Tag: Jocelyn Malaska

Sooners earn prediction for talented in-state 2026 CB Evenson Malaska

Oklahoma predicted to land commitment for 2026 CB Evenson Malaska.

Cornerback has been a revitalized position since [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] was hired. Oklahoma has changed the caliber of athletes and the type of cornerbacks they have recruited.

Venables’ hire of [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] to take over as the cornerbacks’ coach has paid off in spades. The depth and talent in the room have been elevated tremendously in just a couple of years. This upcoming year may be the biggest test yet as this proves to be year three in this defense. Not only do the Sooners have talent, but they also have depth and multiple guys with real game experience.

Their 2025 recruiting efforts have not been fruitful at cornerback, but they expect that to change soon.

In the 2026 class, things have barely materialized in terms of their prospect board, but one name has popped out enough that Josh McCuiston of Sooners Scoop has placed an On3 prediction favoring the Sooners to land 2026 prospect Evenson Malaska out of Bethany, Oklahoma.

Malaska has ties to the Sooners. Malaska’s brother, Jocelyn, transferred to Oklahoma this winter after beginning his college career with the Utah Utes.

The older Malaska cited his relationship with Jay Valai as essential in transferring back to his home state to play for the home team. Valai’s influence and connection have moved on through the bloodline and resonated with Evenson.

Evenson camped with Oklahoma last summer and received his first college offer after showing out. He played his freshman season with 2023 Oklahoma signee Taylor Heim, too. So Oklahoma has a plethora of influences that are pulling the athletic sophomore defender to Norman.

Things have yet to progress enough to a commitment, but it’s hard to imagine that Oklahoma won’t be a leading contender for Malaska’s services until he commits.

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Former Oklahoma high school star transfers to the Sooners

The Sooners add another player in the transfer portal, this time with a person familiar with the state.

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to add depth to their cornerback room as they head into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024. Not only did the Sooners get good news with Woodi Washington announcing he’ll be back for his final season, but they also added a transfer to the cornerback room.

This transfer addition is a former Oklahoma high school star from Bethany, [autotag]Jocelyn Malaska[/autotag]. Malaska is going into his redshirt sophomore season and he has three years of eligibility. He accepted a preferred walk-on spot after transferring from the Utah Utes.

The former four-star recruit played in eight games in his two seasons at Utah. In 2023, he played in five games, primarily on special teams. In 2022, he saw reserve action in three games, including in the Pac-12 championship and Rose Bowl.

 

In high school, he did just about everything. He was first-team all-district. Totaled 93 receptions for 1,148 yards and seven touchdowns and garnered 1,182 all-purpose yards. He had one punt return and two kickoff return touchdowns.

Defensively he collected 107 total tackles over four years, snagged seven interceptions and deflected 18 passes. Fifty-four of his 107 tackles came during his senior year.

Malaska joins fellow transfer addition [autotag]Dezjhon Malone[/autotag] at the cornerback position. The Sooners return both starting cornerbacks and several young players [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Jasiah Wagoner[/autotag], [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] who played a lot of snaps in 2023.

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