Tag: andrew babalola

2025 Oklahoma Sooners commitment tracker

Oklahoma Sooners 2025 commitment tracker

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a much faster start in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] than in 2024. In fact, [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] committed to the 2025 class (March 13, 2023) before OU had received its first commitment for the 2024 class: [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag] (March 25, 2023).

The Sooners have put together another phenomenal class but the centerpiece came when five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi committed to the Sooners on Wednesday. That gave Oklahoma their third straight recruiting class with at least one five-star prospect and their fifth in the last three years.

Additionally, it provided another elite piece for the Sooners to work with in the trenches after adding [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] in 2023 and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] in 2024 on the defensive side of the ball. Now, Bill Bedenbaugh has his cornerstone of the future on the offensive side of the ball. The Sooners have been working overtime to strengthen their talent along the line of scrimmage.

Now with Fasusi committed, the Sooners turn their attention to [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], their final big-time targets in the 2025 cycle. Babalola is said to be down to Michigan, Stanford, and Oklahoma. Jones is leaning toward Nebraska but likely won’t commit until the fall. Williams was once a heavy Oklahoma lean, but his recruitment has broadened over the last six months to include LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oregon. There could also be a surprise addition or flip over the next few months ahead of the early signing period.

Here are the players committed to the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

Updated: August 21, 2024

Consensus 2025 five-star OT Michael Fasusi picks Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma earns a commitment from 2025 five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi.

Oklahoma has its big fish for the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

Since Brent Venables took over, five-star prospects [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], Peyton Bowen and David Stone highlighted their recruiting classes. For 2025, it’s [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag].

Fasusi is a five-star offensive tackle prospect from Texas who hails from the same high school that produced Sooners four-star defensive back Jaydan Hardy last year. Lewisville High School, located just under 45 minutes from Dallas, has been kind to the Sooners in recent years, and on Tuesday, the Sooners reaped the benefits again.

Fasusi’s recruitment has been national since he was a sophomore when it was apparent he was heading for five-star status. The Sooners offered Fasusi in January 2023, and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has been relentless in his efforts to land Fasusi. Even with the rise of other highly sought offensive tackle prospects in this class, Bedenbuagh and OU remained in hot pursuit.

Their relationship was an integral part of the Sooners winning out.  Bedenbaugh’s track record is second to none in developing talent along the offensive line.

 

Fasusi is an incredible asset to the Sooners, and beating out Texas and Texas A&M is nothing to scoff at. Texas has been a major player in this recruitment, and at times this year, it felt as if the Sooners were in second place. Oklahoma weathered the highs and lows of the recruitment and advances from other challengers.

In April, predictions heavily favored the Texas Longhorns, but over the last week, insiders that cover the Longhorns began to flip their predictions to the Sooners. National recruiting figures such as Tom Loy, Matt Zenitz and Steve Wiltfong reinforced the shift.

Kyle Flood is a well-respected name in offensive line recruiting, so beating him and Texas, especially with Texas’ recruiting ability on the offensive line of late, is worthy of even more praise for Bedenbaugh and the Sooners as the dust settles.

On the field, Fasusi is a dynamic prospect. Gabe Brooks, a scouting analyst for 247Sports, compared Fasusi to a former Sooner.

Gifted O-lineman with true book-end tackle potential. Possesses excellent physical tools and promising athletic context in track and field and combine testing categories. Legitimately 6-foot-5 with long arms and a big reach. Wears mass well and owns space to add more bulk. Multi-sport athlete with 50+ shot put and 150+ discus prowess. Grew up playing soccer and is young for the 2025 cycle. Similarly explosive metrics in vertical and broad jump relative to OT projection. Shows foot quickness and agility to live on an island in pass protection. Nimbleness translates to movement ability in the run game. Flashes some punch power that should become more consistent with continued development. Improved phone-booth strength from sophomore to junior year. Length and athleticism help in recovery vs. twitchy edge speed, but will need to continue technical development to match P4-caliber foes at point of attack. Somewhat high-cut build and plays upright at times. Getting more comfortable as a convicted block-finishing presence, but can still unleash more mean streak. Entering senior year, looks like one of the nation’s top 2025 offensive tackle prospects. Projects as a high-major multi-year starter with physical and athletic specs that suggest early-round NFL Draft upside. – Brooks, 247Sports

As for the Sooner, Brooks had in mind as a comparison for Fasusi? Wanya Morris. Morris transferred to Oklahoma and spent two years as a Sooner before being drafted last year by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he is a starter on the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champs alongside another Bedenbaugh product, All-Pro center Creed Humphrey.

Oklahoma had to land Fasusi after missing on [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Haywood[/autotag] and trailing in the race for [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag]. It was a non-negotiable as all four prospects were top 100 players.

Fortunately, the Sooners have their left tackle for the future. Pairing him with the fast-rising Ryan Fodje, an ascending player over the last year, as well as interior offensive linemen [autotag]Darius Afalava[/autotag] and [autotag]Owen Hollenbeck[/autotag] makes for an even stronger offensive line recruiting class. The Sooners are well positioned to keep [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] upright as the Sooners settle in as SEC members in the coming years.

With Fasusi on board, the Sooners vaulted from 11th in 247Sports team recruiting rankings to eighth, right behind Texas A&M. Fasusi becomes the first five-star offensive lineman in Norman since [autotag]Brey Walker[/autotag].

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Three Auburn commits listed on MaxPreps All-American Preseason Team

Safety Anquon Fegans, running back Alvin Henderson and safety/wide receiver Derick Smith made the cut.

As back-to-school advertisements air on television, the high school football season, specifically at schools below the Mason-Dixon line, is ready to begin.

With the start of “Friday Night Lights”, MaxPreps released its All-American Preseason High School Football Team. Three high-profile Auburn Tiger commits, safety [autotag]Anquon Fegans[/autotag] (First Team), running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] (Second Team), and safety/wide receiver [autotag]Derick Smith[/autotag] (Second Team) made the cut.

Fegans, who committed to Auburn last month, received the nod on the first team after MaxPreps named his to the All-American team as a junior. The No. 5 safety in the 2025 class is looking to build on a fantastic junior season in which he picked off opposing quarterbacks 5 times while racking up 50 tackles. Health permitting, the Alabaster, AL native should make an impact on the Plains as soon as he lands on campus next summer.

Four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] is the only “full time” offensive Auburn commit to receive Preseason All-American honors. A consensus top 20 back in the 2025 class, Henderson originally chose Penn State before flipping his commitment to Auburn in June. Like Fegans, Henderson has an equal chance to make an immediate impact as a Tiger next season with current Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] entering his senior season in 2024.

Four-star athlete Derick Smith joins Henderson on the All-American Second Team just two weeks after flipping his commitment from rival Alabama to the Tigers. The talented two-way star will likely line up as a wide receiver once he makes his way to the Plains next summer but will continue to receive reps on both sides of the ball during his senior season at Southside High School in Selma, Alabama.

Besides the trio of highly-ranked Auburn commits, a few other Tiger targets received spots on MaxPreps Preseason Teams. 2025 recruits [autotag]Na’eem Offord[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Grady[/autotag], as well as 2026 linebacker [autotag]Tyler Atkinson[/autotag] were also featured on the All-American teams.

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Auburn remains in contention to land five-star OT Andrew Babalola

Auburn looks to close the deal on Babalola before next week’s scheduled commitment date.

One of Auburn’s highest recruiting targets for the 2025 class is set to commit next week, and the Tigers remain in a tight race for his pledge with several power programs.

[autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], a five-star offensive tackle from Overland Park, Kansas, is scheduled to announce his commitment next Tuesday, Aug. 13 and Auburn could come away as the sneaky choice. According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Stanford has an 88.8% chance of landing Babaloloa, with Michigan, Missouri, and Oklahoma next in line.

However, Auburn is the sleeper pick for Babalola according to Steve Wiltfong of On3. The outlet’s VP of Recruiting and Transfer Portal news says that Auburn’s camp has felt that they were never out of contention to add Babalola despite the noise created by other programs.

Don’t sleep on Hugh Freeze and company,” Wiltfong said ahead of Babalola’s commitment date. “On3 is hearing the Tigers are one to watch with a decision timeline fast approaching and that we need to start talking more about the SEC program with a potential commitment coming soon.”

Wiltfong still gives Stanford the best chance to win the Babalola sweepstakes, with Michigan and Auburn being the Cardinal’s biggest challengers. Babalola is the top recruit fron Kansas for the 2025 cycle and is the nation’s No. 15 overall recruit from the class according to On3’s rankings.

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Five-star offensive lineman Andrew Babalola to make decision soon

Hugh Freeze’s Auburn Tigers are currently one of five teams the talented tackle is considering.

2025 five-star offensive lineman [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag] is reportedly closing in on a decision regarding his commitment. The No. 1 overall recruit from Kansas is a consensus top-five tackle in the nation. Hugh Freeze’s Auburn Tigers are one of five teams the talented tackle is considering.

Despite being a native of Overland Park, Kan., Babalola is only considering one “local” school, Missouri, on his final list which also includes Auburn, Oklahoma, Stanford, and Michigan. While Auburn has a chance to land Babalola’s talents, he hasn’t visited the Plains since May 17 of this year. He’s visited Michigan (May 31), Stanford (June 7), Michigan (June 14), and Oklahoma (June 21), all more recently than Auburn,

If Hugh Freeze and his staff can land Babalola, it would add another tick to what has become a top-seven recruiting class in the country. The top recruit in the state of Kansas has not set an exact date for his decision, but it could come within the coming days.

The Tigers currently have three offensive linemen committed in the 2025 class. One recruit, three-star interior lineman Kail Ellis, is in line to join Auburn in 2026.

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Trio of Oklahoma Sooners recruiting targets among ESPN’s top 25 prospects

The Oklahoma Sooners are in pursuit of three of the best prospects in the nation regardless of recruiting class.

The Oklahoma Sooners [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is nearly complete. They have 22 players committed to the class but are working to earn commitments from three more targets this cycle.

Five-star offensive tackles [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], five-star safety [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], and four-star linebacker [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag] are the top remaining targets. Fasusi and Williams are considered two of the top prospects in the country regardless of recruiting class.

ESPN’s Billy Tucker ranked the top 25 (ESPN+) prospects regardless of recruiting class, with Williams coming in at No. 16 and Fasusi landing at No. 20.

At one point, the Sooners were considered the leaders for Williams. His recruitment has taken a number of twists and turns. After Oklahoma, Texas A&M became the perceived leader. Texas and Oregon have also had their time as the leaders for Williams. This feels like a recruitment that nobody truly knows where it’s headed except for Williams. He set a top five that left out the Sooners, but don’t sleep on [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff to find their way back into the race for one of 2025’s very best players.

Williams, a safety who is listed as an outside linebacker, can be a versatile player with his combination of size and speed. He’s already 6-3, 205 pounds with length and will continue to fill out and grow into the linebacker role. He makes an impact regardless of alignment and shows flashes reminiscent of 2019 ESPN 300 safety and former Notre Dame standout Kyle Hamilton. Williams has elite range to both match up in coverage and act as a sideline-to-sideline presence. He displays excellent ball skills, and his length and leaping ability allow him to win contested matchups. In addition to playmaking tools, Williams also shows good toughness. He can be a physical, wrap-up tackler and brings ball carriers down in space. The transition to linebacker should be a smooth one in college as he continues to add size. – Tucker, ESPN

The Sooners are in a good spot with Fasusi. They’ll have to contend with Texas and Texas A&M for his commitment. He’s been on campus several times and even called Bill Bedenbaugh the GOAT (greatest of all time) on social media.

Fasusi has all the tools to be an elite offensive tackle at both the collegiate and NFL levels.

Fasusi certainly looks the part. He stands 6-6, 295 pounds with an 83.3-inch wingspan and a 1.77 10-yard split, creating an unparalleled length and agility combination. As one might expect, he plays with good initial quickness and explosive power. He has worked to add to his wiry frame as he has gotten older and now plays with excellent strength in the run game. Fasusi gets great hand placement, pops his hips and drives defenders off the ball with his physicality. His improved functional strength could allow him to star at guard if he never develops elite pass protection skills at tackle, but he has the length and athleticism to handle either tackle position with further technical development. Fasusi presents a captivating ball of clay for an elite program to continue molding. – Tucker, ESPN

In addition to Williams and Fasusi, the Sooners are also in pursuit of 2026 athlete [autotag]Brandon Arrington[/autotag]. He comes in at No. 23 in the nation.

Arrington may be a better track athlete than football player at this stage, but he has elite sprinter speed. The 6-3, 180-pounder broke California’s sophomore state record with a 20.55 200-meter dash this spring and won the state’s Gatorade Track and Field Player of the Year award. On the football field, Arrington has clocked a max speed north of 21 mph. The wide receiver can flip the field on offense in the blink of an eye and has great length and closing speed to project at corner. Now he needs to continue to refine his game. The top-ranked athlete in his class has elite upside and more than 20 FBS offers. – Tucker ESPN

Arrington is an elite athlete that has a chance to be a difference maker on both sides of the ball like Colorado’s Travis Hunter and the speed to create big plays on special teams as a return man.

The Sooners also have offers out to offensive tackle [autotag]Immanuel Iheanacho[/autotag] (No. 17), offensive tackle [autotag]Jackson Cantwell[/autotag] (No. 13), tight end [autotag]Kendre Harrison[/autotag] (No. 10), and defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah Griffin[/autotag] (No. 8). There is varied interest in Oklahoma, but the Sooners will have their opportunity to move the needle on the recruiting trail.

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Where does Oklahoma stand with blue-chip prospects for the 2025 recruiting class?

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand with four blue chip prospects ahead with fall camp set to kick off?

Oklahoma’s [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] has come together nicely. The Sooners are inside the top 10 of the 247Sports team recruiting rankings with a little over five months until the December early signing period.

It’s a class bolstered by top-100 players C.J. Nickson and Ryan Fodje. But the Sooners are still in pursuit of four of the best players in the cycle, including three players that rank inside the top 30 of 247Sports Top247. Andrew Babalola, Jonah Williams and Michael Fasusi are the five-star targets the Sooners are hoping they can earn a commitment from in 2025. They’re also pursuing four-star linebacker Christian Jones.

So, where do things stand with these top prospects?

Andrew Babalola, OT

The five-star prospect out of Kansas appears down to three teams: Michigan, Stanford and Oklahoma. While the Sooners are in pursuit, the buzz appears more focused on Michigan and Stanford for [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag].

Commitment Date: Aug. 12

Michael Fasusi, OT

Another five-star offensive tackle the Oklahoma Sooners are heavily recruiting is [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag]. He has spoken highly of offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag], but the Sooners will have to overcome heavy pushes from Texas and Texas A&M.

Commitment Date: Aug. 21

Christian Jones, LB

Only recently have the Oklahoma Sooners asserted themselves in the recruitment of four-star linebacker [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag], a Nebraska native. But they’ve picked up serious momentum after his official visit at the end of June. Though predictions to start the month favored the Sooners, the middle of July turned the process in Nebraska‘s favor. Steve Wiltfong of On3 predicted the Cornhuskers to land Jones.

Commitment Date: Not set

Jonah Williams, S

In one of the more intriguing recruiting battles in the 2025 recruiting class, the pursuit of [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag] has ebbed and flowed. At one point, Oklahoma looked like the heavy favorite, only for Texas A&M and then Oregon to steal that momentum. But don’t look for the Sooners to lay back. They’ll continue to work to turn the tide back in the Sooners’ favor. This is a recruitment that will likely go down to the early signing period and it’s anyone’s guess where the five-star safety lands.

Commitment Date: Aug. 24

UPDATE

Jonah Williams announced his commitment date Wednesday afternoon and a top five that doesn’t include the Oklahoma Sooners. We’ll see where this goes, but OU has had a long-standing relationship with the talented five-star safety.

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Michigan football commits making push for 5-star after big recruiting day

You love to see this. #GoBlue

Michigan football had a huge day on the recruiting trail on Monday; it received commitments from two top-100 prospects.

The Wolverines secured 2025 Winter Garden (Florida) West Orange four-star safety Ivan Taylor (who flipped from Notre Dame) and Central Valley (Pennsylvania) Southern Lehigh four-star tight end Andrew Olesh. As the class keeps building, some commits are working on one of their next targets.

The next potential commit is likely Destrehan (Louisiana) three-star wide receiver Phillip Wright III, who makes his announcement on Saturday. One prospect that doesn’t have a clear leader and has an open timeline is Overland Park (Kansas) Blue Valley Northwest five-star offensive lineman Andrew Babalola, who might be deciding between Michigan and Stanford.

Two Michigan pledges are making their pitch to Babalola on X (formerly Twitter).

Those are the two longest-tenured commits in the 2025 class: tight end Eli Owens and defensive lineman Bobby Kanka.

While these overtures may not have much sway, it’s good to see the culture of the program has seeped into the not-yet-signed recruiting class.

Sooners defensive line target Smith Orogbo commits to Texas

Sooners 2025 four-star defensive end target commits to the Texas Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still working to add defensive line depth for the 2025 recruiting class. Though they’ve earned commitments from interior defensive linemen [autotag]Trent Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag] and defensive ends [autotag]Alexander Shieldnight[/autotag] and [autotag]C.J. Nickson[/autotag], the defensive staff had been in pursuit of other players on the edge.

After missing on [autotag]Max Granville[/autotag], who chose Penn State, the Sooners turned their attention to [autotag]Smith Orogbo[/autotag]. At the time, it appeared Oklahoma might pull off a recruiting win over Texas Tech. However, it’s the Sooners’ Red River rivals who are adding the dynamic edge rusher.

On Monday, Orogbo committed to the Texas Longhorns. He’s a talented pass rusher with significant upside due to his fantastic athleticism.

The Sooners still have a dynamic defensive end duo in Shieldnight and Nickson to build the future of their defensive end group around, and they are well within the top 10 recruiting classes in the country as we enter July.

The Sooners turn their attention to securing commitments from [autotag]Cortez Mills[/autotag] and [autotag]Omarion Robinson[/autotag] along with priority offensive line targets [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag], [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], and [autotag]Ty Haywood[/autotag].

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5-star offensive tackle includes Oklahoma Sooners in Top 3

The Oklahoma Sooners were included in five-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood’s top 3.

Offensive line recruiting is the biggest storyline across the country in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. The Sooners are in the mix for a number of blue-chip offensive linemen, hoping to add to their group up front that includes four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Ryan Fodje[/autotag] and three-star prospect [autotag]Owen Hollenbeck[/autotag].

Though it looks like he’s been trending away from the Sooners, five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Ty Haywood[/autotag] included Oklahoma in his top three schools as his recruitment roars on. The Sooners were included alongside Alabama and Florida State.

There was a time the Sooners were considered the favorite before Texas A&M made a strong push, and more recently, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

SoonerScoop and On3’s Josh McCuistion put in an On3 prediction favoring the Crimson Tide. Haywood is considered the No. 2 offensive tackle in the On3 industry rankings and the No. 9 overall prospect.

At the moment, it may look like Haywood is trending away, but don’t count the Sooners out just yet. They’ve recruited really well over the course of Brent Venables’ tenure at Oklahoma.

Even if they can’t land a commitment from Haywood, the Sooners are still very much in the mix for five-star prospects [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], four-star tackle [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag], and Rivals four-star prospect [autotag]Darius Afalava[/autotag].

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