It’s shaping up to be a massive recruiting weekend for Oklahoma, and all Sooner fans have their eyes on announcements Saturday and Sunday.
But Frisco (Texas) High kicker Gavin Marshall decided to start the weekend of potential big-time commitments with his own, announcing for the Sooners on Friday afternoon.
The month of June was a busy one for Marshall, who once attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Two mega-offers shook up his recruitment with OU (June 27) and Florida State (June 29).
In the end, though, it’s a childhood dream that’s coming true.
“I have been an OU fan my whole life,” Marshall said. “I never thought I would get the chance to play for the team. And when I had the chance, it was a dream come true.”
Marshall said he came to OU three weekends ago and had a personal workout for head coach Lincoln Riley and Ryan Dougherty, OU’s special teams quality control coach. It wasn’t long after that event when he offered in Riley’s office.
It’s actually the relationship between Marshall and Dougherty that is one big reason why it was an easy choice to make the OU call.
“Another big reason was coach Dougherty,” Marshall said. “I felt like he can be a huge help in developing me in a way that most colleges don’t have for specialists.”
Marshall has the IMG school record with field goals of 47 and 49 yards, going 60 for 60 on extra points and 8 of 9 on field goal attempts. Fifty of his 64 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.
Gabe Brkic has done an outstanding job for the Sooners the last two seasons that you almost wonder if he has another banner year in 2021, might he leave early? Either way, adding a top-tier specialist had to be a priority for 2022 or 2023, and the Sooners saw what they needed to see in Marshall.
OU is hoping Friday’s momentum can be carried over into three noteworthy decisions Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, it will be a pair of decisions being made with 2023 Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Rivals 100 athlete Treyaun Webb and 2022 Bellevue (Neb.) High three-star tight end Kaden Helms.
From there, 2023 Los Alamitos (Calif.) High five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson is expected to announce Sunday afternoon.
Marshall is in. Could it be a sign of what’s to come the rest of the weekend?