Rising Thinking of a Choice?
Oklahoma's 2017 recruiting momentum, as the nation's current No. 3 team, would be nearly impossible to deny but the Sooners' staff is looking to continue to drive that momentum into 2018. And, as they did in 2017, the Sooners would undoubtedly like to start the class off with a quarterback commitment and after hosting Cameron Rising last week there seems to be hope of continuing their California success.
The Newbury Park product checked out Norman, Okla. last week and came away glowing about the time he spent on campus, as part of a near week long visit around the SEC and Big 12.
"(My father and I) checked the campus out," Rising said. "We went and saw all the facilities and then saw what they're building right now. Then I got the chance to catch up with some of the players."
Though he mentioned several players it's not surprising that one of the Sooners Heisman candidates, and Rising's fellow signal caller, Baker Mayfield caught his attention in particular.
"I'd also say that Baker was a huge help as well, I talked to him for a solid 15 minutes," he said. "I'd say (I liked) how he talked about the town and Oklahoma as a whole. He told me that there is no place like it for football and the winning tradition is amazing and it holds you to a higher standard because that is what everyone expects."
While Mayfield could give him an idea of the life of a quarterback at Oklahoma it was a recent Sooner five-star addition from The Golden State that gave him a feeling for what it's like to make the move from two time zones away.
"I think that another person that helped a lot was Caleb Kelly. He's from California and just got to OU. He told me how easy his transition has been and how much he has enjoyed his decision to go there."
Those two may be obvious and another key part of his visit was as well but someone he singled out as really catching his attention was not a name Sooner football fans are as familiar with.
"The football academic advisor, Anette Moran, she really kept it real with me along with Coach (Lincoln) Riley," Rising explained.
Oklahoma's offensive coordinator left no doubt about how serious he is in adding Rising to his 2018 class that already boasts Jordon Austin and Brey Walker.
"(Riley) was just trying to make sure I know that this is the spot I should go and how much he wants me," he said. "He told me that if this was the 2018 draft you'd be my very first pick.
"It was really was a horrible thing to hear (laughing)."
With so many glowing thoughts about his trip to Oklahoma and having had a chance to see Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State is there any thought to potentially making his college choice?
"As of right now I have an idea where I want to go," he admitted. "I just need to wait for a while probably go to a few more spots and then come to a real decision.
"I'm not sure yet (what other visits I might take)."
With so many visits under his belt, how did Oklahoma compare?
"There's been 2 that have compared but the other two schools don't have OU's history."