Weekend Open Post | February 7th – 9th
Posted on: February 7, 2025
Post Visit Note | Bowe Bentley
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 2, 2025
Spoke to a source following 2026 QB Bowe Bentley’s visit this weekend.
Source said OU really impressed Bentley and his family and the whole deal was kind of surreal for him as OU has always been his noted ‘dream’ school.
I was told that the visit checked off every box for Bowe and an official visit is likely to take place down the line should the Sooners continue to push.
Once again, it feels like this is a case of OU being exactly where they want to be in a recruitment, and now in the coming days and weeks, they will decide what they really want to do here at quarterback.
It is one thing to talk about taking commitments from 2 very talented QBs in the same class, it is another thing to be able to pull it off seamlessly.
I would not say that OU should be on commit watch for Bentley at this time, but in another cycle at another time, I certainly think they could have been if they chose to be. I also truly believe that could change at any time and a switch could flip and OU could find themselves with 2 QBs in the class…however long that would last would be the question as Jaden O’Neal would surely take some time to re-evaluate his recruitment.
Bentley is still picking up offers and I expect he will take some trips to other schools and that certainly can, and likely will, change the equation, but should the Sooners turn things up and push all their chips in, it would be difficult not to view them as the favorites.
Big Board | Running Backs | 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 3, 2025
Continuing to roll out the class of ’26 Big Boards.
We will now turn our attention to the ’26 Running Back Board.
You can find the previous Big Boards by clicking the links below:
The Sooners have extended 9 offers at this point at Running Back in the ’26 class:
Running Back (9)
Kaydin Jones – Jenks (Jenks, OK) – 5’10.5 175
Ryelan Morris – Honey Grove (Honey Grove, TX) – 5’8.5 160 (Baylor Commit)
Jonathan Hatton Jr. – Steele (Cibolo, TX) – 6’0.5 205
Davian Groce – Lone Star (Frisco, TX) – 6’1 190
Tradarian Ball – Texas High (Texarkana, TX) – 5’10 175
Deshonne Redeaux – Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, CA) – 5’10 195
Brian Bonner – Valencia (Valencia, CA) – 6’0.5 185
Javian Osborne – Forney (Forney, TX) – 5’10 195
Samaritan Cunningham – Dekaney (Houston, TX) – 5’9 185
Commits at this time: 0
Number of commits OU is looking to take out of high school: 1 possibly 2
Let’s start with the fact that DeMarco Murray and the Sooners held the verbal commitment of one of the better backs in the ’26 cycle for over a year as Jonathan Hatton committed to Oklahoma back in October of 2023 and he eventually decommitted on December 2nd, 2024.
Hatton was always going to be difficult to hold onto for such a long period of time and the Sooners will continue to recruit him. Right now, I would say OU is still in his top group, but likely behind a few other programs and it certainly appears that Texas A&M is in the pole position for Hatton. Things can change, and OU will continue to recruit him, but at this time, I think it is a bit of a long shot for things to come back together for Hatton and OU. We will see.
As for what’s next for Oklahoma? The first four guys listed appear to be the priority targets at this time (February 3rd, 2025) with Kaydin Jones being the closest thing OU has to an outright lead.
Jones has family ties to OU as his father is former OU running back Kejuan Jones and he has been on campus in Norman countless times. Jones is a weapon at RB, WR, and special teams and he has already proven to be productive at Jenks. It is not a slam dunk that he lands at OU, but I think it is safe to say OU will be in this till the very end.
The next couple of guys listed are Ryelan Morris (Baylor Commit) and Davian Groce. Both of these guys are true all-purpose backs and in fact, Groce is not planning on playing RB in college as he indicates he would prefer to play WR.
The Sooners have sincere interest in both Morris, who they are quietly trying to flip from Baylor, and Groce and it will be up to the offensive staff in Norman to sell them on a vision of being all-purpose guys who line up in multiple positions. We will see how that works out, but right now, OU is definitely in the picture for both of these guys.
After the guys named above, it is going to take a little time for the picture to clear up in regard to where OU will pivot should they not get their two backs in the class.
I expect a few additional offers to go out for ’26 backs as the spring goes on and once visits start being set up, we will have a better idea of who the priorities will be outside of the guys already mentioned.
Update | ’26 DL Tajh Overton
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 4, 2025
As you know, the Sooners are in heavy pursuit of in-state interior defensive lineman Tajh Overton (6’3 275) out of Owasso and have been for quite some time.
I am here to tell you that the last couple of weeks have seen a good bit of momentum boil up for the Sooners with Overton as they have really turned up the heat on the recruiting trail and it appears to be paying dividends in regard to their standing here.
Todd Bates and company are putting in the work here as OU has hosted Overton and has been out to see him on multiple occasions. Overall they are just showering him and his family with attention and it has not been lost on the Overtons
I am not quite ready to put an official trend on this one as I want to check around a bit more on some of the competition, but I will say if I were to trend it right now it would be to OU at about a 62.37 clip and the arrow would be pointing up.
Brent Running Things | What Changes?
– Super K – Posted on: February 4, 2025
The narrative during the Knowles saga was that hiring a DC would’ve freed up Brent’s time to focus on head coaching.
So, now that Brent is calling the defense – what changes?
As far as I have heard…not much.
Brent has had his hands firmly on the defense since he got to Oklahoma. It’s my understanding that he’s in on the game planning. It’s also my understanding that he runs defensive meetings. In fact, I’ve heard that defensive meetings don’t start without him.
On game day he will be making the calls but leading up to game days, I don’t see much actually changing.
Big Board | Wide Receivers | 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 4, 2025
Continuing to roll out the class of ’26 Big Boards.
We will now turn our attention to the ’26 Wide Receiver Board.
You can find the previous Big Boards by clicking the links below:
The Sooners have extended 32 offers at this point at Wide Receiver in the ’26 class:
Wide Receiver (32)
Daniel Odom – St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) – 6’1 178 – OU Commit
Aljour Miles – Kaufman (Kaufman, TX) – 6’2 200
Jabari Brady – Monarch (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – 6’2 190
Mason James – Norman North (Norman, OK) – 5’11 170
Zion Robinson – Mansfield (Mansfield, TX) – 6’4 180
Delvin Cook Jr. – Skyline (Dallas, TX) – 6’0 175
Jayden Warren – Iowa Colony (Iowa Colony, TX) – 6’2 183
Craig Dandridge – Cambridge (Alpharetta, GA) – 6’2 170
Davian Groce – Lone Star (Frisco, TX) – 6’1 190
Brock Boyd – Southlake Carroll (Southlake, TX) – 6’1 165 – TCU Commit
Aaron Gregory – Douglas County (Douglasville, GA) – 6’2 170 – A&M Commit
Jalen Lott – Panther Creek (Lucas, TX) – 6’0 170
CJ Sadler – Cass Technical (Detroit, MI) – 5’9 170
Dequane Prevo – Liberty-Eylau (Texarkana, TX) – 5-9 160
Calvin Russell – Northwestern (Miami, FL) – 6’5 190
Keisean Henderson – School of Sport Sciences (Spring, TX) – 6’3 185 – Houston Commit
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt – Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) – 6’2 180
Jordan Clay – Madison (San Antonio, TX) – 6’3 200
Devin Carter – Douglas County (Douglasville, GA) – 6’0.5 175 – Auburn
Brandon Bennett – American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – 6’0 170
Keeyshawn Tabuteau – McCallie School (Chattanooga, TN) – 5’11 165
Chris Stewart – Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX) – 6’0 175 – Texas Commit
Mike Brown – Legacy the School of Sport Sciences (Spring, TX) – 5’11 175
Deion Thomas – Westlake (Atlanta, GA) – 6’3 195
Ryan Mosley – Carrollton (Carrollton, GA) – 6’4 206
Jacob Eberhart – Kirkwood (Saint Louis, MO) – 6’3 200
Jaborree Riggins – Monarch (Pompano Beach, FL) – 6’2.5 185
Jaylen Pile – Parish Episcopal School (Dallas, TX) – 6’0 175 – Michigan Commit
Dominic Saidu – First Baptist Academy (Dallas, TX) – 5’11 160
Dameon Crowe – Richardson (Richardson, TX) – 5’6 140
Marcus Adam Carter Jr – Douglas County (Douglasville, GA) – 6’3 185
Jamar Denson – American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – 5’10 182
Commits at this time: 1
Commits: Daniel Odom
Number of commits OU is looking to take out of high school: 3 possibly 4
Sooners wide receiver coach Emmett Jones was forced to rebuild his room through the portal following the 2024 season after seeing 6 of his receivers hit the portal after the year.
Due to the necessity of bringing in players who could contribute immediately, Jones whittled down his recruiting class prior to signing day by cutting high school commitments Gracen and Marcus Harris loose while bringing in Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice.
So heading into the 2026 cycle, Jones appears to be targeting at least three receivers with the possibility of stretching it to four for the right individuals.
At the time this Big Board is being published, the Sooners have one commitment in Daniel Odom. Odom visited Norman in January with long-time friend and current OU QB commit Jaden O’Neal and wasted little time in giving his verbal pledge to OU and Jones. The thing to keep an eye on with Odom is…keeping an eye on O’Neal should OU pick up a commitment from Bowe Bentley at QB. O’Neal is saying all the right things about the possibility of OU taking two QBs in the class, but we all know, that sometimes, what is being said does not always reflect reality.
So with Odom in the fold, the Sooners will likely be looking to lock up three more wide receivers as it is never a bad thing to have some wiggle room should things go sideways (as they usually do in a recruiting cycle).
At this time, it feels like OU is in a strong position with multiple priority targets. The Sooners are all in on local target Mason James and his interest in OU is quite high. James is not someone I would say is a lock for OU at this time, but I will go as far as to say I do not see a scenario where OU is not the favorite right now. There is still a ways to go in this one before we talk about locking him in, but OU is in a good spot.
Then, you look at recent visitors Aljour Miles and Jabari Brady. Sources around the program believe the Sooners made some really strong gains on their recent visits and they may be in the top spot for both Miles and Brady. It will be important for the Sooners to get them back on campus in the spring, and those return visits are expected.
In the next tier of guys worth keeping an eye on at this time, you would find Brock Boyd (TCU Commit) Zion Robinson (of course OU is in on another Zion), Davian Groce, Jayden Warren, and Craig Dandridge. Now, if the Sooners can go out and lock up James, Miles and Brady, this group would continue to be recruited, but OU would be more than content with a class that includes those three and Odom.
I expect the wide receiver room to see some additions by the time the spring game rolls around, and spots could start becoming a bit scarce, which always helps when it comes to pushing some guys across the finish line.
All in all, Jones has some really nice targets in his sites and the majority of his top targets at this time have a pretty solid interest in Oklahoma.
Big Board | Tight Ends | 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 5, 2025
Continuing to roll out the class of ’26 Big Boards.
We will now turn our attention to the ’26 Tight End Board.
You can find the previous Big Boards by clicking the links below:
The Sooners have extended 10 offers at this point at Tight End in the ’26 class:
Tight End (10)
Ryder Mix – Lone Star (Frisco, TX) – 6’4 220 – OU Commit
Mark Bowman – Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) – 6’4.5 225
Ian Premer – Great Bend (Great Bend, KS) – 6’5 220
Kendre Harrison – Reidsville (Reidsville, NC) – 6’7 243 – Oregon Commit
Brock Harris – Pine View (Saint George, UT) – 6’6 238
Carson Sneed – Donelson Christian Academy (Nashville, TN) – 6’5.5 235 – Tennessee Commit
Zachery Turner – Duncanville (Duncanville, TX) – 6’2 215
Kaiden Prothro – Bowdon (Bowdon, GA) – 6’ 6.5 210
Luke Sorensen – Servite (Anaheim, CA) – 6’4 230
Mack Sutter – Dunlap (Dunlap, IL) – 6’6″ 225
Commits at this time: 1
Commits: Ryder Mix
Number of commits OU is looking to take out of high school: 2
The Sooners will be looking for two tight ends in the 2026 class and they already have one in the fold.
Ryder Mix committed to Oklahoma back in June of 2024 and he has stayed solid throughout the tumultuous season and the uncertainty of the coaching situation in Norman following the changes OU has made.
While Seth Littrell is out as OC, Tight End coach and ‘Co-OC’ Joe Jon Finley has managed to remain in Norman after serving as the interim offensive play caller following Littrell’s dismissal and the arrival of Ben Arbuckle as the new offensive coordinator.
One thing that has changed since Mix’s commitment is OU’s shift in philosophy which now has them planning on taking two tight ends as opposed to Mix being the lone tight end in the class which he was sold during his decision-making process.
One thing that has remained constant in the tight end room in Norman since Joe Jon Finley arrived is turnover. Every year for the last three years, there have been two new guys atop the depth chart with no returning production to speak of whatsoever.
Arbuckle and Finley hit the portal for three new additions this cycle to the room and truth be told, they may not be done as the spring football session will dictate whether or not OU will pursue yet another transfer.
Either way, the Sooners are now looking to add another tight end to the mix in the 2026 class as they hope to hold onto Mix as well (I do not think Mixx is going anywhere at this time).
Recently, the Sooners have extended a couple of offers under Arbuckles direction.
A few of the names I would keep an eye on going forward are Mack Sutter, Luke Sorensen, Zach Turner, and Ian Premer. Right now, I think it would be Turner who would be the most likely of the bunch to seriously give the Sooners a hard look. At one point, I would have said Premer and OU were on a good course, but I have not heard much there of late (but then again, I haven’t actually heard much about TE of late), and maybe that is something that picks up some steam going forward now that it is clear that OU wants to take another tight end to pair with Mix.
At any rate, we will be keeping an eye out for that second priority target to emerge at tight end, but right now, it is a mystery for the most part…as is everything else about the tight end room in Norman, Oklahoma.
Big Board | Offensive Line | 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 6, 2025
Continuing to roll out the class of ’26 Big Boards.
We will now turn our attention to the ’26 Offensive Line Board.
You can find the previous Big Boards by clicking the links below:
The Sooners have extended 36 offers at this point on the offensive line (Tackles and Interior) in the ’26 class:
Offensive Tackle (18)
Samuel Roseborough – Clearwater (Clearwater, FL) – 6-5 260
Felix Ojo – Lake Ridge (Mansfield, TX) – 6’6 275
Deacon Schmitt – Windsor (Windsor, CO) – 6-5 310
Kannon Smith – Valor Christian (Denver, CO) – 6-5 260
Jackson Cantwell – Nixa (Nixa, MO) – 6’7.5 300
Immanuel Iheanacho – Georgetown Preparatory School (Rockville, MD) – 6’6.5 345
John Turntine III – North Crowley (Fort Worth, TX) – 6’3.5 275
Keenyi Pepe – IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) – 6’7 295
Brysten Martinez – East Ascension (Gonzales, LA) – 6’5 290
Maxwell Riley – Avon Lake (Avon Lake, OH) – 6’5 280
Zaden Krempin – Prosper (Prosper, TX) – 6’4 270
Maxwell Robinson – Derby (Derby, KS) – 6’4 270
Evan Goodwin – Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, AR) – 6’6 315
Claude Mpouma – Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) – 6’7 308
Grant Wise – Pace (Milton, FL) – 6’3 310
Breck Kolojay – IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) – 6’5.5 310
Cortavious Tisaby – South Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX) – 6’5.5 250 – ASU Commit
Tavian Branch – Riverside (Taylor, PA) – 6’3 285
Interior Offensive Line (18)
Will Conroy – IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) – 6’3 275 – OU Commit
Noah Best – Midlothian (Midlothian, TX) – 6’3 290
Drew Evers – Flower Mound (Flower Mound, TX) – 6’3.5 285
Gene Riordan – Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale, IL) – 6’4 275
Pupungatoa Katoa – Trinity (Euless, TX) – 6’3.5 365
Pulelei’ite Primus – Midland (Midland, TX) – 6’4 325
Desmond Green – Timberland (Saint Stephen, SC) – 6’4.5 354
Carter Scruggs – Loudoun County (Leesburg, VA) – 6’4.5 270
Lamar Brown – University Lab (Baton Rouge, LA) – 6’4 275
Bear McWhorter – Cass (Kingston, GA) – 6-3 285
Gregory Patrick – Portage Northern (Portage, MI) – 6’4.5 275
Chancellor Barclay – First Academy (Orlando, FL) – 6’3.5 285
Darius Gray – St. Christopher’s School (Richmond, VA) – 6-3 285
Samuelu Utu -Orange Lutheran – (Orange, CA) – 6-5 295
Deacon Schmitt – Windsor (Windsor, CO) – 6’5 310
G’nivre Carr – IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) – 6’4 336
Canon Pickett – Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa, FL) – 6’4 288
Vincent Johnson – Sulphur Springs (Sulphur Springs, TX) – 6’5 310
Commits at this time: 1
Commits: IOL Will Conroy
Number of commits OU is looking to take out of high school: 4-5
Bill Bedenbaugh and the Sooners will once again be looking to take a full sleeve of offensive line talent in the 2026 class. OU is looking to follow up what was in my opinion the top OL class in the county in ’25 with another solid group.
The difference between ’25 and ’26 can be found in the targeting that OU is focusing on. While the ’25 class was headlined by two outstanding offensive tackles, the ’26 class will have a heavy interior offensive line flavor if OU has its way. Yes, Bedenbaugh and the Sooners will take a tackle or two, but to start with, this cycle does not have the number of elite OTs in it that the prior class had and it would be a tough sell for OU to pull those elite tackle types in back to back years.
Imagine trying to paint a picture of early playing time with Fasusi and Fodje a year ahead of a kid. So OU will focus heavily on the interior for the numbers this cycle.
With that in mind, OU already has one IOL committed in Will Conroy. Conroy is a high school tackle who will likely move inside once he gets to Norman. He is athletic and strong for his age and could potentially play any of the interior spots at OU.
As for guys who I would consider to be legit possibilities to join him in the class for Bedenbaugh, I would start by looking at Noah Best, Pupungatoa Katoa, Pulelei’ite Primus, Gene Riordan, Drew Evers, and Deacon Schmitt among others.
Chancellor Barclay at tackle already has his official visit set up and Felix Ojo has been to campus numerous times. They stand out as potential tackles, but those guys along with Deacon Schmitt (mentioned above) will all be highly sought after. OU will have to work at painting a picture where they can see the long-term benefit of being developed by Bedenbaugh.
I could very easily see a scenario where OU winds up taking three (even four) interior guys this cycle with one true tackle in the class. The Sooners would be more than happy to land five offensive linemen in this class, but I could very easily envision a scenario where it makes more sense for them to stay at four while keeping an eye on the portal to add some young talent down the line.
Sourced Note | Similar Mindset at DT
– Charlie S – Posted on: February 6, 2025
Quick note here…
Was talking to a source earlier this week who had some high praise for Sooners true freshman defensive tackle Trent Wilson.
While the source noted that he is doing well in the weight room and the strength and conditioning drills, they noted something else that stood out to me more than that.
Source said, “He (Wilson) is just like Jayden and Stoney were last year…he is a sponge. Then he goes out there and tries to get better no matter what he is doing”.
Source went on to say that Jackson and Stone have gone out of their way to make Wilson feel welcome and, in my opinion, it is likely that the intensity and focus that they displayed since arriving on campus last year has rubbed off on Wilson.
This is a very good note for OU fans, in my humble opinion.
