Oklahoma Sooners Get Their Man
In the span of 10 days, Oklahoma football just flexed its in-state recruiting muscles and bolstered its 2020 class in a huge way.
It doesn’t get much bigger than the re-commitment of Broken Arrow (Okla.) High four-star offensive lineman Andrew Raym, who decided to once again join the Sooners in an announcement Wednesday afternoon.
Raym, who once upon a time was the initial commitment for the #20Deep class, picked OU once again over Georgia and Michigan in one heck of a battle for Lincoln Riley, Bill Bedenbaugh and the rest of the staff.
It’s a win the OU staff wanted, and it’s a win the OU staff needed after the previous two in-state recruiting cycles.
Call it arrogance or whatever, but if OU decides to let a top-tier Oklahoma high school prospect leave, you don’t consider it a miss. However, when the Sooners make their charge and still fall short? That’s a problem and one that can’t continue.
That had been the case the last two years. Although OU’s in-state haul for 2018 was impressive, the one that got away was Owasso safety Josh Proctor. The four-star defensive back is in Columbus, Ohio, with Ohio State.
No point in rehashing last year as the crown jewel was Tulsa Booker T. Washington five-star safety Dax Hill, who ultimately signed with Michigan.
That stings. As much as OU has increased its recruiting umbrella, the root always begins at home. Having the No. 1 from Tennessee or Arizona or Washington D.C. is nice, don’t get that twisted. But you want that homegrown stud to be on your campus.
For a period of time, it appeared it could be the case again with Raym. Originally committed in November 2017, Raym backed off that pledge in spring 2018. From there, it got a little dicey as Raym toured the country and OU was beginning to look out of sight and out of mind.
No panic, though. Riley and Bedenbaugh kept their cool, and Raym never really lost contact with the Sooners. The relationship continued to be built and strengthen, and it became clear the Sooners were going to be there until the end.
That wouldn’t be enough. OU doesn’t finish No. 2 or No. 3 for top in-state kids. It was time to close the show, and the Sooners were able to do just that.
Raym is a Rivals 250 prospect, but his ranking feels be to be a little under what he brings to the table on Friday nights. He has been dominant for the Tigers and a key reason why Broken Arrow earned the state championship last season.
There are higher rated recruits in OU’s class, but you could make a strong case there is no bigger, no more important recruit for the Sooners than landing Raym once again.
If Raym has been a multi-year journey, the same cannot be said for Oklahoma City Bishop McGuinness linebacker Brynden Walker.
Not really on the radar, but once first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch took a closer look, the Sooners made their charge.
While OU had to fight off the national powers for Raym, the battle for Walker was a familiar one in being a Bedlam tussle.
After committing to Oklahoma State in March, the Sooners kept plugging away at Walker in the last four months before he ultimately switched June 30.
It doesn’t feel like the Sooners are going to dip into the state anymore for the 2020 class. OU is already made its stamp in 2021 and 2022 with multiple offers, but the 2020 class might be set.
If that’s the case, it was imperative to land Walker and Raym. And to do it the way the Sooners were able to accomplish says something. Beat your in-state rival for one, stay strong vs. national names in the other.
The 2020 class still has some question marks, but you can cross off the in-state issue. The Sooners locked down the border with Walker and Raym.