Oklahoma coach Stoops gives high marks to LV’s McGruder

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002 | 11:20 a.m.

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops says former Cheyenne High School star Lynn McGruder is making "excellent" progress after transferring from Tennessee following his arrest on drug charges last summer.

Stoops, who stopped by Las Vegas to speak at the Nike Coach of the Year conference over the weekend, said the 6-foot-2, 300-pound McGruder will take part in spring practice starting next month for the Sooners.

"Lynn is doing real well," Stoops said of McGruder, the only Nevada prep player in four years to be selected to the Sun's Super 11 first team of top high school football prospects in the West. "He had an excellent year in the classroom during the fall semester. He's been running and lifting and working out. He hasn't practiced with us yet, but he's been exceptional in everything else."

McGruder transferred to Oklahoma in August after his attempt to walk on at UNLV was rebuffed because he had pending felony drug charges at the time. He had played one year at Tennessee as a backup defensive tackle before getting arrested on June 8, 2001, after seven bags of marijuana, seeds and a postal scale were confiscated from his smoky Knoxville dorm room after school officials were summoned to check out a potential fire.

A Knox County, Tenn., judge in October ruled that the charges will be deferred for one year and eventually dismissed if McGruder stays out of further trouble.

So far, so good. Stoops said McGruder has been placed on scholarship for the spring semester.

"I'm not going to get into about how all that has been handled," Stoops said. "We feel comfortable that he's going to be a good member of our team and that that is behind him."

McGruder was not allowed to practice with the Sooners during the fall. However, he has been allowed to do some conditioning work with the squad.

"He's been wonderful," Stoops said. "All the players on the team like him. But he's got some work ahead of him to play for us. We only lose one backup on our defensive line."