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How in-state signees at OU, OSU could impact the local football scene for years to come
M ike Gundy doesn’t get it.
He has witnessed the gut punch hitting education funding in our state. He has seen reductions in everything from teachers and coaches to programs and supplies.
Yet with so much going down, he has watched football talent go up.
“With the budget cuts … ,” the Oklahoma State football coach said, “I’m not sure how that is happening.”
It might not make sense, but the evidence was clear Wednesday.
On National Signing Day, more than 40 football players from the state inked national letters of intent with Division-I programs. They chose schools all over the country. Arizona State. Nebraska. Arkansas.
But no Power 5 programs signed more Oklahoma prep products than the two within the state. Oklahoma signed six while Oklahoma State signed four, making it the first time since 2009 that the total number of in-state recruits inked by the Big 12 programs reached double digits.
“We always start in Oklahoma and Texas,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “To have six kids in the state of Oklahoma was great. … I’ve always said since I got here in ‘99, though our numbers might not be high because of population, the players in Oklahoma can play anywhere in the country.”
This year marked the most in-state signees for the Sooners since 2007 when they signed eight. That followed a year after they signed nine. And those classes included players who would be among the most decorated of the Stoops era. Sam Bradford. Gerald McCoy. Jermaine Gresham. Ryan Broyles.
OSU signed in-state products in the late 2010s who became extraordinary players, too, most notably Justin Blackmon in 2008.
Whether this year’s crop of in-state signees will be as fruitful remains to be seen, but the impact of having in-state players wear crimson or orange goes beyond what they do on the field.
For starters, many grew up as fans of the teams that they’re soon to play for, so they have pride and passion that is rooted deep.
“It is important to them,” said Gundy, an in-state player at Midwest City once upon a time who stayed home to play college ball at OSU. “There is no question that the (geographical) location of the players makes a huge impact on the program.”
Brock Martin, for one, has been an OSU fan since childhood. Even though his parents were OU fans then, he rebelled and followed the lead of an uncle who bled orange.
Wednesday, the Oologah defensive lineman signed with the Cowboys.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play there.”
Signing Day is a dream come true for every signee, but all don’t join a team with which they’ve always dreamed of playing. That can be powerful in the locker room, the practice field and the games.
Look at the 2013 Sooners. OU had lost some great players and leaders, including Landry Jones, Kenny Stills and Tony Jefferson. The Sooners who stepped into that void included Gabe Ikard, Aaron Colvin and Sterling Shepard, players from Oklahoma who cared passionately about being Sooners, who saw wearing the crimson and cream as a lifelong ambition.
Lo and behold, the Sooners won 11 games and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
The colleges aren’t the only ones that benefit from having in-state products. The high school ranks also get a bump when players stay home.
Rashaun Woods has seen that firsthand. The lifelong Oklahoman starred at Millwood before doing the same at OSU and is now the football coach at John Marshall. When he arrived at the Oklahoma City high school four years ago, the football program was in shambles. It won no games the season before he took over.
“Because I live in Oklahoma, because I go to John Marshall High School,” Woods remembers hearing players say, “I don’t have a chance to play Division-I football.”
Last year, John Marshall product Tramonda Moore was the top recruit in the state and signed with OSU, and this year, Justin Broiles followed suit as the state’s top recruit and signed with OU. Those two have helped to change the vibe at John Marshall.
The in-state recruits who signed with OU and OSU on Wednesday may have a similar effect all around the state. They could be motivators, making for better high school players, more good games on Friday nights and more deep classes on national signing days.
“I’ve said this the last couple years, and I will say it again this year,” Gundy said, “the talent in the state of Oklahoma is getting better and better each year.”
Even if it doesn’t necessarily make sense.