Nick Van Exel the pride of Trinity Valley Community College. Steve Francis and Sam Cassell of San Jac CC.

I know, comparting JC football and JC basketball is apples to oranges, just wanted to stick up for the late bloomers who went the JC route.

Well, I feel like the first thing that needs to be said is that if the “TX standard” of recruiting is what you hold every other team to then I’ll freely admit that OU and virtually every other team is going to come up short. As biased as I am, I can easily admit that TX recruits like nobody else. I will also reiterate that I get everyone here being excited about your commits/verbals, I know I am when OU does the same. I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little healthy verbal sparring between rivals so nothing I say is meant with any real disrespect, more than likely just a difference of opinion.

So that said, I understand the optimism surrounding Gilbert and his ascension to QB1. My I’m sure our opinions on his performance in the MNC game differ, I’m not blind to the potential he displayed. He clearly has very big shoes to fill much like Landry did when he had to step in for Bradford. Not sure how you deem him “average” after just one season as if to imply he cannot improve over the next three years. The potential of Gilbert at this point is just that, potential. He may go on to be the best Horn QB of all time for all that we know. The fact is he was thrown into a game like almost no other and he struggled. However, he was supposed to struggle and personally I think Greg Davis did him no favors that first half. He didn’t really put him in a position to succeed until the second half and that’s obviously where you all saw the potential. I saw him throw two TDs to a WIDE open WR who after 13 years on campus has finally exhausted his eligibility. No matter how wide open he may have been, Gilbert still hit him in stride so he absolutely deserves credit for the two TDs. I just think, based on a majority of the comments I’ve read here, that his performance was a little overrated and the apparent unwavering confidence in him heading into this season is a little misplaced. He’s a very talented kid who has essentially taken 3/4 of a game worth of meaningful snaps and if that were me, I’d be a little nervous heading into this season. Especially since you lost three linemen, by far and away your best WR, nothing at this point to believe the running game is any more consistent than the last two years, and the significant talent you lost on the other side of the ball. But that’s just me and I respect that fact that you probably don’t agree and are as optimistic as ever in your Horns for next year.

As for your and Horns84 comment with respect to OU, let me try and address them. I don’t think there is any expectation for the incoming WR class to come in and start. Broyles, Miller, and Reynolds are the three starters as of now and have the jobs unless they do something to lose them. I don’t need to tell you about Broyles. I’d compare Miller to Malcolm Williams and I know the at times love/disappointment relationship a lot of Horn fans have with him and I would say that also carries over to Miller for OU fans. Reynolds came on late and played very well in the bowl game, so the expectation is that he continues to progress over the spring and only get better (sound familiar? See Gilbert comments). The OL is another story altogether, so I’d probably have to agree with you that at least the two kids who are already on campus are expected to contribute this year. Hopefully as a backup, but I’m always in favor of whoever the best player is should be on the field no matter what year they are. I’ll bring up Stephen Good specifically because I think most Horn fans know the name and say that up to this point he’s been a pretty big disappointment. He seems to struggle with his footwork which causes him to lose his balance and get pushed around which should rarely happen because he is probably one of if not the strongest player on the team. Just goes to show how important technique can be.

I’m more than aware that White chose you guys and Prater chose U$C, but thanks for the update. Unfortunately, OU has missed out on big time WRs for the past three years. Julio Jones, Reuben Randle, White and Prater it’s not a trend I’m proud of. Based on years past, I can’t argue that OU hasn’t pulled as many big time recruits out of TX as in years past. You’ll likely call it an excuse, but I choose to see it as the coaches making a significant effort to recruit on a more national basis. See the three kids out of CA this year, Finch out of FL, and the three kids out of KS. They probably always get a majority of their classes with kids out of TX, but why shouldn’t they? TX high school football is virtually unmatched anywhere else in the country so why wouldn’t OU capitalize on that given the proximity of the two states? I’m not sure why most Horn fans predictably go to the “What would OU look like without a roster full of TX kids?” argument when you admittedly get to basically hand pick who you offer/take? If you’re getting who you want 95% of the time, why do you care when the other kids go somewhere else to take advantage of playing time somewhere else rather than riding the bench in Austin? I’ve never understood the logic behind that argument other than state pride (although I think arrogance is the more appropriate word for it).

OU can’t now and probably never will be able to in the future recruit like TX does. Regardless, you can’t really argue with the results that Stoops and his staff have produced in the past 11 years. You may disagree/disapprove/just plain hate what/how they do and I would fully understand because believe me, the feeling is mutual. Hope this helps a little and I’d welcome any comments/criticism to continue the discussion should you feel inclined.

that there is one spot open, though it’s conceivable the coaches could shut down recruiting at the position at that point. Not sure how highly they have Greenlea rated, but it’s still possible that doesn’t get an offer and the coaches try to land one or both of Hegarty and Westerman to finish o-line recruiting for the class.