We’ve finally made it. The annual ChampU BBQ is upon us as “28 monsters” make their way to Norman.
This is typically when recruiting starts to take off for the Sooners as it’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, recruiting weekends of the year. As Sooners Wire’s Bryant Crews notes, the annual event netted Oklahoma seven commitments from last year’s event, which also included attendance by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who’d committed months earlier.
This BBQ will see a number of highly valued recruits, including two five-star defensive linemen and the nation’s top running back.
They are five-star DL David Stone and four-star RB Taylor Tatum. Both really like Oklahoma, and this weekend is huge for the Sooners to make progress in earning their commitment.
Director of Recruiting for 247Sports Steve Wiltfong broke down both prospects ahead of this weekend.
Multiple big name recruits such as 5⭐️ DL David Stone and 4⭐️ RB Taylor Tatum will be in Norman for the Oklahoma ChampU BBQ visit this weekend.@SWiltfong247 breaks down the massive recruiting weekend for Brent Venables and company 🏈
WATCH📺: https://t.co/lHU1KUjrtG pic.twitter.com/eoXNMKVHJ7
— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 16, 2023
Stone seems like a guy who, when he commits, the floodgates will open for the Sooners on the recruiting trail. He just has that personality people want to follow. I’ve seen him compared to former OU DT Gerald McCoy.
“David Stone he’s obviously from Oklahoma,” Steve Wiltfong shared. “The crystal ball favors the Sooners right now in this recruitment. He loves coach Todd Bates, loves coach Brent Venables, and the culture that they’re instilling in Oklahoma. He says that they’re quickly going to be a contender again under this new staff, but there are other contenders in the recruitment for David Stone.
“He was recently at Miami again, he’s visited them several times. Oregon is a contender Texas A&M is in the mix, the Florida Gators. He’s had a few great visits to Florida this calendar year. So Oklahoma looking to continue to re-solidify themselves as one of the teams to beat with David Stone this weekend.”
The Sooners sit in a really good place in his recruitment. Whenever he commits, it will be a gravity-shifting pledge that could pull other top prospects along with him.
Another guy who could commit this weekend but is unlikely is Tatum. Tatum was thought to be an OU lean until a trip to USC.
“And then Taylor Tatum. A lot of momentum around USC right now, a lot of momentum around the Trojans on the trail,” Wiltfong said. “…Taylor Tatum, one of the guys that they’re trending for, but Oklahoma is their main competition, in my opinion. DeMarco Murray has done a fantastic job recruiting him and his family. He likes coach Jeff Lebby, in the offense in Norman, and he’s talked about Jackson Arnold being one of the best quarterbacks in college football for years to come. So a lot of enticing things about Oklahoma for Taylor Tatum coming into the weekend.”
All signs indicate he wants to play baseball as well, and USC’s baseball program might help the Trojans get the edge win out in this recruitment.
But it’s no secret he has a good relationship with DeMarco Murray, and it just feels like Murray is due for a big-time win.
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