Keeping up with the "Big Three" this year will be the overall theme of the blog along with stories around the state dealing with Oklahoma's recruiting efforts.
At this juncture Alex Ross, Barry Sanders and Sterling Shepard are now entering the heart of their season with district play starting for the football stars. While each player has seen relative success up to this point, look for each to step up now that it is time for districts to begin.
Alex Ross is still playing with an ankle injury that has held him back from being his completely dominant and explosive self. However, he as still had a successful start to the season averaging 7.8-yards per carry and three touchdowns on only 28 carries over the first three games. (Courtesy of Tulsa World)
Barry Sanders already has four touchdowns on only 27 carries averaging over 6.5 yards per carry. (NewsOK.com)
Sterling Shepard, as versatile as ever has continued his dominance of 3-A football, scoring four touchdowns on 13 receptions. (Newsok.com)
courtesy of Oklahoma High School Sports Express
As said before, Shepard and Ross are Sooner commitments for the class of 2012 and as such, their recruiting trail has slowed to just about a halt with the only news coming from either player is deciding which OU game they will or will not attend.
However, with Sanders, recruiting is still going strong for him as he continues to take visits to colleges throughout the season. He has already visited Ole Miss for the BYU game, and will definitely make a trip a to Florida State, Alabama and Stanford. His father is the great Oklahoma State Cowboy runningback Barry Sanders so the younger Sanders has great interest in his father's alma mater and will most likely make a trip their as well.
His trip to Ole Miss went well according to Rebelgrove.com and will assuredly keep in touch with the coaches and staff because the Rebels are in need of quality running backs for the next couple of years.
Now, it is time to look at what schools have the best chance landing Sanders' signature.
Oklahoma State is the hometown and legacy school for Sanders, for that reason alone, thy have an edge on the other schools. Coupled with their ever-strengthening national perception, great facilities and his good relationship with the entire coaching staff, the Cowboys are more than a formidable decision for the young Sanders. However, Sanders has said on many occasions that he is not interested in following in his father's footsteps and that he will blaze his own trail regardless of the school he attends. This may or may not be a telling sign that Sanders is going elsewhere to play football, but it is definitely a sign that Oklahoma State is not a shoo-in for his signature in February.
Alabama made a great impressions on Barry Sanders when the Crimson Tide's head coach, Nick Saban came to Sanders' school to speak with his coaches about the prized running back. Sanders knows about the running back tradition at Alabama and their talented teams since Saban has taken over. If I had a guess, I think Sanders will not end up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Stanford is a great option for Sanders because of the location, weather and football prowess. They are now in the national spotlight and Sanders would love to be a player to continue that trend. However, I do not think Stanford is pressing for Sanders as much as other schools are and because of that, I do not think Sanders ends up in Palo Alto, California either.
Florida State University is a viable option, but I think after another visit, Sanders may realize he does not want to live in Tallahassee. (I mean who would?) This is a great fit for Sanders in terms of offensive style and play calling. We will see about Florida State– Jimbo Fisher, Mark Stoops and company have done a masterful job recruiting over the last couple of years and it is hard to imagine them not getting any player they want at this point in time. So FSU, along with Oklahoma State seem to be the place I could see Sanders at the most. Once the season ends, we will see where he takes more visits, and by that time Sanders could have an all-new top four or five schools.
See you next time.
I completely agree about Tallahassee. I went last weekend, and it was a completely different culture then not only Oklahoma, but the south in general. The atmosphere and the people were reminiscent of New York City, or maybe even New Jersey, with just a completely different value system and demeanor overall than most southern states that I've been to (I've been to all of them).
ReplyDeleteHow do you see Alex and Sterling fitting in to OU's current lineup at running back and receiver?
You are a well-traveled guy, as is Sanders. That also makes me wonder how much effect the people around the prospective school will have on him. I think the argument can go both ways, however, so it may be a moot point.
ReplyDeleteI think with Alex you will see the next big time bulk of the carries ball carrier. As I have mentioned many times, Ross is still ailing from his preseason ankle injury, but what he did in the playoffs last year is still stuck in my head.
The kid is special and I think after one, probably two years you will see him demand more carries. Especially with Finch and Clay as seniors after his first year he may have to wait his turn and then run the ball with Brandon Williams for a sort of thunder and lightning combo of immense portions.
Shepard is a play maker that in my opinion can go one of two ways in college, go into a shell during practice and just do what the coaches ask of him and wait two to three years to play. OR he can go out of his way to show that he is one of the more special playmakers in his class regardless of ranking, size or speed. I do think however, coming into a class with Trey Metoyer and Durron Neal will do nothing but push him to get better. How much that will help his cause... That remains to be seen.
Dorian, what do we have to do to get Sanders to come be a Sooner?! I would hate to see that talent go to a team like OSU or FSU, but that is just my biased opinion.
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