Sooners Stick by Manning
RAYTOWN, Mo. - When Oklahoma made a push for Raytown (Mo.) High cornerback Dontae Manning in the winter, there wasn’t a lot of competition to fend off.
Now as we enter November, and the Sooners are once again trying to have Manning rejoin the #20Deep class, it’s a little different story.
Manning committed to the Sooners during his official visit for spring game weekend. When one top-tier offer after another came his way in the months after, Manning decided to take a step back.
But that’s it. Not a broken relationship by any means, but a chance to enjoy and really experience the recruiting process.
Other schools have entered the mix, but the one constant remains OU. The Sooners are hopeful Manning will still be headed to Norman when it’s all said and done.
“Lincoln Riley is one of the coolest college coaches I’ve ever met,” Manning said. “Actually, the whole coaching staff. He wasn’t mad, said the same thing (recommitment) happened with CeeDee Lamb. He found his way back.
“If that’s the case, I’ll find my way back to Norman.”
Indeed, the Sooners have sort of perfected the art of the recommitment. The most glaring example is Lamb for the 2017 class, especially when you look at the star-studded career he’s had during his three years in Norman.
Last year’s class saw it at receiver again with Theo Wease, who is poised to become a big-time contributor in 2020 and beyond.
Even the 2020 class already has an example of the recommitment with Broken Arrow (Okla.) High offensive lineman Andrew Raym.
“At first, I was worried because I thought they would not want me anymore or would stop recruiting me. Or be mad,” Manning said. “But no, they’ve been working. They’ve been working on me.”
The days of severing a relationship after a decommitment are over. Well, as long as everybody knows the score.
“It’s different for each guy. A guy decommits from you, I think it’s sometimes a feel,” said Riley to SoonerScoop.com at Big 12 media days. “Sometimes you feel like the guy is decommitting because he wants to really go look around and still has a strong, sincere interest in the place. He’s just trying to do it the right way.
“If we get the feeling that they still have legitimate interest and they are sincere, then we have no problem continuing to recruit those guys. Theo, CeeDee, we have a couple other examples of guys who handled it great and the process was easy. Even the decommitment part of it was really smooth. I don’t think there was a doubt in our mind the entire time with any of those guys that they were going to come back to OU. They had to get through their process. We don’t let our ego get in the way, well, he decommitted so screw him. We’re going on to the next guy. That’s not how we operate.”
That has definitely been the story with Manning. OU never backed away, but there was a time a couple of months ago where it appeared he was ready to look elsewhere.
Texas A&M became the team du jour, but as OU kept pressing, the situation seemed to keep changing. Manning has made official visits to OU and Texas A&M. He knows his final three will be Arizona State, Oregon and Georgia. No dates have been set for those final trips.
The Sooners have roared strongly back into the picture with Manning admitting last week he would put them at the top of his list. The question lingers if OU can stay there the rest of the way?
The plan is to silently commit in December before publicly announcing at the Under Armour All-America Game in January and having a celebration at Raytown for the February signing period.
“The first thing is he’s an amazing player, but an even better kid,” Raytown head coach Logan Minnick said. “Any teacher that you ask about Dontae is going to light up and smile.”
But what about as a football player?
“The big thing with him is he has that elite speed,” Minnick said. “He has that length. He measures at 6-foot, but we have him at a 6-foot-10 wingspan. He’s so long. And the biggest thing that has brought him attention in the last year is he night-and-day more physical than last year.”
That was evident last weekend when SoonerScoop.com was able to watch Manning and Raytown defeat previously undefeated North Kansas City, 48-7.
Manning was moved to safety in the middle of the field for this game only because of his speed and physicality, Minnick said. He knew Manning could prevent North Kansas City from gaining huge chunks of yards with its ground game.
It worked. Manning was physical at the point of attack and never allowed North Kansas City to find its offensive rhythm.
Coaches from Georgia and Arizona State were in attendance. OU cornerbacks coach Roy Manning was in attendance during OU’s initial bye week in September, and he was well aware of what Dontae was doing Friday in a three-touchdown performance.
“Yes, sir,” said Dontae Manning about Roy Manning’s tweet. “That’s what I’m talking about. That’s my man.
“I’ve always been told a great coach can coach anything. He’s coaching corners, and they’re playing like that? A great coach can coach anything. And he’s a great coach.”
As much as first-year OU defensive coaches Roy Manning and Alex Grinch had preached to recruits about how different the defense was going to look in 2019, you understand if the prospects needed to see it first.
There was a hiccup, for sure, in OU’s loss at Kansas State, but the previous seven games showed just how much improvement had been accomplished in such a short time.
“During the offseason, he made promised that I’m going to see improvement,” Manning said. “But actually getting to see it and maybe going to a game would be great. There’s a chance I could get back to Norman, but I don’t know when yet.”
Manning’s got his plan, and Minnick knows one school is getting a special player and talent.
“The thing about Dontae is he has been humble from the first offer to all the way through where he’s at now,” Minnick said. “None of this has gone to his head. I’m proud of him.”