Take Two: Will Oklahoma pull Blayne Toll from Arkansas?
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team
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Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
THE STORYLINE
In the first six clips of Blayne Toll’s highlight tape, he’s playing Wildcat quarterback, defensive end, wide receiver who comes into the backfield to take a pitch, a shotgun quarterback, a defensive tackle and also a tight end.
That versatility is why the three-star is ranked as an athlete and the second-best prospect in the state of Arkansas and why so many top programs have offered. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound prospect recently narrowed his list to a top five of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee and Ole Miss.
The Sooners recently lost a commitment from four-star athlete Drew Sanders to Alabama and Toll has become a major priority for this class. There is some chatter that coach Lincoln Riley could go into Arkansas and land Toll, who would probably play on the defensive side of the ball in Norman.
But the Razorbacks are not giving up and need to keep in-state talent home as coach Chad Morris has done an admirable job recruiting even if the on-field product was miserable last season. Others are giving chase as well since Toll can play all over the field.
Will the Sooners be able to land Toll or does the three-star prospect from Hazen, Ark., have other plans when it comes to his commitment?
FIRST TAKE: JOSH MCCUISTION, SOONERSCOOP.COM
“Oklahoma probably is the leader. After talking to some people, and I don’t know how fair it is, it sounds like there is some trepidation from the Arkansas side. He’s a guy Oklahoma likes. From what I can gather, when they look at him, they’d like him to play that outside defensive end, that multiple front that they’ve liked to run the last few years.
“I think it’s clearly more of a three-down front in Alex Grinch’s system, but clearly we don’t know what that’s going to look like. I definitely think he’s a defensive end and they like his athleticism out there, not only rush the passer but also be a guy who has that size and can get into that 270-pound range and be a pretty complete player and do a little bit of everything for them.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“It’s not surprising Oklahoma can get him. Morris has done an excellent job so far at Arkansas in recruiting especially with a 2-10 season and not much to sell but a vision. Oklahoma is Oklahoma. They’ve been in the playoff, they put guys in the pros and when he got that offer he seemed very excited about it.
“Again, it goes back to Oklahoma recruiting kids who can play multiple positions and they do a great job selling that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left Arkansas, but I wouldn’t count it against Arkansas at all. There are only so many times you can go against an Oklahoma and win recruiting battles and there are only so many times you can keep the top kid in-state when you’re not winning.”
