Chad Simmons is a Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com. He was the expert on The Next Class on Fox Sports South from 2011-2015. He currently covers Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
THE SITUATION
What a wild ride this was.
Jadon Haselwood was committed to Georgia for a year and a half before re-opening his recruitment early in October. A few days after decommitting from the Bulldogs, Haselwood took his official visit to Miami and the Hurricanes were viewed as the favorite.
Mark Richt and Miami struggled down the stretch, and eventually the Hurricanes fell off his list.
Oklahoma was his "dream" school, the school his father attended. He grew up following the Sooners and they received his first official visit in the spring. They were always in this and never went away.
Florida State and Tennessee tried to stay in this race, but at the end, it came down to Georgia and Oklahoma. This race had many twists and turns, but it is over and he is headed to Norman to play for Lincoln Riley.
This looked like a Georgia win just a few weeks ago, but Oklahoma is the big winner.
Oklahoma wins out for the No. 2 receiver in the country. Haselwood is a playmaker. He plays offense with with an edge. He is a very physical. He will fight for the football. He is dangerous after the catch. In the red zone, he can be that go-to guy. Haselwood is one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has the ability to be the next start wideout in Norman. He is still a little light, so he needs to add weight and hit the weight stronger to add strength, but Haselwood is a winner, a competitor and one of the top players in the 2019 class.
This is a huge win for the Sooner. Riley and his offense throw the ball around and that is so important to Haselwood. He wants to be featured and he feels Riley will give him the best chance to showcase his talent.
WHO IT HURTS MOST
This is easy — Georgia.
Haselwood is the no. 1 prospect in Georgia, he was committed to the Bulldogs for a very long time and they lost him late in the process. He was a top target for Kirby Smart and that staff in Athens. Georgia is losing some top performers on offense to the NFL Draft, so Haselwood would have had a chance to make an immediate impact at Georgia. Seeing the top prospect leave the state again is a blow to Georgia.
