Sooners Hitting Rare Spot, in Texas
Not since the class of 2001 has Oklahoma gone to Beaumont, Texas to land a prospect and though their hometown may be about all that Kelvin Chaisson and 2016 running back offer Devwah Whaley have in common the Sooners hope to create more.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound back picked up an Oklahoma offer earlier this month but it was far from the Sooners first contact with the nation's No. 212 overall player.
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"I've been talking to them before, they came by to see me a couple of times - coach Cale Gundy and coach Tim Kish they came by. Coach Gundy has come by to see me a few times," Whaley said.
"Coach Gundy he has talked to me and we had been talking on Twitter when he told me to give him a call and I called him and he explained everything to me and then they offered me."
Along with his Oklahoma offer Whaley also holds offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M amongst many others. All of this early attention has been enjoyable for Whaley but he also feels it's something he has worked his way toward.
"It was kind of surprising but you know it was kind of expected at the same time. I put in the hard work and have been disciplined and I've kind of realized that the hard work has kind of started to pay off," he said.
Funny enough it's a pair of arch rivals that Whaley admits to growing up following.
"I always grew up liking Oklahoma and Texas - those were my two favorite schools growing up when I was younger. But as I got older and realized how I could be good, and going through the recruiting process that kind of changed Now I've got options and don't really have any one school," he said.
"I want to get up to Oklahoma real soon, also Arkansas, and I haven't really thought of anywhere else - in-state Baylor, TCU, and maybe Texas Tech I want to get to.
"There are some other schools that I might be interested in, that I might be waiting to offer."
Whaley plans to major in either business management or kinesiology but it's not just the academic plan that will help him make his choice - a choice he plans to finalize before his senior season.
"I will start separating them by where I can go in and get a good education that's first. Also where I can develop as a man and as a football player and just how I can be developed as a football player and get on the field soon."