Editor’s Word: That is Half 12 of a 14-part sequence on Oklahoma’s early enrollees within the 2023 recruiting class.

Many occasions, graduating highschool early and launching one’s faculty soccer profession pays off. Many occasions, it doesn’t.

Whereas early enrollees are navigating new realms of ache and dedication, loads of their associates are again dwelling — enjoying basketball, operating monitor or simply hanging out and taking full benefit of the affliction referred to as “senioritis.”

In Oklahoma’s case, 14 newcomers have chosen to make that sudden transition from boys to males. Jerry Schmidt’s winter exercises may appear unimaginable at first, after which the summer time grind is even more durable. In between, the teaching employees takes over, and spring soccer follow places them forward of their summer time counterparts.

On this sequence, AllSooners examines every of the 14 newcomers and initiatives their influence on Brent Venables’ soccer staff in 2023.

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One cause Oklahoma coach Brent Venables referred to as freshman operating again Kalib Hicks “week in and week out … the perfect participant on the sphere” final fall was as a result of Hicks had an older brother who may present him the way in which.

When Hicks was only a sophomore at Ryan Excessive Faculty in Denton, TX, massive brother Ke’ori was a senior. Ke’ori helped lead Ryan to a Class 5A-1 state championship that 12 months with 944 yards speeding and 10 touchdowns.

Little brother was fairly good, too, main the Raiders with 117 speeding makes an attempt and gaining 838 yards with 5 touchdowns. That Ryan squad was loaded with big-time expertise, together with present Sooner security Billy Bowman. However the operating again room was undoubtedly a household affair.

“His older brother was two years older,” stated Ryan coach Dave Henigan. “They performed the identical place, too. There’s undoubtedly that.”

RB Kalib Hicks

• 5-11, 200
• Denton, TX
• 247 Sports activities: 3-star, No. 536 total, No. 37 RB
• Rivals: 3-star, unranked total, No. 8 RB
• On3: 3-star, No. 297 total, No. 19 RB
• ESPN: 3-star, unranked total, No. 44 RB
• Background: Hicks cut up time along with his massive brother as a sophomore, then was a two-year starter for powerhouse Denton Ryan. His first Energy 5 provide (Colorado) got here seven months earlier than his junior season started — after which he rushed for 1,448 yards and 18 TDs that fall. Hicks was additionally supplied by TCU, Wisconsin and Missouri previous to the beginning of the season, and Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech and Ole Miss adopted swimsuit. Final February, Alabama supplied, then South Carolina, Penn State and Auburn, adopted by Oklahoma final Might. Hicks visited the Sooners in June, then dedicated 4 days later.
• 2023 Projection: Jeff Lebby has usually used a secure of operating backs throughout his tenure as an offensive coordinator. With Eric Grey off to the NFL, Lebby will apparently have Marcus Main again for his remaining season in 2023, however the job appears to belong to present freshman Jovantae Barnes, who ranked second on the staff in carries and speeding yards final season. Barnes and fellow freshman Gavin Sawchuk each went over 100 yards within the Cheez-It Bowl — it was Sawchuk’s first substantial motion of the season — they usually appear to be the way forward for the place at OU. However Hicks and fellow early enrollee Daylan Smothers are on campus and can get a superb look this spring and ought to be bodily able to contribute come fall.

That form of sibling rivalry typically pays massive dividends for the teen. Ke’ori signed with Texas A&M-Commerce out of highschool, and Kalib final month signed with Oklahoma. He’s a Sooner now, a mid-term graduate, an early enrollee, and his faculty soccer profession is about to take off.

Kalib Hicks led Ryan in speeding every of the final two seasons, with 1,448 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior and 929 yards and eight TDs as a senior.

His senior 12 months was minimize brief by accidents, however he completed his varsity profession with 3,508 yards whole offense and 34 touchdowns for one in every of Texas’ powerhouse applications.

“Denton Ryan, nearly as good of soccer as you will see in highschool,” Venables stated. “Week in and week out, he was the perfect participant on the sphere.”

“I might agree,” Henigan stated.

In opposition to that Texas-tough competitors, Hicks averaged 7.2 yards per carry as a sophomore, 6.7 as a junior and seven.8 as a senior.

“Simply large energy and power,” Venables stated. “He runs by way of trash very effectively. He actually runs behind his pads effectively. Nice, nice younger man.”

Together with Daylan Smothers from North Carolina, Oklahoma has two freshman operating backs — each already on campus, each able to compete this spring — with related operating kinds.

“Dimension-speed ratio,” stated offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. “These are guys which might be put collectively. They’ll actually, actually run. We would like velocity. That’s going to be an enormous a part of how we recruit transferring ahead. These two guys can run. They’re massive, they’re bodily. If you get on Hollywood, you understand how massive he’s. With Daylan, how massive he’s acquired an opportunity to be. Then you definitely see Kalib in particular person, a thick, strong-bodied dude who can get within the open area and go rating. Each these guys acquired an opportunity to be particular and are nice individuals.”

Hicks is a 3-star prospect, however could possibly be vastly underrated.

“He’s extraordinarily proficient,” Hennigan informed AllSooners. “He’s quick sufficient and he’s labored on his velocity in monitor and made himself even quicker. He’s acquired good dimension. I imply, I feel when he left right here he was a bit of over 200 kilos. Acquired good imaginative and prescient and good change-of-direction. He catches the ball rather well popping out of the backfield. So yeah, he’s acquired an incredible quantity of means.”

Oklahoma’s 2023 early enrollees

In his highschool profession, Hicks caught 28 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. However catching the soccer isn’t often the arduous a part of the passing recreation for freshmen operating backs. Ball safety is the very first thing they must be taught. Move safety is the second.

“The large factor that he’s gonna must be taught transitioning to the school stage is the blocking piece,” Henigan stated. “, that’s a part of the deal.

“I feel it’s arduous. I imply, to begin with, he needed to block right here and defend the quarterback right here. However they see so many extra seems in faculty than you see in highschool. So the psychological piece is actually necessary, having the ability to decide up all of your assignments — to begin with, figuring out who to dam earlier than you truly must bodily block. So yeah, that’ll be, I feel, as massive a studying curve for him as something as he goes up there.

“The carry-the-ball half, you recognize, I’m not gonna say it’s simple. It’s not. , it’s totally different, actually, on the faculty stage. You could be a house run hitter and in highschool you’re breaking off loads of lengthy runs. However in faculty, you recognize, these lengthy runs are few and much between. I imply, you bought to earn your yards. In order that’s a studying curve as effectively.”

As Venables stated, Hicks excels at operating by way of “trash” — arm tackles, physique blows, incidental contact. He’ll discover as he comes out of his first offseason below power coach Jerry Schmidt and his employees that he’ll be even higher at it within the fall.

The burden room, Henigan stated, is a spot Hicks is already fairly snug.

“Yeah, for certain, I imply, he is very naturally gifted,” Henigan stated. “He is robust, simply naturally, however he works at it — and we now have a superb power program right here. So he had an ideal basis, I feel, coming in to OU so far as that goes. He’s a really robust child and he likes the burden room.”

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