MUSKOGEE — Even as Muskogee's Jameel Owens joked with teammate Stacy McGee, a crimson bill of an OU cap peaked out from under an Oklahoma State one on the table in front of the pair, hinting at the decision to come.
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In the end, both donned OU caps and announced their commitment to the Sooners on Tuesday before a wrestling match at Ron Milam Gymnasium.
The commitment is non-binding. The pair will sign on National Signing Day, Feb. 6.
Owens, a wide receiver, and McGee, a defensive lineman, started by picking up caps from Tennessee and Texas Tech before discarding them and focusing on hats from the two in-state schools.
First, McGee slipped on the first OU cap, to applause from the large crowd.
Then Owens picked up the Oklahoma State cap, looked down and talked of playing with McGee in high school.
"Why can't we bleed crimson and cream together?” Owens asked before sliding off the Cowboys cap to reveal a Sooners hat.
As he did that, he unzipped his sweatshirt to reveal a No. 4 OU jersey.
During the recruiting process, Owens and McGee talked about going to the same school. On Tuesday they didn't decide to be a package deal until late. Earlier this month, the duo said they would wait until signing day to make their decisions public.
In the end, though, once they made their decisions, they wanted to get it out there and get it over with.
"I knew where I wanted to go, I might as well tell everybody now,” McGee said. "That's less pressure on me.”
Owens is the No. 7 wide receiver in the country according to Rivals.com. He picked the Sooners over Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Texas Tech. McGee, the No. 6 defensive tackle in the country according to the same site, chose Oklahoma over Tennessee.
Owens visited Tennessee last weekend. McGee was scheduled to make the visit but canceled so he could wrestle at the Bobby Lyons Classic on Sand Springs.
Owens and McGee are the 16{+t}{+h} and 17{+t}{+h} commits for the Sooners and only the second and third from the state.
Tulsa Union kicker Tress Way is the other in-state commit.
Owens, a U.S. Army All-American, had 59 catches for 994 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. In his career, the 6-foot-4, 225-pouder had 167 receptions for 3,444 yards and 45 touchdowns. He also saw significant action at quarterback.
With Malcolm Kelly declaring early for the NFL Draft and primary backup Adron Tennell recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Owens gives the Sooners added depth at wide receiver and figures to at least have the chance to contribute quickly.
He already seemed poised to take Kelly's number.
"It's going to be an Owens jersey,” Owens said. "I even got the four chain. I like the number four and I want to keep wearing it as long as I can.”
Owens said Kelly's decision to leave didn't affect his decision.
"Any school you go to, you're going to have to compete for playing time,” he said. "It's didn't matter if I went to OSU or Tennessee, I was going to have to prove myself. ... If I go do my job, I'm going to play wherever I go.”
Owens said he was fine with redshirting but his goal is to play as a freshman.
McGee (6-5, 275) had 98 tackles, 20 for loss, with 18 hurries and six sacks for the Roughers.
Although McGee is listed as a defensive tackle, his preference would be to play on the end in Norman.
"The great thing about Stacy is he can go either way,” said Muskogee coach Matt Hennesy, who played for Sooners coach Bob Stoops at Kansas State. "He can continue to be fast and lean like he is right now and play end for them, or they can beef him up and move him inside, whatever they need. He's a playmaker and that's what they're needing up front right now.”
Owens became the latest Muskogee standout to wind up in Norman. Last season, Jontae Bumpus signed with the Sooners. Seth Littrell, who recruited Owens for Texas Tech, was a fullback for the Sooners.
Muskogee was also home to former Sooner All-Americans Terry Webb (1975), Bo Bolinger (1955), Kurt Burris (1954), Max Boydston (1954), Eddie Crowder (1952), Buddy Burris (1946, 47, 48) and Pete Smith (1937).
During Owens' visit to Tennessee, Owens was in a car with former Millwood quarterback Gerald Jones when Jones and one of his Tennessee teammates were cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession after being pulled over because of a burned out taillight. Owens and another Tennessee player in the vehicle were not cited.
Owens said that incident didn't affect his decision either.
"That incident that happened in Knoxville was an unfortunate accident,” Owens said. "That could've happened to anybody. I don't look down on the Tennessee program or anything like that.”
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Todd , it is not good to judge the actions of a team by the actions of another . I would think no one would care about another teams actions and would just concentrate on the team they were hired to coach. There is not a college in America that has not faced some sort of discipline problems but to say well we only had one bad apple according to another teams two bad apples ....Each college should concentrate on their students and leave the other colleges to their authorities. There are a lot of good students at all of the colleges no one hears about them as the media would rather pick some rebel and make it like he represents the student body . I do not condone stealing but to the students who get caught taking $ from the boosters .I blame the boosters as much as of course $ looks good to a student .......but please stop with the silly comparisons to other teams stick to worrying about the Sooners or whatever team you are for there are more players than the bad one ..........
I think it's pretty obvious Stoops doesn't tolerate crap after kicking the Starting QB of that much upside off the team as he did in'05. He isn't Mack Brown. Doesn't really look like the good ol' Switzer Days are coming back on Bob's watch. I really don't think the amount of negative at OU has came close to the all the things Texas seems to be allowing at their correctional, I mean learning institution.
Todd - It IS possible to be a Sooner fan AND insist that we not go back to Bad Old Days of rape, coke dealing, and shootings in Bud Hall. Its an honor to wear the Crimson and Cream because of all the great guys that wore that jersey: Vessels, Calame, McDonald, Owens, Mildren, Sims, White, etc. If we accept the type of disgraceful, out-and-out criminal behavior that seems to have dogged the Longhorns over the past few seasons, are we really any better than them? I know Stoops and Castiglione feel the same way. What are YOU waiting for?
Now that's original! Some reason I hear your cousin/brother playing the banjo in the background. Can't the haters come up with some new material, you guys just keep recycle each others cornbread and bean jokes, i'm embarassed FOR you!
Here is a real goal for the entire Sooner football team this year: no arrests, no citations. My "spider sense" is getting a mid-1980's Switzer Era lawlessness feeling creeping into the program.
I guess it is ok for oswho to recuit a kid for their basketball program from North Carolina and give him a second chance. A kid which was going to go play for North Car. U but they withdrew their offer when the kid was arrested for selling drugs at his own high school. That's fine but I guess when THE University of Oklahoma does the same it is some kind of wrong doing? And let's not forget how many second chances good ole Eddie has gotten. GIVE IT UP!
As an OSU fan, I feel like we missed out by not getting at least one of these kids. We definitely could have used them both on our team. And yes, OU fans are on OSU threads ALL THE TIME ripping OSU with very unintelligent (not to mention unoriginal) comments. And yes, had Owens went to OSU, there would have been tons of OU fans making stupid comments about us picking up yet another criminal....its just the way it is.
I don't get what's up with this...I don't know of any OU fans that would say anything about OU not wanting them because of what happened in Tennessee. For one, I'll bet few OU fans know about what happened, and the few that do probably wouldn't think anything of it because Owens wasn't cited.
Also, to add to the point, McGee wasn't with Owens in Tennessee and has never been in trouble. OU fans would bemoan them going to OSU because OU wants talent, but in the end do you think OU fans would throw a huge fit or be excited because an even better recruit would sign because they left?
The sad, unbiased, fact of the matter is that top recruits, no matter where they're from, want to go to top programs though there are a few exceptions. And OU is a power, they have tradition, they're use to winning. OSU doesn't have those things. And you can argue all you want but OU has 7 10+ win seasons in 9 years and before the probation hardly ever saw the outside of the top 10, and they're always in the national title conversation. There's no arguing that...it's plain simple facts. OSU doesn't have those things.
Another factor that could have led to Owens going to OU might be OSU's star freshman Dez Bryant. OSU has a knack for recruiting talented offensive players.
You are correct Patrick. Always is a powerful word. Every is a powerful word as well (go look at your comment). I do wear crimson-colored glasses and have no difficulty wearing them. You say you have better things to do, but you seem to have time to respond on here. I know you didn't say any derrogatory statements, but you are incorrect when you said every thread on here is a Bedlam issue. Thus, the reason for my comment. I do think there are idiots in both camps. I don't give the belittling worthless phrases against OSU. I think it's counterproductive. But the reason for my barreling in, as you put it, is to say that you stated an incorrect fact. I'm not initiating hate. It's going to come whether I post on here or not. So there is no strengthening your point. You are incorrect. You probably have better things to do than respond to my comment. So I guess this ends the issue.
Chris-In your haste to make your point, you only strengthened mine. I made a general comment about how threads on here tend to become divided along OSU/OU lines. Stated more clearly, my point was that both sides have their fans that get on here and start with the derogatory statements and that's just the way it will always be. I did not make any derogatory statements about OU. I just stated a fact. Then you come barreling in here looking through your crimson-colored glasses calling OSU idiots and saying we "always initiate the hate". I've got better things to do than go back through all the stories and see who initiates more of the berating comments, but "always" is a pretty powerful word. When you state things like that, YOU are initiating or at least proliferating the hate, my friend.
Patrick, your last statement is far from the truth. OSU fans make far more berating comments on threads relating to OU stories than the opposite. Normally I don't read stories that deal with OSU because I don't care to follow the Cowboys. But just to see if there are as many idiots who initiate the hate from an OU perspective, I clicked on a few OSU stories, and didn't see many references from OU fans. I think there are many who agree with me that we don't comment about OSU issues because we don't give a flip about their teams. OSU peeps are always the ones who come initiating the hate on OU threads.
Steve-You are probably right, but it cuts both ways. To carry your example out further, if they HAD gone to OSU, the OSU supporters wouldn't be bringing up the Tennessee thing. But, there would be plenty of OU supporters on here bashing OSU for signing Owens and claiming OU didn't want him anyway because he's a trouble maker. It's just the way it is. Every thread on here becomes a Bedlam discussion.
Jason I guess that passes for clever at Ag State. Don't be so impressed with yourself - really they are not that hard to do. For example: coach Eddie Sutton really taught his players to WEAVE through traffic, or linebacker Chris Collins is like a MAN PLAYING WITH CHILDREN, or coach Mike Gundy is like a PSYCHO in the lockeroom ... whoops that's not a joke is it? If they had gone to OSU you wouldn't have written a word. Pretend they did.
John in Ada, I think Gerald Hudson ran out of eligibility a long time ago at OSU (though he was a very good player there). Nice well thought out comment there Einstein. I guess you were too busy trying to slam OU, and in so doing made a fool out of yourself. That tells us alot about you.
I never said 2nd chances should not be awarded. I never said OU shouldn't sign them. I simply referred to what happened in Knoxville. I actually believe McGee will be the better player, if only because he doesn't have the inflated ego of Owens. I have also taught junior high and coached at that level. I have seen some terrible things that a lot of these kids go through. I have also seen kids that rise above all of that and succeed. I wish the best for both of them. That being said, you didn't think Owens' commitment would go without something being said, did you?
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Jameel Owens, left, and Stacy McGee announced on Tuesday they would accept OU's offer to play football for the Sooners. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
Muskogee's Jameel Owens, left, and Stacy McGee embrace after announcing that they will both attend the University of Oklahoma at Muskogee High School on Tuesday. by JOHN CLANTON, THE OKLAHOMAN
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Also, to add to the point, McGee wasn't with Owens in Tennessee and has never been in trouble. OU fans would bemoan them going to OSU because OU wants talent, but in the end do you think OU fans would throw a huge fit or be excited because an even better recruit would sign because they left?
The sad, unbiased, fact of the matter is that top recruits, no matter where they're from, want to go to top programs though there are a few exceptions. And OU is a power, they have tradition, they're use to winning. OSU doesn't have those things. And you can argue all you want but OU has 7 10+ win seasons in 9 years and before the probation hardly ever saw the outside of the top 10, and they're always in the national title conversation. There's no arguing that...it's plain simple facts. OSU doesn't have those things.
Another factor that could have led to Owens going to OU might be OSU's star freshman Dez Bryant. OSU has a knack for recruiting talented offensive players.