five-star 2022 DB Domani Jackson. LSU is considered the favorite to score Smith, a Louisiana native. However, if there's one thing that could lure Smith from his home state, it's the opportunity to play with the top QB in his class. It's worth noting that Williams has repeatedly name-dropped Smith in his weekly 'All on the Line' blogs via SI All-American.
Oklahoma also added four-star defensive back Latrell McCutchin on Saturday, luring the former Alabama commit from the epicenter of enemy territory. The 6-foot-1 Austin native gives Alex Grinch another lengthy, athletic corner to deploy come Year 3 of the Speed D regime.
Well, Oklahoma already has commitments from Caleb Williams and Mario Williams. How about a third Williams? Jamar Cain tweeted a seemingly innocent GIF on Saturday night, and it all made sense when Jeremiah 'Scooby' Williams quoted Cain's tweet with a flirtatious emoji. Williams, a four-star defensive end from Birmingham, AL, has Oklahoma among his final 6 schools. Should he commit, he'd be a huge addition for Grinch and Cain, as he hails from SEC territory and is a heavy target for the conference's powerhouses (Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Florida). He'd also join Ethan Downs, Clayton Smith and Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge in an elite class of 2021 rushers for OU.
2021 DE Jeremiah 'Scooby' Williams of Birmingham, AL.
Parker's Prospect Projections tracks all of my official predictions for where the 2021 Sooner targets will land.
Current Success Rate: 1.000 (7-for-7)
Daymon David
Projection: Oklahoma, 5/4 ↔️
Status: Uncommitted
Mario Williams
Projection: Oklahoma, 5/12 ✅
Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 5/15
Clayton Smith
Projection: Oklahoma, 5/14 ✅
Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 5/15
Ian Jackson
Projection: Alabama, 5/26 ✅
Status: Committed to Alabama, 5/28
Raheim Sanders
Projection: Arkansas, 6/7 ✅
Status: Committed to Arkansas, 6/8
Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge
Projection: Oklahoma, 6/14 ✅
Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 6/17
Caleb Williams
Projection: Oklahoma, 6/27 ✅
Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 7/4
Keon Coleman
Projection: Kansas, 7/2 ✅
Status: Committed to Kansas, 7/4
Caleb Williams is officially a Sooner (edit via Spencer Forsyth).
Tantalizing Tweets tracks the most intriguing Twitter activity from Sooner commits and targets.
Four-star OL Bryce Foster, long considered OU's top target among 2021 linemen, quote-tweeted current Sooner Andrew Raym with a familiar emoji.
Three-star DB Damond Harmon used the same emoji in response to Latrell McCutchin's commitment tease.
Scooby Williams seemed to provide further indication that his commitment is nigh.
And finally, a Sooner legend reached out to Caleb Williams with congratulations on his commitment.
Stay up to date with SI Sooners for continued recruiting coverage as #LincUpXXI continues to take shape.
To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.
