OU football: Fast cars, big-name alums give ChampU BBQ a lasting impression on Sooner recruits

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OU football: Fast cars, big-name alums give ChampU BBQ a lasting impression on Sooner recruits

Tue, 06/22/2021 - 00:32
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Jun. 21—Sitting at the south goal line on Owen Field on Saturday, decked out head to toe in OU gear, receiver Brandon Inniss leaned against the bright green Ferrari and spread his arms for a photo.

The line of exotic cars — and one truck — was one of the most eye-popping parts of the annual ChampU BBQ event.

The sports cars weren’t the only sources of speed and power on the field. Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown were there as well. So were Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb.

But it wasn’t just recent alums who made an appearance.

Adrian Peterson, Lane Johnson, Trent Williams, Sam Bradford and Roy Williams also participated.

The event has typically been held in late July, when NFL players are in camp and getting ready for their seasons.

The move up allowed the active players to be there.

Both the cars and the former players helped make quite the social media splash, with some of the biggest recruits in the 2022 and 2023 classes plastering pictures, such as Inniss’, posing in front of cars and with one or more of the large groups of alums in attendance.

Though the recruiting dead period — which prohibits face-to-face contact with recruits or their parents — ended June 1 after more than 14 months, and the Sooners had hosted recruits since the restrictions were lifted, Saturday’s ChampU BBQ was the first major recruiting splash Lincoln Riley and co. had made since things began their return to normal on the recruiting front.

And it didn’t take long for there to be a benefit, as Riley’s eyes emojis made their return to Twitter by Sunday afternoon.

The eyeballs have generally indicated a commitment, though they haven’t appeared with recent commits.

None of Saturday’s visitors had announced a commitment as of Sunday afternoon, though it’s not unusual for players to inform coaches of their decisions well before making that commitment public.

Several players who visited Norman have said they intend to commit in coming weeks, including linebacker Ish Harris and offensive tackle Dayne Shor.

Almost all of the 2022 players already committed to the Sooners made it to Norman — many for the first time during their recruitment process as the COVID-19 pandemic changed the recruiting landscape, making Zoom the primary recruiting tool.

The visits gave recruits — and their parents — a chance to strengthen the bond built virtually with coaches and their fellow recruits and gave them a chance to recruit others.

And the impact of the weekend figures to stretch for quite some time.

Inniss, a five-star wide receiver from American Heritage in Plantation, Florida, was one of the big group of 2023 recruits who made the trip for an unofficial visit.

Three of the top four players in the 2023 class, according to Rivals, were in attendance. Inniss comes in at No. 4, pro-style quarterback Malachi Nelson is No. 2 and defensive end Lebbeus Overton is No. 1.

Overton’s father, Milton, was an offensive lineman for the Sooners in the mid-1990s and is currently the athletic director at Kennesaw State.