Drake Stoops weighing options
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Norman North wide receiver Drake Stoops has options. He could play at Iowa — like his dad did — or go to OU as a preferred walk-on.
Norman North star receiver Drake Stoops is not afraid to follow his father’s footsteps.
But he’s also willing to make his own way.
Stoops, a twin son of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, enters this week’s early signing period with a handful of options.
To follow the path of his father.
Accept a scholarship offer from Iowa, Bob’s alma mater.
Or become a preferred walk-on at OU.
Drake said he hasn’t determined his answer and is open to other opportunities, which is why he won’t be signing this week. But he understands the path he could take.
“I don’t necessarily want to go exactly where he went or anything like that,” Drake Stoops told The Oklahoman Monday. “I’m just going to do what’s best for me and what fits me best, because he was a safety and I’m a receiver. Obviously, you’re going to fit different places better.”
Stoops has become one of the state’s top receivers the past two years. This season, he caught 66 passes for 1,093 yards and 14 touchdowns, overcoming minor shoulder and calf injuries.
That’s led to increased recruiting interest, despite his 5-foot-11 frame.
“I think he’s in a great position just because he’s got options,” Norman North coach Brent Barnes said.
Options are all Stoops wants heading into February.
He’s taken official visits to Ohio and Iowa. He said he really enjoyed both, and Iowa is at the top of his list.
But growing up in Norman as his father guided the Sooners has led to a bond with OU.
“I always have a home at OU,” Drake Stoops said. “That’s an option in my mind as well, but I’m taking my time and enjoying the process, not try to get too stressed out about it.”
OU is comfortable. And it may be even more attractive with Lincoln Riley coaching instead of Bob.
“I think if anything him not being a coach might help that even more,” Drake said. “He wouldn’t pressure me to go there even if he was still the coach. I just think him not being the coach it would be easier for both of us.”
That’s why entering the final stretch of recruiting Stoops feels no pressure.
He isn't worried about another opportunity coming along.
“I don’t sit here and think of what can happen in the future,” Stoops said. “I’m not a what-if guy. I’m a realist. What I have is what I have, so that’s what I’m going to focus on. I’m not going to think about anything else. I’m blessed with what I have because not everybody gets to make a decision between two or three schools.”