New Haven Independent Ethics

The New Haven Independent faced an important ethical issue that appears to have been dealt with in the most personable and careful manner. Melissa Bailey, the reporter for the Independent had to decide whether or not she should use some of the updates posted by someone she "friended" on Facebook. The updates had the ability to be crucial to the advancement of a huge story in their area, and it would have continued to give the Independent the lead for reporting on this story.

However, Bailey was responsible to Jessica Del Rocco in terms of keeping her posts private. Del Rocco had a private profile in that not everyone could read the profile if they wanted to without becoming her Facebook friend. She had her information available to her "friends" but not for pure public consumption. If Del Rocco had accepted Bailey's request to do an interview to further that side of the story, I could understand how Bailey could feel more comfortable using the information. But because Del Rocco declined to do the interview, it should be assumed that she wanted more privacy than she was willing to concede from having her Facebook posts be available for the general public to read.

Although the story would have been advanced well, Bass had consider what was in the best interest of the Del Rocco. I think that they did a great job in stopping to first consider what the ethical decision in this case will be. For journalists who are pressing hard to stay ahead in an important story, that is an incredibly invaluable first step. Bass correctly considered privacy of Facebook as opposed to general posting on a blog or of something that had free reign on the internet without permission of a "friend."

If they did not run the post updates directly from Del Rocco, in my opinion, they made the right decision.

Best of the Best: Defense

This is a continued look at the state of Oklahoma's best overall recruits that panned out over the last ten years. The first edition looked at the offensive side of the ball, this time around, the defense will get the glory.

DT, Gerald McCoy, Southeast High/ OU- Third Overall pick in the Draft, All-American defensive tackle while at OU. Army All-American in high school. Quite simply, this was one of the easiest picks of the entire list. He is currently injured on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but before his injury, he was stringing together an impressive line of performances.

DT- Remi Ayodele, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M/ OU- Currently playing for the Minnesota Vikings after a successful spell with the New Orleans Saints. Ayodele has quietly become a mainstay on the defensive front throughout his time in the NFL.

LB- Curtis Lofton, Kingfisher/ OU- Current starter for the Atlanta Falcons. He consistently leads his team in tackles and has led the team in tackles at the end of the season two of the three years he has played for the falcons. He was an All-American linebacker while at OU.

LB- Phillip Dillard, Jenks/ Nebraska-multiyear starter for the Cornhuskers and drafted to the Panthers in the fourth round of the NFL draft. Dillard is a rangy linebacker who had the knack for the ball during his time with the "blackshirts."

LB- Ronnell Lewis, Dewar/ OU- One of the scariest defenders the Sooners have had in years, Lewis' ability to crush the ball carrier whether on kickoffs, behind the line of scrimmage or covering a pass in the flats gives him the nod as one of the best ever. He also will without a doubt be a first round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

DB- Reggie Smith, Edmond Santa Fe/ OU- One of the most legendary athletes Oklahoma had seen in the first decade of the 21st century, Reggie Smith could do it all. At OU, he did it all: returning punts, kicks, playing boundary and field corner as well as strong and free safety. Smith now plays free safety for the 49ers.

DB- Dominique Franks, Tulsa Union/ OU- One of the freakiest athletes on the football field. Franks ability to lock down any receiver he went up against made him legend in Tulsa. At OU, he played a high level brand of football that allowed him to get drafted by the Atlanta Falcons where he splits time serving at the nickel back position.

There are many current defensive backs who cold be added to the list if they can put together two solid seasons with their respective teams.

Javon Harris, Lawton MacArthur/ OU- He is an incredibly gifted athlete who has shown a knack for finding the footbal and taking care of the rest.

Daytawion Lowe- Carl Albert/ OSU- a strong safety type of player who has great coverage skills, but prides himself in playing a tough brand of football

Tre'Vante Porter, Carl Albert/ Texas Tech- an athlete who is a Lowe 2.0 faster, more sleeker build and able to cover ground quicker. Porter needs to add strength and size, but his ability is unquestionable.

For the other positions, such as defensive end, there has not been a player in recent history that has truly garnered that kind of praise. Although there are a few defenders that could earn that spot in the next five to six years if they pan out according to the projections by recruiting analysts.

Such players are D.J. Ward and Dalton Rodriguez.

Thanks for taking the time to check out the list, comment and let me know who you think some of the top players Oklahoma has produced over the last ten years.

Best of the Best

It is always fun to take a look at recruiting classes and determine who is the best ever.

Because I lack an all-encompassing knowledge of recruiting over the last forty years, I will judge upon the years the that I do know most about, and that is the last ten years.

I became enamored with the world of recruiting approximately four years ago. I read every article for every athlete I could find all the way back to 2002. I think there are a few things I will never truly understand, like how Sooner fans felt when current Saints wide receiver and Tulsa product Robert Meachum signed with Tennessee instead of the hometown Sooners, but I read all about it. I was just getting involved with recruiting during the Ryan Broyles switching saga, so I didn't completely understand how confusing the situation must have been for one who is now one of the greatest and most-beloved Sooners of all time. I never had to suffer through the failures of potential all-world players Daniel Tabon and Chris Patterson. But I love recruiting and I love recruiting in Oklahoma the most of all.

This is the list of the greatest overall players from the last ten years.

Greatest all around last ten years:
QB- Sam Bradford, Putnam City North High School/ University of Oklahoma- Heisman Trophy Winner, First Overall Draft Pick... Need I say more?

RB- Felix Jones, Booker T. Washington/ University of Arkansas- He has always kind of been a secondary option for teams to worry about. While at BTW, he played alongside Robert Meachum. While at Arkansas, he shared carries with Darren McFadden. Now he is a running back for the Cowboys. I don't think he is too upset about how things turned out for him.

FB- J.D. Runnels, Carl Albert/ University of Oklahoma- One of the most dependable Sooners while at OU, Runnels benefitted from the most playing time compared to any of the other candidates, so he gets the nod

WR- Robert Meachum, Booker T. Washington/ University of Tennessee- Currently plays for the New Orleans Saints and was the 27th overall pick in the draft. Size, speed, hands. He is the total package... Much to the chagrin of OU fans everywhere.

WR- Justin Blackmon, Ardmore/ Oklahoma State University- He was heavily recruited for all of two months and he only wanted to go to OSU anyway. He is now one of the most feared and respected wide receivers in the college ranks. He will be a first round picka nd he will be a terrifying wide receiver in the NFL as well.

WR- Ryan Broyles, Norman High/ University of Oklahoma- The nations leader in receptions for a career and would have easily made it for yards as well if it wasn't for his terrible ACL injury. He caught nearly everything thrown his way and he has a knack for finding spaces in coverage and making everyone miss around him. He is definitely one of the all-time greats in the state of Oklahoma.

TE- Jermaine Gresham, Ardmore/ University of Oklahoma- first round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals. He is one of the most talented football players this state has ever seen, regardless of time period. His size and speed is unparalleled in this state and his natural ability allowed him to play early and often at OU as he learned the nuances of the position.

OL- Chris Messner, Frederick/ OU- plays for the Washington Redskins although he started his career off as a tight end while in college.

OL- Chase Beeler, Jenks/ Stanford- he had a great career at Stanford after transferring from OU. Now on the practice squad with the 49ers.

P- Jeff Ferguson, Holland Hall/ OU - All American and one of the all-time great sooner punters

Defensive stars will be on the next edition of the greatest recruits of the last ten years.

Who's up?

The recruiting class for 2012 will be wrapping up soon, and with the exception of Barry J. Sanders, there aren't many recruiting stories worth following within the state for the current seniors. So it is about time to look forward to the next couple recruiting classes to see if there any players worth national attention. Spoiler alert: There are many of them.

There is nowhere else we can start other than in Lawton, Oklahoma. In this state are two of the state's best players, with what looks like the state's top player for the class of 2013. That player is 6'4" 235-pounds defensive end D.J. Ward. Ward is a great sized defender who has done nothing but improve in size and strength by leaps and bounds over the last two years. He currently holds offers from Arizona, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oregon State, Kansas State and the Oklahoma Sooners. A solid guess is that he ends up at OU being from an extremely pro-OU area, but he has said he is open to the process and there is no reason not to believe him this early in the recruiting process. Ward as more offers at this stage in his career than some of the former state of Oklahoma greats: Gerald McCoy, Jermaine Gresham, Dominique Franks, Reggie Smith and Sam Bradford. There is quite an expectation for him to become a major player in college, but first, he must complete his junior season in high school.

The next great Lawton junior is a running back from Lawton MacArthur who stands at a powerful 6'1" and 210 pounds. Darius Graham has been described as a battering ram of a running back who really enjoys inflicting pain on the defenders who get in his way. Lawton has been a sort of a runningback factory producing players such as Harrison Jeffers, D.J. Wolfe, Javon Harris and Dominique Whaley over the past few years, Graham looks to be next in line for such accolades. He has no current offers from any division one program, but do not take that as a total slight to his ability. The Sooners are only looking at about three running backs nationally, and Graham is certainly one of those runningbacks. His offers will come in time.

Another great running back from the opposite side of the state is Jenks Trey'Vonne Barre. Barre is a complete runner who excels in patiently reading his blocks and exploding through the given holes for huge chunks of yardage. He has helped Jenks hardly miss a beat with the absence of All-State running back and Oklahoma commit Alex Ross. Barre has had some grade issues up to this point, but I think he will get it taken care of and will be an incredible recruit for the college that lands him over the next fifteen months.

There are two more great skill position players from the Tulsa area that will certainly garner attention from colleges around the region. The first player to mention is Tulsa East Central defensive back/ wide receiver Stanvon Taylor. I have seen Taylor live in action and his game is all about body positioning with his incredibly quick feet and hips. With that said, I think his future lies in the defensive backfield. He can use his skill set to move with receivers and cause quarterback problems. Taylor weighs 160-pounds and has some work to do in the weight room, but like many undersized defensive backs, he has learned how to succeed at the size he currently is in and will only get bigger and better over time.

The other is Broken Arrow running back Cameron Wrenn. Wrenn is a back similar to Barre in that his game is more a complete effort of speed, vision and power. He has good size at 5'11" 175 and is able to catch the ball out of the backfield at a high level as well. The three aforementioned running backs will all be in the discussion for top running back in the state.

There are many other great players such as McAlester linebacker Devin Rolan and Sequoyah Tahlequah's quarterback Brayden Scott who everyone should keep an eye on as well.

That is all I have for that class talk to you soon.

Sterling Named All-American

Sterling Shepard's name is no longer synonymous with that of his famous teammate. While Sterling seemed to serve as the sidekick to Sanders over their first three years at Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Shepard has completely cemented himself as a playmaker the nation must know more about.

The University of Oklahoma commit started this season well-known within the confines of the state because he literally carried his team to a state championship scoring all four touchdowns in a 28-14 win over Kingfisher in 2010. Even though he committed to one of the nation's most elite football programs, there were many recruiting analysts that doubted Shepard because of his size, lack of elite speed and level of competition.

Shepard stands at 5'11 185 lbs. and runs a 4.5 forty yard dash. That is hardly flying for someone who is supposed to be a nationally elite football recruit. He plays in Oklahoma's class 3A football, where the Chargers have won the state championship two out of the last three years and are well on their way to bringing home another gold ball. He has dominated a league full of smaller and slower players than himself. How is he supposed to be successful playing for the Oklahoma Sooners?

The simple answer that everyone comes back with after seeing Shepard live is that the kid just makes plays. He is not the biggest or fastest, but he is most likely the most dynamic play-maker this state has seen over the last couple of years. Sanders has scored touchdowns from kick-offs, receiving, rushing, throwing, returning punts, returning interceptions and finally returning a fumble throughout his high school career. He was named to the Oklahoma All-State team last year as a punt returner and will most likely make the team again this year at the receiver position.

Shepard has 55-catches, 1,005-yards receiving and 13 touchdowns this season as well as four touchdowns rushing and four more on kickoff returns and interception returns. He has eclipsed his numbers from last year's season already and is gearing up for the second round of the playoffs. His ascent into the national spotlight was intensified only a few weeks ago when Sterling Shepard and the Heritage Hall Chargers took on Bethany in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

The color commentator to the game, Ton Lunginbill is one of the executives for the Under Armour All-American Game and after Shepard's third touchdown, Lunginbill decided he'd seen enough and he offered Shepard a spot to play in the game. The spot was the final available spot and Shepard became an All-American with his acceptance of the invitation.

Here Sterling talks about the opportunity to play in this game and his thoughts on the game as a whole.


Shepard has caught the interest of many different recruiting services with some believing in his skill more than others. ESPN's recruiting database has Sterling as a top 60 player in the nation, whereas Rivals.com sees Shepard as the number 239 player in the country. I do expect that number to change once the next list of top 250 players is released, but needless to say Shepard has done a great job of using his skills and ability to it's maximum level at this stage in his career.

He will have to take his game to another level while at OU, and i think he has the skill set to find success similar to what Ryan Broyles has seen while at OU. They have very similar skill sets and body types. Look for his impact to take time to flourish, like Broyles, but once it does I expect you will see a player who knows how to read defenses and understands how to find seams in the defense that he'll be able to use his skills to exploit.

I do not expect that Shepard will get much bigger in college, but I do expect his quickness to really go through the roof while the strength trainers train him to use his size as a weapon that will make defenders miss just as much as he'll be running by them.

Shepard has a bright future and now, more than ever people around the country are aware of it.

Playoff Time in Oklahoma

The "Big 3" have made it to the playoffs and are preparing for their second round games.

Alex Ross, senior running back at Jenks High School, will make his return to the field for the first time since the early part of the season after recovering from a collarbone injury. Ross and the Trojans will take on Edmond Santa Fe. Sante Fe is fielding one of the strongest teams since the Reggie Smith era, but will that be enough to stop one of the state's and nation's most dominant programs over the last twenty years? Time will tell, but a wise bet is that sophomore quarterback, Justice Hansen; junior wide receiver, Trevan smith and crew will put up a good fight, but not one strong enough to take out the powerful Trojan legacy of state championship bouts.

The central state duo were in cruise control with their 62-6 win over Chandler last Friday. Sterling Shepard, wide receiver for Heritage Hall caught nine passes for 210-yards and three touchdowns. Shepard has had a stellar season, he's now an Under Armour All-American after an incredible performance on ESPNU, two games before season's end. He has over 1,000-yards receiving, 13-touchdowns and 55-catches. He also has over 200-yards rushing and is one of the state's premiere punt and kick returners. He has four interceptions and 59-tackles on the season. His full season should be encouraging to the OU fans as well to Shepard himself. Many have wondered how he would transition from small school football to one of the nation's most elite programs. I think he will be fine, and be better than most expect from him, but with his performances on the field as of late, thos expectations are gradually increasing and it will be up to Shepard to decide how he responds to the test.

Shepard's teammate, Barry J. Sanders is currently having a very comfortable season. Rushing for over 900-yards and has more than nine yards per carry. The reigning state-champion Chargers of Heritage Hall have not had to rely on Sanders' ability to run the ball to carry them to any game thus far. Their closest game was the final game of the season against Kingfisher who they played last year in the state championship. The game ended 35-27, Heritage Hall's first win that didn't result in a blowout. Sanders has done a good job taking part in the Chargers wins over the season, but he hasn't showed the dominance many expected of him. That may be due to the fact that the Chargers have many capable weapons on the offense that calls for the ball to be shared more than other high school programs.

Here are some highlights of the Heritage Hall Bethany game:

Sometimes the talent deficit is just too much to handle for these young guys. In this case, when going against one of the most talented teams, regardless of class, players cannot do much to overcome their lack of size, speed, strength and in this case- skill.

These three players have a ways to go to win state championships, but they are all on teams favored to win the gold ball. With Ross gaining health, Jenks will be stronger than ever.They have run with a talented back Trey'Vonne Barre who will finally be able to share the load of the carries with Ross upon his return.

Sanders and Shepard will go through a very long playoff run that their senior class will have gone through for the third time in their high school careers.

Besides the Big 3, there are many other interesting stories going on with recruits throughout the state. Look for more on them soon.