Julius randle and Jordan Mickey visiting osu?!?! I think I'm going to be sick. Why are we not at least making an effort with these two. We should be recruiting the hell out of tx and ok. If they don't pick OU, it shouldn't be because of a lack of effort on our part. This is disgusting.
Ok. Just had to get that off my chest.
Ford's recruiting style seems to be similar to Capel's in casting a wide and bold net. I've seen a ridiculous amount of kids list OSU from all over the country this year in various recruiting articles. I'd wager a guess a lot of those mentioning are kids that don't have true interest in OSU (listing schools like OU and OSU are good ways to boast a kid's stock because they can claim actual high major interest!) or even kids OSU isn't really that interested in.
I think many on this board will point to how Capel's 2010 recruiting class (remember names like Tobias Harris, Terrence Jones, etc?) as testament to how that strategy worked when applied just over a hour south of Stillwater.
Now Ford has proven he can go above his weight class to pull in some prized targets (Nash and Smart) but I'm not sure if its a sustainable tactic at this stage. Capel pulled in some equally impressive talent early on during his tenure, but most of them where more in line to Nash than Smart. (Nash is like a Willie Warren, Tiny Gallon while Smart is like a Blake). If OSU was enjoying more success, than sure, but right now I think OSU is in need of building a foundation, an identity, etc and this isn't a recruiting method that I would choose. Perhaps they are and I'm reading too much into internet speculation but I have to wonder if OSU doesn't produce this year, how long will Ford be in Stillwater?
I'm sure many that enjoy internet speculation might find Kruger's recruiting style "boring" but I find it fascination. In a day and age where the recruiting information seemingly flows from all types of source over the internet, Oklahoma is remarkably quiet till a kid commits.
Look at last year and the recruits brought in, how many 2012 kids visited OU and then chose another school? Forte and Smart are really the only two kids I can say OU legitimately missed last season. Kruger and Co, targeted Hornbeak, Hield, Henry, Cousins, etc and got their targets. That really is remarkable considering that for most of those commits, the OU coaches had only been on the job for 6 months.
Kruger has been doing this a long time and I think he's figured out a way to target the kids that not only would help the program but he knows he can likely get. I'm sure they're be times he'll chase the big dog, Dominic Woodson could be one this year, but overall he isn't going to waste time chasing all over the country.
Lets look at a kid like Mickey as an example. He's a kid OU started showing interest last year, but it appears he didn't reciprocate the interest (at least at a high level), even with playing high school ball with the OU bound Hornbeak. So instead of spending time chasing someone that clearly isn't that interested, they moved on to realistic targets.
I'm sure some will state that for OU to go to final fours and etc they will need to get the big dogs. And maybe down the road that is something Kruger will be able to do. But I'd bet he knows to add onto his house, he needs a stable foundation, which is something I believe his recruiting is doing.
Kruger's recruiting might not be "exciting" in the short term, but I think the long term results have a chance to bring some excitement.
