First are the ground rules. For you new corral members, this is a special feature for subscribers only. The reason why it is posted on the premium board (as opposed to a normal story) is because it is the only way to ensure that the info stays exclusive to Cowboy fans. This will only work if everyone helps make it work.
Furthermore, we're serious about this being a Corral-only piece. Everything that is reported in the Cowboy Roundup must stay in the Cowboy Roundup. That's the way this deal works. Sometimes the info is sensitive enough that it simply doesn't need to be passed on beyond the doors of this thread.
We will start off by giving a brief assessment of some of the official visitors this weekend that could have possibly been impacted by the situation with Curtis Luper and the job offer at Texas A&M.
The Cowboys are expected to host 10 prospects this weekend (see the Official Visitors post for the complete rundown) and ironically enough four of those are long-time verbal commitments who were recruited by Luper.
The group, which includes OL Dejuan Davis, DE Jeremy Gray, LB Alfred Dupree, and OL Lane Taylor might seem curious given this week's news of Texas A&M courting Luper. All of them except Taylor have been on our radar for visiting OSU this weekend for weeks now so it really had nothing to do with that. It is good timing however - if the prospects had heard talk of Luper possibly leaving, the visit will shoot down any of those thoughts.
If Luper had gone to A&M, the Cowboys would have been in good shape with both o-linemen, as Joe Wickline has been heavily involved with their recruitment.
Gray, who is from Luper's hometown of Sherman, Texas, would have been a concern, but seems pretty committed to OSU the school and Dupree might have been a wild card as linebackers coach Todd Bradford has obviously moved on to Southern Miss. (JJ)
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Something to keep an eye regarding J.R. Bryant after this weekend’s visit is to get his take on Cowboy defensive coordinator Tim Beckman.
While Bryant openly stated that Oklahoma was his leader before the Christmas break, he denied that being the case when we talked to him earlier this week.
Whether or not he was just being polite or he is as open as he came off to be is up for any one to judge but I certainly got the impression that he is interested in what Oklahoma State has to show him this weekend.
The reason for Beckman being an integral part of his visit this weekend is because Bryant was initially being recruited to OSU by former linebacker coach and now Southern Miss defensive coordinator Todd Bradford.
“I was talking to Coach Bradford but he’s leaving and so Coach Beckman is who I’ve been talking to lately too,” he said.
If Coach Beckman is able to establish a solid bond with Bryant this weekend then it will likely make his decision that much harder when he chooses between the three remaining Big 12 South division foes. (RC)
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One of the few remaining defensive back targets that are even on the Cowboy radar is Waco, Texas safety Victor Johnson.
It has been fairly common knowledge that he has an affinity for The U and that the Hurricanes have been the team to beat for quite a while now. With that said, in our update this week Johnson reiterated that comfort level and playing time are going to be the most important factors in his decision.
“Where I feel comfortable at and where I think I can be able to come in and play, you know, at least gets some reps in somewhere,” he said.
Keep in mind that one of the things Johnson raved about in his post-official visit interview was how comfortable he felt in Stillwater so that takes care of that.
Naturally we then asked him if he thought he could see the field early if he came to Oklahoma State.
“Oh yes sir, no doubt,” he said.
Johnson still has plans to take his official visits to both OU and Miami within the next couple of weeks so those trips will help him gauge his own comfort level on the respective campuses but at this point Johnson was a little more hesitant on whether he thinks he could see some playing time next year at either school.
“I’m pretty sure but I’ve just got to see,” he said. “I don’t know for sure but when that day comes and I sign I’ll know for sure by then.”
Lastly, with both Bedlam schools being involved in his top three along with Miami, will the discrepancy in distance from home have much of an influence?
“A little bit, I mean, I don’t have any Texas schools [I’m looking at] so that’s out but it will matter a little bit but not too much,” he said.
Ultimately it is my guess that Johnson and even Zaviar Gooden and Adrian Bushell are about third on the priority list with Trahan/Bryant and Owens/Curtis being the first two priorities.
If OSU misses out at those first two levels then I think you would see a very hard push for another defensive back as it becomes a “take the best player available” situation. (JF)
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Perhaps the biggest recruiting job left for Mike Gundy and Doug Meacham is junior tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
The pair is not going to try and convince Pettigrew to stay if it is in his best interest to go to the NFL. The problem is figuring out what is in his best interest.
At least one NFL team has Pettigrew rated as their top tight end prospect but that does not necessarily indicate that they view him as a first or even second-round pick as that goes back to each team's individual need at the position.
As best I can tell, Pettigrew's top end for the 2008 NFL draft is mid-second round, and he could certainly fall further than that as other underclassmen declare over the next week.
Pettigrew is believed to have met with his coaches at OSU yesterday and a decision about his status for his senior season could come in the next couple of days. (JJ)
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A name that we had originally listed as a possible visitor this weekend was Gilmer, Texas four-star safety and current Texas A&M commitment Lamar Harris.
Those of you with a keen eye might have noticed that his name disappeared from the list earlier this week and the reason is intriguing.
We caught up with Harris earlier this week with intentions of confirming his visit for this weekend but he told us that he had cancelled it because Coach Wickline had informed him that OSU was full on scholarships.
Now, while that may trigger a collective “What the (insert expletive here)?” I’ve come to the conclusion that it means one of two things.
The first and most likely reason for this is that the Cowboys, at least with things standing the way they are, are not taking any more defensive backs in this class and it backs up Jay’s earlier statement regarding Victor Johnson and the other couple of defensive backs still on the radar.
The other scenario is that the Cowboys really do not have any spots left and have at least one to maybe three silent commitments from prospects that have yet to go public with it.
If that were to be the case then I have to imagine that one of the JuCo linebackers visiting this weekend is a silent commit heading into it and that the Muskogee press conference on Tuesday might make both Bedlam teams happy.
Again, this scenario is much more far fetched and in no way have I tried to confirm any of it with anybody because if there are silent commits then you don’t want to steal their thunder and plus it has been widely speculated that both Muskogee boys are favoring the Sooners.
Nevertheless, it is something to think about and should make the next couple of weeks very interesting. (RC)
********************
I’ve got a couple of brief notes regarding a name that had been flung around over the past week or two.
Katy, Texas defensive tackle Jowyn Ward had his name pop up briefly on the message boards as a possible target when it was said in one of his updates that he was hearing from OSU and we all know how defensive tackles are a hot commodity.
I caught up with Ward this week to see what exactly was going on and it appears that there is not much fuel to the fire if any at all.
Ward said that he did not have an offer from OSU or Nebraska contrary to what the Rivals database had said at the time and that he had only been receiving letters.
In fact, he mentioned that while being interested in both the Cowboys and Huskers he was actually pretty content with current commitment to Arizona and thus I don’t see this one going anywhere and I think it is safe to say that this story has no legs whatsoever. (JF)
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Junior college linebackers Patrick Trahan and J.R. Bryant are about as important as any targets for the 2008 class.
Both are viewed as immediate-impact type of players, and securing a commitment from one of them is this weekend's biggest goal and it could happen with either one.
Trahan says he'll be taking other visits, but is not sure where and Bryant will be done with official visits after tripping to Stillwater this weekend, shortly thereafter making his decision between OSU, OU and Texas Tech.
I've tried to gauge which one is the most desired by the OSU staff and can't really tell. Trahan might have a tiny edge, strictly because he has experience on the Division I level (at Auburn).
The bottom line is that both guys are outstanding prospects and either one could help OSU shore up its defensive deficiencies in 2008. (JJ)
********************
Though I said before and maintain it is true now that Curtis Luper nearly took the job offered by A&M, here is a very interesting tidbit about that situation: Luper never went to College Station to interview for the job. There were reports otherwise, but the fact is that it all went down by telephone. Had Luper ended up going to College Station, it would have been to be named as an assistant coach, not for an interview.
This post was edited on 1/11 11:40 AM by Jeff J.
Furthermore, we're serious about this being a Corral-only piece. Everything that is reported in the Cowboy Roundup must stay in the Cowboy Roundup. That's the way this deal works. Sometimes the info is sensitive enough that it simply doesn't need to be passed on beyond the doors of this thread.
We will start off by giving a brief assessment of some of the official visitors this weekend that could have possibly been impacted by the situation with Curtis Luper and the job offer at Texas A&M.
The Cowboys are expected to host 10 prospects this weekend (see the Official Visitors post for the complete rundown) and ironically enough four of those are long-time verbal commitments who were recruited by Luper.
The group, which includes OL Dejuan Davis, DE Jeremy Gray, LB Alfred Dupree, and OL Lane Taylor might seem curious given this week's news of Texas A&M courting Luper. All of them except Taylor have been on our radar for visiting OSU this weekend for weeks now so it really had nothing to do with that. It is good timing however - if the prospects had heard talk of Luper possibly leaving, the visit will shoot down any of those thoughts.
If Luper had gone to A&M, the Cowboys would have been in good shape with both o-linemen, as Joe Wickline has been heavily involved with their recruitment.
Gray, who is from Luper's hometown of Sherman, Texas, would have been a concern, but seems pretty committed to OSU the school and Dupree might have been a wild card as linebackers coach Todd Bradford has obviously moved on to Southern Miss. (JJ)
********************
Something to keep an eye regarding J.R. Bryant after this weekend’s visit is to get his take on Cowboy defensive coordinator Tim Beckman.
While Bryant openly stated that Oklahoma was his leader before the Christmas break, he denied that being the case when we talked to him earlier this week.
Whether or not he was just being polite or he is as open as he came off to be is up for any one to judge but I certainly got the impression that he is interested in what Oklahoma State has to show him this weekend.
The reason for Beckman being an integral part of his visit this weekend is because Bryant was initially being recruited to OSU by former linebacker coach and now Southern Miss defensive coordinator Todd Bradford.
“I was talking to Coach Bradford but he’s leaving and so Coach Beckman is who I’ve been talking to lately too,” he said.
If Coach Beckman is able to establish a solid bond with Bryant this weekend then it will likely make his decision that much harder when he chooses between the three remaining Big 12 South division foes. (RC)
********************
One of the few remaining defensive back targets that are even on the Cowboy radar is Waco, Texas safety Victor Johnson.
It has been fairly common knowledge that he has an affinity for The U and that the Hurricanes have been the team to beat for quite a while now. With that said, in our update this week Johnson reiterated that comfort level and playing time are going to be the most important factors in his decision.
“Where I feel comfortable at and where I think I can be able to come in and play, you know, at least gets some reps in somewhere,” he said.
Keep in mind that one of the things Johnson raved about in his post-official visit interview was how comfortable he felt in Stillwater so that takes care of that.
Naturally we then asked him if he thought he could see the field early if he came to Oklahoma State.
“Oh yes sir, no doubt,” he said.
Johnson still has plans to take his official visits to both OU and Miami within the next couple of weeks so those trips will help him gauge his own comfort level on the respective campuses but at this point Johnson was a little more hesitant on whether he thinks he could see some playing time next year at either school.
“I’m pretty sure but I’ve just got to see,” he said. “I don’t know for sure but when that day comes and I sign I’ll know for sure by then.”
Lastly, with both Bedlam schools being involved in his top three along with Miami, will the discrepancy in distance from home have much of an influence?
“A little bit, I mean, I don’t have any Texas schools [I’m looking at] so that’s out but it will matter a little bit but not too much,” he said.
Ultimately it is my guess that Johnson and even Zaviar Gooden and Adrian Bushell are about third on the priority list with Trahan/Bryant and Owens/Curtis being the first two priorities.
If OSU misses out at those first two levels then I think you would see a very hard push for another defensive back as it becomes a “take the best player available” situation. (JF)
********************
Perhaps the biggest recruiting job left for Mike Gundy and Doug Meacham is junior tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
The pair is not going to try and convince Pettigrew to stay if it is in his best interest to go to the NFL. The problem is figuring out what is in his best interest.
At least one NFL team has Pettigrew rated as their top tight end prospect but that does not necessarily indicate that they view him as a first or even second-round pick as that goes back to each team's individual need at the position.
As best I can tell, Pettigrew's top end for the 2008 NFL draft is mid-second round, and he could certainly fall further than that as other underclassmen declare over the next week.
Pettigrew is believed to have met with his coaches at OSU yesterday and a decision about his status for his senior season could come in the next couple of days. (JJ)
********************
A name that we had originally listed as a possible visitor this weekend was Gilmer, Texas four-star safety and current Texas A&M commitment Lamar Harris.
Those of you with a keen eye might have noticed that his name disappeared from the list earlier this week and the reason is intriguing.
We caught up with Harris earlier this week with intentions of confirming his visit for this weekend but he told us that he had cancelled it because Coach Wickline had informed him that OSU was full on scholarships.
Now, while that may trigger a collective “What the (insert expletive here)?” I’ve come to the conclusion that it means one of two things.
The first and most likely reason for this is that the Cowboys, at least with things standing the way they are, are not taking any more defensive backs in this class and it backs up Jay’s earlier statement regarding Victor Johnson and the other couple of defensive backs still on the radar.
The other scenario is that the Cowboys really do not have any spots left and have at least one to maybe three silent commitments from prospects that have yet to go public with it.
If that were to be the case then I have to imagine that one of the JuCo linebackers visiting this weekend is a silent commit heading into it and that the Muskogee press conference on Tuesday might make both Bedlam teams happy.
Again, this scenario is much more far fetched and in no way have I tried to confirm any of it with anybody because if there are silent commits then you don’t want to steal their thunder and plus it has been widely speculated that both Muskogee boys are favoring the Sooners.
Nevertheless, it is something to think about and should make the next couple of weeks very interesting. (RC)
********************
I’ve got a couple of brief notes regarding a name that had been flung around over the past week or two.
Katy, Texas defensive tackle Jowyn Ward had his name pop up briefly on the message boards as a possible target when it was said in one of his updates that he was hearing from OSU and we all know how defensive tackles are a hot commodity.
I caught up with Ward this week to see what exactly was going on and it appears that there is not much fuel to the fire if any at all.
Ward said that he did not have an offer from OSU or Nebraska contrary to what the Rivals database had said at the time and that he had only been receiving letters.
In fact, he mentioned that while being interested in both the Cowboys and Huskers he was actually pretty content with current commitment to Arizona and thus I don’t see this one going anywhere and I think it is safe to say that this story has no legs whatsoever. (JF)
********************
Junior college linebackers Patrick Trahan and J.R. Bryant are about as important as any targets for the 2008 class.
Both are viewed as immediate-impact type of players, and securing a commitment from one of them is this weekend's biggest goal and it could happen with either one.
Trahan says he'll be taking other visits, but is not sure where and Bryant will be done with official visits after tripping to Stillwater this weekend, shortly thereafter making his decision between OSU, OU and Texas Tech.
I've tried to gauge which one is the most desired by the OSU staff and can't really tell. Trahan might have a tiny edge, strictly because he has experience on the Division I level (at Auburn).
The bottom line is that both guys are outstanding prospects and either one could help OSU shore up its defensive deficiencies in 2008. (JJ)
********************
Though I said before and maintain it is true now that Curtis Luper nearly took the job offered by A&M, here is a very interesting tidbit about that situation: Luper never went to College Station to interview for the job. There were reports otherwise, but the fact is that it all went down by telephone. Had Luper ended up going to College Station, it would have been to be named as an assistant coach, not for an interview.
This post was edited on 1/11 11:40 AM by Jeff J.
