Boomer's House of Bedlam

As the younger teammate of a 2017 Oklahoma signee, and with a name like Grayson Boomer, many expected the Collinsville, Okla. tight end to hold an Oklahoma offer from the outset. In fact the 6-foot-5, 230-pound class of 2019 pass-catcher was unsure himself where things stood before he had a chance to catch up with Oklahoma's staff recently.

Not surprisingly it was his friendship with that former teammate, and current Sooner linebacker, that put things in order.

"I was actually at a friend’s house and Levi Draper texted me and said ‘when you get a chance, face-time coach (Cale) Gundy, the whole offensive staff wants to talk to you. So I face-timed them and they said ‘we’ve got good news, we want you to be a Sooner’," Boomer recalled.

Not surprisingly with a last name drawn up for Oklahoma athletics, the word of his offer getting out saw a bunch of references to his fit in Norman.

"I think on my tweet there were 50 comments and 45 out of 50 were ‘you’re destined to be here’, ‘your last name is Boomer’," he laughed.

"I was expecting it once I get the offer, (I know) the jokes are coming."

Boomer, like Draper before him, wasn't always sure where he stood with Oklahoma. But, also like Draper, the Sooners explained their situation and it's come to give Boomer a bit more understanding of the program.

"The thing about OU that is unique, they won’t offer anyone that they don’t feel is a really good fit in the program, no matter if you are a two-star or a five-star," he said.

"(Grant) Calcaterra is a good example, he was a three-star before he blew up but OU liked him before he blew up as a big prospect. That’s what is special about them and it was a really big honor for me to have an offer from Oklahoma.

"I think it’s hard for anyone to offer me because they didn’t know where I was, a tight end, defensive end. I think after I made it clear I was a tight end they were ready to pull the trigger."

Boomer says he got the impression that Oklahoma wasn't sure how interested he was in them due to not having made it to Norman many times so far in his recruitment. However, that got put to bed last Saturday when he made a trip down to see Oklahoma's final spring practice.

Like many so far this spring, Boomer was impressed with Oklahoma's nearly-completed facilities upgrade.

"(The trip) was awesome. The new stuff was unreal," he stated.

And though Boomer and Draper are good friends, the Sooners freshman linebacker has been very good about not putting any pressure on his former teammate.

"He wants me to go where I'm most comfortable," Boomer said. "I feel like Levi and I have a really good relationship. He and my brother Seth are really good friends so I’ve spent quite a bit of time around Levi," he said.

"I think that even before I had any offers he was one of the guys who believed in me and was like ‘dude listen you’re going to be big-time, you’re going to blow up and have a ton of offers’. That was really cool to hear from Levi.

"He’s been an OU fan his whole life and I think it’s really cool he is chasing his dream and that’s awesome."

But what about Boomer's fandom? Surely as a player with his name, being an Oklahoma fan has to be a foregone conclusion, right?

Not quite.

"Actually my mom’s side of the family are die-hard OU fans, season-ticket holders, (they are at) every game. My dad’s side is OSU fans. So it’s a family divided right down the middle," he laughed. "Growing up my dad has always been an OSU fan and my mom has always been an OU fan. Growing up my brother was a big OSU fan, but for me it’s always been whatever."

Boomer will take that same sort of open-minded approach to his summer plans as he does not currently have any camps planned but isn't ruling out the possibility of making a few - 'if a school wants me to come camp, I might come up'. He also hopes to get to Arkansas' April 29 spring game but, as of yet, is uncertain about his plans.

But one new contender in his recruitment is Oklahoma's fellow recent offer, Notre Dame.

"It was pretty cool, coach Chip Long, the offensive coordinator, talked to me said ‘hey man, watched your film, we loved it, you’d fit perfectly into our offense and we want to offer you'," he said.

Though Boomer says he isn't in any rush to make his decision and will simply come to a choice when the time is right that doesn't mean he is unclear on what he is looking for.

"I think academics, you have to look at life after football. I want a school that always has a tight end on the field and producing and you know making big plays when you need them. I think that’s what I’m looking for."