Weekend Open Post | March 7th – 9th
Posted on: March 7, 2025
Big Board | Safety | 2026
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 3, 2025
Continuing to roll out the class of ’26 Big Boards.
We will now turn our attention to the ’26 Cornerback Board.
You can find the previous Big Boards by clicking the links below:
The Sooners have extended around 18 offers at this point on the Safety Board in the ’26 class.
Safety (18)
Markel Ford – Horn (Mesquite, TX) – 6’0 185
Braeden Presley – Bixby (Bixby, OK) – 6’2 180
Carter Stewart – Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX) – 6’1 170
Jordan Deck – Lone Star (Frisco, TX) – 6 1.5 190
Niko Jandreau – Hamilton (Chandler, AZ) – 6’1 185
Jordan Davis – HSAA (Plano, TX) – 6’2 193
Blaine Bradford – Catholic (Baton Rouge, LA) – 6’1 207
Chace Calicut – North Shore (Houston, TX) – 6’3 190
Kaden Gebhardt – Olentangy (Lewis Center, OH) – 6’2 200
Cortez Redding – Jonesboro (Jonesboro, GA) – 6’0 175
Kaiden Hall – Milton (Milton, FL) – 6’3 195
Xavier Lherisse – Eau Gallie (Melbourne, FL) – 5’10 185
Keenan Harris – St. Louis University (Saint Louis, MO) – 6’1 210
CJ Bronaugh – Windermere (Windermere, FL) – 6’1 166
Jermaine Santana-Diaz – Ridge Point (Missouri City, TX) – 6’1 180
Chris Palmer – Archbishop Carroll (Washington, DC) – 6’2 185
Enarri White – Roanoke Rapids (Roanoke Rapids, NC) – 6’2 205
Jamar Owens – Douglas County (Douglasville, GA) – 6’0 175
Commits at this time: 0
Number of commits OU is looking to take out of high school: 2
Over the course of the last 3 years, the Sooners have completely transformed the safety room as they have stockpiled high-end athletes who bring size, speed, and length to the room for coach Brandon Hall.
Gone are the days of having a room filled with limited athletes who are heralded for their cerebral knowledge of the position instead of their physical prowess in favor of a room stocked with impressive physical specimens who may be raw at times, but their athletic ceiling is very high.
On the field in 2024 the Sooners were ‘ok’ at safety when comparing what was expected ahead of the season to what the actual results on the field showed. They were still ‘good’ but there was a thought that the group had the ingredients to be ‘special’. Injuries and poor corner play contributed to the safety room showing some deficiencies during the season, but in large part, they did their job and in some instances, they did it spectacularly.
Looking at the room ahead of the 2025 season and there is one big loss that stands out as Billy Bowman will take his talents to the NFL. Robert Spears Jennings, Peyton Bowen, Jayden Hardy, Michael Boganowski and Reggie Powers all return.
The Sooners added Omarion Robinson and Marcus Wimberly from the highs school ranks and I still believe Maliek Hawkins finds himself in the safety room when all the dust settles. Out of the new high school guys, I expect Omarion Robinson to push for a spot in the rotation immediately.
That brings us to the needs in the 2026 class and right now, before the season, you can safely project RSJ to be heading out at the end of the year and Peyton Bowen may be in a position to do the same (Bowen has a lot more to prove than RSJ in that regard, but we will see).
So OU is looking for two safeties in the 2026 class. Right now, it feels like there are six candidates who are high on the Sooners and who the Sooners are at least somewhat interested in. Markel Ford, Braeden Presley, Carter Stewart, Jordan Deck, Niko Jandreau and Jordan Davis are guys I would be paying attention to right now. Each of them has been or plans to be in Norman this offseason.
Deck is teammates with Sooners TE commit Ryder Mix, Presley is the in-state kid who OU is starting to warm up with, and Jandreau is a guy who has a brother in the same class who is a priority for the Sooners. Ford is currently committed to A&M but he has already been to Norman this offseason and the expectation is that he will return. Stewart is a guy that OU has a real affinity for and he returns some level of interest in OU. I also expect Davis to make multiple return trips to OU this offseason.
Hall has a bunch of solid, if not spectacular options, and I would expect the Sooners to land a pair of good ones at safety in this class.
I am Impressed With Arbuckle
– Super K – Posted on: March 4, 2025
I know Charlie has touched on this but with 2026 QB Bowe Bentley (Celina, TX) headed in for a visit this upcoming weekend, I wanted to add my thoughts.
First, as Charlie has noted, we have been in touch with programs who are also recruiting Bentley and they’ve told us that OU is the team to beat in this one.
Secondly, I want you to note that Arbuckle came in and offered Bentley before which his offer list basically was Texas Tech, Cal, Duke, etc. Since the Sooners offered, Bentley has been offered by Ohio State, LSU and Georgia. And, as Charlie noted, Bentley’s recruiting profile has skyrocketed.
Arbuckle could have come in and not rocked the boat. He inherited a commitment from a talented QB that Brent had already signed off on. If he stuck with him and it didn’t work at that would be on Brent and co.
Instead, Arbuckle stuck his neck out and made an offer to a player who a few weeks ago wasn’t a particularly high profile player.
I know that may not sound like much but when you’re young and new and have cover, the easy thing to do is ride with it and if it doesn’t work out you say, that wasn’t my guy. And if it does work out then, you get the credit. It’s a way to maximize upside and minimize your personal down side.
Arbuckle didn’t do that. He offered a lower rated kid (at the time) with less offers knowing full well, he would likely force a choice between the two.
What it tells me is that Arbuckle is bold but also that Arbuckle knows what he is looking for. And, when you consider his last two college QBs have had a ton of success on the field, his eyes are pretty darn good.
The fear was that with a young OC, he might be a little too deferential to the head coach – especially coming from a small program to a blue blood. But he came in and made a really big decision right off the rip.
I don’t know what this ultimately means for the Sooners but I like knowing that the OC is decisive and isn’t going to let anyone tell him what to do. That is especially important when you work under BV who likes to have a tight grip on things – which can be good and not good.
Hopefully this signals an upward trajectory in QB recruiting and development, overall. At the very least, Arbuckle’s decision tells us that he’s going to be doing something different than the previous staff and that almost has to be good.
Sourced Note | Spring Game Change Rationale
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 5, 2025
Following the news of the changes to the ‘Spring Game,’ I spoke to a couple sources about what they believed could have been the driving force for OU to fall in line and cancel the Spring Game as we have come to know it and replace it with a ‘Combine’ type event.
One of the more popular narratives out there, which is even pushed by some folks at programs who have already gone ahead and canceled their own games as well as some at OU itself, is the concern over the potential poaching of their roster.
With the transfer portal being the wild west these days, some football folks believe that other programs will sit there and watch their spring game and see little Johnny have a big day and draw attention to himself in a manner that would attract vultures to try and pick him off.
Personally, I wasn’t buying that and I still largely do not buy it. These guys in personnel departments are professionals (for the most part) and they know what each and every player on every school’s roster is capable of and nobody worth their salt would base their evaluation on what happens in a vanilla scrimmage. Thats just not how it works, but I’m not gonna really argue that point, it may be a concern for some, no matter how invalid I believe it to be.
Then you have the injury concerns. Let’s put that one to bed before we go any further…these teams will scrimmage at least two times off of camera and those scrimmages will not be all sorts of vanilla and dumbed down. There will be real hitting and real offense and defense played. There is a much greater chance of players incurring an injury in basically every other practice in spring ball then there would be in a ‘spring game’ setting.
So that brings me back to a topic I wrote about last year in a piece titled Spring Ball Depth Charts | A Cat and Mouse Drama?
Source I spoke with this week pointed more toward maintaining a murky depth chart and retaining their players once the Spring Portal window opens as a rationale as opposed to either of the other ‘reasons’ provided above.
In the write up from last year, I wrote:
“Throughout spring ball, the goal for the coaching staff is to make that guy feel good. Make sure he believes he is going to get all the snaps or at the very least, be in a position to have a major role…a role that HE prefers and envisions to be best for himself…even if that role is not what the staff feel is best for him.
The players are evaluating their lot in life throughout spring as well. Have they fallen into a trap? Where do they fit in? Is there a younger guy playing in front of them? Are they going to get enough of a showcase for their liking to propel them to the next level? Is the promise of NIL elsewhere worth the risk to leave? Did they make the right choice in the fall portal whether they chose to arrive at a new school or stay at their original school?”
Source I spoke with indicated that the most beneficial thing to not having a spring game is the ability of the coaching staff to paint a more appealing picture for each and every player without putting them on blast to the public eye in regard to their place on the depth chart. The staff does not have to sit there and spend a lot of time and energy on how best to massage little Johnny’s ego and place on the depth chart or amount of reps taken in a game that means nothing and is basically a wasted developmental opportunity.
Now, while I do think there is something to be gained by having a simulated game day in front of a solid crowd, especially for the younger guys, I do see the point my source was making as last year it was quite eye-opening when it came to seeing the hoops the staff had to try to jump through in order to try to retain the guys on their roster that they really wanted to retain.
Vultures will be coming for OU players in the spring, make no mistake about it. You hope that OU is one of the vultures circling other players at other programs at the same time. But OU staffers are not going to be basing their decisions on trying to get a guy to jump in the portal on how they did in a spring game, you would hope they already have targets identified, as other teams have already identified their targets on OU’s roster.
In short, source conveyed the message that not having a spring game is one less worry for the staff in regard to giving guys on their roster just another reason to look around and not so much an opportunity to keep their roster protected from the other guys based on how they performed in a vanilla scrimmage.
Working Visitor List | March 8th Future Freaks
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 5, 2025
The Sooners start spring ball tomorrow and with that come the visitors to practice.
OU will be hosting their ‘Future Freaks’ event on March 8th and there should be a good turnout from recruits.
Below you will find our working list of recruits on the 2026 cycle who are set to be in town.
Reminder: Just because you do not see a name on the list it does not mean that recruit will not be making their way to Norman, we just have not confirmed to our satisfaction that they plan on making it. Also, some of the names on the list inevitably do not make it in for one reason or another. This is a working list and I will have a list with additional names and classes later in the week.
2026:
QB Bowe Bentley – Celina, TX
WR Craig Dandridge, – Milton, GA
OL Drew Evers – Flower Mound, TX
OL Gene Riordan – Hinsdale, IL
OL Vincent Johnson – Sulphur Springs, TX
DL Jaimeon Winfield – Richardson, TX
DL Jaelin Battle – Edmond, OK
DL Tavian Branch – Taylor, PA
DL Brian Harris – Jacksonville, FL
LB Daquives Beck – Carthage, TX
DB Brandon Arrington – La Mesa, CA
PK Trace Rudd – Overland Park, KS
Injury Update Per Brent Venables
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 5, 2025
No real shocks here as Brent Venables gives an injury update on guys who will miss or be limited in spring ball…
Injuries – Out
Heath Ozaeta – Labrum
Kade McIntyre – Labrum
Jaden Jackson – Labrum
Logan Howlans – Labrum
Seth Freeman – ACl
KJ Daniels – Hammy
Andy Bass – ACL
Javontae Barnes – Foot
Darius Afalava – Knee cleanup
Injuries – Limited in spring
Peyton Bowen – Part time (Turf toe)
Gentry Williams – cleared but will be rested, no contact
Some injuries not named but we expect to be limited in spring (There are others, just a couple on the top of my mind)
Kendel Dolby
Jayden Gibson
Sourced Injury Update
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 6, 2025
Spoke to a source following Brent Venables presser yesterday where he mentioned that Jayden Gibson may have suffered a small setback in his rehab.
Source tells me Gibson’s timeline has not changed and if things stay on course he should be ready to go full by mid fall camp as we have maintained all along.
So it appears things worked out for the best for Gibson and there was no real setback.
Bowe Bentley | Update | Timeline
– Super K – Posted on: March 6, 2025
As you know, the Sooners are in hot pursuit of 2026 QB, Bowe Bentley (Celina, TX). The Sooners already have a QB committment but remain very interested in Bentley.
We’ve previously noted, the Sooners are the team to beat here but with Bentley’s recent rise in the recruiting world, he does have a number of visits scheduled for March including to places like Ohio State, LSU and others.
Bentley is making a return trip to OU this upcoming weekend and some of you are asking about his commitment timeline.
I did reach out to him and he tells me that he doesn’t have a date just yet but he’s eying sometime around the latter part of the spring, heading into the summer. I’d say April is your best bet which follows his upcoming visits.
Could he simply shut it down this weekend? Perhaps. But that does not seem to be his plan at the moment.
He indicates to me that he will take a number of visits this month and, again, likely look at a commitment shortly thereafter.
Sooners Spring Roster | 2025
– Charlie S – Posted on: March 6, 2025
The Sooners updated their roster for the spring of 2025.
Below you will find the roster listed by number.
0 Manny Choice WR Year Fr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 212 lbs
0 David Stone DL Year So. Height 6′ 3” Weight 313 lbs
1 Jayden Gibson WR Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 190 lbs
1 Jaydan Hardy – DB Year So. Height 5′ 10” Weight 180 lbs
2 Jovantae Barnes RB Year Sr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 216 lbs
2 Omarion Robinson DB Year Fr. Height 5′ 11” Weight 203 lbs
3 Michael Hawkins Jr. QB Year So. Height 6′ 1” Weight 201 lbs
3 Robert Spears-Jennings DB Year Sr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 214 lbs
4 Deion Burks WR Year R-Sr. Height 5′ 9” Weight 181 lbs
4 Courtland Guillory DB Year Fr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 182 lbs
5 Kendal Daniels LB Year R-Sr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 239 lbs
5 Isaiah Sategna WR Year R-Jr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 185 lbs
6 Tory Blaylock RB Year Fr. Height 5′ 11” Weight 192 lbs
6 Nigel Smith II DL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 279 lbs
7 Zion Kearney WR Year So. Height 6′ 1” Weight 207 lbs
7 Sammy Omosigho LB Year Jr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 234 lbs
8 Marvin Jones Jr. DL Year Sr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 255 lbs
8 Taylor Tatum RB Year So. Height 5′ 10” Weight 209 lbs
9 Keontez Lewis WR Year R-Sr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 196 lbs
9 Gentry Williams DB Year R-Jr. Height 5′ 11” Weight 185 lbs
10 Kip Lewis LB Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 226 lbs
10 John Mateer QB Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 224 lbs
11 Javonnie Gibson WR Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 216 lbs
11 Kobie McKinzie LB Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 240 lbs
12 Devon Jordan DB Year So. Height 5′ 11” Weight 177 lbs
12 Jaren Kanak TE Year Sr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 230 lbs
13 Reggie Powers III DB Year So. Height 5′ 11” Weight 213 lbs
13 Zion Ragins WR Year So. Height 5′ 8” Weight 152 lbs
14 Trystan Haynes DB Year Fr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 173 lbs
14 Elijah Thomas WR Year Fr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 195 lbs
15 Kendel Dolby DB Year R-Sr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 193 lbs
15 Jett Niu QB Year Fr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 197 lbs
16 Cole Gonzales QB Year Sr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 198 lbs
16 Danny Okoye DL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 250 lbs
17 Taylor Heim LB Year R-So. Height 6′ 6” Weight 221 lbs
17 Josiah Martin WR Year So. Height 5′ 11” Weight 169 lbs
18 Kaden Helms TE Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 238 lbs
19 Jacobe Johnson DB Year Jr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 205 lbs
19 Kade McIntyre TE Year R-So. Height 6′ 3” Weight 220 lbs
20 Casen Calmus DB Year R-So. Height 5′ 10” Weight 204 lbs
20 Sam Franklin RB Year R-Sr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 202 lbs
21 Jeremiah Newcombe DB Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 9” Weight 185 lbs
22 Peyton Bowen DB Year Jr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 194 lbs
22 Trynae Washington TE Year Fr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 233 lbs
23 Eli Bowen DB AYear So. Height 5′ 9” Weight 184 lbs
24 Xavier Robinson RB Year So. Height 6′ 0” Weight 235 lbs
24 Marcus Wimberly DB Year Fr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 196 lbs
25 Andy Bass RB Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 11” Weight 206 lbs
25 Michael Boganowski DB Year So. Height 6′ 2” Weight 208 lbs
27 Preston Mickens DB Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 202 lbs
27 Gavin Sawchuk RB Year R-Jr. Height 5′ 11” Weight 205 lbs
28 KJ Daniels WR Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 9” Weight 159 lbs
29 Gabe Sawchuk RB Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 197 lbs
32 R Mason Thomas DL Year Sr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 249 lbs
33 Jocelyn Malaska DB Year R-Jr. 6′ 1” Weight 190 lbs
34 Adepoju Adebawore DL Year Jr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 261 lbs
35 Liam Evans K Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 7” Weight 177 lbs
37 Maliek Hawkins DB Year Fr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 189 lbs
38 Owen Heinecke LB Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 228 lbs
39 Peter Schuh DB Year R-Jr. Height 5′ 8” Weight 186 lbs
42 Wyatt Gilmore DL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 256 lbs
43 Grayson Miller K Year R-Jr. Height 5′ 9” Weight 199 lbs
44 John Locke Jr. TE Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 252 lbs
44 Taylor Wein DLYear R-So. Height 6′ 4” Weight 269 lbs
45 Mykel Patterson-McDonald DB Year R-Fr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 174 lbs
47 James Nesta LB Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 226 lbs
49 Ben Anderson LS Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 241 lbs
50 Seth Freeman LS Year Fr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 244 lbs
52 Troy Everett OL Year R-Sr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 308 lbs
52 Damonic Williams DL Year Sr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 320 lbs
54 Febechi Nwaiwu OL Year R-Sr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 323 lbs
54 David Rowaiye DL Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 304 lbs
55 Eddy Pierre-Louis OL Year So. Height 6′ 3” Weight 309 lbs
56 Michael Fasusi OL Year Fr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 302 lbs
56 Gracen Halton DL Year Sr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 284 lbs
57 Gunnar Allen OL Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 294 lbs
64 Sean Hutton OL Year Fr. Height 6′ 0” Weight 292 lbs
65 Jayden Jackson DL Year So. Height 6′ 2” Weight 317 lbs
66 Derek Simmons OL Year R-Sr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 321 lbs
68 Owen Hollenbeck OL Year Fr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 348 lbs
70 Ryan Fodje OL Year Fr. Height 6′ 5” Weight 324 lbs
71 Logan Howland OL Year R-So. Height 6′ 6” Weight 310 lbs
72 Josh Aisosa OL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 331 lbs
73 Isaiah Autry-Dent OL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 6” Weight 317 lbs
74 Darius Afalava OL Year Fr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 345 lbs
75 Daniel Akinkunmi OL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 6” Weight 313 lbs
76 Jacob Sexton OL Year Sr. Height 6′ 6” Weight 333 lbs
77 Heath Ozaeta OL Year R-So. Height 6′ 5” Weight 305 lbs
78 Luke Baklenko OL Year Jr. Height 6′ 6” Weight 307 lbs
79 Jake Taylor OL Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 6” Weight 300 lbs
80 Bergin Kysar DL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 253 lbs
80 Jakeb Snyder WR Year R-So. Height 5′ 8” Weight 179 lbs
81 Will Huggins TE Year R-Sr. Height 6′ 6” Weight 262 lbs
82 Ivan Carreon WR Year So. Height 6′ 6” Weight 229 lbs
83 Major Melson WR Year R-Sr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 188 lbs
84 Davon Mitchell TE Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 275 lbs
85 Trey Brown WR Year R-So. Height 5′ 9” Weight 180 lbs
86 Carson Kent TE Year R-Jr. Height 6′ 4” Weight 244 lbs
87 Jacob Ulrich P Year R-So. Height 6′ 5” Weight 209 lbs
88 Jacob Jordan WR Year So. Height 5′ 9” Weight 184 lbs
89 Eli Merck WR Year R-So. Height 5′ 11” Weight 203 lbs
90 Trent Wilson DL Year Fr. Height 6′ 3” Weight 294 lbs
92 Jacob Henry DL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 281 lbs
93 Ace Hodges DL Year R-Fr. Height 6′ 1” Weight 303 lbs
95 Austin Welch K Year R-Sr. Height 5′ 10” Weight 177 lbs
97 Alex Shieldnight DL Year Fr. Height 6′ 2” Weight 250 lbs
99 Markus Strong DL Year R-So. Height 6′ 2” Weight 303 lbs
