FAYETTEVILLE — Owasso, Okla., head football coach Bill Blankenship has seen a lot of football, won a lot of games, two straight state titles in different states and had a host of talented players along the way.
Fresh off taking out Oklahoma powers Jenks and Union to win this year’s Class 6A state title, Blankenship is closely watching the recruiting process of one of his top defenders.
That would be three-star defensive end Courtre Alexander (6-5, 260), who will officially visit Arkansas this weekend after previously taking one to Texas.
“Courte is a big defensive end for us, a big athlete that has really good feet, really soft hands and became a very dominant player for us on the defensive line this season,” Blankenship said. “We were able to move him inside this season in some pass rush situations and just kept getting better and better.”
Alexander had 53 tackles this season with 4.5 sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries for the Rams (12-1).
Blankenship, who led Fayetteville to a Class 7A state title the previous season, notes that Alexander shined during his team’s playoff run that ended with a 21-14 win over Union in the state championship.
It was the first time in 22 years that a school other than Jenks or Union won the state championship in the state’s largest classification.
“He is a little bit of a late bloomer and probably without a doubt was best during the playoffs,” Blankenship said. “His very best games were during the playoffs.
“He was outstanding in the state championship game with tackles for loss, balls batted down and an interception. He is just really an outstanding player.”
Memphis, Tulsa and Wyoming are among Alexander's 12 offers, but he is expected to choose between the Razorbacks and Longhorns, whom he visited Dec. 15-17.
Owasso had two early signees in safeties Josh Proctor (Ohio State) and Wayne Jones (Kansas State), both of which took unofficial visits to Arkansas.
“It was a great year for us and Courtre was a big part of that,” Blankenship said. “He’s going to be a heck of a player for someone.”