David Oku, the nation's top all-purpose running back according to Rivals.com, will make his college decision at 1 p.m. (EST) next Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The Carl Albert (Okla.) superstar has offers from nearly every major program in the country, but has narrowed his list to Tennessee, Michigan, Nebraska and Louisville. The Vols had long been considered the runaway favorite, until somebody actually talked to Oku.
Oku said he will announce his decision next Wednesday. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound tailback is choosing between Louisville, Michigan, Nebraska and …
"Tennessee somewhat," Oku said, "but not that much though."
The Vols were thought to be in good shape with Oku early this summer. That was before UT picked up Jarvis Giles from Gaither High School in Tampa, Fla.
More good news: the fine folks at The Oklahoman have let me know that they will be covering Oku's press conference live on their website. There will also be a teleconference following the announcement which will either be unimaginably awesome or of absolutely no consequence to any of us.
Oku, who is very tight with U of L running backs coach Tony Alford, was in town for the Kentucky game and appeared to leave somewhat underwhelmed.
"The trip was good, I liked it all," he told The Courier-Journal. "But I'm not going to lie to you, the only thing that I was a little skeptical about was there just wasn't that much excitement. And I say that, but I think the reason was because it was a Sunday game."
In terms of his odds of actually becoming a Cardinal, the most positive aspect of Oku's U of L visit may have been the struggles of Louisville's current running backs.
"No disrespect to their running backs, but I could just tell that they lacked an elusive back," Oku said. "A lot of my friends in Oklahoma knew I was going to the game and they were texting me during the game saying, 'If you went there, you would start right now'."
When Oku makes his announcement, the only school where he will have taken an official visit will be U of L. He has a scheduled visit to Tennessee next weekend, and a trip to Lincoln the week after that.
I realize that this is a long shot, and I am in no way getting my hopes up, but this is a Bush/Brohm talent people, and given the relative state of the program, a commitment from Oku might have even more of an impact than either of the two local legends donning Cardinal caps.
Here's a quick refresher course...
Next Wedneday could be quite a day for Louisville football.