Oklahoma Sooners football coach Brent Venables meets the press to talk about the Sooners' 2024 recruiting class on National Signing Day, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Great new beginnings for upwards to hopefully,
00:04 would be around 27 newcomers, high school players.
00:09 Really excited about this group of players that we're bringing in.
00:14 Expected to be about 13 on defense and 14 on offense as of right now.
00:20 And but I would be remiss if I didn't just wanna thank our staff and
00:26 just for their relentlessness for all their work.
00:31 In helping put together a top notch recruiting class,
00:35 building the program the right way with amazing people.
00:39 And this isn't obviously, it goes without saying that this isn't
00:43 the last month or so that they've been working tirelessly.
00:48 It's really several years in the making.
00:51 And I'd also like to thank all of our players.
00:57 You don't attract the quality of the people that this class represents,
01:02 both as people and players, without being a shining example of what
01:09 we want in our locker room and how we do what we do.
01:13 And I always believe in young men in our locker room having a multiplier effect.
01:18 And so several of our players obviously throughout the year have given their own
01:23 testimonials to these recruits and their families or
01:26 certainly have hosted the players along the way.
01:29 And so the players that don't have a lot of time, they've given their time to
01:34 continue to help us build the program the right way.
01:37 And they value that, that's part of that OU DNA and the brotherhood.
01:42 That these guys are having an impact for years to come, even after they're long gone.
01:47 So I would be, again, negligent if I didn't thank them and
01:52 several of our current players' families as well.
01:56 But really excited, we'll represent 15 different states as of right now with
02:01 the high school kids and the majority of those players,
02:05 almost half the class coming from the state of Oklahoma and the state of Texas.
02:11 And but really feel great about the lines of scrimmage.
02:17 We have, when it's all said and done, with a few portal additions that we'll have,
02:23 give or take 16, up to 16 offensive defensive linemen.
02:29 That will help us, again, reinforce the trenches where the game's won and lost.
02:34 But I love the speed that we have in this class.
02:37 And I love the physicality of this class, both sides of the ball.
02:42 We got great physical size at receiver and
02:44 then we have guys that are lightning fast at both receiver,
02:51 running back at the skill, tight end, really excellent group.
02:56 We got two really good young quarterbacks, Michael Hawkins and
03:01 Brendan Zurberg from Ohio that bring a wealth of
03:05 experience at the quarterback and the high school level.
03:10 Incredibly talented guys that got all the right stuff to them from the leadership,
03:13 instincts, humility, toughness standpoint.
03:18 Really love the defensive line, I know we've talked about that,
03:21 as being again something that everything starts up front as the saying goes.
03:28 And it couldn't be more appropriate here with our own David Stone here from
03:35 the state of Oklahoma via IMG and Nigel Smith, Danny Akoya,
03:40 Jaden Jackson, and Wyatt Gilmore, and Danny being another in-state product.
03:46 And from Tulsa, really excited about that group of guys up front,
03:52 combined with the guys that we're gonna have coming back, transitioning,
03:56 going into the SEC.
03:58 We've got length, size, power.
04:01 This is still a developmental game, but
04:04 these are guys that have a tremendous foundation already.
04:07 And again, been well coached, it's gonna help in their transition as well.
04:12 James Nesta, multi-sport guy that's gonna play baseball, pitcher.
04:16 He throws over 90 miles an hour, really appreciate Coach Johnson and
04:20 the baseball staff.
04:21 They played a critical part in recruiting James as well and
04:25 giving him an opportunity to pursue both.
04:28 But he looks like Danny Stutzman, except he's instead of 235,
04:33 he's about 215 right now.
04:37 But he's got great length and just a great frame and can run.
04:42 And he'll smack you like a rattlesnake, man.
04:46 He is very explosive, natural speed to contact hitter, great instincts, range.
04:52 I think he can play all three linebacking positions.
04:56 I love the secondary, got a group of seven in the back end that
05:02 has tremendous versatility, physical stature, great, great instincts.
05:09 Just good football players, whether it's the top player out of Kansas and
05:13 Michael Boganowski or Eli Bowen, who's one of the best football players in America.
05:19 It'll be really cool to have him along with his brother here in the secondary.
05:25 But I'll be honest, and I told Peyton this a year ago,
05:28 if you don't come, I'm still recruiting your brother.
05:30 And I told Eli, even if we don't get your brother, I'm still coming after you.
05:33 So he's probably had as much ball disruption plays the last
05:39 few years of any defensive back that I've seen.
05:43 Just a great, great player.
05:44 Jaden Hardy, he played everything for his team there at the Loo.
05:49 In one of the best programs in the state of Texas, he can do it all,
05:54 both sides of the ball, just a very natural football player.
05:58 His intelligence is beyond his years.
06:01 Devon Jordan right here out of our own Tulsa Union, his instincts,
06:06 his ball skills, the things that he can do, his speed.
06:10 Just a big time player, and he's a big time human being as well.
06:15 Just an amazing young man.
06:18 Jeremiah Newcomb, you all remember Bobby Newcomb from Nebraska
06:22 at the quarterback position, really cool to,
06:26 there was a tremendous mutual respect for Bobby Newcomb back in the day.
06:31 And to see him now as a head coach in this great state of Arizona,
06:36 and his son being one of the star players on their team.
06:40 Again, a really committed young man that is just a natural DB and a ball hawk.
06:47 Glad his dad didn't let him play much quarterback,
06:49 even though he did play a little bit for their high school team.
06:53 But Jeremiah brings so much to the table,
06:55 just a natural skill set that's gonna transition really well.
06:59 Another local product, Mikel Patterson McDonald had a fantastic senior year.
07:05 Really a disruptive safety that can do a lot with all the things that we like to do
07:09 with our safeties.
07:10 And then Reggie Powers comes from a great program there at
07:13 Centerville High School.
07:15 It's physically tough as a player that we signed in this class.
07:20 Looking on again up front offensive line, Josh Isosa from Edmond,
07:26 Santa Fe, one of the best linemen in the state.
07:30 Just a fantastic player, he's got size, athletic ability, great agility.
07:34 He's really worked hard at his game and his development.
07:38 Isaiah Autry from Mississippi, he's got great length to him and
07:45 tremendous athletic ability.
07:46 Just finished up at both the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game and
07:50 then went down and competed really well down at Frisco in the All-American game.
07:56 As well, Eugene Brooks from the state of California,
08:01 just a real natural powerful guard, just great girth and size.
08:06 Really nimble and he's got a great story about just his development.
08:11 And he's lost 50 pounds over the last couple of years and
08:15 he's still a mountain of a man to really create a lot of opportunity for himself.
08:20 Got a great, great testimony.
08:21 Daniel Akinkume from England, our first from overseas and
08:29 the physical traits that he brings to the table.
08:35 Just incredibly intelligent, well spoken, sharp, focused, mature.
08:41 Really expect Daniel to come in here and make this place better right away.
08:45 And just got a great, again, testimony as well and
08:49 a light inside of him that's really infectious.
08:51 And then our last commitment, Eddie Pierre-Louis from,
08:57 again, another product of Tampa Catholic.
08:59 Coach McIntyre and their staff just doing an amazing job down there.
09:03 Teammate of Louis Carter.
09:05 And again, Eddie brings great natural size and power.
09:10 Great, great speed, sub 13 second, 100 meters for 320 pound.
09:17 If you saw him in person right now,
09:18 you'd think he looks like a three year NFL vet defensive tackle.
09:23 Just he's incredibly lean and loves to work out.
09:27 And but just a great student, really a smart young man as well.
09:33 And a brother that plays for the Buffalo Bills and went to the state of Florida.
09:36 And again, builded a wonderful job of putting this group of linemen together.
09:42 We've got a great group of receivers that have the versatility of size.
09:49 In Zion Kearney and in Ivan, Big Ivan from West Texas.
09:54 These are guys that have speed and size,
09:57 toughness that you want guys to play with.
10:01 They have a physical maturity about them as well that's gonna translate well.
10:06 And then our speed at our other two spots in both Zion Raggans and
10:13 KJ Daniels that are both sub 4'4", 100 meter, 4'4",
10:18 40 guys and fantastic breakaway speed and explosiveness.
10:24 That's gonna really create opportunity,
10:28 our Gatorade Player of the Year as well.
10:31 And really excited about Xavier Robinson and
10:35 back to back state champions there at Carl Albert.
10:39 Love the environment that he's coming from, a winning,
10:43 tough-minded environment that is about accountability and discipline.
10:48 They get the most out of their guys.
10:49 And so these guys understand they're coming from Carl Albert,
10:53 the standards that are expected day in and day out.
10:58 I think our first commitment was a newcomer.
11:02 And again, our last commitment was Eddie Pierre-Louise.
11:06 And then one of our most important commitments was Devon Mitchell.
11:11 And he's graduating from Los Alamitos High School,
11:16 Via Allen High School there in Dallas.
11:19 And again, he's got the size, the speed, the athletic ability,
11:23 the versatility at that position that really is gonna give us something
11:27 that's unique in that tied-in room moving forward.
11:31 We get really excited about the group of guys.
11:35 And we're certainly not finished, but that should be,
11:39 we anticipate 27, 28 guys when it's all said and done.
11:43 We'll see how that works out.
11:44 And then upwards to ten transfers.
11:47 A year ago, I think we signed in January 42, 43 new scholarship players.
11:53 And we'll be just south of that moving forward.
11:56 I'd like to also, I know this is about signing day, but
12:00 it's also about just finishing up with team 130 as we
12:06 finished up our last practice yesterday morning in preparation for the Alamo Bowl.
12:12 Really excited about where we're at in our preparation and what's ahead.
12:16 The matchup against a really good Arizona team.
12:19 And it's an Arizona team that went nine and three again, and they lost two games.
12:23 And overtime, one on the road at Mississippi State,
12:25 one and triple overtime to Southern Cal.
12:27 And they lost by a touchdown.
12:29 That came down to the last drive of the game to a 13 and 0 Washington team.
12:33 So we got a tremendous opportunity, tremendous respect for
12:38 the University of Arizona.
12:39 I think they only have eight players that have ever played in a bowl game.
12:42 All eight of them are transfers.
12:44 First bowl game for them in six years.
12:47 So they're gonna be incredibly excited to play.
12:49 I think they've got one player left tackle that's opted out and
12:53 everybody else for them will show up down in San Antonio.
12:57 We've got, obviously we were there just a couple of years ago.
13:01 A great win against the University of Oregon with Coach Stoops at the helm.
13:06 And so a lot of memories in that regard.
13:09 We only have ten scholarship players that were in that game.
13:12 And so a lot has changed since that time.
13:14 But again, really looking forward to the hospitality and
13:18 everything that the Alamo Bowl and
13:21 the Valero Alamo Bowl represents as first class.
13:24 And so our guys are really excited.
13:25 They're gonna have a few days off and we'll get back together on the evening of
13:29 the 23rd and then head on down on the 24th.
13:33 Moving forward, our players, I'd like to congratulate them.
13:37 We had 79 players finish the semester, three straight semesters of
13:41 academic excellence.
13:42 We averaged 3.0 GPA as a football team and
13:47 we had 79 players that had a 3.0 GPA or better.
13:51 And you just don't look up and have that happen.
13:54 That's culture, that's recruitment, that's nurturing, that's standards.
13:58 And then that's the effort by our academic support staff.
14:03 What an amazing job that they do.
14:06 And sometimes they don't get our players until after practice or after a long day.
14:13 And so the things that they're able to do to motivate and
14:15 challenge them is pretty special.
14:17 And I don't take that for granted, but that's what it looks like to me.
14:21 Nothing is more important in our program than helping these young men as they
14:25 navigate their athletic careers.
14:27 And that's what gets a lot of the headlines.
14:29 Nothing's gonna create more opportunity for them than having their degree.
14:33 And so that's the number one purpose in this program and
14:37 we're not gonna lose our way as we chase excellence on the field as well.
14:41 It's gotta be represented off the field.
14:44 So that's what it looks like and I'm really excited to announce that to you all
14:48 as well, so with that I'm gonna open it up for questions.
14:51 >> We'll get to as many as we can.
14:53 We do need to be done by 1110 for another event, so
14:55 I wanna start with Eric Bailey.
14:57 >> You mentioned transfer portal.
14:59 I just wanna ask you, sometimes you have recruits that you may not get, but
15:03 in the era of the transfer portal, how important is it to part those
15:06 relationships with solid relationships because you never know what'll happen in
15:09 the future?
15:10 >> I think people that you talked about not getting, I think sometimes
15:16 it's important to be able to understand what's reported and
15:21 what actually, whether or not there's a real pursuit can be two different things.
15:26 So first of all, I would say that we're very intentional.
15:29 We don't cast a big old net and throw it in the middle of the ocean and
15:32 see what we get.
15:33 We are very intentional, looking for the fit, looking for certainly positionally
15:39 and what we're looking for from an athletic standpoint,
15:42 and again, how they're gonna come into this program and make a deposit.
15:48 Not just on the field, but make this place better.
15:51 Do they bring value?
15:52 And because I know, again, this can be very short relationships.
15:57 Some of these guys will be here just for several months, but
16:00 it's important to me that we find young men that are gonna bring value to our
16:03 locker room.
16:04 And so in a very small window, as you alluded to, it's recruiting on steroids.
16:10 Everything happens really fast.
16:12 You gotta use all your experience and connections and
16:14 relationships to try to find out as much as you can about these young guys.
16:19 Because that's how I protect the culture of the program.
16:22 And I'm very culture-centered, fit-centered.
16:26 Again, I'm looking for people that make us better, guys that can,
16:30 we're not looking for backups.
16:33 And we're looking for guys that come in here and make us better,
16:35 gonna make the guys in the locker room better.
16:39 I tell the players all the time,
16:41 my job is to put together the most competitive roster I can.
16:45 Your job is to show up every day and ready to compete.
16:48 And if you don't like to compete, good luck when you leave college,
16:51 because the real world gets even more competitive.
16:54 And so teaching these young men the value of hard work and commitment and
17:00 keeping your head down and control the controllables.
17:03 Sometimes young people and old people alike,
17:06 you get distracted by things that you can't control.
17:09 And so for the players in our locker room, my expectation is they come in here and
17:13 they adhere to the standards of the program, bring value every single day,
17:18 show up with an appreciation and respect for their opportunity.
17:21 And chase their best every single day, and regardless of who does or
17:26 doesn't come in, and when they do come in, man, embrace everybody.
17:29 And that's the expectation when we recruit and sign these guys that,
17:34 again, you're gonna get what you earn.
17:35 You come in there and I want you to get in the back of the line and
17:39 show up with effort and toughness and competitiveness.
17:43 And but obviously, when you sign guys out of the portal,
17:46 sometimes it's because you lost a lot of players like we have up front.
17:51 But we've got five high school guys and we look to sign four offensive linemen
17:56 to go along with the returning players that we have and to get to our numbers.
18:00 Those numbers aren't ever gonna change, where we feel like we need to hit those
18:04 numbers to have competitive depth.
18:06 And but I wanna lock a room that's about development.
18:09 I think that we have a, there's a certain level of attractiveness from a,
18:14 certainly a high school, but from a portal standpoint and
18:18 what we can do from a resource standpoint, the coaching acumen.
18:22 Whether it's the strength and conditioning, it's the elite recovery,
18:26 it's the nutritional opportunities.
18:28 And certainly, the X's and O's, the schemes and things of that nature.
18:31 I think the young men are looking for continued development as well to help
18:35 propel their careers beyond the University of Oklahoma.
18:39 But for our own players, this is a developmental game.
18:42 The more you practice, the more challenge that you have,
18:46 the more change that you can create and the improvement.
18:49 Usually, your best players are guys in that fourth and that fifth and
18:53 that sixth year.
18:54 Because of experience and the maturity, how you think, how you show up every day,
18:58 usually translates to consistency on the field.
19:02 And so really, again, excited about, this is our third class that we've signed
19:08 since we've been here the last 25 plus months.
19:11 And think this is our best one up to this point in time.
19:13 The test of time will tell.
19:15 We've got several young players that we've talked about that are in our locker
19:20 room right now that had tremendous roles.
19:22 I think out of the top 20 ranked teams in college football,
19:25 we had the most snaps from freshmen and red shirt freshmen.
19:29 And again, winning 10 games, it says a lot, it bodes well for the future.
19:34 Certainly, our older guys, guys like a Dylan Gabriel or a Drake Stoops or
19:39 a Woody Washington, Isaiah Coe, I can go on and on and on.
19:43 And all the returning players were a big part of that as well.
19:47 And but with this group of freshmen, again,
19:49 from 15 different states that we're bringing in here,
19:53 couldn't be more excited about where we're at.
19:55 And as we're transitioning, always want more, always want better.
20:01 We're not where we need to be yet, but we're going and
20:03 trending in the right direction.
20:05 >> Yeah, I wanted to ask you a little bit about David Stone's recruitment.
20:11 Obviously, being a local kid who had gone elsewhere for high school.
20:16 How did that play out?
20:18 And what were some of the unique things about that?
20:20 And how important was his commitment when it happened to sort of generating some
20:27 momentum for that class, especially on that defensive line?
20:31 >> Yeah, again, you're looking at, obviously, if he were here in the state,
20:36 arguably, whether it's Devon or it's Xavier Robinson or
20:41 David competing for the number one player in the state.
20:48 David's tremendously talented, but he's got a lot of the right stuff that you want.
20:52 And everybody loves David that's met David.
20:56 He's got a really endearing leadership qualities to him.
21:00 Humble, hardworking, tough, smart, really smart, articulate.
21:04 He's a leader of young men.
21:07 Players follow him.
21:08 The uniqueness was that's over a two year relationship with he and his family.
21:14 So you love that being a relationship driven program.
21:18 You want it to be about that.
21:20 This is a forever decision for each and every one of these young men.
21:23 And for David, again,
21:26 it's probably one of the longest relationships that we've had.
21:29 So he is a great leader and guys will follow him.
21:34 He's got a tremendous respect in both in high school football and
21:41 in that circle, the recruiting circle.
21:43 So he'll have some influence there along the way, but really excited.
21:48 I wanna like all these guys, help these guys take off all the burdens of
21:52 expectation off the shoulders.
21:54 And at some point in time, he's gonna show up here and
21:56 he's just gonna be 18 years old.
21:58 And all these guys, they're just babies trying to figure out life.
22:03 They don't have all the answers.
22:05 There's a development piece that's gonna be very real.
22:07 There's gonna be some immediate challenges for each and
22:10 every one of these young guys.
22:11 Our job as a staff is to meet them where they're at and
22:14 to take them where they can't take themselves.
22:16 And my job is to take away the burden of expectations that are there from
22:21 recruiting, from competition, from sometimes just from home.
22:25 And help these guys just be 18.
22:29 And let's just have a great day today.
22:31 Let's just move in and have some fun.
22:33 Let's go to the first testing time in the weight room and man,
22:39 let's have some fun.
22:39 It's just football and quit worrying about someday.
22:44 They all sometimes get worn down by someday.
22:48 And just let's just have a great day and a great moment right now.
22:51 And someday you'll be a junior.
22:53 And someday you'll be a senior.
22:54 Someday, God willing, you'll have an opportunity to go play in the NFL.
22:58 But you're living your dream out right now.
23:00 Don't get ahead of yourself.
23:02 These will be the good old days right here and now.
23:06 Enjoy it while you can.
23:07 Make the most of it while you can.
23:09 Give it everything you got.
23:10 And you can live with that.
23:12 And so you mentioned David and there's many of these young men that
23:16 have high expectations that they've put on themselves.
23:18 And then outwardly, when you come to a place like Oklahoma,
23:22 with all the notoriety and again, you've got the depth of the media that's here.
23:26 I would just say, just know that they're 18 years old.
23:29 And they got all the same problems of any 18, 19, 20 year old young person.
23:34 There's moments of doubt.
23:37 There's moments of maturity where you're not quite where you need to be.
23:41 You got things going on at home.
23:45 Just life happens nonstop.
23:47 And so as exciting as this moment is and as a new beginning,
23:52 there'll be challenges along the way.
23:54 And there'll be some amazing moments along the way as well.
23:56 But this is a day, again, of celebration.
23:59 And David amongst all the other amazing young men and
24:04 the families that get to join the Sooner family forever.
24:07 What an honor it is to have all of these guys represented from 15 different states.
24:12 And excited for David as well as we are with the rest of the guys.
24:16 >> Yeah, Brant, it feels like defensive line recruiting is more difficult
24:21 than it's ever been.
24:22 Why do you think it's so hard to recruit elite defensive linemen?
24:25 And how crucial was it for you guys to get this kind of a class?
24:28 >> It's a law of supply and demand.
24:30 There's just not as many of them.
24:32 And it's been that way since football became a sport.
24:39 And so rushing the passer, stopping the run, the lines of scrimmage,
24:43 it's where the game's always been won and lost.
24:46 So that's not a new revelating thing.
24:48 But there's just not as many of them that are able to play at a really,
24:52 really high level.
24:53 And so there's a body.
24:57 You're looking for certain dynamics and your length,
25:02 your size, your power, your quickness,
25:07 your ability from a refinement standpoint to rush the passer.
25:11 And recreate a line of scrimmage, block recognition,
25:15 the fundamentals that go along with it.
25:17 Not everybody's developed the same way.
25:18 And so we've got a group of guys that really have unique skill set, but
25:22 also have some tremendous foundation of fundamentals too.
25:26 And probably when you look at the front seven, the area,
25:32 if it's not strength and power that young people aren't quite there.
25:37 If it's not that, it's usually the use of hands and block recognition.
25:40 The linebackers on the second level be able to get off of blocks.
25:43 And same thing, the block recognition for the guys up front.
25:47 Be able to play the different blocks the right way and
25:50 then transition from run game to your pass rush.
25:54 And those things usually take a little longer, but
25:56 this is a group of guys that have been incredibly well coached.
26:00 Whether it's, again, you look at Nigel Smith from Melissa.
26:03 When you drive on down I-35, head south, and
26:08 you come to Melissa and the new stadium that's there.
26:11 It's very reminiscent of what you saw Allen, Texas, several years ago.
26:15 And the commitment to football in a great state of Texas is a very real thing.
26:19 But the depth and the level, the excellence of the coaching.
26:23 Obviously, we're signing a couple guys from IMG.
26:25 We've had great experience through the years.
26:27 Jaden Jackson and David Stone, they're gonna be very well coached.
26:31 And have a little bit more of a mindset of what the routine in college looks like.
26:37 The commitment and those types of things that day in and day out requires.
26:41 Danny Akoi, although he played in a homeschool league,
26:46 his talent is freakish.
26:49 His development is really, they did a nice job at NOAA and
26:52 getting him to this point.
26:54 And then he's been a guy that's a football junkie, worked on his craft on his own.
26:58 He's got great humility, great self-awareness,
27:03 really intelligent young guy that has really worked hard at developing his game.
27:08 And then again, one of the top players, if not the top player in the state of
27:11 Minnesota, in Wyatt Gilmore.
27:14 We identified Wyatt a long time ago as a guy that, man,
27:18 he's got all the stuff that the great ones have.
27:21 He's got a motor, he's got instincts, he's got a great get off,
27:24 got a great body, really refined.
27:27 He works hard at all the fundamental things of the game.
27:32 But what I love, this is a hungry group of young men that have humility,
27:37 the physical toughness, they love the game, have all the right characteristics that
27:41 you want that's gonna help continue to promote growth and development quickly.
27:45 >> [INAUDIBLE] >> So, and Taylor Tatum,
27:52 again from Longview, we know what that program represents.
27:56 We've had several Sooners that have come from the University of Longview.
28:01 And Coach King and what that staff is all about.
28:06 You're gonna get somebody, another multi-sport player, and Taylor Tatum.
28:12 He'd take the top off the defense.
28:13 He's a home run hitter at running back, his power, speed, his instincts.
28:18 Just very reminiscent of some other great backs that we've had from East Texas.
28:24 And some of the skill set, and got great size and power.
28:28 Tremendous baseball player, is gonna play baseball here at the University of
28:32 Oklahoma.
28:33 And again, another fist bump to Coach Johnson and the staff for
28:38 all of their help in facilitating the recruitment of Taylor.
28:42 Amazing family, and again, coming from a program that has very,
28:47 very high standards and expectations.
28:49 And again, the physicalness that the game requires,
28:52 this is something that he epitomizes.
28:54 So yeah, he has great speed and really intelligent, smart young guy.
28:58 But he's got the physical stature as well that's gonna help transition quickly.
29:06 >> Yeah, Coach, obviously as you mentioned earlier,
29:08 the nucleus, your class is from Oklahoma and Texas.
29:12 But you did go grab a kid from Minnesota, as you mentioned.
29:14 You got one from North Carolina, from Arizona.
29:16 You went overseas to get Danny Ocacumi.
29:19 What do you credit that ability to recruit from pretty much anywhere to,
29:23 more so than anything else?
29:24 >> Yeah, the standard of Oklahoma.
29:25 People remember decade after decade after decade after decade of
29:30 Oklahoma excellence.
29:31 And so I would just say it goes back to all those coaches and
29:35 players that have represented Oklahoma for such a long time.
29:38 It's a true blue blood.
29:40 The door's always open for a program like Oklahoma.
29:43 There's an attachment to Oklahoma that winning and excellence and
29:49 development and toughness and championships that has been represented.
29:53 And so that's the memory of everybody from coast to coast and
29:59 now again, across seas, internationally as well.
30:03 So there's an attachment when you sign up to OU DNA or
30:09 the Brotherhood that these guys recognize the value of that.
30:12 And so we can get into really any home across the country.
30:17 >> [INAUDIBLE]
30:20 >> Brent, you mentioned the word
30:22 intentional earlier and value.
30:25 As you stack these classes now, top ten classes or whatever,
30:28 you've been up against the SEC.
30:30 You've seen it firsthand, a lot of your staff has been in the SEC,
30:33 seen it firsthand.
30:34 You guys getting what you want to compete in that league?
30:37 >> We're always working to be better and we certainly are competitive.
30:42 We want more and we're gonna need more.
30:45 Whatever that means, it's all encompassing.
30:47 It's incredibly competitive.
30:52 It's relentless.
30:53 It's year round.
30:55 It's challenging.
30:58 There's smart coaches and there's a lot of programs that have a lot of resources,
31:02 just like Oklahoma.
31:04 And so it's a very real competition and one that isn't just gonna go away.
31:11 You're gonna win some and not win some, but you need to win more than you lose.
31:15 And so everybody here in the program from the president all the way to
31:21 the athletic director and then everybody else, the recruiting staff, the coaches,
31:25 the families, the players, everybody, there's a real commitment to it.
31:28 I don't think there's anybody here that doesn't recognize what's in front of us
31:33 right now.
31:34 Recruiting's always been competitive, but you're gonna go to a conference now
31:39 that the resources are very real everywhere you go.
31:42 That are either every bit as good if not better than what you have.
31:46 So you gotta be resourceful, certainly gotta be committed to our philosophy.
31:52 I don't wanna go into another ten minute answer for everybody.
31:56 I know we got some questions to answer, but we wanna,
32:00 as college football's becoming more and more transactional,
32:03 we wanna continue to be a relational.
32:05 I believe that has longevity and sustainability.
32:08 But at the same time, things have changed dramatically in the last three years in
32:14 college football that goes without saying.
32:16 And the fluidity of rosters is a very real thing.
32:19 The lack of stability of rosters is a very real thing.
32:22 And so we've gotta be adjustable and adaptable and
32:25 be aggressive along the way, not just reactive, but be proactive.
32:29 And I believe that's the vision and
32:31 the philosophy that is shared throughout our university community.
32:35 >> Yeah.
32:36 >> It's 11-10, talk one more.
32:38 >> Okay.
32:38 >> James.
32:39 >> Brent, you're baseball guys, it's interesting, both are highly-
32:43 >> You're a baseball guy, right?
32:43 >> Yes, I am.
32:45 Both of them are highly thought of by Major League Baseball.
32:48 And yet both said one of the reasons why they're coming here is because you worked
32:51 it out and Skip worked it out, that you can work out this dynamic.
32:54 But talk about that dynamic and how you made that work.
32:57 >> Well, again, I wouldn't say as much me and Skip and
33:01 the baseball team is willing to do that.
33:03 But I think the attractiveness of how well our baseball program has done,
33:07 the history, the tradition.
33:09 Certainly, they did a great job of selling those things.
33:12 I think that attracted them as much as anything.
33:15 That combination of the excellence of Oklahoma football, what it's represented,
33:19 and the excellence of baseball.
33:20 I personally don't think that we would have gotten either one of them had
33:26 the football been a powerhouse and excellent and have the history and tradition.
33:32 And then the baseball program stunk.
33:34 I don't think we would have got either one of those guys.
33:36 And so a credit to Coach Johnson and again, the past players and
33:41 the excellence that our baseball program has represented as well.
33:45 That's the collaboration between the two staffs and
33:49 certainly there's a willingness.
33:51 I think it's such a cool thing when you have players that have that type of
33:55 extraordinary talent.
33:56 What a cool thing.
33:59 Let's have them be in our locker room and let's watch them chase their dreams in
34:04 multiple sports, bring our team over to the baseball facility and chair them on.
34:09 If it's a track athlete, what a cool thing.
34:12 We wanna promote that, not segment it.
34:17 And so what a celebration I know it is,
34:21 south of here with Coach Johnson, his staff with both Nesta and Tatum.
34:25 >> Thank you everybody, I saw you talk.
34:28 >> All right, appreciate everybody, Merry Christmas.
34:30 >> Merry Christmas.