Tag: 2022 National Signing Day

Oklahoma Sooners land former Oregon commit and 2022 4-star DL Gracen Halton

The Oklahoma Sooners added another four-star talent in defensive lineman Gracen Halton on national signing day.

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to add new players to their 2022 recruiting class. After Gentry Williams signed his national letter of intent earlier today, the Sooners announced that former Oregon commit Gracen Halton will be joining the Oklahoma Sooners as well.

Halton, who decommitted from the Ducks last week, was a new target for the Sooners since Brent Venables, Todd Bates, and Miguel Chavis came on board. Gracen Halton’s commitment opened up once Oregon experienced a coaching change that saw Mario Cristobal head to Miami and the Ducks bring in former Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dan Lanning in to be their next head coach.

Halton, is a four-star defensive lineman who could potentially fill a role similar to Isaiah Thomas. Someone who is likely a defensive end on early downs but could rush from the interior in Ted Roof and Brent Venables’ defense.

Gracen Halton’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 4 264 18 24
Rivals 4 – 19 19
247Sports 4 – 21 34
247 Composite 4 257 22 34
On3 Recruiting 4 – 23 40
On3 Composite 4 253 19 29

Vitals

Hometown San Diego, CA
Projected Position DL
Height 270
Weight 6-2

Recruitment

  • Offered on Dec. 30, 2021
  • Visit on Jan. 22, 2022
  • Decommitted from Oregon Jan, 26, 2022
  • Signed on Feb. 2, 2022

Notable Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon (decommitted – 1/26/2022)

Film

See more Gracen Halton highlights at Hudl 

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Oklahoma Sooners ink four-star EDGE R Mason Thomas out of Florida

Oklahoma and new defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis signed four-star EDGE R Mason Thomas, winning the recruitment over Iowa State and Miami.

New Oklahoma defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis made R Mason Thomas one of his first targets when he arrived in Norman.

It paid off today as Thomas officially signed with the Sooners.

The 6-foot-2, 215 pound EDGE rusher is out of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. OU won out over Iowa State and Miami. Thomas had been committed to Iowa State since July 6, 2021, but a Dec. 9 visit from Chavis began to flip his recruitment.

Thomas was offered the next day by Oklahoma and he officially visited the Sooners on Jan. 21. OU also had to hold off a late charge from Miami. Thomas visited Miami on Jan. 28 and his high school teammate and fellow OU target Ahmad Moten wound up signing with Miami today.

Ultimately, Moten and Thomas’ paths diverged and the allure of being coached by Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and Chavis won out over both Iowa State and Miami.

Naturally, Chavis was fired up about the signing.

According to both On3 and 247Sports, Thomas is a four-star signee. On3 ranks Thomas as the No. 139 player nationally, the No. 17 EDGE and 20th-highest-rated player from the state of Florida. 247Sports rated Thomas as the No. 205 player overall, the No. 22 EDGE and the 24th-best player from Florida.

Rivals and ESPN rank Thomas as a three-star signee. Thomas is the No. 34 weakside defensive end according to Rivals and the 67th defensive end in ESPN’s rankings.

Thomas joins cornerback Gentry Williams, safety Robert Spears-Jennings, athlete Jaren Kanak, linebacker Kobie McKinzie, linebacker Kip Lewis, cornerback Jayden Rowe, defensive lineman Cedric Roberts and defensive lineman Alton Tarber as a defensive signing in Oklahoma’s 2022 class.

R Mason Thomas’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 3 N/A 119 67
Rivals 3 N/A 79 34
247Sports 4 205 24 22
247 Composite 3 410 52 34
On3 Recruiting 4 139 20 17
On3 Composite 4 284 31 28

Vitals

Hometown Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Projected Position EDGE
Height 6-2
Weight 215

Recruitment

  • Offered on Dec. 10, 2021
  • visit Jan. 21, 2022

Film

Here’s a look at Thomas’ Hudl tape.

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Oklahoma Sooners National Signing Day Preview: Here are the players you need to know

A deeper look at the Sooners as they head into National Signing Day and a look at the 7 prospects they’re trying to finalize commitments for.

At long last, the time is nearing. The close of another recruiting cycle across the NCAA.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, this cycle has been nothing short of eventful. There’s been ups and downs, highs and lows, and yet with the national signing day on the horizon the Sooners currently sit with a top 10 class and are knocking on the door of adding more,commits to that class. We’ve taken the liberty of mapping all you need to know for this signing class below.

The Committed

As it stands the Sooners currently have 16 signees already in the boat. Of that total over half are currently on campus and enrolled at Oklahoma while others like four-star OL Jake Taylor, four-star RB Gavin Sawchuk will join the team in the summertime.

The Sooners made sure to make in-state Oklahoma star, and commit, Gentry Williams a priority and because of it will have fought off the likes of Florida, Arkansas, and Jackson State. They will see him sign for Oklahoma on signing day.

Williams needed to meet and hear from the current staff before making any final decisions on if he would back off his commitment or not. He won’t and he’ll be a Sooner we will be able to see in the summer.

The Targets

The Sooners have seven prospects in their sights as we approach signing day. One of these particular seven won’t be signing until March but the others will be seeing their recruitments close in just a short few days.

Oklahoma’s updated 2022 class rankings ahead of signing day

Just a few days away from national signing day, where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand in 2022 team recruiting rankings?

Though the Oklahoma Sooners experienced a few decommitments in the aftermath of Lincoln Riley’s departure to USC, Brent Venables and his staff have done a fantastic job rebuilding OU’s 2022 class while looking ahead to 2023 and 2024.

With national signing day right around the corner, let’s take a look at how each of the major recruiting services sees the Sooners class in the 2022 team recruiting rankings.

  • 247Sports: 10
  • On3 Recruiting: 8
  • Rivals: 10
  • ESPN: 15

The Sooners are the only team in the top 10 without a five-star commitment. That could certainly change with a commitment from five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell. However, their ranking speaks to the level of talent the Sooners have in their four-star commitments.

Oklahoma is one of two teams in the top 10 of 247Sports team composite rankings that has fewer than 20 commitments. With potential signing day additions, that will change, but will it be enough to see the Sooners rise in the recruiting rankings?

Players that Oklahoma could still get commitments from on national signing day:

  • Devon Campbell: five-star offensive lineman
  • Gracen Halton: four-star defensive lineman
  • Ahmad Moten: four-star defensive lineman
  • John Locke: three-star tight end
  • Gavin Freeman: three-star athlete
  • Kevonte Henry: four-star edge (Michigan commit projected to flip).
  • Jamarrien Burt: four-star athlete/cornerback
  • R. Mason Thomas: three-star edge

The Sooners could offer some signing day surprises since new names have popped up on the recruiting radar with the change in the coaching staff. As things stand now, Oklahoma’s firmly set as a top 10 recruiting class for 2022 and has a chance to move up a bit in the rankings.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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