'Sooner than later': Why OU football commit Kevin Sperry decided to play for Carl Albert

MIDWEST CITY — Kevin Sperry’s parents have nearly completed the moving process just in time for his football debut at Carl Albert High School.

As the quarterback practices in the blistering summer heat to prepare for Friday’s home opener against Coweta, a half-full storage unit is all that remains for his family of four to bring to Oklahoma and unload. This summer, the Sperrys have hauled their belongings about 200 miles north from Prosper, Texas, to Midwest City.

“All of it’s worth it,” said Kevin Sr., Sperry's father.

This is the realization of a dream they’ve had for years, an idea that blossomed when they realized their elder son – or “Keb,” as his parents affectionately call him – had the star power to lead a Division I program.

But the move happened much earlier than they expected.

At the beginning of June, the Sperrys had no clue they would end up living in Oklahoma this year. In a whirlwind timeline of less than a week, Kevin Sr. and Gabi Sperry solidified the plan, toured houses in Midwest City and drove Kevin Jr. to Carl Albert so he could join summer workouts before his junior season.

OU’s football camps changed everything.

“It was all (in) probably five to seven days we made that decision,” said Sperry, a four-star Sooner commit. “We did a lot of praying and ultimately made our decision after a few camps. We just knew we loved it out here and wanted to make the move.”

Though fully supportive, his parents weren’t the ones who initiated the process.

Sperry realized he didn’t want to wait any longer to live close to his future college. Rozzi, his 14-year-old brother, loved Oklahoma, too. So, on June 14 in the Norman Airbnb house where the Sperrys stayed during football camp, the siblings made an announcement.

“We don’t want to go home,” they said. “We want to stay here.”

The Airbnb might not have been a permanent home, but the Sperrys decided to find one nearby.

It helps that their new school district encompasses a football dynamo.

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How Kevin Sperry joined Carl Albert powerhouse

Sperry, a precocious dual-threat quarterback with a background in sports agility training and a knack for quickly making off-balance throws, is adding power to a Class 5A Carl Albert superteam that won its 17th state championship last season. And he has left Texas, the larger-than-life cradle of Friday night lights, to join forces with some of the top talents in Oklahoma.

For the highly touted signal-caller, it’s all about being a teammate. Since making his college decision in March, he has focused on connecting with fellow future Sooners. At Carl Albert, he can hand the ball to Sooner commit Xavier Robinson in the backfield or sling it to a number of receivers with OU offers. Sperry is also branching beyond his school, recently attending the OU commitment ceremony of Millwood receiver Jaden Nickens.

But Sperry couldn’t have made this happen without his original teammates: his family.

Luckily, they were on board with moving, even before the location was clear.

As Sperry’s college offers poured in, Kevin Sr. and Gabi knew what they wanted to do. Wherever their son committed, their tight-knit quartet would move to that state.

Loading up boxes and starting fresh is no small decision, but the Sperrys didn’t need much deliberation. Kevin Sr. is a stay-at-home father, and Gabi, a residential designer, has been splitting time between Texas and Oklahoma since the move.

“Going to camps, watching our kids play football, doing what they love to do, their passion is everything that we love,” Kevin Sr. said. “The more (time) we can just spend with each other, watching them enjoying what they love to do, it’s everything to us.

“It’s a vacation that we dream about.”

After a stellar sophomore year at Rock Hill High School in Texas, Sperry had plenty of potential destinations. He could have stayed in the Lone Star State – Baylor, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, SMU and North Texas all extended offers. Originally from Torrance, California, he could have returned to the West Coast if he chose Oregon or Washington State, where his father had been a linebacker.

Sperry had no pressure to choose yet.  His parents imagined it might happen just before his senior year of high school, giving him time to acclimate if they moved then.

But he wanted to establish himself as a Sooner – well, sooner.

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'Sooner than later'

Kevin Sr. said his son’s authentic connection with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby played a major role, and the Sperrys began to see Oklahoma as their new home, leaving the booming Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for a quieter life.

“We didn’t anticipate the commitment happening so early to a college,” Kevin Sr. said. “It was always going to be a transition when he went to college. With him falling in love with Oklahoma, with us falling in love with Oklahoma and him committing so early, it was on the radar to get up here a little sooner than later.”

Unfamiliar with most high schools in the Oklahoma City metro area, Sperry’s father sought input from fellow parents at OU camps.

He kept hearing about Carl Albert.

With insignia featuring the year of each Carl Albert state title plastered onto the press box at Gary Rose Stadium, the Titans’ deep tradition was obvious. Kevin Sr. reached out to head coach Mike Dunn and asked to see the summer practice schedule. Only four days after Sperry’s final OU camp, he showed up at a Carl Albert workout.

The Sperrys had driven at 2:30 a.m. to make sure their son could build a foundation with his team.

Quickly, Dunn noticed the trademarks of Sperry’s game.

“His throwing mechanics are really pretty special,” Dunn said. “Everything with the way that he releases the ball, the zip of the ball. When he throws it, you can hear it.

“There’s a different speed, and when our kids catch the ball, they come out of a route and that ball is right there on them, right on the numbers, right then and there.”

A four-star quarterback connecting with standout receivers Trey Washington and Trystan Haynes? For the Titans, it’s a dream come true as they attempt to deepen their legacy with another state title.

But Sperry isn’t just focused on winning a ring. Although he had only a couple of months to bond with his teammates before Week Zero, he made the most of it, tossing the ball to receivers outside practice and spending time together away from football.

Sperry valued spending the summer with the Titans, striving to gain respect as a teammate through his commitment to preseason work instead of suddenly showing up to start the season, his father said.

The Titans quickly embraced their new quarterback.

“You would have never known that he hadn’t been there forever,” Dunn said.

After all, these guys might be Sperry’s teammates beyond Carl Albert — OU coach Brent Venables has extended offers to several of them. Sperry said he didn’t immediately take on the role of OU recruiter when he arrived in Midwest City, but he grinned and added:

“They know where I want them to go.”

As he grows more comfortable with Oklahoma, Sperry is loving the chance to draw his new friends toward OU, building the class of 2025.

“I’m really blessed to be in this position, and I thank God every day for that because not everybody’s in this position that I’m in,” Sperry said. “Recruiting’s a lot of fun. That’s a spot that I want to be in for a long time, and my early commitment makes that happen a lot sooner. Building a relationship with the guys is a lot of fun.”

Hallie Hart covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Hallie? She can be reached at hhart@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @halliehart. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Hallie's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football commit Kevin Sperry explains journey to Carl Albert