After a long, long recruiting process and one that we’ve chronicled in detail here at Sooners Wire, Jovantae Barnes is finally a Sooner. Despite the recent coaching change, Barnes was trending in the direction of the Crimson and Cream long before Lincoln Riley’s exodus.
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Welcome @vontaeeb 🔒https://t.co/SaiVILXBcP | #ChampU22 pic.twitter.com/7YqmKmaljS
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) January 2, 2022
Oklahoma’s biggest threats were USC and Florida State. However, Barnes was not swayed to USC despite Riley’s move. Florida State’s decline probably wasn’t attractive and former FSU offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham took that same job at Oregon.
Barnes’ recruitment was led by the king of Sin City (in the eyes of Sooners fans at least), DeMarco Murray. Murray’s relationship to Barnes, his connection to Nevada, and his NFL success resonated with Barnes.
Jovantae Barnes on DeMarco Murray's role in his recruitment. 🔥
"He was just like me, a West Coast kid. His top two schools was USC and OU, and he ended up choosing OU. I know there's something special over there to make him choose it."#OUDNA | #ChampU22 pic.twitter.com/tbTji6W4iF
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) January 2, 2022
Barnes brings fresh legs and loads of upside to the Sooners running back group along with fellow four-star and Oklahoma signee Gavin Sawchuk. Barnes shines the brightest running between the tackles and figures to be a beast putting on more muscle after some time with Coach Jerry Schmidt in the offseason.
Barnes’ recruitment has a slight ripple effect long-term on the Sooners’ recruiting efforts in 2023 as well.
Barnes has a close friendship with 2023 commit DeAndre Moore Jr, also a native of Nevada. Both are reportedly really close and both have a great relationship with DeMarco Murray. So much so, Moore took to social media to announce he’d be still committed to Oklahoma despite Lincoln Riley’s departure as long as Murray was coaching at Oklahoma. Adding one of his childhood friends to the team will probably also go a long way of keeping Moore in the fold too.
Recruiting Profile
Rating
| Stars | Overall | State | Position | |
| 247 | 4 | 170 | 4 | 15 |
| Rivals | 4 | 108 | 3 | 4 |
| ESPN | 4 | 97th | 3 | 7 |
| 247 Composite | 4 | 116 | 3 | 10 |
Vitals
| Hometown | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Projected Position | RB |
| Height | 6’0 |
| Weight | 190 |
Recruitment
- Offered on February 3rd, 2020
- Official visit November 20th, 2021
Offers
- USC Trojans
- Florida State Seminoles
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Utah Utes
- Texas Longhorns
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Auburn Tigers
- Florida Gators
- Texas A&M Aggies
Crystal Ball
Film
Home visit with @DeMarcoMurray #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/kErtkgQr8r
— Jovantae Barnes (@vontaeeb) December 3, 2021
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