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2019 Sooners commit Jeffery Carter still enjoying recruitment

ALEDO, Tex. -- 2019 Oklahoma commit Jeffery Carter doesn’t get the ball thrown his direction too often on defense, but in Aledo’s 48-0 win against Justin-Northwest on Friday night, he pulled down an interception on the only pass truly tossed his way.

His reward was coming face-to-face with fellow Sooners commit Darrell Simpson at the end of his return, and taking a bump from a man 140-pounds heavier than him out of bounds. Clearly the commitment status of the two didn’t mean a whole lot in the heat of the moment.

“Getting the pick, I just pretty much turned myself into a wide receiver,” he said. “I didn’t expect to be that far deep into the endzone, but I wanted to score, so I just ran to the right but when I met Darrell I didn’t have nowhere to go, so I just put my head down.”

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Maybe Simpson saw the tweet Carter sent out earlier in the week about a visit he had planned to take to Alabama this past weekend. He ultimately chose not to make that visit, but the fact that he’s considered making visits to other schools is something to watch going forward with another year-and-a-half left in his recruitment.

“I was just going to go, watch the LSU game, and probably meet all the coaches and stuff,” he said.

Carter said that things with Alabama haven’t progressed much further than just communicating with one of the Crimson Tide graduate assistants for the time being, but his openness to such discussions isn’t necessarily an indication that he’s wavering on his commitment. Evidence of such can be found in his words about Aledo teammate and 2020 Sooners commit Jase McClellan and their tentative future together at OU.

“It’s just a family thing with us and about how comfortable we are with going there,” he said. “I’m going to get up there and let him know what it’s like so when he gets up there, he’ll already know what’s going on and it’s going to be a real good thing.”

Despite the nixed trip to Alabama, Carter said that Penn State has been the team most interested in trying to lure him away from his current commitment. James Franklin and company have two defensive backs from Texas committed in 2018, and are clearly looking to dip back into the well for another in 2019.

“They’re very professional, and they know what they’re doing out there,” he said. “But it’s cold.”

RIVALS REACTION

Oklahoma has had some mixed results early with its efforts recruiting its 2019 class, but currently has a solid quartet that includes Carter. Just because he ended up putting the kibosh on his trip to Alabama this weekend, he said that he still plans on enjoying the recruiting process and will take unofficials elsewhere before things are all said and done - and included Penn State as a team that’s also in line for an official visit next season.

That’s not to say that things are in a fragile state with the Sooners, as he expressed confidence in the program’s future - particularly within the period of time that he’s due to join the roster.

“I feel like OUDNA is really a movement right now,” he said. “In the next three years I expect a national championship at Oklahoma.”

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