Tag: 2024 Oklahoma Recruiting

WATCH: Oklahoma Sooners commit starts senior season with big dunk

Dayton Forsythe starts senior season with massive dunk.

Oklahoma Sooners basketball wrapped up their early signing period for the 2024 class. One of those signings was three-star prospect and the No. 1 player in Oklahoma [autotag]Dayton Forsythe[/autotag] from McCloud, Okla.

Forsythe is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound combo guard. Forsythe plays for Dale High School, and they started their season on Friday. On the first play of the game, Dale won the tip and flipped it to Forsythe.

Forsythe sized up his defender, hit him with a quick crossover, drove to the basket, and slammed it on the lurking defender.

Dale beat Preston 93-63 to start the game. Forsythe finished with 26 points in the blowout win. He’s someone who will bring versatility to the Sooners as he’s able to attack the rim but also shoot the ball well.

He most likely will be a point guard in [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag]’s system. Forsythe joined [autotag]Kuol Atak[/autotag] as the only two who signed with the Sooners during the early signing period.

The next signing day period won’t be until April 17, 2024. That’s when the Sooners will put the final touches on their first SEC class. The Sooners currently have the 79th-ranked class, but if they are able to show improvement this season, it’s possible they could close out on some of the bigger targets they are in on.

As for Forsythe, it’s always important to make sure the best prospects in Oklahoma stay in the state to play college basketball. The Sooners have done just that.

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Oklahoma in top 6 for four-star edge Danny Okoye

Oklahoma makes the top six for four-star instate star EDGE Danny Okoye.

Securing the state’s best prospects has been essential for the Oklahoma Sooners under Brent Venables.

On Sunday, they received a commitment from in-state four-star wide receiver Jaden Nickens. Nickens raved about how they made him feel at home and how playing for his home state was essential.

While the 2024 class doesn’t have nearly the nationally recognized talent that the 2025 class does in the Sooner Stare, legitimate Power Five prospects are still available.

One of those talents is Danny Okoye, a 247Sports composite four-star who is ranked No. 158 in his class.

He’s been a target of Oklahoma for a while now. After he visited the Sooners for Party at the Palace, Oklahoma made themselves a prominent figure in his recruiting. Okoye dropped his top six schools on Sunday afternoon, and Oklahoma made the cut.

The Sooners join Texas, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama and Colorado in his top six. Tennessee has developed a notable relationship with Okoye, making them a real threat in this recruitment. Alabama has also positioned itself in a favorable spot as well.

When speaking to Brett Greenberg of 247Sports (Subscription required) about his thoughts on each school, Okoye said this about Oklahoma:

”OU has always been showing the love for me since the beginning. One of the reasons they are in the top six is just after their last season, the amount of work that they’ve put in and the amount of progress they’ve made as a team and program, it’s definitely worth being noticed. The coaching staff is a national championship coaching staff, and I can definitely see OU winning the national championship in the future.”

No timetable for a decision has been confirmed, but Okoye told Bama247 he is planning for a mid-October to early November commitment. So it’s plausible this recruitment could see itself lasting well into the fall.

Okoye would also be a take regardless of what happens with the impending decisions of five-star edge target Williams Nwaneri and five-star defensive tackles David Stone and Dominick McKinley. Oklahoma could take up to seven defensive linemen in this class, and if they land Okoye, he would be one of them.

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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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Versatile local three-star ATH Andy Bass has Oklahoma in his top three

Oklahoma makes top three for three-star athlete Andy Bass, a talented athlete from nearby Heritage Hall.

Three-star athlete Andy Bass is nearing the end of his recruitment. The release of his top three on Sunday highlights a pivotal moment in his recruitment and sends a message to the three remaining schools about where things stand.

Sunday afternoon Bass released his top three schools remaining. Joining the Sooners were Syracuse and Kansas State.

Oklahoma has plenty of experience in recruiting battles with Big 12 foe Kansas State. Especially for more regional prospects. Oklahoma fighting off schools from New York is a little different, though.

Nonetheless, Oklahoma has to like its chances being that Bass is a local product. Oklahoma allows Bass to stay close to home, surrounded by many friends and family. On the playing field, Bass told Rivals that he’d primarily be joining the running back room, but that wouldn’t be all.

“They have a pretty unique plan for me too, after what I got to hear from Coach Lebby and Coach Murray on Friday,” Bass told OUInsider’s Parker Thune. “I think I would be playing some running back; I’d be in the running back room. But I’d also be split out wide quite a bit, trying to get me one-on-one with linebackers. And they even said [I’d be] playing some quarterback inside the goal line. [I’d have] kind of my own package for that. So they definitely brought some interesting things for me to think about.”

Oklahoma has a plan to utilize Bass’ athleticism in a myriad of ways. Bass plays QB for his Heritage Hall High School team. Still, his most likely ceiling in college is playing multiple positions as a true offensive weapon that can run, catch, and occasionally play a little quarterback.

There is no set timetable for his decision, but it’s likely Bass will want to visit his other finalists throughout the season before making a decision. Most recently, Bass was at Oklahoma this weekend for Party at the Palace, representing Oklahoma’s last summer recruiting event as the dead period begins August 1st.

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Sooners earn crystal ball prediction for 2024 3-star safety

With his commitment coming Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners earn crystal ball for 2024 safety and Westmoore product Mykel Patterson-McDonald

The “Party at the Palace” is coming to a close.

This was another successful recruiting week as they’ve landed commitments from a pair of prospects in the 2025 class, and more 2024 commitments are right around the corner.

The next scheduled commitment is set for Monday when three-star safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald announces his decision.

This recruitment is big in more ways than one. On one hand, he is very good friends with five-star defensive lineman David Stone who will announce his commitment on Aug. 26, 2023. But if you think Oklahoma is just after Patterson-McDonald to land Stone, you haven’t been paying attention.

The Westmoore High School and Oklahoman is a very talented player in his own right. He had 108 tackles, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions as a junior. He shows impressive ball skills and coverage ability. He’s about 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. He can line up as a free safety or play in the box in nickel situations.

He’s also an impressive track athlete. Patterson-McDonald ran a 22.67 200-meter dash and hit 21-9 in the long jump this spring as a junior.

Patterson-McDonald is the No. 6 player in the state of Oklahoma.

With his commitment a couple of days out, the Sooners picked up another prediction in its favor on Friday. This one comes from Collin Kennedy of Sooners Illustrated and 247Sports.

Oklahoma’s main competition for his commitment seems to be the UNLV Rebels. However, the Sooners have long been the favorite to pick up the talented in-state prospect. 

If the Sooners are able to earn his commitment, he’ll join a talented pair of defensive backs in the 2024 class in Jeremiah Newcombe and Jaydan Hardy.

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Sooners receive prediction for talented 2024 offensive lineman

Oklahoma Sooners received a prediction to land 2024 NFL London product Daniel Akinkunmi, who released his top 10 on Friday.

After the last few days, the 2025 recruiting class is getting all of the spotlight as they’ve vaulted up to number three nationally after the commitments of Ka’Mori Moore and Elijah Thomas. But the Sooners are still in the midst of closing out what .

One name that has popped up recently is offensive lineman Daniel Akinkunmi. Akinkunmi is a part of the NFL Academy in London, England. He’s a raw player but someone who possesses a ton of talent.

He’s a versatile athlete that can play guard or tackle but most likely will find himself playing guard for the Sooners.

He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 295 pounds. For a while, it has felt like the Temple Owls were the leader in his recruitment, but the Sooners have been picking up steam. Temple Insider Ryan Wallen issued a Crystal Ball favoring the Oklahoma Sooners.

After the crystal ball was released on Thursday, Akinkunmi shared his top 10 on Friday, narrowing his recruitment. The Oklahoma Sooners were included alongside Baylor, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Minnesota, Duke, Ole Miss, Marshall, Arkansas, and Washington State.

Akinkunmi only started playing football just a little more than a year ago, but his athleticism is impressive, and he has an incredible upside.

Combine that with the potential to be coached by one of the best offensive line coaches in America, and he’s got a good chance to develop into something special.

This would be a perfect player to add to this offensive line class. The class was at one point struggling, but has gained some momentum in recent weeks with the commitment of Eugene Brooks and predictions favoring the Sooners for Josh Aisosa.

He would be the project of the group. With all of the young talented offensive linemen on campus, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Given the amount of upside he possesses, he’s certainly worth a roster spot.

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Sooners predicted to flip 2024 3-Star QB Brendan Zurbrugg

After hosting Northwestern commit Brendan Zurbrugg this week, SoonerScoop’s Josh McCuistion issued an On3 prediction favoring the Sooners.

We are in the midst of two massive recruiting events for the Oklahoma Sooners.

2025 and 2026 prospects are in town for “Sooners under the Stars.” Then comes the final bash of the summer, the “Party at the Palace” for 2024 recruits.”

One player in attendance this week is Northwestern Wildcats commit Brendan Zurbrugg, a three-star quarterback.

It’s been clear for a while the Sooners would like to add a second quarterback in the 2024 class. They’re hoping to enter the SEC and the 2024 season with three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

The recent controversy at Northwestern that led to the dismissal of long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald opened the door for Oklahoma to flip the Ohio native.

Josh McCuistion from SoonerScoop and On3 is predicting the Oklahoma Sooners to land Zurbrugg.

Last season, Zurbrugg threw for 2,184 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. He ran for 804 yards and 11 more scores.

He’s a talented track athlete who runs the 110-meter and 300 hurdles. He won the regional title in the 300 hurdles. Zubrugg was an All-Eastern Buckeye Conference selection in both.

He is a raw prospect, but he’s a talented player with plus athleticism. With a unique athletic background, Zurbrugg could be developed into a contributor.

It happens all of the time but with five-star Jackson Arnold presumed to take the reins from Dillon Gabriel, Michael Hawkins committed to the 2024 class, and Kevin Sperry on board for 2025, it’ll be an uphill battle.

However, one can never have enough talented quarterback prospects and Zurbrugg’s potential makes him an intriguing option for the Oklahoma Sooners.

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2024 OL Eugene Brooks commits to Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners earn commitment from 2024 4-star offensive lineman Eugene Brooks. Brooks picked OU over Texas.

The Oklahoma Sooners kicked off Tuesday with a bang: Sierra Canyon High School offensive lineman Eugene Brooks committed to the Sooners over the Texas Longhorns.

Brooks is a mammoth offensive lineman. He stands 6 feet, 3 inches and 320 pounds. He has impressive strength and mauls opposing defenders. However, he needs to work on his technique. He’s a work in progress.

We’ve been watching Brooks since he was a freshman playing at Las Vegas Desert Pines and can count on less than one hand how many one on one reps he has lost on the camp or 5v5 circuit. He’s a naturally strong kid with good feet and is tough to beat with a bull or speed rush. We’ve watched him take reps at both guard and tackle and he wins the majority of his reps with an opposing defensive lineman not even getting past the line of scrimmage. – Greg Biggins 247Sports

Brooks makes the 10th commitment for the Sooners since the ChampU BBQ in late June. He’s the second offensive lineman to commit to the class after Isaiah Autry broke the ice in April. 

The Sooners are on an impressive run and hope to close the month strongly. Four-star safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald is next on the schedule. He plans to announce his decision on Monday (July 31).

After missing on Casey Poe and Harrison Utley, this was a big win for Bill Bedenbaugh and company. He needs to develop, but Bedenbaugh has proven capable of that task in his time as the offensive line coach at Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma lands PWO wide receiver commit

This one is Southlake Carroll (TX) wide receiver and return man Jacob Jordan. Jordan is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound receiver who will be a preferred walk-on on the team.

The Oklahoma Sooners land their 10th commitment since the ChampU BBQ at the end of June.

This one is Southlake Carroll (TX) wide receiver and return man Jacob Jordan. Jordan is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound receiver who will be a preferred walk-on for the team.

On3 has him as a three-star but he’s not rated on any of the other major recruiting sites.

Jordan had an impressive season a year ago. He caught 64 passes for 1,202 yards and 16 touchdowns.

This followed a season in which he was named Texas District 4-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore.

From the first highlight you watch, you can already see the impressive route running and speed he possesses.

He’s also a really impressive return man for Southlake Carroll. He adds to an already stacked class at wide receiver in the 2024 cycle for the Sooners.

They’ve added five receivers, Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, K.J. Daniels and Dozie Ezukanma.

Jordan has the perfect size and ability to play the role currently occupied by Drake Stoops and could follow Stoops’ potential successor, Gavin Freeman.

The Sooners have had success with both of those players and hope to continue that with Jordan.

For a high school player, he already has an impressive route tree. Several times in his highlights he showed the ability to take the top off the defense, catch something short and break it for a big gain, and also the ability to shake a defender during the route leaving him wide open for a huge gain.

Just like any preferred walk-on, it will be tough for him to get on the field and make a name for himself, but he definitely has the ability.

One thing he has working for him is the impressive track record Oklahoma has with preferred walk-ons including his two predecessors.

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Sooners make top six for elite 2024 basketball prospect

It’s been a while since an athletic, tall, skilled big man has called Norman home and he’d be a great compliment to some of the young guys already on campus.

It’s not just the Oklahoma football program that is in the midst of some big-time recruiting battles. The Oklahoma basketball program, led by Porter Moser, is in a few of its own.

One of those is for top 50 power forward Robert Miller III from Houston, Texas.

Miller released his top six, with the Sooners included alongside the Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Colorado Buffaloes. There’s no doubt everywhere you look, the Texas Longhorns seem to be the prohibitive favorite and the team to beat.

On3 has them with a 93.1% chance to land the prospect, and with the success the program has had lately, they’ll be tough to beat.

But if Moser can pull it off, Miller would be a player they just haven’t had in the program in a long time.

Robert Miller III has all the tools making his upside fascinating. He stands every bit of 6’9”/6’10” with long arms and fluid movements. He has a smooth shooting stroke with catch and shoot ability when his feet are set from beyond the arc. Miller is a fluid athlete with some explosive pop. He runs and moves, both laterally and vertically, very well. He can put it on the floor for 2-3 dribbles and has a developing mid-post game with a nice mid-range pull-up game. He needs to continue adding a strength to his core and base. Continue working on his footwork and the finer nuances of how he scores his baskets. He can face the basket in the half-court and finish in transition at the rim. Miller is still raw, he is still young and learning his spots. He will need to continue focusing on rebounding and on defense. The flashes are very apparent here, and the patience could be well worth the wait. – On3’s Jamie Shaw

It’s been a while since an athletic, tall, skilled big man has called Norman home, and he’d be a great compliment to some of the young guys already on campus.

As mentioned, the defense still needs work, but he’s a pretty good shot blocker. We know if you don’t play defense, Moser has a hard time finding you minutes on the court.

In the end, winning a player in Texas’ backyard is going to be tough but could be helped out if the Sooners can find themselves in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Will Miller wait that long to commit? That’s to be determined.

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