Football Recruiting - Midlands Region: Bruce Kittle
Oklahoma has never been in a bad spot with ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Ty Barrett (Dallas/Skyline).
Former offensive line coach James Patton was the first coach to start pursuing him. Barrett visited OU last season, and he was offered at OU’s junior day in February.
Patton and former offensive line coach Bruce Kittle, who was also recruiting Barrett and made the offer to him, are gone, and first-year O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh is the man in charge. Barrett and Bedenbaugh are in constant communication, but Saturday marked the first time Barrett got to meet his potential future coach.
Former offensive line coach James Patton was the first coach to start pursuing him. Barrett visited OU last season, and he was offered at OU’s junior day in February.
Patton and former offensive line coach Bruce Kittle, who was also recruiting Barrett and made the offer to him, are gone, and first-year O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh is the man in charge. Barrett and Bedenbaugh are in constant communication, but Saturday marked the first time Barrett got to meet his potential future coach.
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OT Johnson talks Wazzu visit, offers 
January, 15, 2013
Jan 15
12:35
PM ET
By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
It's going to be a busy January for Houston Bellaire offensive tackle Dwayne Johnson.
In many ways, it already has been busy for the former Purdue commitment. Every weekend leading up to national signing day will be used for an official visit as the 6-foot-6, 275-pound Johnson tries to find the right fit for his future.
In many ways, it already has been busy for the former Purdue commitment. Every weekend leading up to national signing day will be used for an official visit as the 6-foot-6, 275-pound Johnson tries to find the right fit for his future.
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Four-star juco OT St. John commits to OU
December, 19, 2012
12/19/12
8:10
PM ET
By
Bob Przybylo | ESPN.com
Oklahoma has been in search for offensive tackles all fall, and the Sooners finally got one. Four-star junior college offensive tackle Josiah St. John (Athens, Texas/Trinity Valley) committed to OU on Wednesday, he announced on his Twitter page.
St. John, who was also considering Kansas, is ranked No. 6 in the ESPN JC 100 and is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation. St. John has pledged to OU, but he cannot sign with the Sooners until February. He will not be enrolling at OU in January, said Trinity Valley recruiting coordinator Will Reed.
He initially wasn't going to be doing anything Wednesday, but he tweeted in the morning he would make his commitment annoncement at night and came through on his promise.
OU made the offer to St. John in August even if he didn’t find out about it until October. He took an official visit to OU for the Notre Dame game in October, but the Jayhawks made a late push to try to sway him to Lawrence, Kan.
St. John made an official visit to KU two weeks ago, but OU coaches Bob Stoops and Bruce Kittle did what they could to make sure St. John would be a Sooner.
There has been a sense of panic among some OU fans with the Sooners have no pledges at the position. This single signing won’t erase all fears, but it’s a step in the right direction.
OU has hoping to land three offensive tackle commits for the class. Oddly enough, the Sooners had two commits at one point but lost four-star prospect Matt Beyer (San Antonio/Reagan) to an injury and three-star tackle Dalton Rodriguez (Tulsa, Okla./Union) flipped to Tulsa last week.
The Sooners are still in the running for three-star tackle Sean Dowling (Fallbrook, Calif./Union) and four-star prospect Aaron Cochran (Atwater, Calif./Buhach). But the Sooners can relax if they cannot land both of them. Getting St. John is the first step in what OU hopes is a strong close at the position.
St. John is OU's 17th commitment for the 2013 class and third juco player. He'll be joined by teammate defensive tackle Quincy Russell, who signed with OU on Wednesday.
St. John, who was also considering Kansas, is ranked No. 6 in the ESPN JC 100 and is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation. St. John has pledged to OU, but he cannot sign with the Sooners until February. He will not be enrolling at OU in January, said Trinity Valley recruiting coordinator Will Reed.
- Josiah St. John
- Offensive tackle (JC)
- 2013
- Uncommitted: List
| Pos Rk | Stars | Grade | Hometown |
| 83 | Athens, TX |
OU made the offer to St. John in August even if he didn’t find out about it until October. He took an official visit to OU for the Notre Dame game in October, but the Jayhawks made a late push to try to sway him to Lawrence, Kan.
St. John made an official visit to KU two weeks ago, but OU coaches Bob Stoops and Bruce Kittle did what they could to make sure St. John would be a Sooner.
There has been a sense of panic among some OU fans with the Sooners have no pledges at the position. This single signing won’t erase all fears, but it’s a step in the right direction.
OU has hoping to land three offensive tackle commits for the class. Oddly enough, the Sooners had two commits at one point but lost four-star prospect Matt Beyer (San Antonio/Reagan) to an injury and three-star tackle Dalton Rodriguez (Tulsa, Okla./Union) flipped to Tulsa last week.
The Sooners are still in the running for three-star tackle Sean Dowling (Fallbrook, Calif./Union) and four-star prospect Aaron Cochran (Atwater, Calif./Buhach). But the Sooners can relax if they cannot land both of them. Getting St. John is the first step in what OU hopes is a strong close at the position.
St. John is OU's 17th commitment for the 2013 class and third juco player. He'll be joined by teammate defensive tackle Quincy Russell, who signed with OU on Wednesday.
Rodriguez decommits, heading to Tulsa
December, 13, 2012
12/13/12
1:35
PM ET
By
Bob Przybylo | ESPN.com
Saying it was the best decision for him, three-star offensive tackle Dalton Rodriguez (Tulsa, Okla./Union) tweeted he has switched his commitment from Oklahoma to Tulsa on Thursday afternoon. Rodriguez confirmed the news via text message to ESPN.com.
Rodriguez, who is 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, was being recruited as an offensive tackle by the Sooners. However, he never took a snap at the position during high school. He has been one of the best defensive ends in the state the last two seasons.
OU picked up another defensive end commit in Houston Alief Taylor’s Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on Wednesday afternoon, giving the Sooners three quality defensive ends to go with ESPN 300 prospects D.J. Ward (Moore, Okla./Southmoore) and Matt Dimon (Katy, Texas/Katy).
Rodriguez, who is 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, was being recruited as an offensive tackle by the Sooners. However, he never took a snap at the position during high school. He has been one of the best defensive ends in the state the last two seasons.
OU picked up another defensive end commit in Houston Alief Taylor’s Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on Wednesday afternoon, giving the Sooners three quality defensive ends to go with ESPN 300 prospects D.J. Ward (Moore, Okla./Southmoore) and Matt Dimon (Katy, Texas/Katy).
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The only word four-star offensive tackle Matt Beyer (San Antonio/Reagan) could use to describe his experience was "surreal."
For Beyer, it has been a dream to see an Oklahoma home game in person, and that dream came true last weekend when the Sooners played Notre Dame.
It was an incredible night for Beyer even if the circumstances that led to it tested his mental toughness.
For Beyer, it has been a dream to see an Oklahoma home game in person, and that dream came true last weekend when the Sooners played Notre Dame.
It was an incredible night for Beyer even if the circumstances that led to it tested his mental toughness.
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2014 OT Braden Smith taking his time
May, 15, 2012
5/15/12
11:05
AM ET
By
Brandon Chatmon | ESPN.com
He hasn’t even completed his sophomore year of high school, but Braden Smith (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) is already a highly sought-after offensive tackle recruit. At 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, Smith has room to grow but has already shown enough to earn early offers from Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford, Nebraska and others.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever seen as an offensive or defensive linemen,” Olathe South coach Jeff Gourley said. “I’ve coached for 27 years, I’ve never seen anybody like him, even on the ESPN high school game of the week ... Florida, Texas, there’s nobody in the country like him.”
The Sooners recognized the talent of the class of 2014 prospect early in the process.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever seen as an offensive or defensive linemen,” Olathe South coach Jeff Gourley said. “I’ve coached for 27 years, I’ve never seen anybody like him, even on the ESPN high school game of the week ... Florida, Texas, there’s nobody in the country like him.”
The Sooners recognized the talent of the class of 2014 prospect early in the process.
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For as dominant a program as Tulsa (Okla.) Union has been, the school hasn’t produced top Division I talent in the last couple of years. The Redskins have won four consecutive Oklahoma Class 6A championships and the last two have been more about a team than top players.
Heading into the 2012 season that will change as Tulsa Union has a top recruit to be on the lookout for.
Tulsa and Texas Tech were the first two schools to recognize the talent of offensive tackle/defensive end Dalton Rodriguez, but they sure haven’t been the last. Rodriguez has picked up additional offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, Iowa State and Baylor and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Heading into the 2012 season that will change as Tulsa Union has a top recruit to be on the lookout for.
Tulsa and Texas Tech were the first two schools to recognize the talent of offensive tackle/defensive end Dalton Rodriguez, but they sure haven’t been the last. Rodriguez has picked up additional offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, Iowa State and Baylor and is showing no signs of slowing down.
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Even if a recruit doesn’t know much about the Oklahoma Sooners, he knows about their winning tradition. That was all offensive tackle Jake Campos (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) knew of the program before making an unofficial visit last week.
Following the visit, though, it wasn’t the football program that had Campos the most excited. After his first visit, it was the campus that left him excited about the Sooners.
“It’s a beautiful campus. The architecture was incredible,” Campos said. “For my first visit, it was even better than I expected. The buildings are beautiful.”
Following the visit, though, it wasn’t the football program that had Campos the most excited. After his first visit, it was the campus that left him excited about the Sooners.
“It’s a beautiful campus. The architecture was incredible,” Campos said. “For my first visit, it was even better than I expected. The buildings are beautiful.”
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Colorado OT Dan Skipper open to Sooners
March, 7, 2012
3/07/12
3:15
PM ET
By
Bob Przybylo | ESPN.com
Offensive tackle Dan Skipper (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) has seen his interest pick up recently. His first offer came in January and things haven’t really slowed down.
Despite several offers, Skipper still hadn’t heard from one of his top five schools: Oklahoma. Instead of waiting around, he took the initiative and searched for OU offensive tackles coach Bruce Kittle on Facebook and sent him a message. That got the ball rolling for what has been an eventful few weeks for Skipper and the Sooners.
“OU has always been in my top five. I started sending messages and emails to schools and seeing who would respond,” Skipper said. “When you think of major college football in the Midwest, you think OU. I’ve grown up a Big 12 guy, and the Sooners are always there.”
Despite several offers, Skipper still hadn’t heard from one of his top five schools: Oklahoma. Instead of waiting around, he took the initiative and searched for OU offensive tackles coach Bruce Kittle on Facebook and sent him a message. That got the ball rolling for what has been an eventful few weeks for Skipper and the Sooners.
“OU has always been in my top five. I started sending messages and emails to schools and seeing who would respond,” Skipper said. “When you think of major college football in the Midwest, you think OU. I’ve grown up a Big 12 guy, and the Sooners are always there.”
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RECRUITING NATION MIDLANDS COVERAGE
The Midlands Region consists of the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and
Texas and is where Big 12 programs make a living recruiting. However, with the deep talent pool in the Lone Star State, teams from all over the country flock to the Midlands to find players.
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MIDLANDS RECRUITING CONTRIBUTORS
Sam KhanESPN Archive |
Max OlsonESPN Archive |
Bob PrzybyloESPN Archive |
Damon SaylesESPN Archive |
Mitch ShermanESPN Archive |
William WilkersonESPN Archive |
