Recruiting: Stovall Says He's Wide Open

Booker T. Washington High School head coach Antwain Jimmerson of Tulsa, Okla., loves to talk about his players, and the coach of the defending Class 5A state champs has plenty of players to talk about. He will really light up when you ask him about Ray Stovall. Stovall is a 6-2 1/2, 195-pound defensive end that was committed to Wyoming, but told me that he has since de-committed.

"I know he is skinny but he is going to get bigger, maybe a lot bigger," said Jimmerson. "His daddy is a big man. He has been our best defensive lineman for the past several years."

That is saying a lot as the Hornets also have one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the country in big Calvin Barnett. His 95 total tackles and 12 sacks before a season-ending injury speak loudly of what kind of playmaker Stovall is.

Stovall was with a big Tulsa Washington contingent of players that attended the Cowboys final half-day summer camp Saturday in Stillwater. Stovall, who also plays some outside linebacker and tight end for Washington, felt good about what he showed.

"It went really good," he said of the camp. "I didn't lose a single one-on-one and I did well in the all the drills. I think I did real good."

Having seen Stovall in some of the one-on-one work, he has a really quick take off and is so quick off the line that offensive tackles have a hard time matching up with him. In the agility drills, it is hard among the linemen to find someone that can compete with his speed and quickness, even in confined spaces. He has size 15 feet and he picks them up and moves them well. Those big feet are also a sign that his body is going to catch up with that size 15. He could end up being in the 6-4 or 6-5 range.

As for his recruiting he said he de-committed from Wyoming before the end of school.

"I de-committed months back," he explained. "I want to stay close to home and not be so super far away.

"I have four offers right now from UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force, and Wyoming (still considering). Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Baylor have told me they are very interested.

"I'm hoping Oklahoma State is interested too. Anybody that is interested in me, then I am interested in them. Oklahoma State or Arkansas offering would be real nice because it would be real close and my family could always come see me play."

Stovall has a best 40 time of 4.66 and he is also a solid student with a 3.7 GPA and a 21 on his ACT. For any BCS conference school would it be taking a chance? Yes, it would, but I think it would be a chance worth taking. Stovall is close to the Hornets highly regarded prospects, Barnett and athlete, likely cornerback, Eric Bennett.

"I think the camp (Saturday) went well for Eric and Calvin," said Stovall of his teammates. "Calvin did real good and Eric says they have him as their number one cornerback now."

One thing is obvious, Stovall and his two teammates are quite used to wearing orange and black.