Tag: 2023 Recruiting Cycle

Predictions of Oklahoma’s recruiting demise were premature

It wasn’t all that long ago when people were hitting the panic button on Oklahoma’s recruiting class

Near the end of June, the Oklahoma Sooners were sitting at No. 35 in the 247Sports 2023 team recruiting rankings. As the calendar hit the summer months, national observers and opposing fans were reveling in how the Sooners recruiting efforts were going. Oklahoma’s July and August put those thoughts to bed really quickly.

After early the first two days of the early signing period, Brent Venables has the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation, something OU hasn’t had in more than a decade.

The lesson to be learned is quite simple: Recruiting classes aren’t finalized in June.

The Sooners racked up commitment after commitment in July. Other than Colton Vasek’s flip to Texas and Anthony Evans’ to Georgia, the Sooners held on to their phenomenal class after a disappointing 6-6 season. They signed 100% of their commitments leading into the early signing period and added three-star defensive lineman Markus Strong and five-star safety Peyton Bowen.

If the Sooners can show even the slightest bit of improvement, there’s no reason to suspect Brent Venables and his coaching staff will not put together another highly ranked recruiting class. One of the priority targets in 2024, David Stone, just dropped his top 10, which included the Sooners. He could be the foundational piece of the next recruiting cycle.

Venables and his staff are proving they can recruit. They’re moving the needle in recruiting hotbeds of Florida and Texas, where they pulled in a combined 11 players, including eight four- and five-star prospects. So, how do the Sooners rank on the four major recruiting sites for 2023?

ESPN: 4th

247Sports: 5th

On3: 6th

Rivals: 7th

So depending on who you ask, this class was either top five or close to it. This was Brent Venables’ first full year on the recruiting trail as a head coach, and he and his staff accomplished this after a bad season.

After he left for USC, Lincoln Riley shared his thoughts on roster building at OU, and this quote will go down in the Freezing Cold Take Hall of Fame.

“We had really good rosters, but they weren’t the same. … I can’t imagine that there could be a setting that we could build a better roster than we can here.”

Many thought the Sooners would take a step back in recruiting. But they improved. Right now, the Trojans are No. 15 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings. Lincoln Riley never had a top-five recruiting class during his time as head coach at OU. Venables did it in his first full year with the program. Perhaps the setting wasn’t the problem.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football programs, and the Sooners have just reminded everyone why Brent Venables was the right man for the job.

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Social media reacts: Peyton Bowen signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

In a shocking turn of events, Peyton Bowen signed with the Oklahoma Sooners and social media reacted accordingly.

It’s been a wild 24 hours on the recruiting trail for the Oklahoma Sooners. After watching each of their 23 commits sign national letters of intent to play for the Sooners and adding one in Markus Strong, Oklahoma was off to a great start on the first day of the early signing period.

Then, they watched as Peyton Bowen chose the Oregon Ducks in a commitment ceremony. But that didn’t slow down Brent Venables and the Sooners who took one final run at Bowen, who hadn’t signed his national letter of intent with the Ducks.

On the second day of the early signing period, with Bowen still unsigned, news began to swirl that the Sooners were still in the game and became the trending favorite once again. What started as reports, turned into reality as Peyton Bowen signed with the Oklahoma Sooners.

What was already a great class for the Sooners went to another level with the signing of Bowen, their third five-star signed in the 2023 recruiting class.

Sooner Nation was buzzing all day before and after the signing as Bowen to Norman became a reality.

5-Star safety Peyton Bowen signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

5-star safety Peyton Bowen signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Over the last few weeks the Oklahoma Sooners became the trending favorite to land five-star safety[autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. On the first day of the early signing period, the Sooners watched as Bowen chose between Notre Dame and Oregon, picking the Ducks.

However, his recruitment wouldn’t end there, as the Denton Guyer product received a last ditch effort from the Sooners that would turn the tide. This morning, as word circulated that Bowen had yet to sign his national letter of intent, the Oklahoma Sooners began to gain more traction, ultimately pulling off an incredible comeback to earn the signature of the No. 2 safety in the 2023 recruiting class.

Bowen adds to what’s already been a tremendous recruiting cycle for the Oklahoma Sooners. This makes their third five-star signee, joining Guyer teammate Jackson Arnold and Missouri native Adepoju Adebawore.

Bowen is the 25th commit for the Oklahoma Sooners in the cycle and joins a defensive back group that already includes four-star signees Jacobe Johnson, Jasiah Wagoner, Daeh McCullough, Makari Vickers, Kendel Dolby, and versatile three-star athlete Erik McCarty.

It’s a stacked defensive back group in a league that has some high quality quarterback play.

Peyton Bowen’s recruitment was a tumultuous one. When it seemed like the Sooners were out of it on Wednesday, Brent Venables and his staff rallied to win a big-time recruiting battle in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

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Which players signed with the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class?

Which players in the 2023 cycle have signed with the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners had a great day on the opening of the early signing period. Unlike a few other schools, the Sooners signed everyone that was committed coming into Wednesday.

While they didn’t land a couple of their highly-regarded targets at the end, the Sooners have put together a really nice class in the 2023 cycle.

Led by five-star players Jackson Arnold and Adepoju Adebawore, Oklahoma signed 15 four or five-star players. They were particularly successful on the defensive side of the ball, adding nine blue-chip players.

The defensive backfield is the place where they had the most significant infusion of talent. In Jacobe Johnson, Jasiah Wagoner, Kendel Dolby, Makari Vickers, Daeh McCullough, and Erik McCarty, the Sooners added five four-star talents and a player in McCarty who will be a big-time contributor for Oklahoma’s secondary in the years to come.

In his early signing period press conference, Brent Venables indicated that the Sooners weren’t done adding talent. That could be through the transfer portal or on the high school recruiting trail. That would take an already great recruiting class to another level.

Here are the players who have signed with the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2023 cycle.

Social media reacts to the Sooners’ first day of the early signing period

How did social media react to the Oklahoma Sooners recruiting efforts on the opening day of the early signing period?

The buildup to the first day of the early signing period didn’t disappoint. Like waking up on Christmas morning, the Oklahoma Sooners unwrapped 24 shiny new players to add to the roster through the early signing period.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of disappointment. A couple of the prospects  the Sooners wanted went to someone else. Peyton Bowen and Tausili Akana were both heavily projected to land in Norman in recent weeks, and both landed with different schools. Bowen flipped from Notre Dame to Oregon, and Akana committed to Texas, where his sister had just won a national championship in volleyball.

It wasn’t a terrible day for the Sooners, who still have a top 10 recruiting class in tow after signing all 23 of their pre-signing period commits and adding defensive lineman Markus Strong. It hurts to come so close to Bowen and Akana and miss, but the Sooners still have a really good class that they’ve put together.

Sooners target Peyton Bowen flips from Notre Dame to Oregon

In a shocker, five-star safety Peyton Bowen signed to play for the Oregon Ducks on the first day of the early signing period.

The first day of the early signing period provided both a shocking and an expected flip from five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag].

Over the last few weeks, projections from Rivals, On3 and 247Sports expected Bowen to flip his almost year-long commitment to Notre Dame to the Oklahoma Sooners. Bowen did flip, but not to Oklahoma. He flipped to the Oregon Ducks.

The Ducks made quite the pitch to shift Bowen’s commitment without hosting him on an official visit. Bowen joins Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks. Lanning was the defensive coordinator for Georgia’s national championship defense in 2021.

Missing on the five-star safety, in addition to Tausili Akana, who committed to Texas, certainly hurts, but the Oklahoma Sooners have put together a strong [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag] so far.

Brent Venables, in his early signing period press conference, said the Sooners are looking to add approximately 10 more players to the 2023 class. We’ll see how that plays out. Getting 100% of their pre-signing period commits signed is a huge deal. Missing on two highly regarded prospects certainly hurts. The Sooners still have work to do, but they added a great deal of talent in the early signing period.

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Top 10 JUCO prospect Kendel Dolby signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M product Kendel Dolby signs letter of intent with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag] is beginning to put pen to paper.

Oklahoma didn’t waste any time looking to add defensive back talent to the roster after the season concluded. The Sooners went to the junior college ranks for Kendel Dolby, a four-star cornerback in the 2023 recruiting class.

Out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Dolby is the No. 8 JUCO prospect in the 2023 cycle.

The Sooners offered on Nov. 2. It didn’t take long to lock him in; he committed to the Sooners on Nov. 23. He planned on taking a trip to visit Washington, but Brent Venables and his staff didn’t let that happen.

Dolby joins a group of signees that will help shape the foundation of Oklahoma’s defensive backfield for years to come.

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4-Star RB Daylan ‘Hollywood’ Smothers signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

There’s a new Hollywood in town. Daylan Smothers has officially signed with the Oklahoma Sooners

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag] is beginning to put pen to paper.

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] procured another one. Daylan Smothers signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, joining a very young and talented running back room.

247Sports has Smothers ranked as the No. 20 running back in the class and the No. 12 player in the state of North Carolina.

Hailing from West Charlotte High School, Smothers is the lone 2023 Sooner signee from North Carolina.

After visiting OU in June, Smothers committed to the Sooners on July 14 in what was a very good month of recruiting for Brent Venables’ staff. Smothers also had offers from Florida State, Alabama and N.C. State. He visited the Wolfpack program earlier this month.

The young running back is 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. He was named North Carolina High School Player of the year after his sophomore season.

Javonte Barnes ended up getting the ball quite a bit as a freshman at Oklahoma. Will Smothers earn the same treatment?

Players who use the moniker “Hollywood” seem to have a good track record in crimson and cream.

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Defensive lineman Markus Strong signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Three-star defensive lineman Markus Strong signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag] is beginning to put pen to paper.

The Oklahoma Sooners added another defensive tackle prospect to the 2023 cycle: Markus Strong signed his national letter of intent with the Sooners.

Strong is a three-star defensive lineman out of Lake Butler, Florida. The Sooners offered Strong on Oct. 30, and he was in Norman for an official visit on Dec. 16. Less than a week later, he signed with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Strong is an under-the-radar athlete on the rise. He didn’t receive many offers in his recruitment, but this fall added offers from the Sooners, West Virginia, Rutgers and UCF. He ranks as the No. 174 player in the state of Florida in the 247Sports composite.

He had a big senior season with 10.5 sacks and averaged five tackles per game.

While he may not have much of a profile, there’s something Brent Venables, Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis see that they believe can make him an effective defensive lineman at the collegiate level for the Oklahoma Sooners.

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‘It just felt right’: Offensive tackle Heath Ozaeta signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Making his commitment official during the early signing period, offensive tackle Heath Ozaeta signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Making his commitment official, Heath Ozaeta signed his national letter of intent with the Oklahoma Sooners on the first day of the early signing period.

On with Locked On Sooners back in July, Heath Ozaeta described his whirlwind commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners. After being in communication with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, Ozaeta and his family went down for a visit.

“We went down there and visited, (Bedenbaugh) toured us around,” Ozaeta relayed. “I got to meet some of the guys. When we were there it just felt right. It felt like the place I wanted to be. So, he offered me that night and I committed that night. I committed on the spot. I’ve been a fan (of Oklahoma) my whole life. I was born there, I’ve got family there. Grandparents went there. I loved it and just didn’t want to waste an opportunity.”

Though Ozaeta wouldn’t commit publicly during his visit, the four-star offensive tackle in the On3 consensus rankings was sold on the Sooners.

An athletic and physical offensive tackle, Ozaeta is the No. 2 player in the state of Washington and the No. 26 offensive tackle in the 2023 cycle according to On3.

As things stand now, the Oklahoma Sooners are very young at offensive tackle. Tyler Guyton looks to be one of the answers for the departing Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris, but the other tackle spot will require an offseason competition between Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor, and Aaryn Parks. As an early enrolee, could Heath Ozaeta make himself part of the two-deep depth chart at tackle in year one?

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