Tag: Oklahoma Sooners recruiting

9 Oklahoma Sooners ranked inside the updated On300

Led by P.J. Adebawore, 9 Oklahoma Sooners ranked inside the updated On300.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a tremendous year on the recruiting trail closing with the No. 5 class in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings after the early signing period. With national signing day approaching for the 2023 class, recruiting services are updating their final rankings for the cycle.

Oklahoma’s well-represented with nine players in the On3 On300, including two in the top 10 and three in the top 15. The Alabama Crimson Tide are the only other program with multiple top 10 prospects signed in 2023 with three.

Armed with 16 blue-chip prospects and 10 on the defensive side of the ball, this collection of players has a chance to be a transformational group for Oklahoma.

Here’s a look at the players that landed in the On300.

Oklahoma Sooners 2024 3-Star defensive end Ted Hammond

Oklahoma Sooners target 2024 three-star defensive end Ted Hammond out of Ohio.

The Oklahoma Sooners latest offer in the 2024 recruiting cycle goes out to Cincinnati, Ohio, native Ted Hammond. He plays defensive end for St. Xavier High School.

At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, he looks the part of a strong side defensive end who can play in three- and four-man fronts at the collegiate level. Hammond has 16 Power Five offers, including the Oklahoma Sooners.

His profile has come on strong of late, picking up the Sooners’ offer on Sunday and an offer from Michigan on Friday. With his size and ability, it’s only a matter of time before his Power Five offers number in the 25-30 range.

Hammond is a powerful player who displays fantastic gap integrity. He’s relentless in pursuit. He does a nice job stringing out plays in the run game. His size allows him to play over the center as the nose tackle or as the defensive end in three-man alignments. He looks best suited to play defensive end on early downs and kick inside to play defensive tackle on passing downs.

Ted Hammond’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

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Sooners land Rivals Futurecast for 2024 4-Star QB Michael Hawkins

The Oklahoma Sooners received a Rivals Futurecast for 2024 four-star quarterback Michael Hawkins.

The Oklahoma Sooners still have more than a year until 2024 national signing day, but they look on the verge of landing their first commitment in the cycle at the end of January.

The Sooners received promising news on four-star quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] on Sunday. Nick Harris of Rivals issued a futurecast projecting the Sooners to land the talented four-star quarterback. That makes four predictions in favor of the Sooners.

Hawkins, who is the son of former Sooner Mike Hawkins, is a great fit for Jeff Lebby’s offense. He’s a dual-threat quarterback able to make plays down the field with his arm. Hawkins displays great contact balance and elusiveness in the pocket. Even while evading the rush, he does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield to make plays in the passing game. He’s also a fantastic runner with the speed to run away from the defense.

If the Oklahoma Sooners land a commitment from Hawkins at the end of January, it would be a phenomenal way to kick off the 2024 recruiting class. This time a year ago, Jackson Arnold committed in January. That early commitment helped the Sooners have a tremendous year on the recruiting trail for 2023. Could Hawkins’ commitment do the same for the 2024 cycle?

Michael Hawkins’ Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma Sooners offer 2024 ATH Mekhai White

The Oklahoma Sooners offered 2024 athlete Mekhai White out of King George, Virginia.

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to create a long and tall group of defensive backs to deploy in their secondary. Several of their secondary additions in the 2023 cycle stand 6 feet or taller, and it appears they’re putting a premium on height again in 2024 recruiting.

Their latest offer went out to Mekhai White out of King George, Virginia. White is listed at 6-foot-2, according to 247Sports. He’s a fantastic two-way player, starring at both wide receiver and defensive back for King George. He was incredibly productive in his junior year with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 18 touchdown receptions. With Jay Valai leading the recruitment, the Sooners could envision him playing defensive back in Norman.

At the moment, White is a consensus three-star prospect, but he has a host of offers from some of the top schools in America, including the two-time national champion Georgia Bulldogs. He’s received 26 Power Five offers to this point, which includes Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, Michigan State and Penn State.

White has great hands. He’s a smooth route runner and can make things happen after the catch. White displays sticky coverage on the boundary and uses his length to make plays on the football.

Mekhai White’s Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma Sooners offer 2024 4-Star EDGE Loghan Thomas

The Oklahoma Sooners extended an offer to 2024 four-star edge rusher Loghan Thomas out of Katy, Texas.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been relentless in their pursuit of players who can get after the passer in the 2022 and 2023 recruiting cycles. In the transfer portal this offseason, they’ve looked to add help across the defensive line.

They won’t rest until they build a defensive front that can match the best in the country. To that end, they extended an offer to 2024 four-star edge Loghan Thomas out of Katy, Texas.

Thomas is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports and On3. As a junior, he’s got the size to be disruptive off the edge, using his length to disrupt offensive tackles in their pass sets. He does a great job rallying to the ball carrier in backside pursuit and doesn’t give up on a play. He’s able to win using a long arm and has the bend to slip under offensive tackles when rushing the quarterback.

The Sooners are the eighth Power Five offer that Thomas has received if you include Houston, who will join the Big 12 in 2024. He’s also received an offer from Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Loghan Thomas’ Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma Sooners make top 10 for 2024 safety Edrees Farooq

The Oklahoma Sooners land inside the top 10 for 2024 three-star safety Edrees Farooq.

Just a few weeks from national signing day for the 2023 recruiting class, the Oklahoma Sooners received some good news on 2024, landing inside the top 10 for three-star safety Edrees Farooq out of Baltimore, Maryland.

Along with the Sooners, Farooq included Tennessee, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Pitt and USC. He trimmed his list from 19 Power Five offers that included Ole Miss, West Virginia, Michigan State, Wake Forest, Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas, Boston College and Arizona.

Farooq plays all over the field on defense, lining up in two-high and single-high safety looks, in the slot and as a box safety. He’s very good in run support, does a great job working through blockers to get to the ball carrier. In the slot, he’s great at getting off blocks to attack swing passes out of the backfield or wide receiver screens. He shows fantastic awareness and takes great angles in pursuit, setting the edge and stringing plays to the sideline.

Though under-evaluated at the moment, Farooq has a chance to see his recruiting profile grow tremendously over the next year ahead of national signing day for the 2024 class.

Edrees is the cousin of Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jalil Farooq. That may play a factor in Edrees’ recruitment, but with several high-profile Power Five programs in pursuit, there’s no telling where he could end up.

Edrees Farooq’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • On3’s recruiting prediction machine has the Penn State Nittany Lions as the leaders for Farooq’s commitment.

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Oklahoma Sooners offer 2024 LB Michael Boganowski

The Sooners look to keep things going in Kansas with an offer to 2024 linebacker Michael Boganowski.

The Oklahoma Sooners dipped back into Brent Venables’ home state of Kansas with an offer to 2024 three-star linebacker Michael Boganowski.

A versatile athlete, Boganowski lines up as an off-ball linebacker and is able to play deep middle third in Tampa-2 alignments. He’s a physical wrap-up tackler, coming downhill, and shows strong athleticism flowing sideline to sideline.

He plays both ways for Junction City, lining up as a wildcat quarterback. He’s faster than everyone on the field and has impressive athleticism, able to make people miss in the open field.

For Oklahoma, he projects as an off-ball linebacker that could work at the Cheetah position in Brent Venables’ defense. According to 247Sports, Boganowski recorded 123 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and four interceptions.

Only rated by 247Sports at the moment, Boganowski will be a late riser in the 2024 recruiting cycle as other Power Five schools start to catch on. He currently holds eight Power Five offers, including Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Kansas State. Look for that offer list to grow considerably by national signing day 2024.

Michael Boganowski’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Nebraska Cornhuskers as the current leader for Boganowski.

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LSU LB and potential Texas target Demario Tolan enters transfer portal

Texas might consider bringing this elite player in from the transfer portal.

LSU linebacker Demario Tolan has entered the transfer portal. The four-star talent and No. 23 linebacker in the 2022 On3 consensus recruiting rankings is looking for a change of scenery after a year in Baton Rouge.

Tolan attended Dr. Phillips High School in Florida, the school where Texas found elite offensive lineman Payton Kirkland. It’s uncertain if they have a strong relationship, but familiarity could bode well for Texas should they pursue a commitment.

On3 had the following to say about the Florida native in high school. Highly instinctive linebacker.

Sees the game quickly and plays faster than he tests. Skilled with his ability to blitz, play the run and cover. Shows the ability to strike and finish at a high rate. Impressed with his cover skills in the camp setting. Does not have top long speed in the camp setting.

Tolan ranked as the No. 229 overall player in the 2022 On3 consensus. Both Rivals and ESPN considered him a Top 200 talent. Given depth questions following the loss of DeMarvion Overshown and Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, Texas could use another talented linebacker alongside Jaylan Ford and Anthony Hill.

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P.J. Adebawore, Lewis Carter shine brightest at Under-Armour All-American game

Oklahoma had seven signees in the Under-Armour All-American game. PJ Adebawore and Lewis Carter stood out for the Sooners.

The future of Oklahoma Football was on full display Tuesday evening as seven Oklahoma signees took the field in Orlando for the Under-Armour All-American game.

Jackson Arnold, Jaquaize Pettaway, Cayden Green, PJ Adebawore, Jacobe Johnson, Lewis Carter, and Peyton Bowen represented the Crimson & Cream at the all-star event for Team Speed.

Five-star QB Jackson Arnold dominated all week during the practices and earned captain status and was the starter for Team Speed. Arnold was under duress much of the game but threw a dart for a touchdown to Utah WR commit Mikey Matthews. Four-star offensive lineman Cayden Green pancaked an opposing defender which gave Arnold the bit of time he needed to get the pass off.

Arnold showed why he is considered one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation as he ripped off multiple runs via scramble or zone-read. The only blemish for Arnold will be the interception he threw that was tipped by DL Peter Woods of Team Phantom before being intercepted by four-star Texas signee Derek Williams.

Defensively is where the Sooners shined the brightest. Four-star LB signee Lewis Carter and five-star EDGE AdepojuAdebawore were everywhere for Team Speed.

Adebawore recorded a sack and had multiple other pressures while Lewis Carter pressured the quarterback on blitzes and did an excellent job making tackles running sideline to sideline.

Adebawore made a strong case for being the second-best player on the field behind fellow five-star and Clemson signee Peter Woods.

On the backend, four-star signee Jacobe Johnson, a homegrown Sooner, had a great rep in coverage.

All in all, it was a nice showing from some of Oklahoma’s stars of tomorrow. Oklahoma has two other commits playing in the All-American bowl in San Antonio. Four-star CB Jasiah Wagoner and four-star linebacker Samuel Omosigho wrapping up the all-star game circuit for Oklahoma’s 2023 class.

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WATCH: Texas signee Derek Williams picks off Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold

Jackson Arnold donates a football to Derek Williams’ INT collection.

Derek Williams is making his mark on the Under Armor All-America Bowl in Orlando. The five-star safety picked off Elite 11 winner and five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Texas fans hope the interception is the first of many for Williams, and hopefully not his last against Arnold. The opposing quarterback signed his letter of intent to play for The University of Oklahoma.

Texas was a big winner in signing Williams, who hails from Louisiana. He joins the No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning as players crossing the Louisiana border to play football in Texas from the 2023 class.

Poaching two five-star players from the Pelican State was no small feat for Steve Sarkisian and company. They figure to make a huge contribution, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Williams is the No. 3 safety and No. 40 overall player in the On3 consensus. With a void at safety, look for the Louisiana native to compete for a starting role next year.