Sooners Final Signee Opens Up About Decision

FRESNO, Calif. - Central East athlete Michiah Quick wanted to keep everyone guessing. The four-star recruit had offers from across the country but as signing day approached three remained atop his list, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and UCLA with the Fighting Irish and Sooners being the consensus top two among pundits. And Quick says he stayed up all night Tuesday deciding.

While the official decision came across the fax machine just after lunch Central Time, four-star standout Michiah Quick knew a while back Oklahoma was going to be the college for him.

"When I saw my big cousin Hatari (Byrd) commit, he committed during the summer [before my junior year]" Quick said about the first time he considered OU his top choice. "That's my cousin; we got to go to the same spot. I never kept hammering on that. Then last night, I stayed up all night, and I really thought about it and [Oklahoma] was my decision."

Quick set Central East records with 71 receptions last season to increase his career total to 153, which placed him No. 9 all-time in the CIF Central Section record books. Despite coaching changes, different quarterbacks, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound star was a constant force for the Grizzlies in all three phases of the game. Besides being a dynamic receiver, he was a lockdown defensive back, and arguably the best kick returner in the Golden State.

And now he sets his sights on doing the same in Norman much like another versatile receiver from California's Central Valley.

"I can see myself doing that," he said. "In high school I got a lot of screens, lot of deep balls and short passes playing slot and outside. That's what Jalen Saunders was doing with the Sooners. I feel like I can transfer that over from high school to college."

The Sooner coaches recruited him to play both sides of the ball. First, Quick says, he will be working on offense and in the return game. "Then when things get a bit shaky on defense, [I'll] help out there on nickel and get a lil Tone Perry DB Guru in there," he chuckled referencing the legendary defensive coached that made him equally explosive on defense as he is on offense.

Quick is as amazing on the field as he is humble off it. Hoards of teachers, students, and coaches mobbed him for autographs following his press conference. Few 17, 18-year-olds can handle that attention. His head coach Justin Garza said he doesn't expect to coach another Michiah Quick and joked that he wants to be an extra in Quick's first television commercial.

Make no mistake, Quick is a one of kind talent. And the folks in Norman will get to see him the next three or four years.

"God blessed me with the opportunity to visit the University of Oklahoma," said Quick. "I feel at home out there, I used to live in Oklahoma. When I went out there for a visit I was feeling it. Last night, this morning, I was really thinking where I would like to spend the next three, four years of my life, and Norman, Oklahoma feels like that place."

Quick is the third Central Grizzly to sign with OU in the last two classes joining the aforementioned Byrd and L.J. Moore. Furthermore, he will be the fourth Perry defensive back Guru protégé in Norman if you include Sooners graduate assistant Courtney Viney.

"They got a lil something, something in the decision," Quick said with smile about his former teammates. "I got this hat from LJ (as he pointed to the Sugar Bowl Champions OU hat atop his head) and Hatari is my cousin. They've been the big homies since for I don't know how long.

"It's my choice. I made the decision for me. At the end of the day, I strap my own cleats up. I do it for me not for them."