Tag: 2022 recruiting cycle

Sooners offers recent 2022 Michigan decommit Kevonte Henry in latest flurry of offers sent out

The Oklahoma Sooners continue their efforts to build their 2022 recruiting class with an offer to Michigan decommit Kevonte Henry.

While Bob Stoops was holding down the home base and was preparing the current Sooners for their eventual Valero Alamo Bowl win against the Oregon Ducks, the incumbent staff continues to put their foot on the gas and pursue players to fill out their 2022 recruiting class.

Their latest offer went out to Kevonte Henry, a six-foot-four outside linebacker/edge prospect from California that is currently committed to Michigan. At that size and that frame, Henry looks like a sure-fire project defensive end that the Sooners would love to get in Coach Schmidt’s training programs to transform him into a bonafide edge rusher.

The Sooners wouldn’t be wrong in reaching out as their defensive end room is losing a lot between NFL departures and graduation and will need to replenish the depth.

While Henry is committed to Michigan, something must be afoot in his recruitment based on the recent activity in his recruitment. It raises an eyebrow.

For a commit to receive multiple Power Five offers this late may indicate teams believe that, despite his commitment to Michigan, Henry isn’t that locked into the commitment and may be looking elsewhere.

The University of Washington and the Florida Gators have both offered Henry in December alone for a prospect committed to a school since June. The Sooners deployed newly minted defensive ends coach, Miguel Chavis, on this particular journey. He’s been active since being hired and will look to continue to make a name for himself on the recruiting trail.

There’s no timetable for a decision here but the next step for Oklahoma would be to get Henry on campus. If they can get them on campus, with the momentum and energy the Sooners have on the recruiting trail right now, it could be all they need to complete a very late flip.

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Where the decommits from Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class ended up

Where did the players go that decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class?

While the 2022 recruiting class ended up as a top 10 group, it’s hard not to look back and consider what could have been. Though it’s no fault of the current coaching staff, assistant holdovers included, the Oklahoma Sooners had quite a few decommits, even from Lincoln Riley’s tenure as the head coach, that negatively impacted the 2022 class.

Over the last year and a half, the Oklahoma Sooners lost commitments from three five-star players, four four-star players, and one three-star player. They’ve seen them go to current and future conference foes. Notably Texas, TCU, and Oklahoma State nabbed once-Oklahoma Sooners commits. If the Sooners move to the SEC sooner rather than later, they’ll face players that ended up at Missouri and Texas A&M.

While the Oklahoma Sooners are moving forward after rebuilding their 2022 class creating momentum toward National Signing Day, let’s take a look at where former Oklahoma commits ended up after the early signing period.

Crystal ball projections send Oklahoma Sooners 2022 prospects out of Florida

Brent Venables continues to scour Florida for top talent and two crystal ball projections have the Sooners adding Sunshine State DL talent.

Brent Venables hasn’t been shy about redirecting Oklahoma’s recruiting efforts toward the Southeast. The first official offer from the Venables-led Sooners went to Jayden Gibson, the four-star wide receiver out of Florida. The big-time commitment from that 6-foot-5 wideout helped get Oklahoma back into the top 10 in 247Sports’ and On3’s team recruiting rankings.

Those efforts in Florida have continued late into December. OUInsider recruiting analyst Parker Thune issued new crystal ball projections on Sunday for Cardinal Gibbons High School teammates, defensive tackle Ahmad Moten and edge rusher R. Mason Thomas.

With the losses the Sooners are facing to the 2022 NFL draft, Oklahoma needs to replenish its defensive line, and Brent Venables hasn’t wasted time putting his stamp on the Oklahoma Sooners defense.

He already received commitments from Cedric Roberts and Alton Tarber to play along Oklahoma’s defensive interior. Adding Moten would provide a really strong rotation for the Sooners once those guys are up and running for the defense.

R. Mason Thomas represents the only edge rusher prospect committed to the Sooners at this point, but landing the three-star player who also runs track would provide a nice boost to the defensive talent for the Sooners. Adding the speed of a 100-meter, 200 and 400 runner rushing the passer will give the Sooners’ pass rush incredible juice when he begins to get opportunities.

If Oklahoma does land these two defensive prospects out of Florida, the Sooners defense will begin to take on the image of Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

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Clemson commit and 4-star athlete Jaren Kanak appears enrolled at Oklahoma

With the early signing period come and gone, the Oklahoma Sooners got good news with the reported enrollment of four-star athlete Jaren Kanak.

The early signing period may have come and gone, but the Oklahoma Sooners aren’t done adding players with National Signing Day a little over a month away. Per SoonerScoop.com’s Bob Przybylo, Jaren Kanak’s enrolled at the University of Oklahoma.

After Brent Venables was named the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, it didn’t take long for Kanak’s name to come up as a potential flip. Just last week, Clemson Insider for 247Sports put in a crystal ball projection for Kanak to the Sooners as well.

While Venables was adamant that he wasn’t interested in attempting to flip commitments from his former team, Kanak looked to be heading Venables way whether he was receuited to OU by the new head coach or not.

Brandon Drumm of OUInsider reported Dec. 17 that the flip was only a matter of time. Drumm — who has now reported Kanak will be put on financial aid until Feb. 3, where he will then sign a letter of intent — said that Kanak has always made it clear he wanted to play for Venables because of his success coaching defensive players. Venables also molded former Clemson linebacker and Olathe, Kansas, native Isaiah Simmons into a first-round NFL Draft pick. – Riley Gates, 247Sports

This is a big addition for the Oklahoma Sooners who’ve already added four-star linebackers Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis to their 2022 recruiting class. This gives the Sooners a really strong linebacker group for Brent Venables and Ted Roof to build their defense.

Though Jaren Kanak can’t officially sign his letter of intent to play for the Sooners, this makes the commitments flip all but official.

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Oklahoma Sooners rank 13th on Bleacher Report’s top 25 recruiting classes for 2022

The Oklahoma Sooners come in at 13th on Bleacher Reports top 25 recruiting classes for the 2022 cycle.

Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class bounced back from several de-commits to end up with a top 10 class in the nation per On3 Recruiting and 247Sports. Landing four-star signees Nick Evers, Jayden Gibson, and Kobie McKinzie was a huge coup for the Sooners as they look to the future with new head coach Brent Venables.

Despite it’s standing as a top 10 class but the prominent recruiting services. Not everyone appreciates the talent in Oklahoma’s 2022 class. Brad Shepard of Bleacher Report released his top 25 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle and placed the Oklahoma Sooners 13th.

Here’s what he had to say:

Impact player: Jayden Gibson, 4-star wide receiver — Winter Garden, Florida (West Orange HS)

One thing to know: Perhaps some of the biggest news of a tumultuous cycle that saw the Sooners lose a ton of recruits but pick up some late was the recommitment of Kobie McKinzie, an elite linebacker from Texas who initially decommitted but bought in to new coach Brent Venables’ initial days in Norman. Getting quarterback Nick Evers to flip from Florida was big, too. – Shepard

At the moment, it’s a class that lacks a five-star player after the losses of Raleek Brown, Derrick Moore, and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. However, it’s bounty of four-star talent provides game-changing talent on both sides of the football.

Ultimately, what matters is what happens when these guys get to Norman and in Oklahomans developmental program, the Sooners will get the most out of this talented group.

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Where the top Oklahoma prospects signed in the 2022 recruiting class

Where did the top 10 2022 prospects from the State of Oklahoma sign to play their college football?

The Oklahoma Sooners put together a nice recruiting class for the 2022 cycle. They’re in the top 10 in both 247Sports and On3 composite team rankings, with much of their success coming from the state of Oklahoma.

Over the years it’s been a mixed bag for the Sooners in their home state. This year’s class provided the Sooners with four local kids, but over the past 12 recruiting cycles, they’ve averaged just three in-state signees. This year, Oklahoma tied with Oklahoma State for the most in-state prospects signed at four. Before Talyn Shettron flipped his commitment this past Summer to Oklahoma State, the Sooners had half of the top 10 from the state of Oklahoma committed to play in Norman.

Only two of the top 10 2022 prospects in the state of Oklahoma left for opportunities out of state; defensive lineman Chris McClellan (Florida) and Maurion Horn (Texas Tech). Here’s a rundown of how the Sooners have done recruiting Oklahoma by recruiting class since the 2011 cycle.

  • 2011: 2/10 signed
  • 2012: 3/10 signed
  • 2013: 4/10 signed
  • 2014: 4/10 signed
  • 2015: 4/10 signed
  • 2016: 1/10 signed
  • 2017: 5/10 signed
  • 2018: 4/10 signed
  • 2019: 1/10 signed
  • 2020: 2/10 signed
  • 2021: 2/10 signed
  • 2022: 4/10 signed

Up next, let’s take a look at where each of the top 10 prospects signed or committed to play their college ball from the 2022 recruiting cycle.

How do the Big 12 2022 recruiting classes stack up a couple of days into the early signing period?

Now that the first couple of days of the early signing period has passed, how does the Big 12 stack up in team recruiting rankings?

The early signing period is underway and there are just under two months until national signing day. The Oklahoma Sooners have done a nice job recovering a recruiting class that was in flux after the departure of Lincoln Riley to the USC Trojans.

What was once the 27th ranked recruiting class in college football for 2022, the Sooners have climbed back into the top 10 thanks to the hard work of Bob Stoops, the assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball, and new hires Brent Venables, Jeff Lebby, and Miguel Chavis.

And the Sooners aren’t done yet. With time for players to sign their letters of intent, Oklahoma can still get commitments from several big-name players. Devon Campbell recently narrowed his list to two schools, with Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns taking the prominent places for the five-star offensive lineman’s services.

Jaren Kanak, out of Kansas, who remains committed to the Clemson Tigers, has seen crystal ball projections from local and national analysts at 247Sports flip their projections from the Tigers to the Sooners.

With only 16 players committed (Gentry Williams still needs to sign his letter of intent), the Sooners have room to add several more players to this recruiting class.

As the signing period continues, let’s take a look at how the Big 12’s recruiting classes stack up via On3 Recruiting’s and 247Sports’ team rankings for the 2022 recruiting cycle.

5-star Offensive Lineman Devon Campbell top 2 schools carry a Red River theme

Five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell’s top two teams carry a Red River theme.

Kobie McKinzie. Xavion Brice. Now Devon Campbell. The Red River recruiting wars are just heating up. After McKinzie flipped back and forth from Oklahoma to Texas and then back to the Sooners, OU lost Brice to Texas on the first day of the early signing period.

With 2022 recruits across the country signing their letters of intent, more clarity is coming for those who haven’t yet signed. A big target on the Oklahoma Sooners radar over the next couple of months will be offensive lineman Devon Campbell.

Campbell, the nation’s No. 1 interior offensive lineman has made it known that he’ll make his commitment known in February. With national signing day coming on Feb. 2, it looks as if Campbell will leave everyone in suspense for another couple of months.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2022 class is already in the top 10 nationally and could climb significantly higher if they were able to nab a commitment from Campbell. With four-star offensive linemen, Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor already signed to play for Oklahoma, Campbell would give the Sooners an impressive trio of linemen to help lead them into the future.

Devon Campbell’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 5 25 6 1
Rivals 5 16 4 1
ESPN 5 9 2 2
247 Composite 5 10 3 1
On 3 5 23 6 1
On 3 Consensus 5 10 3 1

Vitals

Hometown Arlington, Texas
Projected Position OG
Height 6’4
Weight 310

Recruitment

  • Offered on Jan 21, 2020
  • Unofficial visit June 18, 2021

Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • LSU
  • Texas
  • Alabama
  • USC
  • Florida

Crystal Ball

Film

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Oklahoma Sooners 2022 Recruiting Class Commitment Tracker

As early signing day approaches, where does the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class stand?

It’s been a wild couple of weeks for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail. What once had the makings of a top-five recruiting class dipped down to 27 a week ago in the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings. Now, on the eve of the early signing period, the Oklahoma Sooners have climbed back into the top 10 and could climb higher over the next couple of months with National Signing Day a couple of months away.

The Sooners have seen their fair share of de-commitments along the way, as one would expect with a coaching change. But that hasn’t stopped Brent Venables and his staff from making a statement in the 2022 recruiting cycle. The Sooners have had several players affirm their commitments over social media.

With early signing day set to kick off, here’s a list of the current commitments according to 247Sports. We’ll update the tracker as it evolves, but here’s Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class thus far.

Oklahoma’s ‘alignment’ has allowed the Sooners to salvage 2022 recruiting class

What looked like to be a down year for Oklahoma Sooners in recruiting after the coaching change has reemerged as one of the best recruiting classes in 2022.

Several things stuck out from Brent Venables’ opening remarks when he was officially introduced as the 23rd head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. But one of them has already played out in a big way over the last couple of weeks, even before Venables was brought on board. And that’s the value of alignment.

When the news that Lincoln Riley was leaving hit the Oklahoma Sooners, the leadership didn’t sulk or pout, Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione immediately got to work. Though their first call was to Bob Stoops to help as interim head coach during the transition, they didn’t stop there. They met with the current players, and they made sure they had assistants on staff to further the Oklahoma Sooners’ efforts on the recruiting trail.

Immediately after taking the helm, Bob Stoops was out on the road with assistants DeMarco Murray, Joe Jon Finley, and Cale Gundy to connect with Oklahoma commitments to see where they stood. They were gone, and there was nothing the Sooners’ contingent was going to be able to do about it. However, their in-home visits made a difference for a lot of kids whether they planned to stay committed to Oklahoma or not.

It was the mere reminder that there is only one Oklahoma and that the program is bigger than one man. The show of strength and the foundation of excellence helped carry the Sooners during the interim before Brent Venables, and his staff started coming together. And it was an alignment of vision that proclaimed the players are the program that allowed the Sooners to keep a steady focus.

It was that alignment. From the president of the university to the assistants making visits, the Sooners had a plan, and they’ve executed that plan as the early signing day approaches.

The alignment of the leadership is what made Oklahoma such an attractive place for not just Brent Venables but a host of coaches looking to land a job at one of the premier schools in college football.

It’s that alignment that has allowed for there to be a smooth transition, even as Venables and Lebby redirect recruiting efforts from the west coast to Oklahoma, Texas, and the southeast, namely Florida.

The leadership and the vision from the top down helped the program maintain focus even during a short season of turmoil. It’s the alignment that helped recover a 2022 recruiting class that was as low as 27th a week ago on 247Sports Team Rankings but has risen back to 12th in the country. On3 Recruiting has the Sooners at ninth in the nation as the early signing period gets set to bring in the next wave of Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in a great spot heading into the early signing period. Though they won’t end up with the top five class they were heading for, this still has a chance to be an incredible group of players that will have a significant impact on Saturdays.

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