Wein Has OU Ties
Oklahoma's not often found itself recruiting in the state of Tennessee but when it has the results have been strong landing players like Woodi Washington and Reggie Grimes both amongst the current Sooners starters who picked Oklahoma out of the prep ranks.
On Wednesday Oklahoma made it's latest venture into the Volunteer State with an offer to Nolensville defensive end Taylor Wein.
And though the pursuit of Grimes and Washington were done against some elite competition Wein, to date, has flown under the radar holding no power five offers prior to Nov. 9.
Then in one day Wein picked up offers from Oklahoma who was quickly followed by USC and Virginia Tech.
So, what is that saw Wein go from a guy looking likely to head to a MAC program to having opportunities at two of the most successful programs in college football history?
"Honestly I feel like I’ve made such a big jump in progress from my previous years playing high school football and it all came to light on the tape," Wein said. "It’s just starting to show on tape and the exposure is getting there It’s playing a key role in how we are performing (at Nolensville).
"The work in the offseason, it has carried over to my success in my senior year."
And though the Sooners weren't alone they were the first to make the move, led by defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis who had been in contact with Wein for a few weeks.
"To be honest it’s all come together recently. Getting in contact with coach Chavis, coach (Brent) Venables, coach (Todd) Bates, those are great guys. Those are true guys and are just tremendous. They reached out about two weeks ago and we’ve been in contact since then, so it’s just huge."
And though the visit was set up before his offer came in Wein confirms he will be taking an unofficial visit to Norman for next week's Bedlam game.
"That’s going to be, as of now, an unofficial visit. Just attend the game, see what the environment is like and hopefully make something happen," he said.
What hasn't been frequently discussed is that Wein has some considerable connections to Oklahoma.
"I actually grew up in Edmond, Okla., not too far from there I grew up there the first couple of years of my life and then moved to Tennessee and lived here since. I’m somewhat familiar with the area, that’s where I was born and honestly I’m from a big OU family."
And what did that family think about his fist power five offer coming from Oklahoma?
"They were ecstatic, being able to drop that information to them, they were excited," he said.
And though there's plenty more to come for Wein as more and more schools start to take notice of his play in 2022 there's no doubt where the talented pass rusher's focus is at the moment.
"This recruiting stuff is great and all but we’ve got to focus on the game and we’ve just got to go 1-0 every week," Wein stated. "We’re just trying to get through the rest of the season and focus on ballgames, we’re in the second round of playoffs and we’ve got to to make something happen on Friday night.
"We’ve had some success in the past but last year our season fell short, we were out in the second round. I think our team and culture came about this season.
"We’re playing White County, they’ve got a really strong offense. We can’t wait, people have told us we they are unstoppable on offense and no defense can slow them down."
It's clear in talking to Wein that the Sooners have made a positive impression, an impression that has been led by first-year defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis.
"If there is one way to describe him, he’s that dude – he’s a man. Just his personality and the passion he has for Oklahoma and just football in general. Just the success of he and coach Venables, just freally great guys that come from really great backgrounds. Just the personality those two people have is unmatchable.
"It’s a no-brainer that those two dudes carry a lot of passion with them."