Sooners Sign Gem from Austin Found
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Back during the Sooners summer camp the SoonerScoop.com staff got the chance to see defensive coordinator/secondary coach, Mike Stoops back in action again in Norman coaching up high school prospects. There were a few prospects that had Stoops attention and one of them was Lancaster, Texas two-star cornerback, Dakota Austin.
The ranking showed by the name of the 5-foot-11 and 167-pound prospect, who held offers from Indiana, Nevada, Texas Tech, Tulsa, UNLV among others does not reflect the player seen in Norman that day holding his own against a top 2014 wide receiver prospect, KD Cannon. Soon after the camp was over the Sooners interest faded with Austin, however.
That all changed just a few weeks before National Signing Day when coach Stoops showed up at Lancaster to check in on Austin.
"They kind of just completely disappeared," Austin said about the Sooners after the summer camp. "I was to the point where it was either Nevada or I might go to UNLV. One day, it was like near the end of January, he just showed up here randomly. And before that Arkansas called and they wanted me to come up there, so I thought, man I might be going to Arkansas.
"Then a day after that he came to the school. He was like, he liked me and he remembered me from the (summer) camp and he wanted to get me up there (Norman) for an official. But he didn't offer me that day."
Even though he was not offered at the time Austin was well aware that the Sooners interest had to be legit considering they were willing to pay for him to take a visit.
"I just knew there was some strong interest if they were going to fly me up there. He came up like four days later, set up the flight and talked to my parents," he explained.
Just two days after setting up all his travel plans when coach Stoops did his in-home visit with Austin, the Lancaster product was in Norman on his official visit.
"Last Friday I flew up there and got picked up by graduate assistant/defensive backs coach, Ryan (Walters) at the airport," he replied. "We went out to dinner with him and coach (Mike) Stoops. Then I went out with my host, Zack Sanchez and we went out with him and a couple of other teammates, Aaron Colvin, Quentin Hayes, Jaz Reynolds and a couple of other people.
"Then the next morning we woke up, had breakfast and they showed me around and we ended up watching film. We went over schemes and all that they run. Then he told me he wanted me to meet his brother, coach Bob Stoops. So, we went in coach Stoops' office and he was showing me around. Then he said 'we just want you to know we want to offer you a scholarship' and I just committed on the spot."
Now, when Austin means he committed on the spot he means it, literally. As soon as he heard he had an offer he was ready to shake coach (Bob) Stoops hand and commit to the Sooners, well as soon as coach stop talking so he could tell him the news that is.
"He was like, 'We want to just let you know we want to offer you a full scholarship' and from then on my hand was out to shake his hand. He was like 'just put that on your mind, think about it and come back' and my hand was still out there. When he finally got done talking I said I wanted to commit. He was like, 'oh man this guy's direct, I like that. We got another one on board'," Austin explained.
The history that Oklahoma has at Austin's Alma Mater was one of the key reasons he wanted to be a Sooner.
"It's just big time football," he said about Oklahoma. "I know how Lancaster athletes go and do there. It's the perfect distance for me really. I just like the whole atmosphere. I really hit it off with the teammates almost as soon as I got there. We had a lot of fun and a few nights we went out."
Now with his letter of intent signed and all the drama leading up to National Signing Day behind him, Austin says his focus leading up to the time he reports to Norman is just on working out to be ready for his freshman year.
"Just continue working out real hard, get some good work in. Get some good workouts in this track and get bigger and stronger before I get down to Norman," he answered.
Once Austin does arrive in June, what are his goals for his freshman season? Just to compete he says.
"Just come in and compete and just earn what I deserve. And I feel like there is a lot of playing time. I just really trust my skills and they have gotten me this far," he said.
The day Austin committed was the same day that his former teammate and 2014 safety prospect, Vontre McQuinnie decided to commit to the Sooners as well. The two have since been working on recruiting another Lancaster product as well in 2014, wide receiver prospect Nick Alexander.