Small school sleeper stays in-state

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One of the best kept secrets in Oklahoma football this year has decided to commit early to the University of Tulsa, although a number of Big 12 and SEC schools have been making a late push to receive official visits.

Aaron Cummings is a 6-foot-6 and 245-pound tight end prospect from Class B Bray-Doyle (OK) High School. He plays eight-man football in southwestern Oklahoma and many schools were unaware of his athleticism until recently. However, according to his coach, the University of Tulsa found this gem early and has fought off the overtures of a number of bigger schools.

"Aaron decided Monday to commit to the University of Tulsa," stated Bray-Doyle Head Coach John Strickland. "He was really excited when he told me about his choice. He is the most highly-kept secret in Oklahoma football this year. He's 6-foot-6 and weighs 245-pounds and at the Tulsa camp this summer ran consecutive electronically-timed forty yard dashes of 4.66-seconds, 4.66-seconds and 4.71-seconds. He's an amazing athlete who is still growing and should be about 6-foot-7 and weigh around 280-pounds when he stops growing."

"Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas have all been calling to try to set up visits to their schools," added Strickland. "Texas Tech and Texas A&M have also become aware of him and have been calling and writing letters. But Tulsa was the first school to get involved with Aaron, and he decided he wanted to stay in state and play for Tulsa."

"When other schools see Aaron play they are going to wonder why they didn't know about him," Strickland continued. "He's an all-around athlete, hitting .580 in baseball and averaging over 17-points per game in basketball. He comes from a good family and has a great work ethic. He's a 'yes sir, no sir' kid and does anything you ask of him."

Cummings has played injured much of the season, but still has put up some impressive numbers in eight games.

"Our team is 7-1, and Aaron has been playing on a 'turf-toe' for some time now," Coach Strickland explained. "He's caught 34 passes for 841 yards and nine touchdowns. He's a great pass-catcher with really good hands. If he needs to work on something, it's his blocking. He overmatches all of his opponents, and he just knocks them to the ground and then looks back to see what is happening with the play. I am trying to get him to continue with his blocking to hit someone else."

Coach Strickland indicated that staying in-state was important to Aaron, but the commitment of another southwestern Oklahoma player to Tulsa also played a part in his decision.

"Aaron has become friends with Jody Whaley, the offensive lineman from Comanche, Oklahoma. They went to camp together at Tulsa and have talked about rooming together when they go to Tulsa next fall. They've also discussed driving to Tulsa and back to their homes together on weekends and holidays."

Academics and a quality education are important to Cummings, according to Coach Strickland.

"Aaron took his ACT early in his junior year and scored a 23. But he told me he is going to take it again, because he wants to improve it. I also think he wants to retake it because his sister made a 28, and he would like to beat her or at least get closer to her score."

Coach Strickland thinks Cummings made a good decision in choosing Tulsa, but that decision has made his job a little harder.

"I am good friends with (Assistant) Coach Bill Young of Kansas," he concluded. "I know Bill was trying to get Aaron to take a visit there, and now I need to call him to tell him Aaron has committed to Tulsa. There are going to be a lot of schools disappointed that Aaron has made this decision. As I said earlier, not many schools were aware of him and will be disappointed when they see what a player he will be in college. I know he really likes the Tulsa coaches, and I feel that Tulsa is a good fit for him."

NOTE: TheHurricaneAlert.com will have a follow-up story later this week from our conversation with Aaron Cummings.

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