Former SMU center Branson Hickman committed to the Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday.
With spring ball wrapping up, Oklahoma enters the break with a clear understanding of what their roster needs are before they return to campus for summer workouts.
One of those needs was filled on Sunday as the Oklahoma Sooners landed a commitment from former SMU center Branson Hickman.
Hickman entered the transfer portal in January and already holds his degree from SMU. Oklahoma reached out to him after Troy Everett’s injury, and he visited for the spring game. The visit went well enough this weekend that he committed. With more than 2,400 snaps to his ledger, he’s all but assured a leg up on starting at center this season.
Depth at the center was a significant issue when Everett went down. Joshua Bates was good in the spring game, but the addition of Hickman allows the Sooners to continue to be patient with Bates as he develops.
BREAKING: Former SMU OL Branson Hickman has Committed to Oklahoma, he tells @on3sports
The 6’3 300 OL was the Top Available IOL in the Portal (per On3)
Has 33 career starts and was an All-AAC selection in 2023
Hickman spent four seasons with the Mustangs. He started the final 33 games, including 12 in 2022 and all 14 this past season. This past season, he was named to the Rimington Trophy Preseason Watch List, which honors the best centers in the NCAA. He was also a Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference selection this year.
Hickman may be on the smaller side, playing just under 300 pounds this past year. However, his football IQ and technique have been lauded. He should add a lot of stability to the Sooners’ offensive line as they try to stabilize it in front of new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Oklahoma’s commitment to improving their line play before entering the SEC continues with this commitment.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.
Setting a new trend for Oklahoma recruiting Brent Venables and his staff are off to a hot start in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
At this point, it’s safe to say that anything’s possible with Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail. Though they still have several high-profile recruitments to lock up in the next few weeks for the 2024 cycle, the 2025 recruiting class is already taking shape.
When [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] committed back in March, the 2025 recruiting class earned its first pledge. That came 12 days before the 2024 recruiting class broke the ice. After [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag] joined Sperry in May, the Sooners added a pair of commitments this week, with [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah Thomas[/autotag] joining the fold.
With these four commitments, the 2025 class set a precedent in recruiting for Brent Venables and his coaching staff.
In prior years, the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ Sooners didn’t receive their first commitment until the year prior to that class’ signing day. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] committed the January before the December early signing period for the 2023 cycle. [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] was committed under the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] regime and stayed committed, but Arnold represented the first commitment in the 2023 cycle under Venables.
For 2024, it was March, just under nine months from the 2024 early signing period, for Oklahoma to earn its first commitment.
Sperry’s pledge came 21 months ahead of the 2025 early signing period. Oklahoma earned its fourth commitment 17 months out from 2025’s early signing period. When Oklahoma received its fourth commitment for the 2024 class, the Sooners were just under eight months out from the early signing period.
There’s been a lot of talk about how Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners performed on the field in 2022. There’s been a lot of talk about Venables’ visit policy and recruiting values. And while some may take exception to how he does things, you can’t dispute the recruiting acumen of Venables, his coaching staff, and the on-campus recruiting team. The results on the field will determine the final evaluation, but with a pair of top 10 recruiting classes, the early returns are quite strong for Venables and his staff.
Prior to the run of 2025 commitments, it was believed the summer before a class’ early signing period would be Oklahoma’s most fruitful time on the recruiting trail. While the summer months will still be bountiful, the 2025 class is getting a head start on the process by pledging early and being a part of Oklahoma’s recruiting plan.
As the Oklahoma Sooners look to finish strongly in the 2024 recruiting class, they’re working to earn commitments from several blue chip prospects over the next five weeks. Brent Venables and his staff may not earn pledges from every one of their targets, but as they’ve shown in recruitments of Peyton Bowen and Jayden Jackson, never count them out. And as they continue to prove time and time again, doubt them at your own peril.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.
Despite missing out on a four-star defensive lineman, the Oklahoma Sooners are still on track to have a fantastic recruiting class in 2024.
This time a year ago, think pieces were written wondering if the Oklahoma Sooners had a problem on the recruiting trail.
Fast forward to February of this year, and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff had the last laugh, pulling in the No. 4 recruiting class according to the 247Sports composite.
One would think the way the 2023 recruiting cycle turned out, there would be a little more faith and a little more patience. But after Xadavien Sims committed to the Oregon Ducks, the same questions about the Sooners on the recruiting trail emerged.
On June 1, 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners had four players committed to the 2023 recruiting class. One of those players was a holdover from the Lincoln Riley era, [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag]. Another was Brent Venables’ first commitment, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], who pledged to the Sooners in January of 2022. Of the four players committed to the Sooners, only Arnold was a four- or five-star prospect. At the time, Arnold was still a four-star prospect in the cycle.
As of May 23, 2023, the Oklahoma Sooners have six players committed to the 2024 recruiting cycle. Of those six players, four are blue-chip prospects:[autotag] Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag], [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag].
Relative to the 2023 recruiting cycle, Oklahoma Sooners are ahead of schedule.
Take it a year further, and the Sooners 2025 class is way ahead of schedule with commitments from four-star prospects Kevin Sperry and Gracen Harris.
Venables, his coaching staff, the scouts and the on-campus recruiting team have proven in the year and a half in Norman that they can flat-out recruit. With two top-10 classes in two years and a top-five class in 2023, of that there is no doubt.
It’s certainly a bummer to miss on a four-star defensive line prospect such as Xadavien Sims. The kid is talented, which is why a pair of national championship-winning defensive coordinators (Venables and Dan Lanning) were pushing hard for his commitment. In particular, for Oklahoma, missing on one of the top prospects in the state stings a bit.
But that doesn’t mean this staff can’t recruit. They’re still in a great place for 2024 five-star defensive linemen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag], in addition to talented four-star prospects [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Joseph Jonah-Ajonye[/autotag]. They’ve also thrown their hat in the ring for five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag].
The Sooners have laid the groundwork to put together another top-five class in the 2024 cycle. As we saw last summer, the Sooners are about to remind the college football world just how good they are at recruiting.
The summer months of June, July and August brought in 15 commitments to the Oklahoma Sooners. With the Champ U BBQ right around the corner and Oklahoma targets taking their official visits elsewhere, look for the Sooners to begin reeling in commitments as they did a year ago.
Gear up. It’s going to be another busy summer.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.
Oklahoma has its spring game this weekend, and we’ve got five things we’ll be looking at for Oklahoma’s spring debut of team 129.
Team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history takes the field publically for the first time on Saturday afternoon. It’s a game and weekend that means a lot to the team, staff, fanbase, and recruits.
Oklahoma comes into this spring off the heels of its worst season in over 20 years. The Sooners were a rough watch at times. Despite that, they still found themselves in a bowl game against a talented Florida State team.
Oklahoma lost the likes of [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] to the NFL Draft process.
The Sooners saw players transfer out but also welcomed in a number of players from their top-five recruiting class. The Sooners attacked the portal with some serious intensity bringing in impact transfers on both sides of the ball.
It’s now time for the world to at least get a glimpse of some of these new Sooners while getting a chance to see how the returning players improved from last year.
Here are our top five storylines heading into the spring game.
The Oklahoma Sooners go back to the Rocky Mountains to offer 2024 offensive lineman Gage Ginther.
After landing Colorado prospects in each of the last two cycles with [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], the Oklahoma Sooners are heading back to the Rocky Mountains.
This time it’s to offer 2024 three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Gage Ginther[/autotag]. Ginther, who plays left tackle for Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Co., is the No. 3 prospect in the state according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
He’s a player that could see his stock rise considerably over the next year. Ginther is a physical player at the point of attack. He displays a fantastic punch at the snap, disrupting pass rushers off the line of scrimmage. Ginther moves well, getting to the second level with ease, and does a great job eliminating linebackers and defensive backs.
Though only a three-star prospect at the moment, he’s garnered a lot of attention from top Power Five programs in the Big 10, Pac 12, and Big 12. Wisconsin, USC, Penn State, and Oregon are just a few of the teams on his offer sheet that will continue to grow over the next year.
In his evaluation of the 2023 recruiting classes, Fox Sports Joel Klatt shared that he loves what Oklahoma has done on the recruiting trail.
When Lincoln Riley left for USC, one of the big national talking points wondered how well Brent Venables and his staff would perform on the recruiting trail.
“I’ve walked into four playoffs, and I’ve never had better than maybe the third-best roster (of the four teams),” Riley said. “Every other year, we were 4 of 4. We had really good rosters, but they weren’t the same. … I can’t imagine that there could be a setting that we could build a better roster than we can here.”
Time will tell if Brent Venables and his staff can get to a College Football Playoff. But based strictly on recruiting rankings, Riley’s comment was a lie.
The Sooners have done an incredible job over the last year on the recruiting trail and have a chance to follow their No. 4 class with another top-five group if a few things fall right. If they can build on their success on the recruiting trail in the 2022 and 2023 cycles, there’s no reason the Sooners will not be national title contenders in the future.
[lawrence-related id=79856]
On the latest Joel Klatt Show, the Fox Sports analyst broke down the 2023 recruiting cycle and had some positive things to say about the Sooners class. In particular, Klatt mentions Venables is already outperforming Riley on the recruiting trail.
Oklahoma. I thought Oklahoma had a really great class. And obviously the the rankings suggest that as far as the total class, in terms of recruits and transfers No. 6, their best since 2021, when Caleb Williams came in. They had the the No. 4 class in the country when it just looks at high school recruits. That’s their best high school class since 2005. So, like, Brent Venables did a great job. I looked back at some of these classes that they had had high school only over the last few years, and Lincoln Riley wasn’t touching that, you know. 2019 I believe they had like the sixth best class in the country. They had an eight in there, but then like 10, 13, 9, 19 in 2016. So Brent Venables has done a really good job. Their first class is the best they’ve had in a long time. Six of their best seven recruits are either defensive players or offensive linemen. How do you get good? How do you win going into the SEC? You better play good defense. You better play good on the line of scrimmage, and their best player overall is their quarterback that they got, Jackson Arnold. So I loved what Oklahoma did. – Klatt, The Joel Klatt Show
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]
It took Brent Venables just one year to put together one of the best recruiting classes in Oklahoma history. It’s an incredible signing class made even more incredible by the balance it has. As Klatt mentions, as the Sooners prepare to play in the SEC, they have to be good on defense and good up front on both sides of the ball.
Ten of Oklahoma’s four- and five-stars come on the defensive side of the football. The six offensive blue-chippers are the No. 4 quarterback, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], offensive linemen [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], running back [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and wide receivers [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] and [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag]. With Bates, Green, Adepoju Adebawore and Derrick LeBlanc, Oklahoma added four blue-chip players to their offensive and defensive line.
That’ll have to continue or even get better to get on Alabama or Georgia’s level, but it’s a great start.
Perhaps the most impressive collection of players they brought in at one position is in the defensive backfield, where they added six four- and five-star defensive backs.
Lincoln Riley did a good job on the recruiting trail, but his best high school class in 2019 didn’t have the desired impact, and he definitely didn’t recruit this well on defense.
They had 16 blue-chip players signed to that class, eight of which were on the defensive side of the ball. Their highest-rated defensive player was ranked No. 163. That class had three top 200 defensive players signed. In the 2023 cycle, Venables added six top 200 players on defense, four of which were top 100 signees.
Of those 16 four- and five-star players in the 2019 class, only four or five had a significant impact for the Sooners: [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag]. Of those five, only Woodi Washington remains with the squad. Everyone else transferred.
[autotag]Jaden Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], [autotag]Joseph Wete[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] are still with the squad, but have not taken the step into stardom.
In two recruiting cycles, Brent Venables has added 33 four- and five-star players to the Sooners’ roster. Nineteen are on the defensive side of the football.
Venables and his staff can recruit. That much has been made clear. They did a great job in the two months they had prior to 2022 national signing day putting together the No. 8 class in the nation. And did even better with a year to work with in the 2023 class. Given two years to work on the 2024 class, it’s possible Venables and his staff can recreate the success from 2023 or even exceed it.
And that’s what it’s going to take for Oklahoma to be in a position to contend with Alabama and Georgia, whether it is in the Big 12 or the SEC. With the success it has had on the trail, there should be little doubt that the staff can build a roster that can contend for national championships.
To steal from Riley, there may not be a setting where Oklahoma could build a better roster than it can here.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.
Which offensive linemen have the Oklahoma Sooners targeted thus far in the 2024 recruiting cycle?
The Oklahoma Sooners have created a reputation for developing NFL-caliber offensive linemen thanks to the work of offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. [autotag]
Creed Humphrey[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Brown[/autotag] are prime examples of the work that is done at OU. Humphrey is arguably the best center in the game just two years into his collegiate career.
Even prior to Bedenbaugh’s arrival in Norman, the Sooners developed two of the best offensive linemen in the NFL today, [autotag]Trent Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Lane Johnson[/autotag]. The offensive tackles have starred in the league for much of the last decade and continue to do fantastic work at their tackle positions.
Oklahoma’s latest great offensive line talent is on his way to the NFL and has a chance to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Anton Harrison was a tremendous asset for the Oklahoma Sooners offense. He was as adept in run blocking as he was as a pass-blocker, and he takes great athleticism to Sundays.
Oklahoma’s 2023 signing class featured four-star [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], who was one of the best interior offensive line prospects in the country at the high school level. Oklahoma is hoping to hit home runs with late-rising offensive line signees [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag] and [autotag]Logan Howland[/autotag]. All four of their signees to the 2023 class are athletic and physical players who will be difference-makers on Saturdays.
With the 2023 class nearly wrapped up with national signing day just a few weeks away, the Oklahoma Sooners turn their attention to a talented 2024 offensive line class. Here’s who they’ve offered thus far in the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag], according to 247Sports.
Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class continued their All-Star appearances with four more Sooners playing in the All-American Bowl.
While we saw almost a third of Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class down in Orlando for the Under Armour All-American game, four additional 2023 signees were in San Antonio, Texas preparing for their All-American bowl.
Joshua Bates, Makari Vickers, Jasiah Wagoner, and Samuel Omosigho all participated in the All-American bowl Saturday in San Antonio. Omosigho, a four-star linebacker made multiple tackles as a starter for the West squad.
Joshua Bates, another offensive line recruit for Bill Bedenbaugh spent time at center all week and played in that spot during the game. He’ll be playing center in college as well. Bates strength and IQ were noted during the week.
Four-star defensive back Jasiah Wagoner had some nice practices during the week. He capped that off with a nice showing during the game. He also showed some athleticism returning punts for the West squad.
Last but not least, the lone Sooner on the East squad was Makari Vickers. One of Oklahoma’s signees from the state of Florida, Vickers is a unique and competitive cornerback that is known for sticky coverage.
Continuing to raise his stock, Makari Vickers is showing a high IQ from off or press man, aggression, hand placement, foot speed, and a nack for getting his hands on the ball. Have yourself a day Mr. Vickers . #BoomerSoonerpic.twitter.com/p2LCdoj84x
The East dominated the game from the very beginning but it was encouraging to see more contributions from future Sooners.
Oklahoma’s 2023 class has officially concluded their high school careers and over half of their signees will now prepare and pack for Norman as they enroll mid-year.
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, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.
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.
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.
