Tag: Kevin Sperry

Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners breaking mold with 2025 recruiting class

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 four commitments in the class, the Sooners sit No. 4 in the nation in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

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.

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Sooners land commitment from 2025 4-star WR Elijah Thomas out of Checotah

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another commitment in the 2025 class, this time from four-star wide receiver Elijah Thomas.

The 2025 recruiting cycle has been fantastic for the Oklahoma Sooners, with a year and a half to go until 2025 national signing day. The Sooners added their fourth commitment, and second in as many days, with the pledge of 2025 four-star wide receiver Elijah Thomas.

Thomas, out of Checotah, Okla., is the No. 170 player in the 247Sports composite and the No. 25 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class. He chose the Oklahoma Sooners over offers from Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State, Alabama, and Texas Tech.

The Oklahoma native is the No. 5 player in the state and joins a recruiting class that features four-star quarterback [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag], four-star wide receiver [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag], and three-star defensive tackle [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag].

The first thing you notice about Thomas is his ability to release off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. With fantastic lateral agility, he’s able to ditch his defender and get vertical in a hurry. Thomas displays really good route running and is smooth down the field. He’s got really nice hands and can break away from the defense after the catch. The four-star prospect displays the ability to track the football well in the air and time his jumps well when going up to get the football. While he has a slender frame at 6 feet and 160 pounds, he displays good toughness at the catch point and the ability to break tackles in the open field.

This is another fantastic addition to the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room with his ability to win at every level of the passing game.

He marks the seventh high school wide receiver commit for assistant coach [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] since taking the job in January. It’s the fifth blue chip commitment earned by Jones in his tenure with the Sooners. Including transfer portal additions Andrel Anthony and Brenen Thompson, Jones has earned pledges from nine prospects in a little more than seven months on the job.

With the commitment of Elijah Thomas, the Sooners move up to No. 3 in the 2025 recruiting class. Only Alabama and Georgia sit in front of them in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

While the Sooners are working to close on their 2024 recruiting class, 2025 prospects are taking it upon themselves to get the ball rolling early in their recruiting cycle. It’s likely this isn’t the last commitment we see from the 2025 class before the fall season starts.

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Prospects react to time with Oklahoma at latest recruiting event

It’s a big recruiting week for the Oklahoma Sooners with a pair of events. Here’s how recruits reacted to “Sooners under the Sun.”

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the final stretch of their summer recruiting efforts with a pair of recruiting events to close July.

First up was the Sooners under the Sun event for prospects from 2025 and beyond in Norman.

The event already yielded results: The Sooners earned the commitment of 2025 defensive tackle Ka’Mori Moore. Moore, out of [autotag]Lee’s Summit North[/autotag], is the latest from the Kansas City area high school to join the Sooners.

With four-star commits Kevin Sperry and Gracen Halton in attendance, the future Sooners went to work recruiting for the Sooners. With three commitments in the 2025 class, there’s a chance this event moves the needle with several other prospects enough to earn a commitment before we get to 2024’s national signing day.

Brent Venables and his staff have proven in their 20 months in Norman that they can recruit. With early returns on the 2025 class, that’s continuing to bear out. Before we get to the Party at the Palace, here’s a look at how prospects from the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes reacted to their time spent in Norman.

Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from 2025 DT Ka’Mori Moore

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up their third commitment in the 2025 recruiting class with the pledge of DT Ka’Mori Moore.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ head start on the 2025 recruiting class continued on Wednesday evening with the commitment of defensive tackle [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag].

Moore is a three-star prospect in the On3 database and hails from Lee’s Summit North High School. The same school that produced current Sooners offensive lineman Cayden Green and Oklahoma targets Williams Nwaneri and Isaiah Mozee.

In Moore, the Sooners get their third commitment of the 2025 recruiting cycle. He joins four-star quarterback [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] and four-star wide receiver [autotag]Gracen Harris[/autotag].

Here’s what our Bryant Crews had to say about the talented defensive tackle prospect.

Moore is powerful but has excellent agility for someone his size. His ability to stonewall offensive linemen allows him to disrupt timing on plays and enables the rest of the defense to make plays. Moore also spent time in June at one of Oklahoma’s camps, showcasing his skills in front of the coaching staff. – Crews, Sooners Wire

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Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners are off to a blistering start in the 2025 cycle. With their three commitments have the No. 8 recruiting class in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

The Sooners are working to rebuild their defensive line from the Alex Grinch days. They got started in the 2023 cycle with the commitment of Adepoju Adebawore and are looking to follow that up with a historic class in the 2024 cycle. With Moore’s commitment, the Sooners are trending toward stacking good defensive line classes together as they prepare for life in the SEC.

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Sooners predicted to flip 2024 3-Star QB Brendan Zurbrugg

After hosting Northwestern commit Brendan Zurbrugg this week, SoonerScoop’s Josh McCuistion issued an On3 prediction favoring the Sooners.

We are in the midst of two massive recruiting events for the Oklahoma Sooners.

2025 and 2026 prospects are in town for “Sooners under the Stars.” Then comes the final bash of the summer, the “Party at the Palace” for 2024 recruits.”

One player in attendance this week is Northwestern Wildcats commit Brendan Zurbrugg, a three-star quarterback.

It’s been clear for a while the Sooners would like to add a second quarterback in the 2024 class. They’re hoping to enter the SEC and the 2024 season with three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

The recent controversy at Northwestern that led to the dismissal of long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald opened the door for Oklahoma to flip the Ohio native.

Josh McCuistion from SoonerScoop and On3 is predicting the Oklahoma Sooners to land Zurbrugg.

Last season, Zurbrugg threw for 2,184 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. He ran for 804 yards and 11 more scores.

He’s a talented track athlete who runs the 110-meter and 300 hurdles. He won the regional title in the 300 hurdles. Zubrugg was an All-Eastern Buckeye Conference selection in both.

He is a raw prospect, but he’s a talented player with plus athleticism. With a unique athletic background, Zurbrugg could be developed into a contributor.

It happens all of the time but with five-star Jackson Arnold presumed to take the reins from Dillon Gabriel, Michael Hawkins committed to the 2024 class, and Kevin Sperry on board for 2025, it’ll be an uphill battle.

However, one can never have enough talented quarterback prospects and Zurbrugg’s potential makes him an intriguing option for the Oklahoma Sooners.

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Twitter reacts to commitment of blue chip TE Davon Mitchell

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a big time commitment from Davon Mitchell and Twitter reacted accordingly.

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another big-time commitment for the 2024 recruiting class, tight end Davon Mitchell. As part of the 2025 class, Mitchell was considered a five-star prospect and one of the best players in the class.

Though his ranking and star rating may take a hit with the reclassification, the talent he exudes remains the same. The guy is a legit game-changer at the tight end position. He does everything you want a tight end to do well on the field in both the run and pass game, and he will bring tremendous size to Norman when he arrives on campus.

With his reclassification to 2024, the Sooners gain another weapon in the passing game to go along with Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, K.J. Daniels and Dozie Ezukanma.

Mitchell was one of the more highly anticipated commitments in the recruiting world. Alabama and Miami attempted to lure him from Oklahoma.

It was a commitment that had social media buzzing on Saturday, and here’s how Twitter reacted to Mitchell’s pledge to the Oklahoma Sooners, including reactions from future teammates and five-star defensive lineman David Stone.

2025 WR Isaiah Mozee predicted by On3 recruiting analyst to land with the Sooners

Four-star 2025 WR Isaiah Mozee is trending Oklahoma’s direction after predictions from On3’s Sam Spiegelman and Rivals Mason Voth.

Oklahoma’s 2025 recruiting efforts are off to a fast start. At this time last year, Oklahoma didn’t have a single commitment for their 2024 class. Oklahoma has planted roots and has been able to build relationships over multiple recruiting classes. They’ve picked up several early commitments in the class with their ability to build relationships.

Four-star QB Kevin Sperry and four-star WR Gracen Harris are already on board, and the Sooners aren’t slowing down in the 2025 recruiting cycle.  Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Mozee was predicted on Thursday night to land with the Sooners by On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. Mason Voth of EMAW Online, a Rivals Kansas State publication also issued a prediction favoring the Sooners. This follows Parker Thune’s Rivals FutureCast from the beginning of May predicting Mozee to land with the Sooners.

Mozee, an Oklahoma legacy, is a gifted playmaker for Lee’s Summit North High School. It’s the same high school that Oklahoma freshman offensive lineman Cayden Green attended. In addition to Mozee in 2025, Oklahoma is also entrenched in a battle for teammate and five-star EDGE, and consensus top-ten recruit Williams Nwaneri.

Mozee is a dynamic wide receiver and would be an excellent outside addition for Emmett Jones to develop. Oklahoma’s in a comfortable position with the legacy angle working via his father, who played at Oklahoma when Brent Venables was the defensive coordinator under Bob Stoops.

They also have a former teammate on the roster and the chance to land Mozee’s current teammate in Nwaneri. All things are pointing Oklahoma’s way with a pair of predictions from Spiegelman and Voth favoring the Sooners.

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Oklahoma Sooners land commitment of 2024 RB Xavier Robinson

The Oklahoma Sooners earned a commitment from 2024 running back and Carl Albert prospect Xavier Robinson.

Oklahoma’s summer recruiting is starting to pick up. Last week dual-sport athlete [autotag]James Nesta[/autotag] and wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma committed to the Sooners. Now, another 2024 prospect hopped in the boat with the Oklahoma Sooners.

On Tuesday, running back [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] committed to Oklahoma. Robinson is a local, hailing from Midwest City, Oklahoma. Robinson plays his high school ball at Carl Albert.

Robinson is a three-star prospect and is considered the No. 6 player in the Sooner State. Last year he rushed for more than 2,500 rushing yards with 39 touchdowns. He was a driving force in Carl Albert’s Class 5A state championship, and he was named the 2022 Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year for Oklahoma. That season put him on the radar for quite a few college programs.

Robinson gives the Sooners the type of back they haven’t had on campus since Rhamondre Stevenson. At 6 feet, 2 inches and around 220 pounds, tackling Robinson will not be easy for defenders at the collegiate level.

After his junior season, Robinson received offers from Memphis, UNLV and Oklahoma Staten. On Jan. 27, the Sooners offered, and DeMarco Murray and Robinson immediately built a rapport. He also received offers from Iowa State, Notre Dame, Colorado, Kansas State, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Memphis, Tulsa and Vanderbilt.

Robinson made an unofficial visit on March 4 and visited again in early June.

Iowa State has been Oklahoma’s biggest nemesis throughout the process, and it sometimes felt as though Iowa State had the leg up. However, after the visits and the dust cleared, each of the three primary recruiting services, 247Sports, On3 and Rivals, believed the Oklahoma Sooners would land [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag]. And once the commitment date was announced, matters became crystal clear.

With Robinson on board, the Sooners have the first of possibly three running back commitments for the 2024 class.

A decision remains for four-star tailback [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], whose recruitment is likely down to LSU and Oklahoma. Four-star running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], regarded as the No. 1 RB in the nation per 247Sports, is deciding between Oklahoma and USC.

Robinson’s commitment also helps the Sooners on the recruiting trail. The dynamic runner is close with several other prospects from Oklahoma that the Sooners are recruiting heavily. He is joined at Carl Albert by Oklahoma’s 2025 QB commit, [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag].

Sperry transferred to Carl Albert earlier this month to give Oklahoma’s reigning 5A champions an elite passer to go along with their dynamic rushing attack led by Robinson.

With Robinson and Sperry committed, both can help recruit some of the other highly talented players on Carl Albert’s roster that look to be Power Five talents: Trynae Washington (2025), Trystan Haynes (2025) and Marcus James (2025).

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2025 OU QB commit Kevin Sperry transfers to Oklahoma high school powerhouse Carl Albert

Oklahoma 2025 QB commit Kevin Sperry transferring to Oklahoma high school powerhouse Carl Albert for remainder of high school career.

While he won’t be signing and moving on campus at Oklahoma until the winter of 2024, Kevin Sperry will be playing his next two years of high school football in the Sooner State.

In a massive high school news update that has ripples across the Texas and Oklahoma high school football scenes, 2025 Oklahoma QB commit Kevin Sperry is transferring to Carl Albert (OK) High School, according to a report from SoonerScoop’s Josh McCuistion.

Sperry leaves Rock Hill High School in Prosper, Texas, behind and joins the defending 5A state champions from Oklahoma. It’s a massive move for all parties involved.

Sperry spent the last two weeks in Oklahoma camping with the Sooners, where he spent time passing to future teammates like Gracen Harris, another 2025 commit for Oklahoma. Kevin Sperry Sr. shared that his son wasn’t ready to leave Oklahoma after spending the last two weeks camping in Norman.

In the piece, Sperry Sr. revealed the family had already been contemplating a move to Oklahoma following the younger Sperry’s junior season. Still, instead of waiting the extra year, they decided the time was now.

Sperry joins a loaded Carl Albert squad. Five other athletes hold offers from the Oklahoma Sooners.

2024 running back offer Xavier Robinson is trending to land with Oklahoma after his official visit this weekend for the ChampU BBQ. He wrapped his junior season with 2,594 yards and 39 TDs on 9.4 yards per carry. He averaged 185.3 rushing yards per game.

2025 CB Trystan Haynes is a consensus four-star CB. 2025 ATH Trynae Washington holds offers from Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Kansas. It’s expected his recruitment will explode soon. 2025 offer Marcus James will also be in the fold as well. He holds Sooners, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Tulsa offers.

Carl Albert, the 2022 Class 5A  state champion was already a remarkably talented squad. With Sperry at the helm for the next two years, it gives Carl Albert one of the more talented passers in the 2025 recruiting class to lead the offense. In his sophomore season, Sperry threw over 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns.

With Sperry in the building, Oklahoma’s chances of landing Robinson go up, improving their chances to recruit the other Oklahoma offers in the program.

Sperry will also be much closer to Norman, so frequent visits to his future home are certainly on the table.

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Sooners make top 12 for elite 2025 safety 

Oklahoma Sooners make the top 12 for 2025 top 100 prospect Jonah Williams.

We aren’t even close to being done with the 2024 recruiting cycle, but it’s never too early to talk about 2025. Especially, when the Sooners are in the running for a potential five-star safety.

Jonah Williams from Galveston, Texas, is a big safety at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. He’s ranked in the top 90 for every major outlet with two having him in the top 40.

Right now, On3 Sports has Texas with a slight lead, followed by Texas A&M and then Oklahoma. So it will not be an easy hill to climb for Brent Venables and Co.

It’s unclear what the plan would be for him, but with his size, he seems like he would be a prototypical cheetah for the Sooners. Some sights even list him as a linebacker, whereas others see him as a safety.

Last season he was the Texas District 9-5A-I overall MVP as just a sophomore and helped his school go undefeated in the regular season, allowing 31 total points in 11 games, per 247Sports.

Earlier this week, he released his top 12, which consisted of the Sooners, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Colorado, Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss, Arizona State, LSU and USC.

Oklahoma 2025 QB commit [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] is already working to help land Williams’ commitment, tweeting at the recruit.

We’ve talked about it a bunch, but these are the type of players Oklahoma needs as it heads into the SEC in 2024. It’s a big reason the 2023 season is so critical for the Sooners’ efforts to help lure these top recruits to Norman.

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