Tramel's ScissorTales: Will in-state recruiting help OU and OSU football with retention?

OU signed four Oklahomans in its 2022 football recruiting class. Doesn’t sound like a lot. But it is. The Sooners had signed just two in each of the three previous recruiting classes.

OSU signed nine Oklahomans in its 2022 football recruiting. Sounds like a lot. And it is. In 2019, the Cowboys signed just three in-state players. OSU signed just one in each of 2013 and 2015.

When we look at in-state recruiting by the Sooners and Cowboys, we historically have gauged gridiron success. Did they pan out on the field? Sam Bradford and Josh Fields became heroes. Justice Hansen and John Kolar did not.

It happens. That’s the college football story.

But in 2022, maybe there’s a different way to look at in-state recruiting. Maybe it’s time to ask if in-state recruiting helps with retention.

You know, keeping guys around.

That’s a bigger-than-ever subject, with the proliferation of the NCAA transfer portal.

Simply put, will Oklahomans be more likely than out-of-staters to remain in Norman and Stillwater?

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The portal and the Name, Image, Likeness revolution has made for rampant transfers. Schools that keep rosters the most intact would seem to have an advantage.

There’s no good way to know for sure if recruiting more Oklahomans would benefit the retention rates for OSU and OU. The new landscape makes it easier than ever to transfer.

But we can look at the past and see if OU and OSU have retained a good number of Oklahomans.

At OU, none of the six Oklahomans who came aboard in the past three years have transferred, though LaRon Stokes announced this week he is entering the National Football League draft.

In the 10 recruiting classes before 2022, OU signed 36 in-state players. Fourteen left before their eligibility was complete, without entering the NFL Draft. That’s a high number. That’s a 61.1 percent retention rate.

The Sooners did not lose outstanding players. Few of the transfers made impacts at other schools. Hansen was a good quarterback at Arkansas State, throwing for 83 touchdowns and more than 10,000 yards in three seasons. But that’s about it.

Still, a massive number of transfers is not good for a program.

Meanwhile, OSU signed 18 Oklahomans the previous three years combined. Only two no longer are on the roster – linebacker Cole Thompson and tight end Grayson Boomer.

But of the six Oklahomans signed in OSU’s 2018 class, only safety Jason Tayor remains on the roster. Offensive linemen Bryce Bray (Tulsa), Jacob Farrell (North Texas) and Hunter Anthony (Nebraska) transferred, as did wide receiver C.J. Moore (Iowa Western Community College). Tight end Jake Ross gave up football after suffering multiple injuries.

In all, of the 42 Oklahomans signed by the Cowboys from 2012-21, 10 transferred. So that’s a retention rate of .762. Quite a bit better than OU’s.

But the sample size is small.

Still, OSU’s breakout season in 2021, built by an excellent defense, came courtesy of Oklahoma-heavy recruiting.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, defensive end Brock Martin and tackle Brendon Evers came in the same class (2017). Taylor and defensive end Collin Oliver also were instrumental in making OSU’s defense one of the nation’s best.

“I don’t know that anybody’s had as much success with the Rodriguezes, the Brock Martins, guys like that, that we have,” Mike Gundy said. Recruiting coordinator Todd Bradford “understands that and understands our philosophy of staying within a four-hour drive of Stillwater, is kind of where we want to be. It’s our decision we make. We’ve done it now for 15 years, and he gets it. We give him a plan, and he pushes forward.”

The success story of Rodriguez and Martin and Evers should be a selling point for Oklahomans not to just come to Stillwater, but to stay.

Same in Norman. The 2017 and 2018 recruiting classes alone brought Tre Brown, Creed Humphrey, Isaiah Thomas, Jalen Redmond, Pat Fields, Jordan Kelly and Justin Broiles. Those are some really good ballplayers on some really good teams.

But will recruiting more Oklahomans reduce the activity of the transfer portal? Doesn’t seem like it could hurt.

Here are the in-state signees of the last 10 years at each school, with the players who left bold-faced:

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OU

2022: Gentry Williams, DB, Tulsa Washington; Robert Spears-Jennings, DB, Broken Arrow; Jacob Sexton, OL, Deer Creek; Jayden Rowe, DB, Tulsa Union.

2021: Ethan Downs, DE, Weatherford; Jordan Mukes, DB, Choctaw.

2020: Andrew Raym, C, Broken Arrow; Brynden Walker, LB, Bishop McGuinness.

2019: Marcus Major, TB, Millwood; LaRon Stokes, DE, Tulsa Noah.

2018: Brey Walker, OL, Westmoore; Ron Tatum, DL, Putnam City; Jalen Redmond, Midwest City; Tramonda Moore, John Marshall; Jordan Kelly, DL, Tulsa Union; Pat Fields, DB, Tulsa Union.

2017: Justin Broiles, DB, John Marshall; Levi Draper, LB, Collinsville; Tre Brown, DB, Tulsa Union; Isaiah Thomas, DL, Tulsa Memorial; Creed Humphrey, C, Shawnee; Tyreece Lott, DL, Ardmore.

2016: Jon-Michael Terry, LB, Tulsa Victory Christian; Logan Roberson, OL, Harrah.

2015: Will Sunderland, DB, Midwest City; Marquise Overton, DL, Jenks; Dahu Green, WR, Westmoore; Dalton Wood, LB, McAlester.

2014: Steven Parker, DB, Jenks; Justice Hansen, QB, Edmond Santa Fe; Jeffery Mead, WR, Tulsa Union; Carson Meier, TE, Tulsa Union.

2013: D.J. Ward, DL, Southmoore; Stanvon Taylor, DB, Tulsa East Central; Jordan Smallwood, WR, Jenks; Dominique Alexander, LB, Tulsa Washington; Jordan Evans, LB, Norman North.

2012: Alex Ross, TB, Jenks; Sterling Shepard, WR, Heritage Hall; Michael Onuoha, DE, Edmond Santa Fe.

More: Which players have committed to Oklahoma State football's 2023 recruiting class?

OSU

2022: Talyn Shettron, WR, Edmond Santa Fe; C.J. Brown, TB, Beggs; Gabe Brown, LB, Stillwater; Tabry Shettron, TE, Edmond Santa Fe; Braylin Presley, WR, Bixby; DeSean Brown, DE, Choctaw; Mason Gilkey, WR, Pawhuska; Jaleel Johnson, DL, Putnam North; Davis Dotson, OL, Berryhill.

2021: Kendal Daniels, DB, Beggs; Aden Kelley, OL, Thomas; Collin Oliver, DE, Edmond Santa Fe; Ty Williams, DB, Muskogee; Donovan Stephens, LB, Del City; Jaden Bray, WR; Norman; Logan Nobles, OL, Jenks; Kale Smith, WR, Midwest City.

2020: Eli Russ, OL, Plainview; Dominic Richardson, TB, Bishop McGuinness; Jordan Reagan, DB, Bixby; Jeff Roberson, OL, Choctaw; Brennan Presley, WR, Bixby; Cole Thompson, LB, Norman; Zach Middleton, Tulsa Kelley.

2019: Grayson Boomer, TE, Collinsville; Trace Ford, DE, Edmond Santa Fe; Demarco Jones, DB, Tulsa Washington.

2018: C.J. Moore, WR, Tulsa Union; Bryce Bray, OL, Bixby; Jacob Farrell, OL, Sulphur; Jason Taylor, DB, Carl Albert; Hunter Anthony, OL, Tuttle; Jake Ross, TE, Coweta.

2017: Brendon Evers, DL, Bixby; Brock Martin, DE, Oologah; Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Wagoner; Baron Odom, TE, Wynnewood.

2016: Calvin Bundage, LB, Edmond Santa Fe; Tyler Brown, OL, Lexington; Justice Hill, TB, Tulsa Washington; Dillon Stoner, WR, Jenks; Landon Wolf, WR, Tulsa East Central.

2015: John Kolar, QB, Norman North.

2014: Devon Thomas, TB, Broken Arrow; Gyasi Akem, LB, Broken Arrow; Jordan Brailford, DE, Tulsa Washington; Dylan Harding, DB, Jenks.

2013: Dawson Bassett, LB, Tuttle.

2012: Kevin Peterson, DB, Wagoner; Zac Veatch, TE, Broken Arrow; Caleb Muncrief, TB, Madill.

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Giddey-Kuminga will be forever linked

Klay Thompson took a fourth-quarter pass in the corner and leaped for one of his patented jumpshots. Thompson’s teammate, Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga, loitered a few feet above the foul line. Most players with an interest in rebounding head for the basket when they see one of the game’s greatest shooters leave the floor with the ball in hand.

Not Kuminga. He waited until the ball began its descent, watching it all the way, then headed down the right side of the lane. Kuminga’s radar was rewarded. The ball hit the far side of the rim and bounced back. The high-flying Kuminga grabbed it and dunked with precise timing, and Golden State went on to a 110-98 victory Monday night at PayCom Center.

And then you sort of remember. This is why Kuminga not long ago was considered a lottery prize.

A year ago at this time, with the Thunder in its first lottery business in more than a decade, there were five prized prospects. Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalens Green and Suggs, and Kuminga.

Kuminga, from the Congo, came to the U.S. at age 13 to play basketball. He graduated high school at age 17 and bypassed college to join the G League Ignite. He was an athletic, 6-foot-7 wing.

Kuminga’s shooting was somewhat sub-par, and his draft stock eventually began to fall. Florida State’s Scottie Barnes worked his way into elite prospect status and replaced Kuminga among the top five.

Then the lottery balls hexed the Thunder, which was relegated to the sixth pick.

On draft night, the Thunder pulled a stunner, choosing Australian 18-year-old Josh Giddey.

NBA intelligence had said the Warriors sought Giddey. Golden State was picking seventh. The Warriors settled on Kuminga.

Turns out, both franchises have to be happy with their picks.

Giddey has been a rookie sensation. In nba.com’s rookie rankings, Giddey is fourth, behind Detroit’s Cunningham, Cleveland’s Mobley and Toronto’s Barnes. Giddey has won all three Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards this season.

Among rookies, Giddey ranks eighth in scoring (12.1 points per game) but first in assists (6.2) and third in rebounding (7.6). He leads all rookies in double-doubles, with 13.

Giddey by any metric looks like a Thunder building block.

But Kuminga looks good, too. He’s cracked the Golden State rotation, which some thought might not happen, and is averaging 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 13.0 minutes. Kuminga is shooting 49.6 percent from the field, and even his 3-point shot (30.1 percent) is better than scouts thought possible.

Kuminga’s supreme athletic ability is evident. In scoring 16 points against the Thunder, Kuminga had three dunks.

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Giddey said he does pay a little extra attention to his fellow 2021 draft class colleagues. He got to know some of them in New York, leading up to the draft.

“Kuminga was really good tonight,” Giddey said. “The situations are a bit different. He’s on a winning team, I’m on a rebuilding team. But the minutes he’s gotten, he’s been productive.”

The situations are indeed different. Kuminga is being eased into a veteran team that has the NBA’s second-best record. Giddey is being baptized by fire, playing 31.4 minutes per game. Giddey is in the club of rookies who clearly have established themselves as NBA forces.

Kuminga is not there yet. But he’s shown he can be a good NBA player, with a high ceiling.

“He’s done a really nice job,” Mark Daigneault said. “One of the hardest things in that situation, they’re obviously a really, really good team that is positioned where they were in the draft. He’s trying to establish himself in the league. And he’s probably got a vision of what he wants to be, yet he’s on a team that requires him to play a pretty narrow role right now.

“I think he’s probably benefiting from that. He’s probably sacrificing short term whatever you call it, but longer-term, I think it’s good for him.”

NBA history is written by draft-night decisions. The Thunder, bummed by the lottery balls, is pleased with the end result. Sure, OKC might rather have Cunningham or Mobley, but if the Thunder had had the chance to take Green or Suggs, it might have. And there would be no Giddey.

Rookie-year projections are dangerous. Green and/or Suggs might still make the Hall of Fame. But Giddey is the NBA’s youngest player, 19 years and four months, and he’s already an impact player.

“We’re thrilled we have Josh,” Daigneault said. “We’re really pleased with the way his season has gotten off. This is obviously a really good draft class that is only going to continue to get better. Hard to bet against any of these guys at this point.”

The Giddey-Kuminga relationship wasn’t lost on the Warriors. Kuminga had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, playing 23 minutes. He appeared on the Golden State postgame show and was asked about Giddey.

“That’s just the past,” Kuminga said. “I’m in a good position now, a good situation. I don’t really worry about who got drafted higher.”

Kuminga seems to know his role.

“I always come out here, especially with the team we’ve got, we’ve got a lot of old guys, so they always need the young guys to bring a lot of energy,” Kuminga said. “That’s what I did. I just brought energy.”

Giddey and Kuminga will be forever linked. That’s how it goes with the NBA Draft.

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Bill Hancock’s Olympic Adventure

Another Olympics has arrived, and you know what that means for the ScissorTales. More excellent adventures from Bill Hancock. The Hobart native and decades-long college championships director has volunteered at both Winter and the Summer Olympics going back to 1984 (Summer) and 2006 (Winter). His daily dispatches give us a look at what life is like in the Olympic city.

“(Please excuse the typos and bad writing in this friendly message to family members. They are sweethearts and so will not object to sloppiness.)

“Young Hank Mayfield of Prairie Village created an overlay map of China and the United States. Beijing is basically near the New York-Pennsylvania border, about like Erie. Thank you, Hank!

“Breakfast: Wimpy bacon (but good.) Frankfurt sausage (not nearly as good as a Dodger Dog.) Omelet with soy sauce, cantaloupe, broccoli, cheese, banana chips, orange juice, grape juice and milk.

“Commute from the Westin Chaoyang to the Main Press Center: 24 minutes by bus. Wow, we could tell the weekend is over. Traffic is back and the city is alive again.

“I’m told the United States embassy is pert near the Westin Chaoyang and that embassy guests sometimes stay here. Our room at the hotel is really, really great. So great that I’m embarrassed to post a photo. It’s like when we bought our first Prius and I didn’t want to drive it because it was just TOO cool and, uh, ostentatious. (Yeah, I always thought ostentatious was that city where the Longhorns have their campus.)

“This is TMI, but we always unpack when we're in a hotel. I want to know that my socks are in the sock drawer. Can you say, ‘nerd?’

“The Westin may be my best accommodations at an Olympics. Well, the Montague in London was spectacular. Come to think of it, so was the Mercure in Rio. And so was the apartment that I shared with Will Hancock in Sydney. And the apartment Craig Bohnert, Irv Moss, Bob Condron and I shared in Torino was great fun. So maybe it’s a tie. We’ll go into overtime and whoever wins the toss will drive down the field to score the winning touchdown and the other team will howl to change the rules and nothing will happen.

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“Volunteer du jour: Yu Xue. Student. Helping in the press center. Glasses. Real sweet.

“COVID countermeasure of the day: Everyone wears a mask. I don’t hear anyone complaining. Of course, people also wore masks when we were here in 2008. That was because of air quality, of course.

“Today’s Great China Food Experiment: Steamed pumpkin. Kinda bland and squishy. Needs brown sugar.

“When the genius USOC communications director, Mike Moran, invited me to join his team for my first Olympics back in 1984 – me and my friends Bob Condron, Claude Felton, Hoss Brock, Jim Marchiony, Debby Jennings and others – I was 33 years old. It was a great fortnight for all of us!

“Comment from New York: I hope all is well in Beijing. Or Peking, as I still call it.

“Lunch: Yesterday we went to the famous restaurant in the press center where the food is prepared by machines and then served by machines. You may have seen this place on television; the food is lowered from the ceiling on little trays. It worked! And the food was good, too.

“We stood in a short line and placed our order by pointing to photographs. After paying with our credit card, we were assigned Table No. A-22. We went to the table, watched through a glass wall as the machines mixed the ingredients, and pretty soon the tray dropped down to a spot above our table. I picked the plate of noodles off the tray, and the gizmo retreated back into the ceiling.

“It was a good gimmick. Tasty food was a bonus.

“Signs warned people not to take photos of the robotic food operation in progress. Nobody paid attention.

“I rode the bus to Capitol Indoor Stadium for figure skating today. Didn’t actually see any skating, because the bus trip in city traffic took longer than I planned. I arrived in time to see the medals ceremony, which was dignified and happy.

“The bus ride was fun except I got one of the buses that doesn’t have any heat. It was a chilly ride. I passed a McDonald’s, plus two KFCs; those are ubiquitous here. Also saw a lady doing Tai Chi in a park while her little dog watched. People were strolling in the park, too, pretending it’s spring like we all do in Kansas City when the temperature hits 40. The bus route went two blocks east of Beijing Normal University, which was our home for the 2008 Olympics.

“Beijing has five freeways that are ‘ring roads.’ The press center is near the third ring. The bus to Capitol Indoor Stadium cuts through the city to the second one. By the way, this stadium hosted the volleyball competition at the 2008 Olympics.

“In case you’re wondering, when it’s 3 p.m. Friday in Gotebo, it’s 5 a.m. Saturday in Beijing.

“Remember when we were kids and tried to dig a hole in the back yard in Hobart, all the way to China? Once I tried to figure out where you’d come out if you dug said hole directly through the earth. But I gave up. Does anybody know?

“Weather: Low 19, high 42. High clouds. A little breezy, but overall quite pleasant again.

“The Dutch continue to dominate speed skating. Someone should demand that the committee add more teams to the tournament, to give other countries a chance. (Insert smiley face.)

“Before we came here, I figured the Chinese would allow media to visit the Great Wall. Even though we’re confined to the Closed Loop, the wall seems like too big a PR opportunity for our hosts. We’ll see if it happens.

“This evening we joined colleagues Kate, Olivia, Lauren, Marissa and Taylor for a drink made by a robot here in the press center. Fun! The robot poured vodka into a container, added the juice and ice, and then put a lid on the cup and shook the whole thing vigorously. Then it poured the drink into a cocktail glass and we happily sipped.

“I think the robot rationed its vodka.

“Dinner: Late-night hamburger from room service at the Westin. Just fine. It included a fried egg and decent bacon. We asked for mustard, but the woman called back timidly and said they don’t have mustard. She was SO polite about it. (I must admit that the consistency of the meat was different from what we get at BRGR back home.)

“What a privilege to be here! Every day is an adventure.”

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Mailbag: OU basketball talent

The Sooners’ recent swoon – 3-7 in the Big 12, a half game out of last place – has some readers worried.

Greg: “I understand that during the season, neither the coach certainly, nor the local sportswriters really, should address the elephant in the room. OU needs a significant talent upgrade in order to compete in the Big 12 and eventually the SEC. On the plus side, the team plays hard. On the minus side, they’re not a good shooting team, they tend to make passes in the same lanes making it very predictable for the defenders to cause turnovers and they don’t rebound well. Often they seem to overpass. And on the rebounding, the team seems to lack interest in offensive rebounds, usually with only one player trying to do the job. The other four are on their way back to defend. Long, long ago, a coach taught me that rebounding was about hard work, constant attention and blocking out. You’ll recall 4-5 games ago when teams were getting offensive rebounds on missed free throws. That should only happen on a long bounce. At the beginning of the conference season, I looked around the conference and I couldn’t figure out who the last place team was. I’m afraid that, like the old adage about not being able to figure out which one of the other players is the sucker, then it’s you. Halfway through the conference season, sad to say, I think I know who the last place team will be.”

Tramel: OU certainly could finish last. The Sooners are a half-game up on West Virginia, and the Mountaineers have an easier schedule remaining.

And of course, OU needs a talent upgrade. That’s almost always the case, no matter the goal. Avoiding last place. Making the NCAA Tournament. Getting to the Final Four.

But coaches in their first season on campus often face struggles. Not too many Bob Stoopses out there, leaving a program when it's on top.

Let’s see. Dave Bliss’ first OU team went 9-17. Billy Tubbs’ went 9-18. Kelvin Sampson was a notable exception, going 23-9. Jeff Capel’s first Sooner squad was 16-15. Lon Kruger’s was 15-16. So Porter Moser’s 13-10 doesn’t seem behind the curve.

Yes, these days are different with the transfer portal. You can rebuild much more quickly. You also can be ripped apart much more quickly.

In the portal, OU lost Alondes Williams (Wake Forest), Brady Manek (North Carolina) and De’Vion Harmon (Oregon). Three double-digit scorers at Power 5 programs. And LeBron chum Austin Reaves was a much better player than any of us realized.

From the portal, Moser retrieved the Groves brothers (Eastern Washington), Jordan Goldwire (Duke) and Ethan Chargois (Southern Methodist). Nice recovery, but overall, a net minus.

Yes, OU needs a talent upgrade. Coaches in their first seasons almost always need a talent upgrade.

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The List: OSU’s low-scoring scoring leaders

Avery Anderson leads the OSU basketball team in scoring with 11.1 points per game. If that seems low, it is.

You have to go back to the Henry Iba days to find a lower-scoring Cowboy scoring leader – Jim Feaster averaged 10.7 points a game to lead the 1966-67 Cowboys. Iba teams from 1948 through 1970 had four scoring leaders who checked in at less than 11.1 points per game, led by Don Heffington’s 8.0 in 1959-60.

Here are OSU’s 10 lowest-scoring scoring leaders since 1970.

1. Avery Anderson 11.1, 2021-22

2. Leroy Combs 12.1, 1981-82

3. Tony Kraus 12.2, 1970-71

4. Cameron McGriff 12.3, 2019-20

4. Cameron McGriff 12.3, 2018-19 (McGriff scored 394 points in 32 games; the next season, he scored exactly 394 points in 32 games)

6. Jawun Evans 12.9, 2015-16

7. Jerome Lambert 13.0, 1995-96

8. Victor Williams 13.1, 2001-02

9. James Anderson 13.3, 2007-08

10. Joe Atkinson 13.5, 1984-85

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU & OU football: Will more in-state recruiting help retention?