NORMAN — Oklahoma running back Jacob Gutierrez raises his hand with three fingers in the air and his index finger and thumb making a circle to symbolize "03” — as in the high school class of 2003.
Advertisement
"We're the last of a dying breed,” said Darien Williams, another member of the small but proud group who signed with Oklahoma in 2003 and are still on the team today.
Twenty-four players came in with the 2003 signing class — highlighted by names such as Tommy Grady, Tashard Choice, Tony Cade and Lawrence "Moe” Dampeer.
Nine of the 24 are still around with a chance to finish all four years of eligibility at OU.
When they signed, the expectations were high for the players of that class. They ranked among the top five in the nation by recruiting services Scout.com and Rivals.com.
And their careers saw early success — a Big 12 Conference championship and two BCS title game appearances in their first two years — that has outweighed other shortcomings.
But individually, the class of 2003 has fallen short of expectations.
"We don't really look at it like that,” tight end Joe Jon Finley said. "You don't come here expecting to compete for anything less than a national championship. It doesn't matter what your recruiting class is.”
Only Williams and Finley were regular starters before last year. Linebacker Lewis Baker played as a true freshman, then redshirted and changed positions twice.
Of course, there are some special cases among the '03 class. Junior-college transfer Donte Nicholson was an All-Big 12 defensive back. Carl Pendleton quit football to concentrate on raising his younger brother, who he adopted.
But several left for personal reasons or were dismissed.
"Some guys left for a better situation for themselves,” Gutierrez said. "We had some guys who had issues with weight or whatever. It's a year-round thing. Some guys just didn't feel it was that important for them. Some guys, school was an issue. Trying to balance football and workouts and school, it's not for everybody.”
Of the nine who made it this far, all of them are in position to contribute in their final season.
"Everything is the last for us,” Finley said. "This is our last first-game week.
"We always kid each other about that stuff, but deep down, we really know this is our last chance to get that (championship) ring we want.
"We can't say, ‘there's always next year,' because there is no next year for us.”
Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
Leave a comment.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
Scott,
Short story, but very well written. I appreciate that there were stories within this story that could have led you astray from the point of it all. But you stayed on course and provided an ending that said it all. You minimized the narrative and, by relying heavily on quotations, you let the player's thoughts and feelings communicate what it was about. You got out of the way and let the story tell the story. Most importantly, I enjoyed reading it and was informed. Again, well done.
Scott, good article and one we Sooner Fans know too well. It's also good to know that the personnel remaining are real Sooners, have made an impact, and want to go out making an impact. That's the real Sooner football player and the ones that can tell their Grandchildren someday that they were made of the right stuff. They aught to be happy too, to be a part of what has come together for this season. Sooner Fans in Houston are really pumped up. We read all the Daily Oklahoman articles, the Dallas Morning News and still can't get enough. Hello Saturday night. Boomer Sooner
Other RBs could gain ground with Patrick out 08/29/2007 NORMAN — His Sooner teammates have taken to calling him "Cover Boy.” Now, if only Allen Patrick could be sure coaches will be calling his number. Around...
Ranking the recruits 08/29/2007 Ranking the recruits In his eight seasons at Oklahoma, Bob Stoops' staff has been viewed as a strong group of recruiters. Here's how Stoops' first eight...
2
Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
Short story, but very well written. I appreciate that there were stories within this story that could have led you astray from the point of it all. But you stayed on course and provided an ending that said it all. You minimized the narrative and, by relying heavily on quotations, you let the player's thoughts and feelings communicate what it was about. You got out of the way and let the story tell the story. Most importantly, I enjoyed reading it and was informed. Again, well done.