By JOHN E. HOOVER Sports Columnist on Feb 11, 2013, at 12:01 PM Updated on 2/11 at 12:01 PM
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It’s an ugly business, college football recruiting.
Less than a week after getting all the binding signatures he needed to built Oklahoma’s 2013 class, OU coach Bob Stoops canned offensive line coach James Patton.
Just minutes after Patton's dismissal was first reported by SoonerScoop.com, a member of that brand new class, offensive lineman Christian Daimler — a 6-foot-6, 270-pound offensive tackle from Houston — vented discord on his Twitter feed.
“Damn,” Daimler tweeted. “Coach Patton’s gone.”
Daimler had offers from Arizona State, Colorado and Washington State, among others, and chose OU on Dec. 19. Now, the man who recruited him is out, once again helping his former Miami-Ohio position coach and mentor at OU, Kevin Wilson, who continues his reclamation project at Indiana.
Also on Twitter, Sooner senior Gabe Ikard, who moved from tight end to guard and then became an All-Big 12 center under Patton’s tutelage, said, “Coach Patton is my favorite coach I’ve had. Taught me a lot about football and a lot about life. Really going to miss him. ‘Dare greatly.’ ”
That’s a phrase that Patton liked to pass along to his players. He got it from Wilson, who got it from the late Randy Walker, who got it from some long-forgotten football coach or poet or both.
Patton’s affable persona will be missed. He was popular with his players, well-liked by the coaching staff and always friendly and accommodating with the media.
It’s unfair, too, that Patton probably did his best work over the last two seasons, when a largely average Sooner offensive line was ravaged by injuries and still protected Landry Jones and fueled the Belldozer. Ikard was just the most visible example of Patton’s resourcefulness. He also helped transform Lane Johnson from a junior college quarterback into a first-round offensive tackle.
Patton coached All-Americans and first-rounders like Duke Robinson and Trent Williams, but was at his best when talent was moderate and times were desperate.
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