Silent No Moore

The ChampUBBQ has come and gone for Oklahoma, and the event has usually been a successful one for the Sooners in the past, especially on offense.

It’s a new day, though. No doubt Lincoln Riley still has the offense rolling, but defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been able to turn things around.

Another example is in OU’s latest commitment as Baltimore St. Frances defensive end Derrick Moore announced for the Sooners on Sunday.

Moore, a Rivals 250 prospect, was at OU’s BBQ event last month that seemingly sealed the deal. The Sooners, despite being the out of region school, were able to land Moore from the likes of traditional regional powers Ohio State and Penn State.

He becomes commitment No. 9 for the Sooners that is a four-star prospect or better and the second one to stem from the mega-recruiting showcase.

Defensive line was one of those spots where it was time for the pieces to start falling into place. Coaches Calvin Thibodeaux and Jamar Cain have done a tremendous job of putting OU in the right spot for elite recruits throughout the cycle, but eventually, it’s about closing.

Moore gets the ball rolling in that regard. His pledge isn’t just about that, though. It might be nice for other top-tier recruits to know that OU is landing big-time defensive line recruits, but Moore picking OU is not about trying to entice others to join him.

Getting the four-star prospect to commit is big-time enough on its own merits. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, Moore is the size of defensive end the Sooners are looking for nowadays. Not just looking but now routinely finding them as well.

Moore becomes the third four-star defensive commitment for OU’s #ChampU22 class and the first on the defensive line. He is also the second pledge from the BBQ, joining Rivals 100 running back Gavin Sawchuk, who made his intentions known almost two weeks ago

Two down, but yep, still feels like plenty of more to come going forward. Everybody has been waiting for the big July recruiting month for OU, and it’s here. Moore is the second four-star commitment in as many days, joining Edmond (Okla.) Deer Creek offensive tackle Jacob Sexton, who announced Saturday.