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Orso is Learning to Deal with Recruiting Pressure

When Oklahoma offered, and quickly accepted a commitment from, Homewood, Ala. defensive lineman Dwayne Orso little was known of him and SEC schools had done little to pay attention to the 6-foot-6, 255-pound standout.
Since then things have changed with Orso picking up an offer from South Carolina almost instantly following his commitment to the Sooners with several other SEC programs giving him a more serious look. And while that has had many Oklahoma fans worried, it seems that worry is unjustified.
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Orso's lead recruiter, Jerry Montgomery, has already been by to visit Orso and continues to have the Sooners on pace to land a signature in just over a month.
"It was pretty good, I think it went pretty well, he didn't pull the offer back and it all went pretty good. All my family was there, and played with my little brother and things. We just talked and ate," Orso recalled. "I think he and Bob Stoops are coming to see me sometime in January."
"(Since the commitment) some more familiar schools have come and talked to me but I don't feel like any of the other schools are going to change my mind."
Orso also visited Auburn for their highly publicized win over Alabama, but says it's been another pair of SEC programs that have been most prominent in his recruitment to date.
"Mississippi State and South Carolina they are recruiting me harder than some of the other schools but it's the same as everybody - just saying how great of a school they are and wanting me to go on a visit," he said. "I kind of feel like I know what I want to do, there isn't any really any point."
The reality of other programs becoming involved was something that Montgomery has expected and has discussed with his 2014 defensive end commitment.
"He was saying that he knows some other schools are going to come in and want me to visit and he'd prefer me not to visit them but he isn't going to say if I do that I'm not going to Oklahoma," Orso recalled.
As Montgomery and the rest of the Sooners coaches and players made their way to New Orleans since Christmas Orso also made his way to The Crescent City and has plans to catch a practice in his hometown.
"I'll be (in New Orleans) through New Years and a couple of days after that," he said. "I think I'm going to go a couple of practices.
"I'm going there for fun and to go watch but also I'm looking to see how he is coaching and just his mood and things like that and what is he teaching and what do I need to be trying to learn. "
Interestingly Orso recently made the decision to give up basketball, after playing in seven games for the Patriots this season including a 13-point performance against Spain Park on Dec. 13. He talked a bit about that decision and what caused his choice.
"I've just been playing and things like that and I heard some guys are getting hurt and I talked to some of my coaches at school and instead of just playing basketball I'm working out and trying to work on some football things and working on the weight room to be as ready as I can be," he said. "I feel like basketball is fun but it's not really preparing me to play football at the next level."
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