After helping Durango High School win a state football title two years ago as a sophomore, Josh Bates started receiving a lot of national attention from college coaches. Early on, he said he had about seven offers and was considering Oregon, USC, Michigan State and Oklahoma.
Bates decided Oklahoma would be the best fit for him then.
“The culture at Oklahoma is second to none,” Bates said. “There’s no place like it in the country.”
After head coach Lincoln Riley left the Sooners to coach at USC last November, Bates said other schools reached out to him. Bates, however, stayed committed to Oklahoma and signed his national letter of intent this week to play college football for the Sooners.
“When I picked Oklahoma, it was more than a coach, the players on the team or how good they were,” Bates said. “It was about the culture, the tradition, the pride of the program and its longevity – how many games they’ve won. I love to win more than anything.”
Oklahoma ranks sixth all-time in NCAA Division I in football wins with 934, trailing only Michigan (989), Ohio State (953), Alabama (952), Notre Dame (937) and Texas (936).
Oklahoma is currently 6-6 overall this season and will play Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl on Thursday.
Bates graduated from Durango High School last week after the fall semester ended and will arrive on campus in Norman on Jan. 14 to start training with the team. Classes begin on Jan. 17, and Bates said he’s leaning toward studying either communications or business.
Bates will begin winter conditioning when he arrives at Oklahoma, lifting weights and running. During spring ball, he said he’ll start learning the team’s playbook.
“They recruited me as a center, but I can play anything inside,” Bates said. This year for the Demons, Bates switched from center to guard, but said that switch “absolutely” helped him improve his skills; he played out of two different stances at guard, and centers need to be move both ways.
“Playing out of both (stances) helped me become more effective,” he said.
Despite switching positions this season, Bates was still named first-team all-state for the second year in a row, as well as the 3A League 3 lineman of the year. “He was very deserving of that,” DHS head coach Todd Casebier said at the time. “All the coaches thought he was the by far the best lineman and the most dominate player.”
He was also a second-team all-state honoree as a sophomore, and played varsity for the Demons his freshman year as well. Before football season began this fall, Bates was the lone football player from Colorado selected as a 2023 All-American during a virtual jersey presentation as part of the Road to the Dome digital series. He’ll get to compete in the nationally-televised All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 in San Antonio Texas.
Another big change is also on the horizon for Oklahoma. The Sooners are leaving the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference, with the goal to start playing in the SEC in 2024.
“The SEC is obviously the toughest conference in the country,” Bates said. “It’s the most competitive and has the most prestige. It will be a big challenge, but I’m confident I’m equipped with the right skills to compete at that level.”
District athletic director Ryan Knorr also credited Bates’ work in the classroom and his character for helping him earn the football scholarship, noting that only 6.7% of high school football players go on to play in college.
“It’s amazing to see someone come from Durango, beat those odds and get that opportunity,” Knorr said at the signing ceremony.
Bates thanked his family, friends, coaches, teachers, school faculty members, the city of Durango and also his trainer at Six Zero Strength, NFL veteran Matt McChesney, for helping him over the years to get this opportunity. Bates’ parents are assistant DHS football coach Justin Bates and April Bates.
“My parents are awesome,” he said. “My friends and coaches in Durango have been a huge help to me, off the field more than on it … I want to thank the city of Durango. I’ve been able to play for and compete under the lights and having the city behind me is special.”
Bates will next play in his last high school game, the All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, before he begins his college career. The game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock the morning before the NFL’s wild card playoff game.
The All-American Bowl is annually the most-watched and prestigious high school all-star event, with more than 4,100,000 unique television viewers and 20,000 in attendance. The All-American Bowl has featured 533 NFL draft picks; 86 Super Bowl champions; 193 Pro Bowl selections; 16 Heisman finalists including, but not limited to: Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Tim Tebow, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith and Trevor Lawrence.
When asked where he wants to be in 10 years, Bates said, “I want to be playing professionally,” and added, “hopefully I’ll have a college degree.”
Bates said he’s also interested in possibly coaching college football.
“I can’t live life without (football),” he said.
