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.
To start, there has been much consternation regarding Victor Jones and whether or not OSU has "pulled his offer”.
Speaking with a source close to the situation earlier in the week, I was told "Victor can go to OSU if he wants. The question is why he would want to."
That's the question because Jones has been informed that based on his senior film, the OSU staff does not believe he can contribute.
Jones does have other options for scholarships at other schools (Rice, Kansas, Purdue, Washington State, Louisiana Tech, and SMU at last report) so it's not a matter of OSU being the only place he can go with a full ride.
I think eventually you'll see Jones move on to another option as being told you're likely to be a five-year bench player is something most kids can't live with.
We interviewed Jones about two weeks ago and he said he's still committed to OSU but he did indicate that he might take some other visits, however.
OSU might be able to help themselves in the situation by thinking of coaches they know on staffs that are a step down from Oklahoma State and alerting them that Jones might be a difference-maker for them. The more options he has, the easier it will be to take one of them.
I haven't talked to anyone recently about Tim Benford but I expect it is nearly the same situation. I do know that given the fact that Benford had not played varsity football before, it was made clear to him and his coaches that he'd need to prove himself on the field as a senior to hold on to his offer. (JJ)
********************
There has been a little discussion regarding defensive coordinator Tim Beckman and how he and the other coaches are getting so many junior college players like Chris Donaldson to take an official visit to Stillwater.
Ultimately, it is very simple…playing time.
“[Coach Beckman] was just telling me how the program needs a whole bunch of players like myself and how I can come in a really make an impact on the defense,” said Donaldson.
“He was telling me how their academics were and how their facilities were and all the positive things that there are to know about OSU,” he continued.
Now with Beckman telling him that, there is a good chance that the staff does feel that Donaldson would help next year but you know he is not at the top of the list because OSU at the time of the interview had not offered. That could and would likely change if they lose out on either Swanson Miller or Leroy Burgess but only time will tell.
With all that said, Donaldson did enjoy his visit very much, so much so that he claimed OSU to be his number one team with several visits left to take.
Evidently though the junior college arbitrary official visit rating scale is toned down relative to the high school scale because even though he came across as being just as impressed with everything as say a Victor Johnson who rated the trip a 9-plus, Donaldson rated it the same as his defensive tackle counterpart (Burgess) on the trip.
“I’d say a seven,” he said “It was pretty good.” (RC)
********************
The recruitment of Andrew Mitchell is going extremely well.
The Snow Junior College offensive tackle has been in for an unofficial visit already, Mike Gundy and Joe Wickline went in-home with his parents on Monday and he is set for an official visit this weekend.
If there is anything holding up a commitment, it is that Mitchell is a left tackle and that is where Russell Okung has started for two years.
Mitchell has said he wants to know he will have a shot to start on the left side wherever he continues his career. Wickline can honestly tell Mitchell that he'll get a shot - he's proven over the last three years that he'll move any player to a different spot on the field if it makes his top five better.
Wickline is not the type to promise a starting spot to anyone in recruiting. With Mitchell's age (22, not far off from 23), that approach should go over just fine. (JJ)
********************
Something was mentioned in an interview somewhat rekindled a debate that is one in which has no true right or wrong answer. Plus, one prospect’s opinion doesn’t weigh any more than another’s but it was at least interesting to hear.
Not as much now but at one point there was some discussion on why the coaches were waiting until after the regular season had concluded to bring in everybody for official visits, the reason being so that they could focus their time on being with the prospects as opposed to focusing on getting the team ready for that weekend’s game.
With that said, Leroy Burgess first established that among other things his mother will have a great deal of influence in where he ultimately chooses.
“Just what feels right, you know, like when all the coaches talk to my mom and my mom will be one of the biggest factors in helping me make my decision,” he said.
Furthermore, and more in tune with the previous point, we asked Burgess to rate his visit on a scale of one to 10.
“I would have to say it was maybe a seven,” he finished. “I would have probably liked to have gotten there for a football game just to see the football atmosphere.”
Make of that what you will but I thought it was interesting in that Burgess might have liked his visit even more if he had gotten to see a game.
In the end though , I got the sense that Burgess’ version of a seven is a little reserved so to speak because he came across as being pretty impressed with everything, especially Coach Gundy who evidently he thought was pretty intimidating going in based on the “I’m a man, I’m 40” YouTube video.
So don’t put too much stock in the seven rating for his trip and do not think that there is no way that OSU signs Burgess because they have a great chance to sign him mostly because he’d have a legit shot to start from day one. (JF)
********************
Some may be wondering why OSU is going so hard after Justin Blackmon considering Jameel Owens is still in play and that wide receiver is not a big priority for the class at this point.
There are a couple of answers…
First is that there is one spot being held for a wideout in the class, and there is no guarantee that Owens will eventually fill it.
Second is that Blackmon is viewed as a two-way prospect that could potentially play on either side of the ball once he hits campus.
The final piece to the puzzle is that OSU's wide receiver depth for '08 might not be as good as you think it is. There is no guarantee that Artrell Woods will be back or at 100% and additionally, we've heard that Seth Newton is set to graduate in the spring and is considering moving on past his football career.
So at this point it is not entirely clear if Blackmon has an offer yet or not, but either way I expect he will have one after this weekend. (JJ)
********************
The only real news we have at this point regarding the Swanson Miller situation is that there is no new news to report.
It was a surprise to us when we talked to him that he said he was thinking about going to his West Virginia visit because it was widely assumed that he would visit Oklahoma State this weekend with his two Butler C.C. teammates Beau Johnson and Maurice Gray.
Being recruited to Oklahoma State by Coach DeForest, Miller said that he somewhat explained to the Cowboy assistant the situation he was in but it appears that there are still some loose ends to tie up.
“I had told him that I had a visit [set up] with West Virginia already but he was telling me that if I can make it [to Stillwater] to come, so I mean, he has a hope that I’m coming but he knows it is a possibility that I’ll be going to West Virginia this weekend,” explained Miller.
We do know that DeForest was at Butler yesterday to talk to those guys but we have not heard anything new on whether or not Miller will make his visit to OSU this weekend or next. At this point, unless we hear something today, we just play the waiting game and see if Miller shows up with his buddies or not.
The good news is that Miller was fully willing to visit OSU next weekend but it is fair to say that the coaches will push for a commitment from his two teammates this weekend and they would like Miller to make it a trio if possible.
If Miller does go to WVU and OSU gets a commitment from Johnson and Gray this weekend, then certainly OSU’s chances remain very strong to sign Miller, however, the notion of getting them all on campus at the same time would certainly increase the likelihood of OSU receiving a collective commitment from possible to probable. (RC)
********************
It's pretty clear from their respective updates, but OSU has a lot better chance at pulling De'Anthony Curtis away from Arkansas than teammate Lavunce Askew.
That said, they did get a visit.
Plus if Curtis decides to flip the switch and become an OSU commitment, then things should really open up for Askew.
I get the feeling that Curtis committed to the Hogs more because of Houston Nutt than the typical Arkansas recruit, whereas Askew is more the typical Arkansas kid. (JJ)
********************
While it looks like both De’Anthony Curtis and Lavunce Askew out of Camden Fairview will be in for visits this weekend, as mentioned above, Curtis appears to be a little more susceptible to changing tune regarding his recruitment than his defensive tackle teammate.
Both being Arkansas boys, one could certainly understand why both would pick the home state Hogs as that is usually where elite Arkansas prospects go to play because of the school and not necessarily the coach.
With it being fairly well documented that Curtis wasn’t thrilled with Coach Nutt’s departure, it appears as if it has certainly has given Askew a lot to think about as well and he was quick to establish that he does not plan to follow the now Ole Miss head coach to Oxford anytime soon.
“Shoot, it affected me a lot because they’ve been wanting me to come [to Arkansas] forever and stuff like that and then my senior year they leave,” said Askew.
“It kind of puts me in a big bind because I really think that I was going to Arkansas for them to coach me,” he continued. “Even though they went to Ole Miss that doesn’t mean I want to go to Ole Miss because I don’t. I wanted them to coach me at Arkansas, you know, you want the school and you want the coaches.”
Furthermore, when asked whether his decision factors had changed at all since we had last talked, Askew was pretty adamant that there was really only one thing that mattered to him at this point and it was “chemistry with the coaches.”
Being recruited to OSU by coaches Luper and Barnes, that notion certainly gives them a selling point in that they have been in contact with Askew throughout his whole recruitment.
While this whole scenario may not lead to anything it certainly adds intrigue to this weekend, not that the coaches will push hard for a commitment switch but you can certainly bet that the idea might get tossed around if not for anything else other than to test the waters. (JF)
This post was edited on 12/7 11:23 AM by Jay F
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.
To start, there has been much consternation regarding Victor Jones and whether or not OSU has "pulled his offer”.
Speaking with a source close to the situation earlier in the week, I was told "Victor can go to OSU if he wants. The question is why he would want to."
That's the question because Jones has been informed that based on his senior film, the OSU staff does not believe he can contribute.
Jones does have other options for scholarships at other schools (Rice, Kansas, Purdue, Washington State, Louisiana Tech, and SMU at last report) so it's not a matter of OSU being the only place he can go with a full ride.
I think eventually you'll see Jones move on to another option as being told you're likely to be a five-year bench player is something most kids can't live with.
We interviewed Jones about two weeks ago and he said he's still committed to OSU but he did indicate that he might take some other visits, however.
OSU might be able to help themselves in the situation by thinking of coaches they know on staffs that are a step down from Oklahoma State and alerting them that Jones might be a difference-maker for them. The more options he has, the easier it will be to take one of them.
I haven't talked to anyone recently about Tim Benford but I expect it is nearly the same situation. I do know that given the fact that Benford had not played varsity football before, it was made clear to him and his coaches that he'd need to prove himself on the field as a senior to hold on to his offer. (JJ)
********************
There has been a little discussion regarding defensive coordinator Tim Beckman and how he and the other coaches are getting so many junior college players like Chris Donaldson to take an official visit to Stillwater.
Ultimately, it is very simple…playing time.
“[Coach Beckman] was just telling me how the program needs a whole bunch of players like myself and how I can come in a really make an impact on the defense,” said Donaldson.
“He was telling me how their academics were and how their facilities were and all the positive things that there are to know about OSU,” he continued.
Now with Beckman telling him that, there is a good chance that the staff does feel that Donaldson would help next year but you know he is not at the top of the list because OSU at the time of the interview had not offered. That could and would likely change if they lose out on either Swanson Miller or Leroy Burgess but only time will tell.
With all that said, Donaldson did enjoy his visit very much, so much so that he claimed OSU to be his number one team with several visits left to take.
Evidently though the junior college arbitrary official visit rating scale is toned down relative to the high school scale because even though he came across as being just as impressed with everything as say a Victor Johnson who rated the trip a 9-plus, Donaldson rated it the same as his defensive tackle counterpart (Burgess) on the trip.
“I’d say a seven,” he said “It was pretty good.” (RC)
********************
The recruitment of Andrew Mitchell is going extremely well.
The Snow Junior College offensive tackle has been in for an unofficial visit already, Mike Gundy and Joe Wickline went in-home with his parents on Monday and he is set for an official visit this weekend.
If there is anything holding up a commitment, it is that Mitchell is a left tackle and that is where Russell Okung has started for two years.
Mitchell has said he wants to know he will have a shot to start on the left side wherever he continues his career. Wickline can honestly tell Mitchell that he'll get a shot - he's proven over the last three years that he'll move any player to a different spot on the field if it makes his top five better.
Wickline is not the type to promise a starting spot to anyone in recruiting. With Mitchell's age (22, not far off from 23), that approach should go over just fine. (JJ)
********************
Something was mentioned in an interview somewhat rekindled a debate that is one in which has no true right or wrong answer. Plus, one prospect’s opinion doesn’t weigh any more than another’s but it was at least interesting to hear.
Not as much now but at one point there was some discussion on why the coaches were waiting until after the regular season had concluded to bring in everybody for official visits, the reason being so that they could focus their time on being with the prospects as opposed to focusing on getting the team ready for that weekend’s game.
With that said, Leroy Burgess first established that among other things his mother will have a great deal of influence in where he ultimately chooses.
“Just what feels right, you know, like when all the coaches talk to my mom and my mom will be one of the biggest factors in helping me make my decision,” he said.
Furthermore, and more in tune with the previous point, we asked Burgess to rate his visit on a scale of one to 10.
“I would have to say it was maybe a seven,” he finished. “I would have probably liked to have gotten there for a football game just to see the football atmosphere.”
Make of that what you will but I thought it was interesting in that Burgess might have liked his visit even more if he had gotten to see a game.
In the end though , I got the sense that Burgess’ version of a seven is a little reserved so to speak because he came across as being pretty impressed with everything, especially Coach Gundy who evidently he thought was pretty intimidating going in based on the “I’m a man, I’m 40” YouTube video.
So don’t put too much stock in the seven rating for his trip and do not think that there is no way that OSU signs Burgess because they have a great chance to sign him mostly because he’d have a legit shot to start from day one. (JF)
********************
Some may be wondering why OSU is going so hard after Justin Blackmon considering Jameel Owens is still in play and that wide receiver is not a big priority for the class at this point.
There are a couple of answers…
First is that there is one spot being held for a wideout in the class, and there is no guarantee that Owens will eventually fill it.
Second is that Blackmon is viewed as a two-way prospect that could potentially play on either side of the ball once he hits campus.
The final piece to the puzzle is that OSU's wide receiver depth for '08 might not be as good as you think it is. There is no guarantee that Artrell Woods will be back or at 100% and additionally, we've heard that Seth Newton is set to graduate in the spring and is considering moving on past his football career.
So at this point it is not entirely clear if Blackmon has an offer yet or not, but either way I expect he will have one after this weekend. (JJ)
********************
The only real news we have at this point regarding the Swanson Miller situation is that there is no new news to report.
It was a surprise to us when we talked to him that he said he was thinking about going to his West Virginia visit because it was widely assumed that he would visit Oklahoma State this weekend with his two Butler C.C. teammates Beau Johnson and Maurice Gray.
Being recruited to Oklahoma State by Coach DeForest, Miller said that he somewhat explained to the Cowboy assistant the situation he was in but it appears that there are still some loose ends to tie up.
“I had told him that I had a visit [set up] with West Virginia already but he was telling me that if I can make it [to Stillwater] to come, so I mean, he has a hope that I’m coming but he knows it is a possibility that I’ll be going to West Virginia this weekend,” explained Miller.
We do know that DeForest was at Butler yesterday to talk to those guys but we have not heard anything new on whether or not Miller will make his visit to OSU this weekend or next. At this point, unless we hear something today, we just play the waiting game and see if Miller shows up with his buddies or not.
The good news is that Miller was fully willing to visit OSU next weekend but it is fair to say that the coaches will push for a commitment from his two teammates this weekend and they would like Miller to make it a trio if possible.
If Miller does go to WVU and OSU gets a commitment from Johnson and Gray this weekend, then certainly OSU’s chances remain very strong to sign Miller, however, the notion of getting them all on campus at the same time would certainly increase the likelihood of OSU receiving a collective commitment from possible to probable. (RC)
********************
It's pretty clear from their respective updates, but OSU has a lot better chance at pulling De'Anthony Curtis away from Arkansas than teammate Lavunce Askew.
That said, they did get a visit.
Plus if Curtis decides to flip the switch and become an OSU commitment, then things should really open up for Askew.
I get the feeling that Curtis committed to the Hogs more because of Houston Nutt than the typical Arkansas recruit, whereas Askew is more the typical Arkansas kid. (JJ)
********************
While it looks like both De’Anthony Curtis and Lavunce Askew out of Camden Fairview will be in for visits this weekend, as mentioned above, Curtis appears to be a little more susceptible to changing tune regarding his recruitment than his defensive tackle teammate.
Both being Arkansas boys, one could certainly understand why both would pick the home state Hogs as that is usually where elite Arkansas prospects go to play because of the school and not necessarily the coach.
With it being fairly well documented that Curtis wasn’t thrilled with Coach Nutt’s departure, it appears as if it has certainly has given Askew a lot to think about as well and he was quick to establish that he does not plan to follow the now Ole Miss head coach to Oxford anytime soon.
“Shoot, it affected me a lot because they’ve been wanting me to come [to Arkansas] forever and stuff like that and then my senior year they leave,” said Askew.
“It kind of puts me in a big bind because I really think that I was going to Arkansas for them to coach me,” he continued. “Even though they went to Ole Miss that doesn’t mean I want to go to Ole Miss because I don’t. I wanted them to coach me at Arkansas, you know, you want the school and you want the coaches.”
Furthermore, when asked whether his decision factors had changed at all since we had last talked, Askew was pretty adamant that there was really only one thing that mattered to him at this point and it was “chemistry with the coaches.”
Being recruited to OSU by coaches Luper and Barnes, that notion certainly gives them a selling point in that they have been in contact with Askew throughout his whole recruitment.
While this whole scenario may not lead to anything it certainly adds intrigue to this weekend, not that the coaches will push hard for a commitment switch but you can certainly bet that the idea might get tossed around if not for anything else other than to test the waters. (JF)
This post was edited on 12/7 11:23 AM by Jay F
