Oklahoma Sooners: Ohio State Buckeyes
FRISCO, Texas -- Soso Jamabo (Plano, Texas/Plano West) would have liked to be a part of this weekend’s Nike EYBL series playing with the Texas Titans. With a sling on his right shoulder, however, the 2015 two-sport star was reduced to watching the Titans on the bench, offering instruction to teammates and being the team’s biggest supporter.
For the rest of the spring and most of the summer, Jamabo’s focus will be on rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery on April 30. Jamabo broke some bones and damaged some ligaments in his shoulder during a Texas Class 5A Division-I state quarterfinal playoff. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is expected to miss 6-10 weeks but is projected to return a couple of weeks before Plano West’s first scrimmage in August.
“It’s early in the process, but it’s going well,” Jamabo said of the rehab process. “I’m just trying to get the shoulder back to usual, if not better. Right now, I’m just doing basic stuff and keep everything as minimal as possible.”
Exactly what kind of football player will Plano West look to see back on the field? Jamabo’s first rush as a varsity player was against Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus on Aug. 31. It went for 12 yards. His second rush: A 75-yard touchdown run.
Since then, Soso has been ... well ... anything but.
Only the shoulder injury managed to slow the electrifying 2015 running back down. He rushed for a team-leading 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 453 yards -- an average of almost 23 yards per catch -- and four touchdowns. On the basketball court, Jamabo averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 11 games.
For the rest of the spring and most of the summer, Jamabo’s focus will be on rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery on April 30. Jamabo broke some bones and damaged some ligaments in his shoulder during a Texas Class 5A Division-I state quarterfinal playoff. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is expected to miss 6-10 weeks but is projected to return a couple of weeks before Plano West’s first scrimmage in August.
“It’s early in the process, but it’s going well,” Jamabo said of the rehab process. “I’m just trying to get the shoulder back to usual, if not better. Right now, I’m just doing basic stuff and keep everything as minimal as possible.”
Exactly what kind of football player will Plano West look to see back on the field? Jamabo’s first rush as a varsity player was against Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus on Aug. 31. It went for 12 yards. His second rush: A 75-yard touchdown run.
Since then, Soso has been ... well ... anything but.
Only the shoulder injury managed to slow the electrifying 2015 running back down. He rushed for a team-leading 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 453 yards -- an average of almost 23 yards per catch -- and four touchdowns. On the basketball court, Jamabo averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 11 games.
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Orlando Brown Jr.'s recruitment is coming to an end.
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ESPN 150 DE Thomas pondering decision 
April, 22, 2013
Apr 22
10:30
AM CT
By
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
ESPN 150 defensive end Solomon Thomas (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) is about as unassuming a high-profile recruit as one will come across.
He doesn’t get tangled up in the vastness of recruiting. He's not one to openly speak of his achievements. He’s also not one to rush a decision as important as his commitment to the college program of his choice.
Go ahead and ask him where he’s going or who he’s favoring and you’ll get an answer you’d swear was stuck on loop.
He doesn’t get tangled up in the vastness of recruiting. He's not one to openly speak of his achievements. He’s also not one to rush a decision as important as his commitment to the college program of his choice.
Go ahead and ask him where he’s going or who he’s favoring and you’ll get an answer you’d swear was stuck on loop.
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#BlueChipBattles: ESPN 150 release edition
April, 19, 2013
Apr 19
11:49
AM CT
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
Student Sports, ESPN, ESPNSpeedy Noil, Adoree Jackson and Da'Shawn Hand are three of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2014.
: RecruitingNation summoned its writers from around the country to outline the recruiting battles for the ESPN 150's top 10 prospects.
Plus, rank the battles in SportsNation.
#TopFBMixtapes: Athlete mixtapes are all the rage in this highlight-crazed era of sports. We reached out to our Twitter followers to find out which 2014 football stars had the best highlight reels on YouTube, then had our staff rank and comment on the top submissions.
Tom Luginbill writes
: After talking to many coaches across the country and hearing their frustrations, here are their five biggest complaints about homemade highlight videos.Watching ESPN Watch List cornerback Tony Brown (Beaumont, Texas/Ozen) compete is almost like watching a one-man show. No matter what he does, there’s the understood notion that he’s going to excel.
On the football field, he’s one of the nation’s best cornerbacks, an athlete with more than 20 scholarship offers. Over the weekend, Brown not only won the defensive back MVP award at the Dallas Nike Football Training Camp but also earned an invitation to The Opening this summer in Oregon.
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Want to know where Solomon Thomas (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) will end up? Good luck with that.
Truth is, the ESPN Watch List defensive end is wide open with his recruiting process -- and by “wide open,” that doesn’t mean, in this case, that he has a favorite but is keeping it under wraps.
Truth is, the ESPN Watch List defensive end is wide open with his recruiting process -- and by “wide open,” that doesn’t mean, in this case, that he has a favorite but is keeping it under wraps.
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A lot of Class of 2014 prospects have been hitting the road in the last couple of months for junior days and spring practices. But quarterback Zack Darlington (Apopka, Fla./Apopka) has taken a different approach.
His plan is to sit back patiently, and attack more in the future. He’s in no rush. Darlington, who is 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, is the younger brother of Oklahoma sophomore center Ty Darlington.
It was always the dream for Ty to play for the Sooners. Zack doesn’t have that same dream and is keeping his options open. And he’s adding more options by the day with offers from Ole Miss, North Carolina State and Nebraska, among others.
SoonerNation: The offers are starting to roll in for you. What’s the latest in terms of visits and your recruitment?
His plan is to sit back patiently, and attack more in the future. He’s in no rush. Darlington, who is 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, is the younger brother of Oklahoma sophomore center Ty Darlington.
It was always the dream for Ty to play for the Sooners. Zack doesn’t have that same dream and is keeping his options open. And he’s adding more options by the day with offers from Ole Miss, North Carolina State and Nebraska, among others.
SoonerNation: The offers are starting to roll in for you. What’s the latest in terms of visits and your recruitment?
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Juco lineman lines up several big visits
April, 1, 2013
Apr 1
5:02
PM CT
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
A series of visits are coming for one of the best junior college offensive linemen in the country, and he could start naming favorites shortly thereafter.
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Plenty of reasons to like 2014 DE Garrett
March, 27, 2013
Mar 27
8:33
PM CT
By
Damon Sayles | ESPN.com
The Twitter account for Myles Garrett (Arlington, Texas/Martin) tells half truth.
Garrett’s bio reads, “The big silly guy who plays football? Yea thats me,” and those who know Garrett know he enjoys to laugh and joke around. What the Twitter page doesn’t tell is just how athletically gifted the ESPN Watch List defensive end is. In fact, in addition to being the silly guy, friends have a nickname for him that seems to fit.
“They call me Superman,” Garrett said. “I guess it’s cool. It makes me laugh.”
Garrett’s bio reads, “The big silly guy who plays football? Yea thats me,” and those who know Garrett know he enjoys to laugh and joke around. What the Twitter page doesn’t tell is just how athletically gifted the ESPN Watch List defensive end is. In fact, in addition to being the silly guy, friends have a nickname for him that seems to fit.
“They call me Superman,” Garrett said. “I guess it’s cool. It makes me laugh.”
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Brown Jr. talks top seven, decision plans
March, 11, 2013
Mar 11
9:27
PM CT
By
Kipp Adams | ESPN.com
SUWANEE, Ga. – Continuing where he left off at the Under Armour All-America Combine, ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) had another outstanding performance at the VTOSports Prep 100 Camp Sunday, coming away with OL MVP honors after winning 1-on-1 battles against ESPN Watch List linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) and 2015 standout D’Andre Walker (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes).
The 6-foot-8, 345-pound lineman recently narrowed his extensive list of offers to a top seven, and he discussed what stands out about each of them.
The 6-foot-8, 345-pound lineman recently narrowed his extensive list of offers to a top seven, and he discussed what stands out about each of them.
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It was his first trip out of state, so ESPN Watch List tight end Mark Andrews (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) didn’t know what to expect on his trip this weekend to Oklahoma.
Following the visit, he is eager to make another trip.
Following the visit, he is eager to make another trip.
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Elite programs interested in 2014 Ohio RB
January, 12, 2013
Jan 12
8:00
AM CT
By
Jared Shanker | ESPN.com
Some of the country's biggest programs have sat down in Larry Cox's office at West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West. Many will be back again this month and again in April and May.
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Sooners 17th in Way-Too-Early Top 25
January, 8, 2013
Jan 8
5:30
PM CT
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesAlabama, with three of the past four national titles, is No. 1 in the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2013.There are still seven months before the start of the 2013 season, and the teams and their order figure to change frequently, but it's never too early to take a look at the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2013.
And with three national championships in the past four years, there's no reason to change the team that's on top. Oklahoma will try to make it back to the top from the No. 17 spot.
Also see:
Mike Mitchell's OSU visit was 'awesome'
December, 9, 2012
12/09/12
2:54
PM CT
By
Brad Bournival | ESPN.com
Ken Mitchell didn’t hear anything about a commitment to Ohio State from his son, ESPN 150 outside linebacker Mike Mitchell (Plano, Texas/Prestonwood Christian), following an official visit to Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend.
What he did hear was how much fun the 6-foot-4, 216-pound senior had this weekend.
“His first two words were 'crazy' and 'awesome,' ” Ken Mitchell said. “The first thing he did when he got there was spend time with Coach [Urban] Meyer. Then he went to the OSU basketball game. He said it was a great time.”
What he did hear was how much fun the 6-foot-4, 216-pound senior had this weekend.
“His first two words were 'crazy' and 'awesome,' ” Ken Mitchell said. “The first thing he did when he got there was spend time with Coach [Urban] Meyer. Then he went to the OSU basketball game. He said it was a great time.”
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#BlueChipBattles: Nov. 30
November, 30, 2012
11/30/12
1:20
PM CT
By RecruitingNation staff | ESPN.com
ESPN.comCarl Lawson, Dee Linerand Reuben Foster are still committed to Auburn, but the Tigers' coaching situation could change things for the three ESPN 150 recruits.Auburn bid farewell to head coach Gene Chizik on Sunday. Could the Tigers also be saying goodbye to a trio of ESPN 150 recruits who could take their talents elsewhere?
Each week, RecruitingNation summons its writers from around the country to compile a list of the top 10 battles for elite football recruits leading up to February's signing day.
Here are this week's top battles
, and you can take a shot at ranking the top 10 recruiting battles on SportsNation.ABOUT SOONER NATION
Jake Trotter
Jake Trotter joined ESPN.com in 2011 after four years with The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman, covering OU and Big 12 football. He's a graduate of Washington and Lee (Va.) University and lives in Oklahoma City with his wife. Email him at trotterjake@gmail.com.
Brandon Chatmon
Brandon Chatmon joined ESPN.com in 2011 after spending eight years with The Oklahoman, covering Oklahoma State University, high schools and recruiting. Chatmon lives in Norman, Okla. Email him at bchatmonespn@gmail.com.
Bob Przybylo
Bob Przybylo joined ESPN.com in 2011 after spending four years with The Oklahoman, covering high schools and recruiting. Przybylo lives in Oklahoma City. Email him at bprzybyloespn@gmail.com.