elmocarp
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I've said multiple times in other posts that OU is in fantastic shape regardless of whether or not we get a commit from one of the remaining high-profile guys (Jones or Lamb). I've said this based on the current makeup of the roster and the guys we've already got committed. TMG, Tiny, Bird, Fitz, T.J. and Cam are all big-time talented guys who are going to be fantastic going forward. Whether we get another stud or whether we just fill in with role players, the core of the program is in place and things look great regardless.
That said, I was thinking about the elite players that Capel has brought in and I started to notice something. Let's see if I am imagining something or not...
Blake Griffin - Moved from pre-summer RSCI #29 to #16 in final rankings. Only took one visit to OU. Other schools on his list were Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State and OSU.
Willie Warren - Ranked #13 in RSCI's final rankings even though he was clearly in the same category with Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans. As far as I know, Willie only took visits to Baylor and OU (not even sure the Baylor visit was official). Other schools on his list were Cincinnati, UConn and Kansas.
Keith Gallon - Moved from pre-summer RSCI #40 to #10 in final rankings. Only took two visits, to OU and to Mississippi State. The other schools on his list were Mississippi State and Cal.
Tommie Mason-Griffin - Moved from pre-summer RSCI #56 to #30 in final rankings. TMG only took one visit, to OU, after de-committing from LSU. Other schools on his list were Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M.
Cameron Clark - Ranked #25 currently by RSCI, no previous rankings were available (at least to me). Cam only took one visit to OU. The other schools on his list were Marquette and OSU.
OK...so there are the 5 "elite" guys that Capel has signed. What do they all have in common? They are all guys who were from OK and Texas (I know Tiny was born in California and played at Oak Hill, but he is a Texas recruit as far as I'm concerned). So there is definitely a regional connection. Then you can also see that they are all guys that were either late bloomers in terms of exposure or guys who had perceived baggage (Willie's rep, Tiny's weight). Also, OU hasn't beaten a top program head-to-head for any of these guys. Kansas was supposedly in on Blake and Willie, but I'd question how seriously in each case.
So why point all this out? Mainly because I just found it interesting. But there is another reason too...How many times can Capel keep finding guys like this? I think that for the program to get where we all want it to go, we have to break through and sign one of these kids from out of the region who has been on the radar for a while. That's why I am really hoping we can get Terrence Jones or Doron Lamb. Just like Blake made it possible to show elite kids that OU is a good destination, getting a guy like Jones would show kids from out of the region the same thing.
I'm interested to hear what you guys think...
That said, I was thinking about the elite players that Capel has brought in and I started to notice something. Let's see if I am imagining something or not...
Blake Griffin - Moved from pre-summer RSCI #29 to #16 in final rankings. Only took one visit to OU. Other schools on his list were Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State and OSU.
Willie Warren - Ranked #13 in RSCI's final rankings even though he was clearly in the same category with Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans. As far as I know, Willie only took visits to Baylor and OU (not even sure the Baylor visit was official). Other schools on his list were Cincinnati, UConn and Kansas.
Keith Gallon - Moved from pre-summer RSCI #40 to #10 in final rankings. Only took two visits, to OU and to Mississippi State. The other schools on his list were Mississippi State and Cal.
Tommie Mason-Griffin - Moved from pre-summer RSCI #56 to #30 in final rankings. TMG only took one visit, to OU, after de-committing from LSU. Other schools on his list were Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M.
Cameron Clark - Ranked #25 currently by RSCI, no previous rankings were available (at least to me). Cam only took one visit to OU. The other schools on his list were Marquette and OSU.
OK...so there are the 5 "elite" guys that Capel has signed. What do they all have in common? They are all guys who were from OK and Texas (I know Tiny was born in California and played at Oak Hill, but he is a Texas recruit as far as I'm concerned). So there is definitely a regional connection. Then you can also see that they are all guys that were either late bloomers in terms of exposure or guys who had perceived baggage (Willie's rep, Tiny's weight). Also, OU hasn't beaten a top program head-to-head for any of these guys. Kansas was supposedly in on Blake and Willie, but I'd question how seriously in each case.
So why point all this out? Mainly because I just found it interesting. But there is another reason too...How many times can Capel keep finding guys like this? I think that for the program to get where we all want it to go, we have to break through and sign one of these kids from out of the region who has been on the radar for a while. That's why I am really hoping we can get Terrence Jones or Doron Lamb. Just like Blake made it possible to show elite kids that OU is a good destination, getting a guy like Jones would show kids from out of the region the same thing.
I'm interested to hear what you guys think...