Hunting For Proof

One of the biggest uphill battles that Oklahoma is facing in it's first full recruiting calendar with head coach Brent Venables is showing the staff's considerable past success will carry over to it's current home. One player who did a lot of research into that question is Oklahoma's most recent commitment, Rivals250 defensive end P.J. Adebawore.

In fact Adebawore did some research into his future position coach, Miguel Chavis.

"You know I talked to some players, even people from (Clemson), just to really assure (my thoughts), well I was assured but even more assurance," Adebawore said.

"I was talking to one of the players, one of the defensive lineman. It was a lot of good things (he was saying), nothing bad to say about him – just so many different things that are good about him. (Things like), his traits, who he is as a person and in recruiting who he is, that’s exactly who is when you get there."

And a big part of who Chavis is 'in recruiting' is the energy he brings to connecting with players, working with them in camp settings, or simply his work on social media. Not surprisingly that energy is part of the appeal for the nation's No. 8 weakside defensive end.

"He is a little younger, a little more wild, brings a little more energy – he can relate a little more to us. He has a lot of energy. He's a lot of fun and I love to be around him. He’s one of those guys – from what I’m seeing, I feel like you’ll never find someone like him," he said.

"(OU's summer camp on June 2) was really something for me to see how he coaches and man, he can coach."

Though Adebawore didn't have to look quite as hard to find out much about his future head coach, Brent Venables, what he has come to know is very much what Sooners fans are counting on.

"From what I hear, coach Venables is a defensive legend. I hear he is very intense with it, lot of stuff you have to learn but he knows what he is doing and it’s good having someone lead who is a defensive guy," he said.

Whether it's in press conferences, team meetings, or on social media one thing that Chavis and Venables both wear with pride is their faith. For Adebawore he was surprised by just how much importance the Sooners placed upon it.

"It is one of those things, it was a plus. I wasn’t really expecting them to be as heavy on (their faith) as they are. (For me) that made it, you know ‘this too?’ oh wow, ok. (It is) definitely very attractive about them, but it definitely played a factor," he admitted.

But when considering how he came to his choice of what day to announce it seems a natural fit.

"I don’t want to waste any time when I know where I’m going. There’s no reason to take any more visits when those visits really aren’t going to change my decision. I don’t want to waste my time or the those other coaches times," Adebawore said.

"It could have been any day so why not choose the lord’s day?"

For a guy who was well prepared for his decision, including talking to former players under his future position coach, it's kind of hard to believe that he simply stumbled into a recruitment that landed him offers from not only Oklahoma but Georgia, LSU, Northwestern, Arkansas, Florida State, Oregon, and USC amongst many others.

That's because for all of his gifts on the football fields and outstanding tape, 2021 was the nation's No. 116 player's first at defensive end.

"(My recruiting) kind of blew up quick in a way because this last year was my first year playing defensive end. I played tight end freshman year and transitioned. I should have played defensive end sophomore year but I ended up playing tight end again. I was supposed to do both sophomore year and then junior year I said ‘I’m doing this’ and it just went crazy and just blew up," he said.

"I just wanted to, the head coach wanted me to for a while already. Really my sophomore year I wanted to play too and it just didn’t work out. My junior year we knew.

"Tight end was good but the way our offense worked I was going to be blocking every play you know, no looks. The way our running backs are they are just overpowering and I’m not going to lie I was getting pancakes though (laughing)."