If you blinked, you might’ve missed it. In a whirlwind of events that started the day before, the Oklahoma Sooners look to be closing in on their second running back commit for the class of 2023. While four-star Kalib Hicks is already committed, the Sooners and specifically running backs coach DeMarco Murray aren’t done yet. Four-star running back Daylan Smothers recently dropped a top four featuring Oklahoma, Florida State, NC State, and Alabama.
Where should I land ?โฆ.๐ค pic.twitter.com/QVoa60x0Qh
— Daylan Smothers (@h3llywood) June 27, 2022
A little over 24 hours later a slew of crystal ball predictions came in across a span of an hour that swung the momentum heavily in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners.
Smothers’ received four crystal balls and a Rivals forecast from three Oklahoma insiders and two FSU insiders. Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider and Zach Blostein and Brendan Sonnone of Noles247 each issued crystal ball predictions with a confidence level of six or better. Josh McCuistion of SoonersScoop put in a Rivals Futurecast in favor of Oklahoma as well.
New #Sooners 247 Crystal Ball
โญโญโญโญ๏ธ 2023 RB Daylan Smothers
5'11" / 182
๐ซ West Charlotte HS (Charlotte, NC)
๐๏ธ 8 (High)
โ๏ธ By Parker Thune
๐คโฌ๏ธ Oklahoma Insiderhttps://t.co/Ed0rWJd5KF๐: @h3llywood#CHO23N ๐ pic.twitter.com/oDUWdDKfmL
— ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐๐ผ๐ป & ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด (@OUCrystalBall) June 29, 2022
24 hours from the time his top 4 was released Smothers looks like he could be on commitment watch at any time now with the overwhelming momentum favoring the guys in Crimson & Cream.
Smothers is an explosive all-purpose back out of West Charlotte High School and dominates with his physical running but has another gear to separate in and out of traffic as well. Smothers originally played for Chambers High School which most recently produced Jeremiah Hall. After seeing him at a Rivals camp in North Carolina in early March, the Sooners offered Smothers and the race was on.
It looks like that race may be coming to an end shortly and a commitment to Oklahoma would all but solidify the Sooners’ running back recruitment efforts for the 2023 class.