Tag: Ashton Sanders

Oklahoma Sooners bolster DL depth with portal addition of Phillip Paea

The Oklahoma Sooners added their second transfer defensive line commitment in as many days with the pledge from Phillip Paea.

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to have an improved defensive line in 2023. After allowing 187 rushing yards per game in 2022, the Sooners have been active in the transfer portal to improve that element of their defense.

The Sooners added their fourth defensive tackle through the transfer portal, receiving a commitment from Utah State transfer defensive tackle [autotag]Phillip Paea[/autotag].

Paea, who spent the last two seasons with Utah State, is coming off an ACL injury suffered early in the 2022 season. Prior to that, he was a starter for the Aggies, helping them win the 2021 Mountain West Conference championship. Paea originally signed with the Michigan Wolverines in the 2017 recruiting class, but didn’t make much of an impact in Ann Arbor, transferring to Utah State after the 2020 season.

Paea joins a defensive tackle room that’s added [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], and on [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] through the portal. Terry committed to the Sooners on Friday.

The defensive tackle group has a bunch of depth and experience with these additions. The transfer group joins ascending players like Isaiah Coe, [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag]. Jonah Laulu moved inside to allow his size and agility be more effective against guards.

Oklahoma also brought in a trio of interior defensive line prospects in the 2023 recruiting class with four-star [autotag]Derrick LeBlanc[/autotag] and three-star prospects [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag].

Like Terry, Paea figures to help the Sooners as a nose tackle in Brent Venables’ defense. Last year, Paea was listed at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds.

With all of the additions up front, it’s going to be fascinating to see ow the Sooners deploy their defensive tackles in 2023. The Sooners’ defensive tackle rotation is going to be deep this season. The addition of Phillip Paea ensures they have multiple players that can make life difficult for teams that want to run inside against Oklahoma’s defense.

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Oklahoma Sooners make top 12 for 2024 DL Jayden Jackson

The Oklahoma Sooners were included in the top 12 for 2024 three-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson.

Oklahoma is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit of talent in the 2024 recruiting cycle. At the end of March, the Sooners offered a three-star defensive lineman from the IMG Academy, [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag]. The Sooners were included in Jackson’s top 12 released Monday morning.

His top 12 included Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame, Miami, Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Tennessee, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wisconsin.

Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle that is the definition of a people mover. He is quick off the line of scrimmage and displays really good play strength. Jackson can dart through the line to get into the backfield or utilize his strength to defeat double teams at the point of attack.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been heavily invested in stockpiling talent along their defensive line. In 2022, they brought in blue-chip talents like [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] and [autotag]Derrick LeBlanc[/autotag]. They also added intriguing three-star prospects [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag], and [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag].

As they continue their pursuit of blue-chip defensive linemen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag], and [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], the Sooners are also looking to add Jackson, who holds offers from the top recruiting schools in the country. Jackson played with Stone in 2022 at IMG Academy, and it looks like the two wouldn’t mind playing together at the college level.

Jayden Jackson’s Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma welcomes 14 mid-year enrollees to campus as the spring semester starts

14 members of Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class set to join the Oklahoma Sooners as early enrollees.

Oklahoma has seen a number of players leave this offseason via the transfer portal, graduation or to pursue professional careers in the NFL. In response, Brent Venables and his coaching staff signed the program’s highest-rated class in quite some time. While we will not see any live action from Team 129 until the spring game, it will be encouraging to know that more than half of the 2023 recruiting class will enroll early to acclimate to the collegiate athlete lifestyle.

With classes starting Jan. 17, Oklahoma’s 2023 signees will move in this weekend. Which members of the Class of 2023 can we look out for in winter workouts and spring practices? Take a look below.

QB Jackson Arnold

Edge PJ Adebawore

S Peyton Bowen

C Joshua Bates

OL Cayden Green

RB Kalib Hicks

DL Derrick LeBlanc

ATH Erik McCarty 

LB Phil Picciotti

RB Daylan Smothers

WR Keyon Brown

DB Makari Vickers

DB Jasiah Wagoner

DL Ashton Sanders

Fourteen of the 25 members of the class of 2023 will join the Sooners football program for the offseason program. For multiple freshmen, this early leg up can be invaluable.

For example, five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold can begin to learn the playbook, have actual live reps and build chemistry with the receivers. For players in the trenches such as Cayden Green, PJ Adebawore, Derrick LeBlanc, Ashton Sanders and Joshua Bates, the early time with Jerry Schmidt getting stronger can help their pursuit of early playing opportunities.

Brent Venables and his staff will be thrilled to welcome their newest players to the program for good as they prepare Team 129 for the 2023 season.

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Ranking Oklahoma’s last 10 recruiting classes

Ranking the Oklahoma Sooners last 10 recruiting classes.

The Oklahoma Sooners closed the early signing period of the 2023 cycle with a ton of momentum, earning a last-second flip of five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Bowen joined Guyer teammate [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and edge rusher [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] in the 2023 class to give the Sooners three five-star players for the cycle.

It was a huge recruiting haul for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff, who worked their way into the top five of the 247Sports recruiting class composite. This class has Venables fingerprints all over it with a heavy emphasis on the defensive side of the ball.

The Sooners ended up with 16 four- and five-star signees, and 10 of those came on the defensive side. Six were defensive backs, two were linebackers, and two were defensive linemen. The three-star players they signed on defense can play. [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag], [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag] and [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag] are athletic players with high motors. Each has a chance to outperform his recruiting status.

It was an historic class for the Sooners, marking just the second time in the 247Sports database (since 2000) that they signed multiple five-star defensive players, and only the second time they had three five-star signees. Looking back, let’s take a look at how it stacks up with the last 10 recruiting classes for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Breaking down the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class by position

How does the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class look broken down by position?

The Oklahoma Sooners have put together a really nice recruiting class through the early signing period of the 2023 cycle. We haven’t even made it to February’s national signing day, and Oklahoma’s sitting with the No. 5 class in 247Sports recruiting rankings.

The Sooners have added a four- or five-star player at every position save for tight end. Even there, the Sooners added one of the best players in the state to Joe Jon Finley’s room.

It’s an incredible collection of athletic, fast and versatile players that will, along with the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes, be the foundation of Oklahoma’s journey into the SEC.

Let’s break it down by position group.

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.

Ashton Sanders signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

During the early signing period, defensive tackle Ashton Sanders signed his national letter of intent for 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].

After being committed to Cal and being courted heavily by Wisconsin, it’s the Oklahoma Sooners who landed three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag].

Though Oklahoma didn’t offer him a scholarship until late in the cycle, they worked quick to secure the commitment of the uber-athletic Sanders.

Sanders experienced a breakout season of sorts for Cathedral, racking up 12 sacks, 6.7 tackles per game, and 60 quarterback hurries. He lived in opposing teams’ backfields due to his quick get-off and strength.

At 300 pounds, Sanders’ best spot will likely be the nose tackle or one-technique spot for Brent Venables. He does have the athleticism to play defensive end in three-man fronts. That versatility will be invaluable for the Sooners, who want to use multiple defensive fronts to keep offenses off balance.

 

Like fellow signees [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag], [autotag]Erik McCarty[/autotag], and [autotag]Kade McIntyre[/autotag], Sanders has the tools to outperform his recruiting rating.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Updated Oklahoma Sooners 2023 commitment tracker

Which players have committed to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2023 recruiting cycle?

The 2023 class is about a month away from early signing day and less than three months away from national signing day.

Since Brent Venables’ arrival in Norman, the Sooners have been one of the top recruiting schools in the country over the last two cycles. After finishing eighth in 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2022, the Sooners sit at No. 7 and have a great chance to move into the top five by national signing day.

With the recent additions of Ashton Sanders and Taylor Wein, Oklahoma has 22 players committed to the 2023 class. Recent projections favor the Sooners to add more talent if the Rivals Futurecasts come to fruition. Oklahoma received a pair of projections from Rivals analysts to land five-star safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen after he spent time in Norman for Bedlam.

Brent Venables, his coaching staff, and the recruiting support staff have done an excellent job over the last year building out their 2023 recruiting class and they don’t appear close to being done.

The final tally will come on national signing day, but the Oklahoma Sooners look well-positioned to have one of the country’s best group of signees.

Let’s take a look at the updated commitment tracker.

Oklahoma earns commitment from rising 2023 edge rusher Taylor Wein

Oklahoma’s been gaining a lot of positive momentum since their 28-13 win in Bedlam, picking up their second commitment in as many days, this time from 2023 DE Taylor Wein. From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a phenomenal few days. They beat their in-state rival on the backs of a fast start from the offense and the defense’s best game of the season. In the aftermath, Oklahoma earned Rivals projections in favor of landing 2023 five-star safety Peyton Bowen and landed a commitment from three-star defensive lineman Ashton Sanders.

Now the Sooners have added another piece to a 2023 recruiting class that has the potential to be a top-three group in the nation when it’s all said and done. Monday afternoon, Oklahoma got a commitment from fast-rising 2023 three-star defensive end [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag].

Wein’s commitment began to blossom of late, picking up offers from the Oklahoma Sooners, Virginia Tech, USC, Ole Miss, Missouri, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Oklahoma State since the first of November.

As an official visitor for Bedlam, Wein got a glimpse of what a Brent Venables defense can look like as the Sooners got to Cowboys’ quarterback Spencer Sanders six times on the way to a 28-13 win.

With a host of the 2023 class in attendance, Wein got to know many of his future teammates over the weekend. Though rated as a three-star player, Wein has the natural athleticism and pass-rush repertoire to exceed his current recruiting status.

Wein is ranked as the No. 63 edge rusher in the 2023 class, but that doesn’t tell the tale of the type of player he is. Here’s what I had to say about Wein after Oklahoma received their first crystal ball prediction for the 2023 defensive end.

The first thing that jumps off the page about Wein is his first step. He’s quick off the snap, often allowing him to beat his blocker before they even come out of their stance. He displays good hand usage at the point of attack to defeat blockers. Wein shows off a strong set of pass rush moves, deploying a diverse set to keep blockers off balance. He can win inside and outside when rushing the passer. As a run defender, it’s clear his length causes problems for offensive linemen. Despite his height, he shows a strong ability to play with leverage and does a great job at setting the edge and playing with discipline in the run game. Taylor Wein’s a playmaker too. He’s adept at ripping the ball out of the ball carrier’s hands. -Williams, Sooners Wire

The Sooners got a player in Taylor Wein. He’s a long-athletic player with a strong set of tools he’ll be bringing to Norman, but also has a ton of upside because he can develop from both a technical and physical aspect.

Oklahoma now has 22 players committed to their recruiting class and still hold steady at seven in the 247Sports team rankings.

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Sooners land commitment from three-star defensive lineman Ashton Sanders

Oklahoma earns commitment from three-star defensive tackle Ashton Sanders out of Los Angeles, California. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class just got bigger. On one of their biggest recruiting weekends of the calendar year, they hosted dozens of recruits across multiple classes. One of those recruits was three-star defensive lineman Ashton Sanders, who hails from Los Angeles, California. After receiving an offer from the Sooners at the end of October, Sanders committed to the Sooners on Sunday night after taking his official visit this weekend.

Sanders, recruited by Todd Bates, was committed to the University of California-Berkeley this summer before decommitting in August. He received an Oklahoma offer on Halloween and fast-tracked his official visit for Bedlam.

 

Projections that had come in leading up to the visit had Sanders pegged as an Oklahoma lean. The visit looks like it confirmed all of the things Sanders wanted to know, and the rest is history.

Sanders brings the frame of a guy that the Sooners can beef up as a menace in the middle for them. While he is lightly recruited and doesn’t have the hype of some of his fellow defensive recruits, Sanders looks like a sleeper pick that can become a contributor with added time in the weight room and a little extra added beef to his frame.

Here’s what Sooners Wire Managing Editor John Williams had to say about Ashton Sanders.

Sanders projects to play interior defensive line at the college level. He’s a load on the interior, standing 6-foot-1 and weighing over 300 pounds. The three-star prospect has the size to bully interior offensive linemen and the athleticism to beat them with quickness as well. Sanders is strong at the point of attack and displays great effort in pursuit. He does a great job working to get off blocks and plays with really good leverage. – Williams, Sooners Wire

With Sanders on board, Oklahoma now has 21 commits in their 2023 recruiting class and is currently in pursuit of a few others.

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