Tag: 2024 commitment

‘He is serious about defense’: Sooners commit Reggie Powers shares what led to OU commitment

In Reggie Powers, the Oklahoma Sooners landed a versatile athlete. Powers shared what led to his commitment to the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] got a boost when they received a commitment from four-star safety prospect [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag].

Powers, out of Dayton, Ohio, pledged to the Sooners on Saturday to become the 28th commitment in the cycle. It wasn’t long after Powers received an offer from the Sooners that he backed off his pledge to the Michigan State Spartans.

Down the stretch, it was a race between the Sooners and the UCLA Bruins. Like Oklahoma, the Bruins were experiencing a strong defensive turnaround as well. So what was it about OU that gave the Sooners an edge?

“It is a national program that is all in with football,” Powers shared with Sooners Wire. “I followed Coach (Venables) from his time at Clemson and knew he is serious about defense. Coach V, Coach (Brandon) Hall, and Coach (J.P.) Losman were very aggressive in my recruitment.”

Venables has built a reputation as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football for more than 20 years. He’s been a part of three national titles and played in several more national championship games. [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag] has done an excellent job recruiting the safety position since arriving in Norman, and Powers is the latest big-time pickup at safety for Venables and Hall.

Powers is the No. 7 player in the state of Ohio and the No. 154 player in the 247Sports player rankings for the 2024 recruiting class. Powers is currently the fifth-highest-rated prospect in Oklahoma’s 2024 class. His size and versatility give the Sooners a high-ceiling prospect for the safety group.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Powers already has good size for a player who won’t turn 18 until June of 2024. With basketball athleticism and great play speed, the Sooners plan to put that athleticism to work in several ways.

But how do the Sooners plan to use him when he gets to Norman? “They think I can play all the safety spots,” Powers said. “Cheetah and strong safety for sure, and in certain packages, I would play the deep safety.”

Brent Venables wants to be able to line his defenders up in multiple formations so as not to tip off the offense pre-snap. Powers’ athleticism, speed, and versatility provide Venables and Hall a player who can line up in a number of spots and make an impact in the game.

He was in town for the Oklahoma Sooners win over UCF and said he had a great time on his visit.

“It was a great environment,” Powers said. “Place was packed, and the staff made sure my dad and I felt like priorities. I really had fun myself.”

He joins fellow safeties [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] and [autotag]Mykel Patterson-McDonald[/autotag] in the 2024 cycle. Reggie Powers plans to join the Sooners as an early enrollee this winter to get a headstart on his collegiate career. That’ll give him an opportunity to make an impact early in his Oklahoma Sooners career.

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Social media reacts: 5-Star DL David Stone commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a commitment from five-star defensive lineman David Stone and here’s how social media reacted.

In a decision heard around the world, the Oklahoma Sooners picked up a key commitment from 2024 five-star defensive lineman David Stone.

A recruiting class doesn’t come down to one player, but in the 2024 cycle, Stone was the biggest priority. How this class would have been judged came down to David Stone’s decision. And in choosing the Sooners, Stone gives Oklahoma a cornerstone prospect for its defensive line as it prepares for life in the SEC.

Stone’s recruitment was the most high-profile of the Brent Venables era and one can argue in the last decade. His decision was easily the most highly anticipated decision of the cycle.

As he put on the “Boomer Sooner” hat on Saturday night and dominated for IMG, social media was buzzing and here’s how fans and media reacted.

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Oklahoma Sooners pick up commitment from 4-Star safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald

The Oklahoma Sooners pick up a commitment from 2024 Rivals four-star safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald out of Westmoore High School.

Is there any team hotter on the recruiting trail than the Oklahoma Sooners? Whether it’s 2024 or 2025, the Sooners are simply on fire.

That trend continued Monday night as they land the commitment of 2024 Rivals four-star safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald.

The Westmoore standout is the 17th commitment in the 2024 class and is the second safety, joining four-star Lewisville, Texas prospect [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag].

Patterson-McDonald is on the smaller side. He’s about 5-foot-10 and weighs just under 180 pounds.

But he makes up for it with his impressive athleticism, competitiveness, and aggressive ball skills. Like several Oklahoma commitments in this cycle, he also competes in track and field.

He ran a 22.67 200-meter dash and hit 21-9 in the long jump this spring as a junior.

He finished his junior season with 108 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions.

This recruitment was a big one in multiple ways because Patterson-McDonald is also a close friend of five-star defensive lineman David Stone who announces his commitment on Aug. 26, 2023.

However, Patterson-McDonald is no slouch himself. He’s a competitive player that will add an edge to the secondary.

This is another big win for safeties coach Brandon Hall. He’s done a fantastic job on the recruiting trail, helping the Sooners land a number of blue

The Sooners had to fight off the UNLV Rebels, Missouri Tigers and the Houston Cougars.

The Sooners currently sit in the top 20 across the board in team recruiting rankings.

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Twitter reacts to four-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson’s commitment to Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a big-time commitment from four-star DT Jayden Jackson and here’s how Twitter reacted.

The Oklahoma Sooners earned a massive commitment from Rivals four-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson on Thursday afternoon. It was a big-time recruiting win that will help lay the groundwork for the Sooners’ interior defensive line recruiting in the 2024 class.

At 6 feet, 2 inches and 300 pounds, Jackson represents the type of defensive tackle that could play over the center, line up between the guard and the center as the 1-technique, or play between the guard and the tackle as the 3-technique.

He is a priority target for the Sooners as they look to stockpile their defensive line ahead of their move to the SEC.

Jayden Jackson has the strength, discipline, toughness and technique to take on and defeat double teams, but also has the quickness to be an impact player on the pass rush.

A recruiting battle that had the Sooners facing off with Texas, Miami and Ohio State went the Sooners’ way. Jackson’s commitment, along with Wyatt Gilmore’s pledge, is only the beginning of their efforts along the defensive line.

The Sooners await decisions from priority targets David Stone, Williams Nwaneri, Danny Okoye, Nigel Smith, Zuni Umeozulu and Dominick McKinley. But before we see how the Oklahoma Sooners complete their defensive line recruiting in 2024, here’s a look at how Twitter reacted to Jayden Jackson’s commitment.

Oklahoma Sooners land commitment of 2024 RB Xavier Robinson

The Oklahoma Sooners earned a commitment from 2024 running back and Carl Albert prospect Xavier Robinson.

Oklahoma’s summer recruiting is starting to pick up. Last week dual-sport athlete [autotag]James Nesta[/autotag] and wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma committed to the Sooners. Now, another 2024 prospect hopped in the boat with the Oklahoma Sooners.

On Tuesday, running back [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] committed to Oklahoma. Robinson is a local, hailing from Midwest City, Oklahoma. Robinson plays his high school ball at Carl Albert.

Robinson is a three-star prospect and is considered the No. 6 player in the Sooner State. Last year he rushed for more than 2,500 rushing yards with 39 touchdowns. He was a driving force in Carl Albert’s Class 5A state championship, and he was named the 2022 Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year for Oklahoma. That season put him on the radar for quite a few college programs.

Robinson gives the Sooners the type of back they haven’t had on campus since Rhamondre Stevenson. At 6 feet, 2 inches and around 220 pounds, tackling Robinson will not be easy for defenders at the collegiate level.

After his junior season, Robinson received offers from Memphis, UNLV and Oklahoma Staten. On Jan. 27, the Sooners offered, and DeMarco Murray and Robinson immediately built a rapport. He also received offers from Iowa State, Notre Dame, Colorado, Kansas State, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Memphis, Tulsa and Vanderbilt.

Robinson made an unofficial visit on March 4 and visited again in early June.

Iowa State has been Oklahoma’s biggest nemesis throughout the process, and it sometimes felt as though Iowa State had the leg up. However, after the visits and the dust cleared, each of the three primary recruiting services, 247Sports, On3 and Rivals, believed the Oklahoma Sooners would land [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag]. And once the commitment date was announced, matters became crystal clear.

With Robinson on board, the Sooners have the first of possibly three running back commitments for the 2024 class.

A decision remains for four-star tailback [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], whose recruitment is likely down to LSU and Oklahoma. Four-star running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], regarded as the No. 1 RB in the nation per 247Sports, is deciding between Oklahoma and USC.

Robinson’s commitment also helps the Sooners on the recruiting trail. The dynamic runner is close with several other prospects from Oklahoma that the Sooners are recruiting heavily. He is joined at Carl Albert by Oklahoma’s 2025 QB commit, [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag].

Sperry transferred to Carl Albert earlier this month to give Oklahoma’s reigning 5A champions an elite passer to go along with their dynamic rushing attack led by Robinson.

With Robinson and Sperry committed, both can help recruit some of the other highly talented players on Carl Albert’s roster that look to be Power Five talents: Trynae Washington (2025), Trystan Haynes (2025) and Marcus James (2025).

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Three-star linebacker commits to Wisconsin

Landon Gauthier, a three-star class of 2024 linebacker from Green Bay, Wisconsin, committed to Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Landon Gauthier, a three-star class of 2024 linebacker from Green Bay, Wisconsin, committed to Wisconsin on Wednesday. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound athlete will state home and join his native Badgers.

Gauthier chose Wisconsin over six other Division 1 offers, including one from Minnesota. Instead, he elected to become the second linebacker to commit to the Badgers over the last few days, joining three-star Thomas Heiberger (April 9).

Now on tap for the class of 2024, Wisconsin has received six commitments, including four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas), four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois), three-star tight end Robert Booker (Waunakee, Wisconsin) and three-star offensive tackle Derek Jensen (Hartland, Wisconsin).

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Three-star tight end commits to Wisconsin

Robert Booker, a three-star class of 2024 tight end from Waunakee, Wisconsin committed to the Badgers on Tuesday.

Robert Booker, a three-star tight end from Waunakee, Wisconsin committed to the Badgers on Tuesday. The 6-foot-6, 215 pound athlete will join Wisconsin’s football team as a part of their class of 2024.

Booker picked the Badgers over nine other Division 1 offers, staying in his home state and going to the nearby campus in Madison. He became the third offensive player to commit to join Luke Fickell and Phil Longo’s offense in 2024.

So far, Wisconsin has gotten the commitments of four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas) and four-star tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Illinois) in addition to Booker for 2024.

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Four-star tight end commits to Wisconsin

The Badgers received the commitment of Grant Stec, a class of 2024 four-star tight end from Algonquin, Illinois on Sunday.

The Badgers received the commitment of Grant Stec, a four-star tight end from Algonquin, Illinois on Sunday. The 6-foot-6, 220 pound athlete is a member of the class of 2024 and will join the Badgers after he completes his final season at Harry D Jacobs High School.

Stec chose Madison over 14 other Division 1 offers, becoming the highest ever rated tight end in Wisconsin history. In addition to that, he became the second player to commit to the Badgers from the class of 2024, joining four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas).

With the addition of Luke Fickell (Cincinnati) at head coach and Phil Longo (North Carolina) at offensive coordinator, recruits like Stec and Mettauer will likely become regulars for the program moving forward.

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