Tag: Marcus Wimberly

2025 Oklahoma Sooners commitment tracker

Oklahoma Sooners 2025 commitment tracker

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a much faster start in the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] than in 2024. In fact, [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] committed to the 2025 class (March 13, 2023) before OU had received its first commitment for the 2024 class: [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag] (March 25, 2023).

The Sooners have put together another phenomenal class but the centerpiece came when five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi committed to the Sooners on Wednesday. That gave Oklahoma their third straight recruiting class with at least one five-star prospect and their fifth in the last three years.

Additionally, it provided another elite piece for the Sooners to work with in the trenches after adding [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] in 2023 and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] in 2024 on the defensive side of the ball. Now, Bill Bedenbaugh has his cornerstone of the future on the offensive side of the ball. The Sooners have been working overtime to strengthen their talent along the line of scrimmage.

Now with Fasusi committed, the Sooners turn their attention to [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], their final big-time targets in the 2025 cycle. Babalola is said to be down to Michigan, Stanford, and Oklahoma. Jones is leaning toward Nebraska but likely won’t commit until the fall. Williams was once a heavy Oklahoma lean, but his recruitment has broadened over the last six months to include LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oregon. There could also be a surprise addition or flip over the next few months ahead of the early signing period.

Here are the players committed to the Oklahoma Sooners’ [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

Updated: August 21, 2024

Four-star safety Omarion Robinson commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a commitment from four-star safety out of Arkansas, Omarion Robinson.

Brandon Hall has been a force on the recruiting trail since he took over the safeties position, and that ability to recruit showed itself again on Saturday.

Oklahoma landed its 21st commit of the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] when four-star safety [autotag]Omarion Robinson[/autotag] committed to Oklahoma over offers from Oregon, Arkansas and LSU.

Robinson is a dynamic player on the back end of a defense. He’s 6 feet and 171 pounds, and he has the footwork to play a number of roles in the secondary. He’s competitive and unafraid to be physical. He can also play in man-to-man coverage, a trait many safeties struggle with early on.

Robinson has been on the Sooners’ radar for a while. They offered him in January 2023.

Hall, Venables, and the rest of the defensive staff have prioritized Robinson since the beginning. They have successfully recruited the state of Arkansas this cycle, earning a commitment from [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag] this year.

In Robinson, Oklahoma landed yet another physical defensive back with the versatility to play in multiple spots. He dominated the Rivals Five-star camp, where he was named DB MVP. He was MaxPreps Freshman All-America second-team selection in the secondary in 2021.

Oklahoma is likely done recruiting defensive backs for the class and will focus more on the offensive and defensive lines to wrap up their 2025 recruiting class.

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Sooners trending for elite safety Omarion Robinson with commitment day looming

Oklahoma trending for safety Omarion Robinson with decision coming next week.

The safety position has grown so much in just a few years since Brent Venables took the reins of the Oklahoma football program. They landed a five-star safety for the first time in a decade or more when they locked down [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag].

Billy Bowman is already a bonafide star at the position, and if you asked anyone to rank the five best players on the Oklahoma roster, he would be named every time.

That brings us to the future of the position in Norman. Bowen’s future is still bright, but Billy Bowman is a senior and will depart Norman for the NFL following this season. Former four-star prospect [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] will have a lot more responsibility this coming season. The 2024 recruiting class brought in a group of talented blue-chip safeties in [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag], [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag], [autotag]Mykel Patterson-McDonald[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag]. The [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] currently has three-star safety out of Arkansas, [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag]. Could it bring another safety from the Natural State?

247Sports composite four-star safety Omarion Robinson is set to announce his decision on July 6, and Oklahoma is duking it out with Arkansas, LSU, and Oregon for his services.

Robinson is a hyper-competitive defender who can disrupt the passing game. He plays great coverage and has the athletic range to be a ballhawk in the middle of the field. His footwork is top-notch, and he’s unafraid of coming downhill to make run fits. He recently won defensive back MVP at the Rivals 5-star challenge.

 

Oklahoma has been steady in this race for some time, and after June’s official visits, the time for a commitment is nearing.

On Sunday afternoon, Chad Simmons of On3 predicted Robinson to land with the Sooners.

The prediction is an eye-opener, with the commitment just days away. Safeties coach [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag] is no stranger to closing out recruitments. It would be foolish to write off his ability to close on another bonafide blue-chip prospect.

With less than a week to his commitment, the Sooners are in a prime spot to continue adding to their already sixth-ranked 2025 recruiting class.

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Sooners land commitment from of 2025 four-star CB Courtland Guillory

Oklahoma continues their success on the recruiting trail landing a commitment from 2025 four-star cornerback Courtland Guillory.

Jay Valai has been a pretty productive recruiter during his time as the Sooners cornerbacks coach. He has recruited a number of four-star players to Norman, reshaping the cornerback depth chart in the process.

On Sunday, Valai nailed down another talented cornerback prospect. [autotag]Courtland Guillory[/autotag], a four-star cornerback from Klein Oak, Texas, announced his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The talented corner chose the Sooners over Texas, Texas A&M and UCF.

Guillory is rated No. 364 overall in the[autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag]. The four-star also ranks as the No. 31 cornerback in the nation and a top-60 player in Texas.

He excels using his long frame to disrupt plays and clog throwing windows. He is 6-feet tall and uses every inch to his advantage. He’s a physical player for the position, and he looks to put a significant hit on the ball carrier. Guillory does a great job tracking the football in the air and times his attack well.

247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks believes he can improve his quick-twitch athleticism, which would help raise his ceiling as a player. He’s undoubtedly a high-major football player, and the Sooners will try to realize the rest of his potential,

Guillory has long been one of the top corners on Oklahoma’s board for 2025. Oklahoma offered in January and has been in the mix since. In recent weeks, a number of predictions favored the Sooners. Now he pledged to the Sooners, joining the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation.

He becomes the third defensive back to join the Sooners for 2025, along with[autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag] and[autotag]Maliek Hawkins[/autotag]. Both committed earlier this spring. With Guillory in the fold, the Sooners turn their attention to defensive backs [autotag]Cobey Sellers[/autotag], [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Omarion Robinson[/autotag].

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All in the Family: Sooners land commitment from 4-star DB Maliek Hawkins

Oklahoma Sooners earn commitment from four-star cornerback Maliek Hawkins.

The Oklahoma Sooners like to keep it in the family. Last year, the Sooners added the Dasan and Daeh McCullough. This year, the roster will feature Peyton and Eli Bowen. Next year, joining the Bowens, the Sooners will have the Hawkins brothers after Maliek Hawkins committed to the Sooners 2025 recruiting class.

The four-star cornerback, according to Rivals and On3’s Industry Rankings committed to Oklahoma on Wednesday.

Hawkins’ is the younger brother of Sooners freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag].

The younger Hawkins is a talented athlete who will earn his keep on defense. There, he can showcase his elite athleticism and versatility to play multiple spots in the secondary. He’s got great size for the position at 6-foot-1 and displays great change of direction ability, necessary when covering wide receivers in the open field. But he isn’t simply an athlete, Maliek Hawkins is aggressive at the point of attack, bringing a physicality on the outside.

 

From the moment the Sooners were interested in Michael, they became similarly interested in Maliek. From there, the rest took care of itself. It helps that their father, Mike, also played for the Sooners under Brent Venables and Bob Stoops.

In a nutshell, this recruitment was likely to end only one way.  Predictions had been flowing in for Oklahoma to land Maliek Hawkins since last March, which isn’t a coincidence. That’s when Michael committed to Oklahoma. Oklahoma earned Maliek’s commitment over the Texas Longhorns, Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

With Hawkins in the class, Oklahoma has its second commitment in the secondary, joining three-star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag].  Hawkins gives Oklahoma its 12th commit of the 2025 class, currently ranked 6th in the country per 247Sports.

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Marcus Wimberly raves about the Oklahoma culture after committing to the Sooners

4-Star safety Marcus Wimberly recently committed to the Oklahoma Sooners and he talks about why Oklahoma made the most sense.

The Oklahoma Sooners got a surprise commitment this past weekend from 4-Star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag]. Wimberly hadn’t previously made a commitment date announcement or even really hinted one was coming but he ultimately decided Oklahoma was the place to be and announced his commitment on April 6, 2024.

Wimberly made it 11 commits for Oklahoma. It’s also a huge win for safeties coach [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag] once again. Wimberly is 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds. He’s also ranked as the No. 9 safety in the class according to Rivals. He was up this past weekend on an unofficial visit and that’s when he decided to commit to the Sooners.

The Sooners ultimately beat out the Michigan Wolverines and the Arkansas Razorbacks whom he was once committed. Wimberly did an exclusive interview with OUInsider’s Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune about his recruitment journey and how he ended up committing to Oklahoma.

“It kind of goes to a phrase that I live by, ‘don’t talk the talk but walk the walk,'” Wimberly said. “Coach Hall would tell me all of these great things about Oklahoma and the team and this great culture that they have there and the family feeling. A lot of universities will say all of these things, but really, when you get there, it’s the polar opposite. So, when I got there, he meant what he said, and it showed.”

Wimberly went on to say he got that feeling after watching the team practice. He mentioned how [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] was helping coach the other guys, but everyone was holding each other accountable. He then ate with some of the players and got their take on the culture.

“They were like, ‘Dude it’s awesome, you have a brotherly bond with everybody that you wouldn’t think you’d have in college,'” Wimberly said. “That’s what really stuck out to me and the [autotag]SOUL Mission[/autotag] stuff. I’m super strong in my faith, and I want to use my platform to reach as many souls for God that I can. And with the SOUL Mission stuff, I think it’s great, and they do a great job at doing outreaches.”

Since Brent Venables took over at Oklahoma, one constant review of the program from families and prospects is just how great the culture is. It’s a big reason why prospects commit and sign with Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma Sooners land prediction for 2025 4-star cornerback Maliek Hawkins

The Sooners will soon find out their fate for a talented cornerback in the 2025 class.

This week could be a huge week for the Oklahoma Sooners and their 2025 recruiting efforts. Just a few days ago, the Sooners earned a commitment from Marcus Wimberly. Now Oklahoma’s hoping to land the commitment of two other highly-touted players on Wednesday.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Maliek Hawkins[/autotag] is set to announce his commitment on Wednesday. Hawkins is the brother of current Oklahoma quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag].

But just one day before announcing his commitment, the Sooners received a prediction in their favor for Hawkins from 247Sports National Analyst Mike Roach.

The Sooners hold a commanding lead for his services, according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. They have a 99.1% chance of landing Hawkins, according to On3, with the Texas Longhorns in second place with a less than 1% chance.

Landing Hawkins would be huge for [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag] and the staff. He has really good size at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds already. He also competes in track and field. He recorded a 23.96 200-meter dash and a hit 21-3.5 in the long jump earlier this year as a junior. He also had a long jump of 20-2.25 as a sophomore.

Hawkins has legit speed and athleticism to be a difference maker at the collegiate level at corner and he knows what it takes to be successful as well. His dad, Mike Hawkins, also played at Oklahoma and then had a five-year NFL career as a cornerback.

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Sooners land commitment from three-star safety Marcus Wimberly

Oklahoma lands its 11th commit of the 2025 cycle with a pledge from safety Marcus Wimberly.

April has started with a boom for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners landed their 11th commit of the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] when three-star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Crimson & Cream on Saturday afternoon.

Wimberly, a native of Arkansas, was in town for Oklahoma’s “Heisman Hangout” weekend, which featured many guests from the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes. Without much more information, it looks like that recruiting event has already paid dividends.

247Sports composite lists Wimberly No. 624 overall in the 2025 recruiting class. He is a top 50 safety nationally (No. 47) and a top-five player in the state of Arkansas.

Wimberly is a talented player with a nice blend of athleticism and instincts. Once he arrives on campus, he’ll be a safety in this defense.

In a previous interview with OUInsider at Rivals, Wimberly explained his priorities in his search.

“I’m gonna say the No. 1 thing is culture,” he said. “I want to go somewhere that I’m not only going to grow as a football player and an athlete, but I want to go somewhere that I’m going to grow as a human being to where I can be a great father, a great husband — and maybe one day, since God called me to it, a great youth pastor.”

Since Venables and Co. took over, Oklahoma has been known for its culture and plans for its players after football, an attribute that is central to winning recruits and their families. Wimberly had been trending in the Sooners’ direction for weeks as predictions rolled in for the Sooners to land him.

Wimberly is the fourth defensive prospect to pledge to the Sooners and the first defensive back in the Sooners’ class. He chose the Sooners over Michigan, Memphis, Tennessee, Arkansas and Wisconsin.

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Oklahoma Sooners get prediction for 2025 4-star safety from Arkansas

Sooners continue their hot start on the recruiting trail as they land a prediction for a talented 2025 safety.

The Oklahoma Sooners have another top-10 recruiting class according to 247Sports. The [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is No. 2 in the SEC after the commitment of four-star running back Tory Blaylock.

They Sooners hope to add to that class next week with decisions being made by [autotag]Trent Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Maliek Hawkins[/autotag]. However, it remains early in the recruiting process and much work needs to be done.

The best place to start is getting predictions for the guys you are pursuing. That’s what the Sooners have been doing all week. They landed another one, this time from OUInsider’s Parker Thune, who issued a Rivals futurecast favoring the Sooners for [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag].

Wimberly is a four-star safety from Arkansas who ranks ninth at his position. According to On3, the Sooners have a slight advantage over Michigan to land Wimberly, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

This pursuit will not be an easy one for Oklahoma to win. It has to fend off the defending champs as well as the home state Arkansas Razorbacks. That’s never an easy battle, depending on whether the kid wants to leave home.

They also have a numbers battle on their hands. I’m not saying the Sooners wouldn’t take him because they are pushing for his commitment. But [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has already said this will not be a big class. He said this will be the smallest class he’s had so far. Oklahoma’s in a good spot to land the commitment of five-star safety [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag]. How many safeties will Oklahoma take in this cycle?

But Wimberly can play and the Sooners now have to close.

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Michigan football makes top group for sought-after 2025 safety

He’s been outspoken about how much he likes the new #Michigan staff. #GoBlue

We often say, don’t pay as much attention to the recruiting stars as much as the programs recruiting them. Such is the case for one 2025 standout who has some top-tier offers and is being sought after by some high-level programs.

Bauxite (Ark.) safety Marcus Wimberly is a four-star on Rivals but a three-star everywhere else, yet he has some of the top schools in the country looking to secure his services at the next level. Considered to be one of the top targets for this new Michigan football staff, Wimberly put out his top seven on Wednesday and the Wolverines made the cut — along with Oklahoma, Oregon, Memphis, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Wisconsin.

Though the Wolverines are in good standing and he’s been outspoken about how much he likes the new staff in Ann Arbor, Oklahoma is currently considered the favorite in the 247Sports Crystal Ball with four of the five predictions indicating he’ll be a Sooner.

However, if there’s anyone who could effectively recruit against OU, it would be a head coach who happened to have played football in Norman — and that would be Sherrone Moore.

Still, the maize and blue have their work cut out for them at this juncture, though they are indeed in striking distance.