Better Sign Some Players Who Stick Around
Recruiting class of ’03 dwindles (George Schroeder, Daily Oklahoman)
Just 11 players remain from Oklahoma’s 24-man class of 2003 - their class - which was touted as one of the nation’s very best.
Only two players, Carl Pendleton and Cody Freeby, are starters; Finley and Gutierrez are frequent contributors.
It’s pretty thin after that.
You want explanations for OU’s sudden, steep fall? Maybe you should look no further.
The class of 2003 was ranked No. 3 nationally by Scout.com, No. 4 by Rivals.com. It included such gems as quarterback Tommy Grady, defensive tackle Lawrence “Moe” Dampeer and safeties Tony Cade and Donte Nicholson. At the time, many believed it might have been OU’s finest class since the Barry Switzer era.
But the boom went bust.
Although Nicholson, who was a junior-college transfer, was a solid two-year starter at safety, Dampeer, Grady and Cade never made an impact. They’re gone - along with a few more.
There’s no discernible trend. Some players transferred in hopes of more playing time. Some didn’t make the grades. Some just ... quit, with no real explanation.
Heck, one guy washed out twice. McAlester’s Brandon Keith didn’t qualify academically out of high school. Then, after graduating from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and enrolling at OU last summer, Keith quit the team early this semester.
Losing over half of a Top Five recruiting class is a big hit for any major program to absorb, but it really doesn't fully explain why Chuck Long's offense looks like it accomplished nothing during spring and fall practices this year, or why Oklahoma's special teams had so many problems in the first three games.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/11/05 23:03 | Big 12 Football | Technorati
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Comments
Donte Nicholson is with Tampa Bay now. Playing special teams.
Posted by banjo jones @ 18:00 on 10/12/05
Aren't there any baseball fans around here? The Astros just won one of the best baseball games ever the other night. They lost game 1 of the NLCS, but it promises to be a good series.
Posted by another precinct chair @ 08:36 on 10/13/05
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