Oklahoma Sooners

This wasn’t how Oklahoma wide receiver commit Jordan Smallwood (Jenks, Okla./Jenks) expected the first few weeks of his senior season to go.

Smallwood suffered a separated shoulder against Tulsa (Okla.) Union in the first game of the season and missed the next two games. Worse than that, all Smallwood could do is watch as Jenks got off to an uncharacteristic 1-2 start.

No worries, though, said Smallwood. He returned and so did Jenks with a school-record 82-7 victory against Tulsa (Okla.) Edison on Thursday night.

“It felt so good to be back out there,” Smallwood said. “When I was out, I learned how to be a leader even more. I had to step up my leadership game.”

Smallwood said he felt like himself again. He had four catches for 79 yards, including his first two touchdowns of the season.

“That felt great. I finally got back to the end zone,” Smallwood said. “I didn’t think it would take the fourth game, but that’s OK. It’s not about how you start the season. It’s about you finish.”

Smallwood and teammate Steven Parker were among the numerous visitors for OU’s battle with Kansas State on Saturday. Smallwood said his relationship with OU receivers coach Jay Norvell is better than ever.

“We spoke a couple of days ago. Everything is going great. No worries,” Smallwood said.

Here’s how the rest of OU commits fared in this weekend’s Recruiting Rewind:

Austin Bennett (Manvel, Texas/Manvel, WR): Bye week.

Matt Beyer (San Antonio/Reagan, OT): His second game acting as a coach turned out better as SA Reagan pulled out a 41-37 victory at Laredo (Texas) United. Beyer has been forced to give up football because of a neck injury.

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Oklahoma's bye week allowed Sooners coaches to go out and watch some recruits in action over the weekend.

Some chose to watch top targets like offensive tackles coach Bruce Kittle did with UCLA commit Christian Morris (Memphis, Tenn./East).

Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops decided to go back to familiar territory. Stoops first started recruiting OU safety commit Hatari Byrd (Fresno, Calif./Central East) when Byrd was a sophomore and Stoops was at Arizona. The relationship has only strengthened through the years and it was a big reason Byrd committed to the Sooners in July.

Stoops was in attendance to watch Byrd and the rest of the Fresno Central East secondary do work in a 42-7 victory against Visalia (Calif.) El Diamante.

“It was great to have coach Stoops in attendance for the game,” Byrd said. “We wanted to put on a show, and we did.”

Byrd is one of three 2013 Fresno Central East defensive backs offered by the Sooners. All three -- Byrd, L.J. Moore and Johnny Johnson Jr. -- are going to take an official visit to OU on Oct. 26. The Sooners host Notre Dame that weekend.

But there’s a strong chance Stoops was there to check out the future, too, as OU has also offered 2014 defensive back Michiah Quick.

Quick didn’t disappoint with seven receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown.

“Athletes take over,” Visalia El Diamante coach Mark Rogers said to The Fresno Bee. “And that’s exactly what happened. They’re the best team we’ve played and that secondary is incredible.”

Not too much was expected from Fresno Central East, but the Grizzlies are now 4-0 and have shown the ability to win close games and also blow the competition out. Fresno Central East limited Visalia El Diamante to 64 passing yards and also had two interceptions.

“We feel like this is our year,” Byrd said. “We have so much talent. We’re so hungry. We just have to keep it going. This season has been exciting, and it’s Boomer Sooner all the way.”

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Oklahoma offensive tackle commit Matt Beyer (San Antonio/Reagan) tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that a neck injury has forced him to give up playing football.

Beyer, who is 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, is a four-star prospect who committed to the Sooners in July.

Speculation started Monday following a Beyer tweet Monday morning: “Thank you for all the memories guys! Football has truly been great to me! I love you all! It was just time for me to hang up the pads.”

It was originally believed to be a back injury. Beyer suffered an incomplete fracture of the L5 vertebrae and missed most of the 2011 season.

But Beyer set the record straight with this tweet Wednesday afternoon: “I didn’t quit football. I choose to leave because of a neck injury that I had no control over. The risk out weighed the rewards #hadnochoice.”

Beyer addressed his San Antonio Reagan teammates Monday morning to tell them the news. Following his announcement, individual players spoke to Beyer.

The last one to speak with him was offensive tackle Sterling Korona. A three-star prospect himself, Korona is committed to Duke.

“We’re losing part of our identity,” Korona said. “He was the biggest, but he was also the quietest. He was a silent leader, a leader by example.

“Matt has been out there coaching the younger guys as if nothing is wrong,” Korona said. “He has handled this a lot better than I would. He is still a part of this team in every sense of the word.”

Beyer has not returned phone calls or text messages to comment further on the situation.

OU freshman quarterback Trevor Knight was a driving force in getting Beyer to commit to OU. Since Knight committed to OU in July 2011, he had been trying to get his former teammate to come with him.

In fact, it was Knight who broke the news of Beyer’s commitment. He tweeted it out before Beyer had even told anybody.

The loss of a Beyer is yet another top prospect whose OU career has been cut short by injury before seeing the field. The Sooners suffered the same fate for 2012 tight end signee Laith Harlow. A back injury forced Harlow to quit football although OU has honored his scholarship.

The 2011 class also had a major loss, as a pectoral injury ended the career of tight end Max Stevenson.

Colleyville (Texas) Heritage coach Mike Fuller said the team didn’t make any halftime adjustments. He did, however, decide to let his star quarterback Cody Thomas take over the game.

Good decision.

Thomas, a three-star prospect who is committed to Oklahoma, showed why Sooners fans are so excited about having him come to Norman, Okla. He threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 71 yards and two scores in a 54-38 victory against Denton (Texas) Guyer.

“That’s the kind of leader Cody is," Fuller said. "He has matured so much as have a lot of the guys, and he makes really good decisions."

In the first half he was a bit handcuffed. The Colleyville Heritage offense sputtered at times and Thomas was 11-of-14 with a touchdown and a rushing touchdown while the team trailed 31-21 at half.

The second half was a showcase outing for Thomas, who is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. He was 19-of-27 with four touchdowns and added another rushing touchdown.

There were some concerns about Thomas. After having juggled baseball and football throughout the summer, some wondered if Thomas could do the balancing act.

It's safe to say that yes, he can.

“This was fun tonight. That’s what it’s all about,” Thomas said. “Give a lot of credit to the offensive line and our running game. We were able to click and get things rolling.”

After initially being non-committal about his performance, Thomas admitted that was the best game he has ever played.

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For Oklahoma commit Stanvon Taylor and his Tulsa (Okla.) East Central teammates, the message was clear after Friday’s 53-31 victory at Del City, Okla.

“We’re still here,” Taylor said.

East Central, led by a new coach with no head coaching experience, is expected to be one of the most talented teams in 5A in the state. For Taylor, though, it was another message. A more personal one.

“I got to get my respect back,” Taylor said. “It was an absolute blessing to be out there again. I’ll earn that respect again.”

Almost a year ago to the day, Taylor's junior season ended just as quickly as it had began. He broke his ankle in the third quarter of the first game and never saw another snap.

He didn’t break his ankle, but he might have broken a few opponents' on Friday. Taylor finished with 183 yards receiving and two touchdowns. He also showed his versatility and threw an 18-yard touchdown.

“That was a special package that we have," Taylor said. "And I have the option that if they bite on the rollout to look to throw. I was running and saw them coming and knew he was open."

So how was the pass?

“Oh, it was on the money. It was a straight spiral into the pocket. This was a big statement for us,” Taylor said.

Here’s how the rest of OU commits fared in this weekend’s Recruiting Rewind:

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