Tag: 2024 Oklahoma Recruiting

OU 2024 targets thrive at Under Armour Dallas camp, trending toward the Sooners

Oklahoma targets Michael Hawkins and Bryant Wesco had big days at the Under Armour Next camp in Dallas, and OU continues to trend in a positive direction for the four-star prospects.

Oklahoma’s top QB target and one of their top wide receiver targets in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] put on a show at the Under Armour Next All-America Dallas camp this past weekend.

[autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag], a consensus four-star QB prospect, took home the Accuracy Challenge award, while fellow four-star North Texas prospect Bryant Wesco took home wide receiver MVP honors.

Wesco dominated defensive backs with crisp routes, his size, and his ability to bring down any and everything that came his way. For both prospects, Oklahoma and TCU seem to be the top two schools in their recruitment.

Oklahoma and TCU will be on standby come April 8th as Hawkins plans to announce his commitment. Following his performance at UA Dallas Next, Hawkins received another crystal ball prediction in Oklahoma’s favor from Texas Insider Mike Roach on Monday.

Hawkins has 247Sports, On3, and Rivals, all projecting him to land with Oklahoma. Barring a surprise commitment between now and April 8th, Hawkins, if he chooses Oklahoma, will likely be their first commit for 2024.

On the other hand, Wesco seems like a recruitment that still has a little more time before it’s decided.

Like Hawkins, Wesco also received a projection in favor of Oklahoma following his performance in Dallas. Mike Roach also believes Oklahoma will land Wesco, giving the Sooners a four-star wide receiver to combine with potential four-star commit in Hawkins.

Roach joins OUInsider’s Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune in his projection of Wesco to Oklahoma.

With these new developments, Oklahoma could be on the cusp of announcing its presence on the recruiting trail for the class of 2024 in a big way. As recruitment of the 2023 class taught us, Oklahoma will run the whole race to the end. They will also strike while the iron is hot, like in the summer of 2022 when they reeled in 10 commits in 21 days.

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Sooners set to host an elite crop of talent this weekend; here’s who will be in attendance

After a highly successful Junior Day in January, the Sooners are set to host another one this weekend. Here’s who’s coming to Norman.

For the second time in the first full recruiting cycle of the Brent Venables era, the Oklahoma Sooners are set to host a massive recruiting event. The first Junior Day went well according to recruiting experts across the industry. It featured major names as the Sooners continue to establish their 2023 recruiting board under Brent Venables.

The first junior day took place in January and was pretty hefty in terms of the number of bodies on campus. This list may top the January one in size and sheer talent that will be in the building.

We’ve taken the liberty again of mapping out the confirmed visitors for this weekend.

Class of 2023

Four-star WR Jaquaize Pettaway

Four-star DL Jordan Renaud

Four-star OL Miles McVay

Four-star EDGE Colton Vasek

Four-star ATH Mikal Harrison-Pilot

Four-star DB Dijon Johnson

Four-star LB Derion Gullette

Four-star DL Edric Hill

Four-star OL Wilkin Formby

Three-star OL Joshua Bates (Oklahoma commit)

Three-star LB S’maje Burrell

Three-star ATH Moussa Kane

Three-star DB Jayden Bonsu

Three-star DB Landon Hale

Three-star DB Kaleb Spencer

Three-star ATH Samuel Omosigho

Four-star OL Cayden Green

Five-star RB Richard Young

On top of the juniors who dominate the list, the Sooners have a few 2024 sophomore visitors who will be in attendance. Of course for the Sooners, they would never turn down the chance to have a recruit on campus no matter their classification.

Class of 2024

DL Williams Nwaneri

Four-star ATH KJ Bolden

Four-star DL Nigel Smith

For Oklahoma, this is another opportunity to re-establish this program’s identity under Venables. For all of the talk about what type of culture he wants, Venables and his staff get that opportunity to show what it means to have OUDNA and what Norman can offer the next generation of Sooners.

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Oklahoma Sooners offer 2024 defensive lineman Kavion Henderson out of Alabama

The Oklahoma Sooners offered 2024 defensive lineman Kavion Henderson out of Leeds, Alabama.

The Oklahoma Sooners are hosting the first of two junior days in March this weekend in Norman. While the juniors step to the forefront this weekend, Oklahoma’s defensive line coaches Todd Bates (defensive tackles) and Miguel Chavis (defensive ends) have been putting in work with the 2024 class.

The latest offer goes out to defensive lineman Kavion Henderson out of Leeds, Ala. Henderson played primarily on the edge for Leeds and was a disruptive player as a stand-up rusher or with his hand in the dirt.

Henderson displays good play strength, often pushing the tackle back into the play. He’s quick off the snap to engage the blocker but diagnoses the play quickly and works down the line on dive plays or maintains leverage on wide runs to his side of the field.

Whether taking on one or two blockers, Henderson is a disciplined player, showing good gap integrity, pursuit ability, and will chase down plays when he’s well out of the action.

He’s a physical player that will try to punish his opponent. He tackles a bit high too regularly, but because he’s so physically dominating, he doesn’t have to tackle with leverage. Though he may tackle around the chest and shoulders, he consistently wraps up the ball carrier to drive them to the ground.

Even as a sophomore, Henderson has a lot of tools that will make whichever school he decides to play his college ball at very happy. It’s still early in the 2024 cycle, so Henderson hasn’t been rated yet, but based on early returns, he’ll likely start the cycle as a four-star player.

Vitals

Hometown Leeds, Ala.
Projected Position DL
Height 6-3
Weight 240 lbs

Recruitment

  • Offered on March 4, 2022

Notable Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Auburn
  • Georgia
  • Michigan
  • Michigan State
  • Oregon
  • Tennessee
  • USC

Film

via Hudl

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Oklahoma offers four-star 2024 wide receiver Jeremiah Smith out of Florida

Oklahoma offered four-star class of 2024 wide receiver Jeremiah Smith out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Fla.

Oklahoma extended an offer to four-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The 6-foot-2, 185 pound prospect is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 39 player nationally, the No. 9 wide receiver and the eighth-best player from the state of Florida in the 2024 class.

In the On3 consensus rankings, Smith checks in as the No. 11 player overall, the No. 3 wide receiver and the No. 2 player from the state of Florida in the 2024 class.

Smith is from Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Fla. He’s the cousin of former West Virginia quarterback and Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith.

Smith is also teammates with Zaquan Patterson, one of Oklahoma’s other recent targets in the 2024 class. According to 247Sports, Patterson is the No. 12 player nationally in the 2024 class, the No. 2 athlete and second-best player from Florida. OU offered Patterson on Feb. 11.

The Oklahoma offer for Smith continues a recent surge in high-profile offers. Over the past month, Smith has received offers from Texas A&M on Jan. 20, Utah on Jan. 22, LSU on Jan. 24, USC on Jan. 27 and Alabama on Feb. 4.

Smith also holds offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, UCF, West Virginia, Indiana and Toledo.

It continues a recent trend on wide receiver offers for the Sooners.

Upon his arrival as the Sooners’ new OC, Lebby offered wide receiver, Jayden Gibson. Gibson was at the time a Florida commit, and, eventually, he flipped from Florida to Oklahoma. Gibson stands at 6-foot-4. He’s enrolled and working out as an early enrollee.

That started a significant and noticeable trend of offers being shipped to other wide receivers of the 2023 and 2024 classes. Lebby primarily likes his receivers big with long frames.

Here’s where we can draw this conclusion: Jaden Greathouse (6-foot-2), Jalen Hale (6-foot-2) and Aidan Mizell (6-foot-3) have taken precedent over guys like DeAndre Moore Jr, who recently decommitted from the Sooners. – Bryant Crews, Sooners Wire.

It’s very early in the 2024 cycle, but it’s nice to see Oklahoma in on talented playmakers like Smith and Patterson this quickly. Offering both early gives the Sooners a chance to sell the idea of the pair continuing their playing careers in the Crimson and Cream.

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Catch up with a flurry of February offers for Oklahoma Sooners Football

Oklahoma has sent out plenty of offers over the past several weeks. Here’s a look at who the Sooners have targeted.

With national signing day officially in the rearview, Oklahoma has turned its focus to the 2023 and 2024 classes for the most part.

OU has four commits in the 2023 recruiting class, good for No. 15 nationally and third in the Big 12 conference according to 247Sports. That list includes quarterback Jackson Arnold, wide receiver Ashton Cozart, offensive lineman Joshua Bates and athlete Erik McCarty.

Here’s a look at who the Sooners have sent out offers to over the past several weeks.

Offers list at DL/EDGE illustrates Brent Venables and Oklahoma’s commitment to transformation up front

Since being hired, Brent Venables and his staff have sent out at least 25 offers to EDGE/DL talent. What does it say about the future at OU?

Since being officially introduced as Oklahoma’s head football coach on Dec. 6, Brent Venables and his staff have sent out at least 25 offers to edge and defensive line talent spanning the 2022, 2023 and 2024 classes.

Oklahoma will need to replace its top three sacks and tackles for loss producers from the 2021 season: outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey. The three announced ahead of OU’s bowl game versus Oregon their intentions to declare for the 2022 NFL draft.

Venables quickly offered and signed Deerfield Beach High School (Florida) defensive lineman Alton Tarber. Then, OU added Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu and Tulane defensive tackle Jeffery Johnson from the transfer portal. That pair combined for 77 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2021.

The Sooners were one of the final choices for Missouri transfer defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, too, before he chose LSU. OU has offers to 2022 defensive linemen and edge prospects Gracen Halton, Kevonte Henry, Ahmad Moten and R. Mason Thomas.

Halton, Henry, Moten and Thomas all have predictions from a variety of reporters to wind up signing with Oklahoma next week.

247Sports’ Parker Thune submitted a crystal-ball prediction for Halton to Oklahoma several days before Halton decommitted from Oregon. Since then, multiple 247Sports reporters have jumped on board with Halton ending up at OU.

Henry is a Michigan commit and listed as an edge by 247Sports, but the Sooners offered him on Dec. 29, and he visited Oklahoma on Jan. 14. On3 director of recruiting Chad Simmons updated his prediction for Henry from Michigan to Oklahoma. It’s worth noting 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins flipped his prediction for Henry from Michigan to Arizona several days ago, so that’s a conflicting prediction.

Moten was offered by OU on Dec. 7. Thune submitted a crystal-ball prediction for Oklahoma on Dec. 19, and 247Sports’ Southeast recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins put in a crystal-ball prediction for Moten to Oklahoma last week.

Thomas earned an Oklahoma offer on Jan. 12. Thune flipped his prediction for Thomas from Iowa State to Oklahoma on Dec. 19.

Whether or not Oklahoma lands all of these prospects, it seems safe to assume the Sooners are adding at least a couple of prospects on national signing day. All of this is just in the 2022 class to potentially go along with defensive line signee Cedric Roberts.

In the 2023 class, Oklahoma has sent out offers to 13 recruits listed as either defensive linemen or edge players since Venables was hired. That list comprises Rueben Bain, Vic Burley, Kelby Collins, Enow-M’beleke Etta, Keldric Faulk, Derion Gullette, Bai Jobe, Kayden McDonald, Xzavier McLeod, Jaquavious Russaw, Desmond Umeozulu, Colton Vasek and A’mauri Washington.

In the 2024 class, the Sooners have sent out four offers to defensive linemen since Venables’ hiring. The 2024 list comprises T.A. Cunningham, Hevin Brown-Shuler, Nigel Smith II and a re-offer to David Stone.

What does all of this mean? For starters, it indicates Venables and his staff knew they needed an infusion of proven collegiate starters, Johnson and Laulu, out of the transfer portal to help offset the losses of Bonitto, Thomas and Winfrey.

After that, it’s a clear indication of two things: Venables understands a move to the SEC means Oklahoma needs to address its depth up front defensively. It also shows a belief that Oklahoma’s foundation moving forward needs to start in the trenches defensively.

It’s probably worth pointing out that a couple of these prospects listed as edge players could end up playing linebacker. Still, the message has been sent loudly and clearly.

Now and into the future, it starts at Oklahoma along the defensive front.

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Oklahoma offers pair of Florida CBs in Damari Brown, Antione Jackson

Oklahoma sent out a pair of offers to cornerbacks from the state of Florida in Damari Brown and Antione Jackson.

The Sooner coaching staff is swiftly turning its focus beyond finalizing the 2022 signing class and into what lies ahead, the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables and co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai extended offers to a pair of Florida cornerbacks in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

Class of 2023 cornerback Damari Brown and class of 2024 cornerback Antione Jackson each received offers from the Sooners.

Brown is out of American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., and is listed as a 6-foot, 175 pound corner by 247Sports. The site has Brown ranked as a three-star recruit, the No. 42 cornerback and the 74th-best player in the state of Florida for the 2023 class.

Rivals ranks Brown higher and as a four-star prospect. According to Rivals’ rankings, Brown is the nation’s No. 40 cornerback and the 57th-best player in Florida for the 2023 cycle.

In the 247Sports composite rankings, Brown checks in as the country’s No. 356 player overall and the No. 36 cornerback. According to On3’s consensus rankings, Brown is the nation’s 40th-best cornerback and No. 386 overall player in the 2023 class.

Brown already has a length list of offers that includes several prominent SEC programs. Brown’s hudl film is posted below.

Damari Brown’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rivals 4 N/A 57 40
247Sports 3 N/A 74 42
247 Composite 3 356 67 36
On3 Recruiting 3 N/A N/A N/A
On3 Composite 3 386 72 40

Vitals

Hometown Plantation, Fla.
Projected Position CB
Height 6-0
Weight 175

Recruitment

  • Offered on Jan. 27

Notable Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Arkansas
  • Florida
  • Florida State
  • Georgia
  • Miami
  • Tennessee
  • Texas A&M

Film

Meanwhile, Jackson is a 2024 recruit out of Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The 6-foot, 170 pound corner is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback and the nation’s No. 53 player overall in the 2024 class according to 247Sports. Rivals has Jackson listed as a four-star prospect and he is the nation’s No. 5 cornerback and No. 42 player nationally in the On3 consensus rankings.

In addition to OU, here’s who Jackson also holds offers from. A look at Jackson’s hudl highlights from his sophomore season is included below.

Antione Jackson’s Recruiting Profile

Vitals

Hometown Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Projected Position CB
Height 6-0
Weight 170

Recruitment

  • Offered on Jan. 27

Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Georgia Tech
  • LSU
  • Miami
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi State
  • Pittsburgh

Film

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5 recent Oklahoma football offers across the 2023, 2024 classes

Here’s a look at five players that received offers from Oklahoma across the 2023 and 2024 classes over the past few days.

Thanks to four-star quarterback Jackson Arnold announcing his pledge, the Sooners have three commits in the 2023 class.

Arnold is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback out of Denton Guyer in Texas. The other two 2023 commitments are four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. and three-star offensive lineman Joshua Bates from Durango, Colorado.

Oklahoma continues to send out offers in both the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes. Here are five prospects that saw recent offers Oklahoma.

A comprehensive look at some of Oklahoma Football’s recent offers

Oklahoma has been busy on the recruiting trail. Here’s a look at some of the recent offers OU has sent out to 2023 and 2024 prospects.

National Signing Day is swiftly approaching on Feb. 2 and that means the 2022 class is just about finished.

With that date within shouting distance, it’s time for Oklahoma to turn its collective attention to the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

OU has been busy sending out offers and looking to establish momentum in both of their upcoming classes. Here’s a look at some of the names the Sooners have offered recently.

Oklahoma offers four-star 2024 defensive tackle Hevin Brown-Shuler

Oklahoma and new co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates extended an offer to four-star class of 2024 defensive tackle Hevin Brown-Shuler.

Reports surfaced yesterday that Todd Bates was leaving Clemson to join Oklahoma and head coach Brent Venables’ staff as the Sooners’ co-defensive coordinator.

Bates coached defensive tackles at Clemson and will at OU as well. The Sooners’ new associate head coach has wasted little time getting to work on the recruiting trail for the Sooners.

Bates and Oklahoma extended an offer to class of 2024 defensive tackle Hevin Brown-Shuler. The 6-foot-4, 260 pound defensive lineman is a consensus four-star recruit out of the Atlanta Pace Academy.

Brown-Shuler is rated as the nation’s No. 27 player overall and fourth-ranked defensive lineman in the class of 2024 according to 247 Sports. The defensive lineman also checks in as the nation’s No. 30 player and fifth-best defensive lineman according to On3’s consensus rankings.

On3 does not rank sophomore players this early in their recruiting cycle, but Brown-Shuler was included in On3’s top 100 watchlist. He was one of eight defensive linemen on that list for On3.

Brown-Shuler holds offers from 10 other schools according to 247 Sports: Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, North Carolina State, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and USC.

Brown-Shuler took a pair of unofficial visits to South Carolina last June and attended both the Alabama and Clemson school camps. The defensive lineman has also taken unofficial visits to Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and USC.

Oklahoma has also offered 6-foot-3, 255 pound defensive lineman David Stone in the 2024 recruiting class. Stone is rated as a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 55 player and sixth-best defensive lineman according to 247 Sports.

Stone is an Oklahoma City-area kid from Del City. Here’s a full write-up about OU’s recent offer to Stone from Bryant Crews.

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