Local Talent

[OKTornadoes]

Who out of the 2023 class do you all hope we successfully recruit at the local level?

https://twitter.com/camden_crooks?t=yrlZeSC6HGC1TCOQlFkCeA&s=09

Camden is my vote. Absolute beast on all 3 sides of the ball. If the officials had been less worried about Dale Condict's legacy and falling over themselves about the Rodriguez/OSWho connections and more worried about doing their job with impartiality, he would have a gold ball right now, too. Cam is a lot like Zaven, very versatile and under the radar.

 

[PiKA1000]

Who out of the 2023 class do you all hope we successfully recruit at the local level?

https://twitter.com/camden_crooks?t=yrlZeSC6HGC1TCOQlFkCeA&s=09

Camden is my vote. Absolute beast on all 3 sides of the ball. If the officials had been less worried about Dale Condict's legacy and falling over themselves about the Rodriguez/OSWho connections and more worried about doing their job with impartiality, he would have a gold ball right now, too. Cam is a lot like Zaven, very versatile and under the radar.

Grayson Tempest. 4.4 speed (electronic timed), hands, can throw the ball if needed, and can definitely return kicks. Air Force has interest so you know he has the brains to get into TU.

 

[TU_BLA]

Grayson Tempest. 4.4 speed (electronic timed), hands, can throw the ball if needed, and can definitely return kicks. Air Force has interest so you know he has the brains to get into TU.

100% on Grayson. The unfortunate thing for Grayson is he had to play QB during his Jr season and it stifled his progress as a WR/RB, all purpose player. He was an absolute game changer for Union this year and had Reisig not had nerves during the semi with Owasso, Grayson was about to take over. If Reisig hits him in the numbers on a couple of quick slants in the first half, Grayson's taking 2 to the house. Honestly, he reminds me of the way the Patriots used Julian Edelman. And it would be very similar to the way Damaris Johnson was used at TU. The kid is an absolute baller.

 

[OKTornadoes]

Grayson Tempest. 4.4 speed (electronic timed), hands, can throw the ball if needed, and can definitely return kicks. Air Force has interest so you know he has the brains to get into TU.

Crooks was also offered by Air Force during the spring.

 

[kcarzoli]

in my opinion we need to get some dudes from choctaw, i think they have 5 or 6 guys committed D1 in this class

 

[TU Pilot]

Grayson Tempest. 4.4 speed (electronic timed), hands, can throw the ball if needed, and can definitely return kicks. Air Force has interest so you know he has the brains to get into TU.

Good assessment. Air Force guys are definitely the smartest out there. Handsome too.

 

[918Golden]

Grayson Tempest. 4.4 speed (electronic timed), hands, can throw the ball if needed, and can definitely return kicks. Air Force has interest so you know he has the brains to get into TU.

I came here to say the same thing. Put him in the slot. I watched everyone of his games this year. He would be a perfect fit at TU.

Then start recruiting their 2024 WR at Union Jino Boyd. He’s a stud too.

 

[TU_BLA]

I came here to say the same thing. Put him in the slot. I watched everyone of his games this year. He would be a perfect fit at TU.

Then start recruiting their 2024 WR at Union Jino Boyd. He’s a stud too.

100%. Jino Boyd took over games as a WR. Thing about Jino is he can block and he runs really good routes. There were several times this year I thought Reisig had over thrown him by a ton and yet he always seemed to have that burst to the ball.

 

[goldenhurricane1992]

I think they should offer everyone on that Union team lol. I was able to watch them a couple of times and there are some dawgs on that team.

 

[TU_BLA]

I think they should offer everyone on that Union team lol. I was able to watch them a couple of times and there are some dawgs on that team.

Yeah...they were pretty good. They got undone by 2 things...injuries in the secondary and the inability to seemingly tackle a guy at first contact. They made a lot of plays this year and they usually got more than 1 tackler on the ball carrier, but 1 v 1 tackling was poor and I think it was mostly due to poor technique. All the tackling was initiated high, arms, shoulders, chest. This always resulted in the ball carrier getting 2-3 extra yards (or more). The difference in the Owasso game was literally Union's inability to get off the field on 3rd and long when they had a chance because of this. But they always had someone there to have a chance to make a key play. They did most of the season, but it really burned them in the semi against Owasso. And Reisig looked nervy in that game...not sure why. That kid is going to be an absolute stud though. I don't know if he has any D1 offers yet but with the right OC/QB coach, he is going to light it up in college.

If I'm Wilson, I'm coming in and really going to work on DeMarion Thomas the DT from Union. He's a verbal commit to Vandy but he's the type of kid who might be lured by the "Tulsa has a better chance of making the CFP than Vanderbilt does and we can put you in the NFL". Thomas is listed at 6'4" and 330lbs. If you've seen him you know he is severely bowlegged and pigeon-toed and extremely quick for a guy that size. It was near impossible to run the ball up the middle on Union the last 2 years...everyone tried to get on the edges against them.

 

[TU_BLA]

in my opinion we need to get some dudes from choctaw, i think they have 5 or 6 guys committed D1 in this class

You'd think they could win a state title with talent like that. And they probably had good enough talent to make the playoffs in 6A-1 this year. They beat Edmond Santa Fe and Westmore. Santa Fe had been mentioned as a dark horse candidate to win the 6A-1 title if things fell into place the right way...didn't happen.

And Choctaw has some serious facilities for football. They probably need to update their turf as it looks old but they've got a nice stadium complex. Their soccer team plays on a brand new turf facility at their middle school complex. I know this because I drove to the HS last year for a soccer game that my son was playing in with Union but no one mentioned that they had a separate complex for soccer not at the HS location. And Choctaw is a weird suberb. I'm not sure how to describe it...it's not quite city and it's not quite rural but a weird mix of in between

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Yeah...they were pretty good. They got undone by 2 things...injuries in the secondary and the inability to seemingly tackle a guy at first contact. They made a lot of plays this year and they usually got more than 1 tackler on the ball carrier, but 1 v 1 tackling was poor and I think it was mostly due to poor technique. All the tackling was initiated high, arms, shoulders, chest. This always resulted in the ball carrier getting 2-3 extra yards (or more). The difference in the Owasso game was literally Union's inability to get off the field on 3rd and long when they had a chance because of this. But they always had someone there to have a chance to make a key play. They did most of the season, but it really burned them in the semi against Owasso. And Reisig looked nervy in that game...not sure why. That kid is going to be an absolute stud though. I don't know if he has any D1 offers yet but with the right OC/QB coach, he is going to light it up in college.

If I'm Wilson, I'm coming in and really going to work on DeMarion Thomas the DT from Union. He's a verbal commit to Vandy but he's the type of kid who might be lured by the "Tulsa has a better chance of making the CFP than Vanderbilt does and we can put you in the NFL". Thomas is listed at 6'4" and 330lbs. If you've seen him you know he is severely bowlegged and pigeon-toed and extremely quick for a guy that size. It was near impossible to run the ball up the middle on Union the last 2 years...everyone tried to get on the edges against them.

Owasso didn’t have much on offense this year and resorted to the quarterback keeper almost exclusively at times. For all I know, the kid could have been yelling “I’m Keeping It” across the line all night long and Union was still powerless to stop him.

Unfortunately, Bixby didn’t fall for that the next weekend after the first drive of the game.

The Owasso QB had signed with UCO. That should be a good fit for him.

 

[Fmr'Cane16]

Yeah...they were pretty good. They got undone by 2 things...injuries in the secondary and the inability to seemingly tackle a guy at first contact.

IMO they were undone by one thing. They were cute. All they had to do was line up and play power football and run it 60 times. Owasso couldn’t and didn’t stop it once as evidenced by the second overtime on when they decided to play out of the power I.

But those double reverse passes for incompletions suuuuuuurrrreee looked pretty…..

 

[TU_BLA]

IMO they were undone by one thing. They were cute. All they had to do was line up and play power football and run it 60 times. Owasso couldn’t and didn’t stop it once as evidenced by the second overtime on when they decided to play out of the power I.

But those double reverse passes for incompletions suuuuuuurrrreee looked pretty…..

Maybe. They did like to do a lot of that as well and were usually successful doing that stuff throughout the season. But Union did appear to abandon the power running game pretty early after McKinney Jr got stuffed early in the game. The backup (who I actually think was the 3rd string for most of the season) was the more effective back running right at Owasso in the 3rd and 4th quarters instead of the dancing.

 

[PiKA1000]

100%. Jino Boyd took over games as a WR. Thing about Jino is he can block and he runs really good routes. There were several times this year I thought Reisig had over thrown him by a ton and yet he always seemed to have that burst to the ball.

Jino might have grade issues getting into TU.

Question is if TU will be able to keep Devon Robinson committed. I’m think he picked up an offer from Wazzu.

Put 25lbs of muscle on Ringleb (Union RT #71) and he would be a beast.

Hell….make a run at the Haaz brothers,

 

[PiKA1000]

Maybe. They did like to do a lot of that as well and were usually successful doing that stuff throughout the season. But Union did appear to abandon the power running game pretty early after McKinney Jr got stuffed early in the game. The backup (who I actually think was the 3rd string for most of the season) was the more effective back running right at Owasso in the 3rd and 4th quarters instead of the dancing.

DJ was till nursing a bad ankle and couldn’t quite make the cuts he needed to. Not sure where Neely was, who was usually the #2. Carrasco, who fumbled, was a late move in at the very end of the season and is a sophomore. Covington was WAY down the list but proved he could be a power back with speed for next year.

 

[TU_BLA]

Jino might have grade issues getting into TU.

Question is if TU will be able to keep Devon Robinson committed. I’m think he picked up an offer from Wazzu.

Put 25lbs of muscle on Ringleb (Union RT #71) and he would be a beast.

Hell….make a run at the Haaz brothers,

You've got way more inside info than I have then. We went to most of the home games because we had the All Sports Pass mostly for soccer as my son plays for Union. But he and my daughter both liked going to the games and hanging out with their friends. The story about how the football team found their place kicker is pretty funny, but it's even funnier when you hear the soccer players tell it...and even funnier when you talk to the kid and ask him how he actually pronounces his name vs the "Suh-raaay" the PA announcer pronounced it 😂

 

[goldenhurricane1992]

Yeah...they were pretty good. They got undone by 2 things...injuries in the secondary and the inability to seemingly tackle a guy at first contact. They made a lot of plays this year and they usually got more than 1 tackler on the ball carrier, but 1 v 1 tackling was poor and I think it was mostly due to poor technique. All the tackling was initiated high, arms, shoulders, chest. This always resulted in the ball carrier getting 2-3 extra yards (or more). The difference in the Owasso game was literally Union's inability to get off the field on 3rd and long when they had a chance because of this. But they always had someone there to have a chance to make a key play. They did most of the season, but it really burned them in the semi against Owasso. And Reisig looked nervy in that game...not sure why. That kid is going to be an absolute stud though. I don't know if he has any D1 offers yet but with the right OC/QB coach, he is going to light it up in college.

If I'm Wilson, I'm coming in and really going to work on DeMarion Thomas the DT from Union. He's a verbal commit to Vandy but he's the type of kid who might be lured by the "Tulsa has a better chance of making the CFP than Vanderbilt does and we can put you in the NFL". Thomas is listed at 6'4" and 330lbs. If you've seen him you know he is severely bowlegged and pigeon-toed and extremely quick for a guy that size. It was near impossible to run the ball up the middle on Union the last 2 years...everyone tried to get on the edges against them.

Thomas was the guy I was most impressed with. I’m not surprised he has a D1 SEC offer but we’ve had better success with DL than they have. I’d definitely try to flip him but time is running out to flip anybody.

 

[918Golden]

DJ was till nursing a bad ankle and couldn’t quite make the cuts he needed to. Not sure where Neely was, who was usually the #2. Carrasco, who fumbled, was a late move in at the very end of the season and is a sophomore. Covington was WAY down the list but proved he could be a power back with speed for next year.

Covington was primarily a DB. He’s a D1 guy too. He looked like a stud at RB. I know a buddy of mine said he’s already visited OU this year.

 

[PiKA1000]

Thomas was the guy I was most impressed with. I’m not surprised he has a D1 SEC offer but we’ve had better success with DL than they have. I’d definitely try to flip him but time is running out to flip anybody.

I know his gf’s mother would love for him to stay here. Her daughter is graduating a year early and is heading to Vandy as well.

Big D had interest from TU before a certain DC left for TCU but he likes the academics at Vandy and knows just saying he was part of a SEC football team looks good on a resume.

 

[PiKA1000]

Covington was primarily a DB. He’s a D1 guy too. He looked like a stud at RB. I know a buddy of mine said he’s already visited OU this year.

I believe he was a two way guy at Booker T, but not 100% sure. The kid has brains and is a great guy off the field as well. He did NOT want to come off the field after he scored the TD in the 4th OT vs Owasso and was calling for the ball because he felt he could end the game.

 

[PiKA1000]

How could I forget the Hawkins kid from Bixby??? Not like he has any ties to TU at all or anything (sarcasm).

Guy who has potential but will need a couple years is Ashlock out of Union. Get him to tackle low and transform about 5-10 lbs of dadbod to muscle and add another 5, he has potential. He was part of the 20mph club this year.

I will say this about Shaker. His dad is P5 or bust. I highly doubt he will even let Shaker take a visit to TU.

Be to keep an eye on next year locally will be Danzby…yes, another Union kid. Size and speed. Just had a little work to do with consistency on the hands.

 

[TU_BLA]

How could I forget the Hawkins kid from Bixby??? Not like he has any ties to TU at all or anything (sarcasm).

Guy who has potential but will need a couple years is Ashlock out of Union. Get him to tackle low and transform about 5-10 lbs of dadbod to muscle and add another 5, he has potential. He was part of the 20mph club this year.

I will say this about Shaker. His dad is P5 or bust. I highly doubt he will even let Shaker take a visit to TU.

Be to keep an eye on next year locally will be Danzby…yes, another Union kid. Size and speed. Just had a little work to do with consistency on the hands.

Ashlock is the LBer right (#19?). He was always near the ball...not quite as big as Cooper Edmiston at TU a few years ago but probably a bit faster. He is a lot like Bryson Powers and Grant Sawyer in terms of the way they play.

What year is Hawkins? If he's a JR this year, he and my son played tee-ball and coach pitch together about 10 yrs ago. He was bigger than everyone then. I had to fix his swing a bit as his timing was off. Had him do the Danny Tartabull big leg lift and then step to slow it down a bit. Started hammering the ball.

Most of his highlights are on the OL so I'm wondering where he would actually project as it looked like he played mostly RT this season. Not sure he would play that in college...usually want your tackles to be a bit longer. He definitely has the quickness to play out there though.

 

[TU_BLA]

I will say this about Shaker. His dad is P5 or bust. I highly doubt he will even let Shaker take a visit to TU.

He's got one of those dads....feel bad for the kid. He's a really good player and the biggest difference for Union this year and what they achieved and I think the ceiling is high for him. I will say this...he's got good field vision but his accuracy needs to improve. His arm strength is FBS level. I think once he gets some college measurements on him he will get looks but I don't think the P5s his dad is shooting for are calling. He's not the runner a lot of schools are looking for and he doesn't quite have the size to run a traditional pro-style offense.

Parents need to understand, P5 doesn't mean better shot at the pros. It means a better shot at sitting the bench and get no playing time for 3-4 years. Ask Mitch Mustain about that. If he comes to TU vs going to USC after transferring from Arkansas, he probably reaches All American status in Malzahn and Morris' offense and he at least gets a shot with an NFL team and/or some time in Canada (maybe even the World League which was around back then). Instead he goes to USC, sits behind Butt Fumble Sanchez and Matt Barkley. Wonder if he ever thinks about that decision and how his career may have been different. Kids like Reisig (and his dad) should look at Mustain's story as a cautionary tale. NFL teams will find talent where it is...but you've got to play in meaningful games and in meaningful situations. I have to think Wilson is in a good position to be able to tell kids his plan for them and how he's going to help them get to the NFL if that is their goal. I mean, Haskins, Fields, and Stroud (likely) were/will be 1st round picks.

 

[918Golden]

How could I forget the Hawkins kid from Bixby??? Not like he has any ties to TU at all or anything (sarcasm).

Guy who has potential but will need a couple years is Ashlock out of Union. Get him to tackle low and transform about 5-10 lbs of dadbod to muscle and add another 5, he has potential. He was part of the 20mph club this year.

I will say this about Shaker. His dad is P5 or bust. I highly doubt he will even let Shaker take a visit to TU.

Be to keep an eye on next year locally will be Danzby…yes, another Union kid. Size and speed. Just had a little work to do with consistency on the hands.

I always thought Ashlock looked like a D2 level player. He is a little thick. Danzby definitely has the size and speed, but I can’t remember him making many catches and he seemed to play a lot. Hands definitely seemed to be his issue. Has the athletic abilities

 

[PiKA1000]

I always thought Ashlock looked like a D2 level player. He is a little thick. Danzby definitely has the size and speed, but I can’t remember him making many catches and he seemed to play a lot. Hands definitely seemed to be his issue. Has the athletic abilities

He’s proud of that “dadbod” lol.

 

[PiKA1000]

According to D-Rob himself on the Twitter, he will be honoring his commitment to TU and signing at 9AM. Getting a ball hawk with great speed.

 

[Lumpuckeroo]

He's got one of those dads....feel bad for the kid. He's a really good player and the biggest difference for Union this year and what they achieved and I think the ceiling is high for him. I will say this...he's got good field vision but his accuracy needs to improve. His arm strength is FBS level. I think once he gets some college measurements on him he will get looks but I don't think the P5s his dad is shooting for are calling. He's not the runner a lot of schools are looking for and he doesn't quite have the size to run a traditional pro-style offense.

Parents need to understand, P5 doesn't mean better shot at the pros. It means a better shot at sitting the bench and get no playing time for 3-4 years. Ask Mitch Mustain about that. If he comes to TU vs going to USC after transferring from Arkansas, he probably reaches All American status in Malzahn and Morris' offense and he at least gets a shot with an NFL team and/or some time in Canada (maybe even the World League which was around back then). Instead he goes to USC, sits behind Butt Fumble Sanchez and Matt Barkley. Wonder if he ever thinks about that decision and how his career may have been different. Kids like Reisig (and his dad) should look at Mustain's story as a cautionary tale. NFL teams will find talent where it is...but you've got to play in meaningful games and in meaningful situations. I have to think Wilson is in a good position to be able to tell kids his plan for them and how he's going to help them get to the NFL if that is their goal. I mean, Haskins, Fields, and Stroud (likely) were/will be 1st round picks.

Jenks & Union are full of those "DADS" living through their sons . I remember McKenzie Adams father
(Jeff) patrolling the Union sidelines with a pair of headphones that the coaches had provided him
so he could pretend he was one of the coaches . The headphones were disconnected for the sociopath.
For the past 30 years Union and Jenks have been recruiting BTW athletes with promises of an
apartment and/or new jobs especially for single parent families . BT Washington is just a shell of itself
and has been decimated by suburban recruiting .

 

[Oak775]

These are all great reasons why TU coaches should recruit “locally“.

Remember, a coach can see more football coaches and players in one week in the DFW area than in Oklahoma, about 2 months.

Texas is just better to recruit. Yet, there are 3-5 players a year that can be signed here in Oklahoma. Imagine signing a Zaven Collins every year from a small town like Hominy. Not likely but a coach has got to beat the bushes.

I’ve never spent time looking at the roster geographically, but I‘d bet that you’d also find a lot of small town Texas kids on the roster too. These visits are afternoon or morning trips from large urban cities like DFW and Houston,

TU is late on recruiting.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

For the past 30 years Union and Jenks have been recruiting BTW athletes with promises of an
apartment and/or new jobs especially for single parent families . BT Washington is just a shell of itself
and has been decimated by suburban recruiting .

This recruiting starts as early as the 6th grade. Every year, several players that had been on top North Tulsa youth teams will show up on suburban 7th grade squads the next season.

A few will eventually return to BTW for high school, but not many. Most are trying to escape a sub par TPS junior high program where more games are cancelled than actually played.

 

[Oak775]

Almost all of the TPS sports teams, and schools, are no longer “viable”.

The schools, and consequently the sports teams, are section 8/special Ed dumping grounds.

I know what I know. The district will not reform. End of discussion.

 

[TU 1978]

Almost all of the TPS sports teams, and schools, are no longer “viable”.

The schools, and consequently the sports teams, are section 8/special Ed dumping grounds.

I know what I know. The district will not reform. End of discussion.

To quote Firesign Theater, “Everything you know is wrong”.

 

[918Golden]

Booker T seems to be doing fine.

 

[TU_BLA]

Texas is just easier to recruit. Yet, there are 3-5 players a year that can be signed here in Oklahoma. Imagine signing a Zaven Collins every year from a small town like Hominy. Not likely but a coach has got to beat the bushes.

FIFY.

But I do agree on finding the players from small towns. Zaven fit a football player's mold but he played out of position in HS because he was simply the best athlete in Hominy. Had he been playing MLB on defense and TE on offense while in HS, he would have easily been recruited by OU, Texas, Arkansas and other P5s. Monty and his staff saw a football player and had a plan. There are probably 100 players who have FBS athletic talent in OK who are playing out of position in HS due to necessity (think Edmond North's QB who probably would be a 4 year starter at WR at many P5s if he played WR at Edmond North. He's an OK QB, but he is the best athlete on the field vs most opponents. He was the best athlete on the field when they played Union...but when the defense can essentially dedicate 7 players to stopping just him his numbers get muted and his ability is lost. If EN had a QB who could throw the ball downfield and he had been isolated on the outside against a DB (or even 2), he's going to win 90% of the time. He can be a dynamic hybrid RB/WR in college (think Deebo Samuel) or a dominant safety who will be all over the field.

 

[rusty-c]

Almost all of the TPS sports teams, and schools, are no longer “viable”.

The schools, and consequently the sports teams, are section 8/special Ed dumping grounds.

I know what I know. The district will not reform. End of discussion.

This is generally the case in all sports except basketball and soccer. I wouldn't say by any means that TPS schools and programs are dumping grounds. Rather, they are a reflection of the community they serve, with the exception being BTW which draws 50% ish from outside its boundary lines. TPS is reflecting it's demographic and in most cases educators are dedicated folks working to serve those students. Often bureaucracy gets in the way of real reform, which is certainly a problem with TPS. English not being the primary language is a concern as well. The biggest factor though is that so many of their students are poor, and face concerns with hunger, housing, and basic services that we do not, and thus are products of families that either don't understand or value education or that is the least of their concerns versus a bridge out of poverty. TPS, as well as all public schools, are sinking huge amounts into remediation and special services at a cost which is substantially more than a "regular student" and thus reducing the resources available when your required to provide equal educational opportunities to all that come through the doors. It's quite a conundrum, and athletics should be a carrot to the students as an incentive to achieve academically. TPS has made a significant investment in recent years to the infrastructure of athletics, but in turn that is way down the list of TPS's issues they need to deal with.

 

[TU_BLA]

y T seems to be doing fine.

I understand his sentiment though. I believe Union ran at least 2 former BTW kids out this season, one of them was a key cog in Union's success (DJ McKinney, Jr.). I'm sure he could have helped at BTW but he was 2nd string RB to the kid going to OU next season (or maybe it's Arkansas). And while the recruiting is not fine or acceptable per OSSAA, with the new state law and open transfers for any student, it's hard to keep a kid (or his parents) from doing just that for any reason. And with McKinney he brought about 40 people to every game to watch him play (family, friends, neighbors, whoever). They all showed up every game in a red t-shirt with McKinney "6" on the back.
I don't know the answer. TPS has to split it's limited resources across like 14 high schools and 35 or so middle schools. Union...1 8th grade center, 1 FR Academy, and 1 HS. Jenks- 4 MS, 1 HS, BA, 4 intermediates, 1 FR Academy, 1 HS (and 1 HS STEM academy). Thing is, even with the FR academies and specialty school options like STEM academies, those districts have structured it that all those schools are part of Union HS or BA HS or Jenks HS so all the students who want to compete in athletics all come together. It would be like if all of the Edmond Schools pooled together and re-labeled themselves and they competed under the banner of Edmond HS...now you're getting the best players from 4 HS in the district. Same in Moore and same in Norman. Of course that is going to eliminate opportunities for some kids to play as you probably wouldn't want a roster of 200 kids.

 

[Fmr'Cane16]

Texas is just better to recruit. Yet, there are 3-5 players a year that can be signed here in Oklahoma. Imagine signing a Zaven Collins every year from a small town like Hominy. Not likely but a coach has got to beat the bushes.

Oklahoma typically produces between 25-40 D1 football players year in and year out.

Yes you have to recruit DFW, as well as Arkansas, parts of Kansas and Louisiana. Not to mention the JUCOs in the southeast and Cali to spot-fill holes. Texas is important, but you are also dealing with every school in the country hitting DFW because of exactly what you said, you can see 1000 schools there.

Beating the bushes is their job and it typically produces hard ass players here.

 

[TU Sepp]

I understand his sentiment though. I believe Union ran at least 2 former BTW kids out this season, one of them was a key cog in Union's success (DJ McKinney, Jr.). I'm sure he could have helped at BTW but he was 2nd string RB to the kid going to OU next season (or maybe it's Arkansas). And while the recruiting is not fine or acceptable per OSSAA, with the new state law and open transfers for any student, it's hard to keep a kid (or his parents) from doing just that for any reason. And with McKinney he brought about 40 people to every game to watch him play (family, friends, neighbors, whoever). They all showed up every game in a red t-shirt with McKinney "6" on the back.
I don't know the answer. TPS has to split it's limited resources across like 14 high schools and 35 or so middle schools. Union...1 8th grade center, 1 FR Academy, and 1 HS. Jenks- 4 MS, 1 HS, BA, 4 intermediates, 1 FR Academy, 1 HS (and 1 HS STEM academy). Thing is, even with the FR academies and specialty school options like STEM academies, those districts have structured it that all those schools are part of Union HS or BA HS or Jenks HS so all the students who want to compete in athletics all come together. It would be like if all of the Edmond Schools pooled together and re-labeled themselves and they competed under the banner of Edmond HS...now you're getting the best players from 4 HS in the district. Same in Moore and same in Norman. Of course that is going to eliminate opportunities for some kids to play as you probably wouldn't want a roster of 200 kids.

TPS has 8 high schools... Not sure of the number of middles schools as they are always reorganizing...

 

[rusty-c]

TPS has 8 high schools... Not sure of the number of middles schools as they are always reorganizing...

I believe that McClain, Webster, Hale, Rogers, and possibly Central have brought their middle schools under the same roof as the high schools when they went through their last round of consolidations. I know that there are additional, and I may be in error on one of above.

 

[OKTornadoes]

These are all great reasons why TU coaches should recruit “locally“.

Remember, a coach can see more football coaches and players in one week in the DFW area than in Oklahoma, about 2 months.

Texas is just better to recruit. Yet, there are 3-5 players a year that can be signed here in Oklahoma. Imagine signing a Zaven Collins every year from a small town like Hominy. Not likely but a coach has got to beat the bushes.

I’ve never spent time looking at the roster geographically, but I‘d bet that you’d also find a lot of small town Texas kids on the roster too. These visits are afternoon or morning trips from large urban cities like DFW and Houston,

TU is late on recruiting.

Hence why I brought up Camden, he stood out on a really good Cushing team on all 3 sides of the ball. He got a D1 offer from Air Force before the season even started. He is worth a look at the least. Micah Tease would have been nice.