Tag: Rivals FutureCast

Sooners earn Rivals Futurecast for 2026 QB Dereon Coleman

Oklahoma Sooners are the trending favorite for 2026 quarterback Dereon Coleman.

Oklahoma’s quarterback situation is in fantastic shape for the next few years.

Jackson Arnold takes the reigns in 2024. Michael Hawkins and Brendan Zurbrugg came on board this spring. The Sooners have a commitment from Kevin Sperry and that doesn’t look like it’ll change.

The Sooners have been active in the 2026 quarterback market and it looks like they’ve zeroed in on a talented prospect out of the state of Florida, Dereon Coleman.

Not long after his offer was made public, the Sooners received a prediction from OUInsider’s Parker Thune. They’ve added another on Friday from Rivals national recruiting expert John Garcia.

Here’s what Sooners Wire’s Bryant Crews had to say about Coleman.

Coleman is a smaller quarterback prospect, standing at six feet. He throws a nice tight spiral and showcases some arm strength, ripping passes over the middle of the field. He also showed the ability to buy time with his athleticism while simultaneously looking down the field to make plays with his arm. – Bryant Crews, Sooners Wire

Coleman hasn’t received an evaluation from any of the recruiting services at this point, but he has the skills that could make him a four-star prospect when the 2026 rankings updates come through.

More: 2026 QB Dereon Coleman recruiting profile

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 trending for four-star RB Tory Blaylock after OU Junior Day visit

Oklahoma received three FutureCasts for four-star running back Tory Blaylock after his Junior Day visit.

Fresh off landing the number one running back in the nation for the 2024 cycle in [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] is back on the grind for [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

The Sooners’ running back coach has been rock solid on the recruiting trail since taking over the role. In fact, it’s possible to say he’s getting even better.

2025 brings new prospects, new relationships, and new challenges for Murray. With the depth Oklahoma has at running back, likely, Oklahoma won’t take three backs like they did in 2024, but that doesn’t mean they’ll dip in quality.

[autotag]Tory Blaylock[/autotag], one of Texas’ best running backs, is on Oklahoma’s radar. Apparently, junior day went well for the Sooners. Three Rivals FutureCasts have been logged in favor of the Sooners landing Blaylock.

OUInsider’s Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm each logged predictions in favor of Oklahoma. As did Landyn Rosow, who covers the Texas A&M Aggies for Rivals.

Blaylock’s social media presence was active during the visit, and by and large, he seemed to enjoy Norman with his family as well.

Blaylock is a five-foot-eleven every-down back with a track background. As a freshman, he posted several sub-11.00 100-meter times, including 10.70 and 10.83. He also shows explosion, power, and the ability to be a pass catcher out of the backfield. In short, he’s a complete back.

Oklahoma’s efforts at Junior Day have seemed to resonate with Blaylock and his family. The Sooners have put themselves in an excellent position to land their first running back commit of 2025.

He’s got an NFL lineage. His father, Derrick Blaylock, played five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets after his collegiate career at Stephen F. Austin.

The Oklahoma Sooners don’t currently have a running back committed for the 2025 cycle, but if the FutureCasts hold, they could be closing in on their first runner in the class.

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Rivals FutureCast favors Oklahoma for In-state prospect Marcus James

Oklahoma received a FutureCast to land Carl Albert LB Marcus James on Tuesday. James is a rising prospect in the 2025 class.

Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting efforts are reaching a critical month as the calendar turns to August. The Sooners are currently waiting on two of the nation’s best prospects to make their decisions later this month.

Decisions will come for five-star David Stone and five-star Williams Nwaneri, and Oklahoma can then push forward and try to round out the rest of their 2024 class. After recruiting exploded in the summer months for the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes, the Sooners’ 2025 class may be bucking that trend.

In just the 2025 class alone, Oklahoma has received four commitments this year. Four-star prospects wide receiver Elijah Thomas, Kevin Sperry Gracen Harris, and defensive tackle Ka’Mori Moore.

It’s a stark contrast from how the 2024 cycle has gone. Oklahoma didn’t earn their first commitment until the end of March when Jeremiah Newcombe broke the ice.

Momentum is continuing to brew for Oklahoma with another 2025 prospect. The Sooners were projected to land three-star linebacker Marcus James of in-state power Carl Albert High School. OUInsider’s Parker Thune issued a Rivals FutureCast favoring Oklahoma.

James, a talented rising junior, hasn’t even come close to tapping into his potential. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds. He shows some good athleticism and looks tailormade to be a candidate to play cheetah in Oklahoma’s defense.

No commitment looks imminent, but Carl Albert teammates 2025 quarterback commit Kevin Sperry and 2024 running back commit Xavier Robinson in his ear, you have to like the Sooners chances of locking down James’ pledge.

[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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma Sooners receive Rivals FutureCast for 2024 5-star DT David Stone

New Rivals FutureCast favors the Oklahoma Sooners in the recruitment of 2024 five-star defensive lineman David Stone.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on a recruiting tear in recent weeks, rising into the top 20 of the 247Sports team rankings for the 2024 cycle. Over the last week, Oklahoma’s added four-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson, four-star wide receiver Zion Ragins, and composite five-star running back Taylor Tatum.

Well, the momentum isn’t slowing down for Oklahoma heading into the second-to-last weekend in July.

On Friday evening, Rivals recruiting analyst Cole Patterson issued a FutureCast favoring the Oklahoma Sooners in the recruitment of priority target David Stone.

Stone, a native Oklahoman who plays his ball at IMG Academy, is one of the top players in the 2024 recruiting class. He’s the No. 10 player in the nation, according to Rivals and 247Sports, and the No. 2 defensive tackle in the class.

The Sooners have long been one of the favorites to land David Stone’s commitment, but as one of the top players in the class, he’s been targeted by a number of Power Five schools across the country. He has 34 offers on his ledger, with 31 of those coming from Power Five programs. Of the 16 teams that will represent the SEC starting in 2024, Stone has offers from 12 of them, including Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee.

Though the battle has long been between Oklahoma, Oregon, Miami, Michigan State, and the Aggies, the Sooners look to have gained some traction. As the Sooners look to put together what could be another top-five class, David Stone could be a cornerstone player for Oklahoma as it makes the jump to the SEC.

[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 stays hot, lands 14th commit for 2024 in WR Zion Ragins

Oklahoma lands the commitment of consensus four-star wide receiver Zion Ragins over Georgia and Florida State.

There’s something to be said about Oklahoma’s ability to turn up the heat on the recruiting trail the way the Earth heats up from June to August.

Last year, July and August treated Oklahoma so well that it felt as if almost half of their recruiting class committed over those two months. The same summer recruiting explosion is becoming a staple for the Brent Venables era. Oklahoma landed its eighth commitment since June 20th when four-star wide receiver Zion Ragins committed on Tuesday afternoon.

Ragins is simply a blur once he gets going. Adding him to an offense that already likes to run at breakneck speed should give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares.

Ragins’ commitment marks a win for the Sooners in a state recruited so heavily by teams from the SEC and ACC.

The University of Georgia is an easy sell for any top athlete in the Peach State. Emmett Jones and the Sooners coaching staff deserve a lot credit for beating out UGA, Florida State, South Carolina, Miami, and Auburn, among others, for Ragins’ commitment.

The recruitment for Ragins took flight after Jones was hired to coach Oklahoma’s wide receivers after the season. An unofficial visit in January was followed by steady momentum in Oklahoma’s favor, which culminated in an official visit. Ragins would go on to take officials to UGA and Florida State after, but with no commitment to either, Oklahoma felt good about their chances.

Predictions from 247Sports and Rivals trickled in favoring OU and the rest is history.

Landing Ragins gives the Sooners another game-breaker with speed to add to a wide receiver corps that could resemble an SEC track squad.

Last season Ragins accumulated 46 receptions for 557 yards and three touchdowns while also carrying the ball 38 times for 161 yards and two more scores. His speed is elite, with verified times of 10.37, 10.53, 10.57, 10.58, 10.66, and 10.67 in the 100-meter dash. Many evaluators believe he’ll need to add some weight to his 5-foot-8, 165-pound frame to survive Saturdays in college. That didn’t slow down Marquise Brown, but Jerry Schmidt will get the first crack at that next year.

Ragins is the No. 215 prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings and is a consensus four-star prospect. He joins [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Dozie Ezukanma[/autotag], and [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag] in a deep wide receiver recruiting class.

With his commitment, the Sooners move up from No. 26 in the 247Sports team rankings to No. 22 and are breathing down the necks of their Red River nemesis, the Texas Longhorns.

[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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Prospect Profile: 2024 five-star wide receiver Terry Bussey

A look at five-star wide receiver Terry Bussey, who will visit Oklahoma for the ChampU BBQ.

Emmett Jones has flexed his muscles since joining the Oklahoma staff in January. In less than six months on the job, Jones has landed three wide receiver commits and added a pair of portal receivers. Oklahoma is in a prime position to land five-star wide receiver [autotag]Bryant Wesco[/autotag] and is even lending his hand in recruiting four-star running [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag].

Jones’ name means a lot in Texas high school recruiting and is a weapon Oklahoma doesn’t take for granted. The early returns on his hire have been fruitful and could look even better. Of all the names we’ve mentioned among receivers from the class of 2024, Terry Bussey hasn’t been one.

Bussey, a five-star wide out from Timpson, Texas, will be taking an official visit to Norman for the ChampU BBQ.

Bussey stands 5-foot-10 and clocks in around 180 pounds. He’s smaller in stature but makes up for it with explosiveness, versatility, and a skill set that allows him to play in all three phases.

He plays for a smaller 2A school but amassed over 4,000 yards from scrimmage and 72 touchdowns in 2022. He’s listed as an athlete, but his future calling looks to be at wide receiver, where he can use his 10.66 100-meter dash times to blow past defensive backs.

While Oklahoma isn’t out of the loop yet, the race for Bussey is probably a bit more congested than the Sooners’ race for Bryant Wesco. Alabama, Texas, LSU, and Texas A&M are among the schools courting Bussey the hardest.

Terry Bussey’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • Texas A&M has three Future casts in favor of landing Bussey

Film

HUDL

Five-Star DL target Williams Nwaneri begins his June official visit tour

One of Oklahoma’s top targets, Williams Nwaneri, begins taking his official visits this weekend. Oklahoma will host him June 9-11.

June is a monumental month for Oklahoma football. Oklahoma’s summer program and prep for the 2023 season is turning the page to summer workouts before fall camp in August. June will also be a huge month for the Sooners in their pursuits in the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag].

While early signing day won’t take place until December, many players choose to use the summer as a time to visit and narrow their focus. Often, players will make their pledges before the beginning of their senior season.

June will be a busy month full of official visits for Oklahoma and for Nwaneri.

The reigning national champs, Georgia, will get first dibs starting this weekend. Oklahoma will host Nwaneri June 9-11. Expect the red carpet treatment and all hands on deck for that. The Sooners will not get to have Nwanwri in town for the ChampU BBQ as the talented athlete will be in Knoxville visiting the Tennessee Volunteers that weekend.

 

Missouri, another SEC school close to Nwaneri, will host him June 23-25. He also has a visit scheduled to Oregon in September. Many believe the recruitment won’t last that long, and a commitment could come sometime after the June wave of visits.

Oklahoma is right in this fight. They are verifiably one of the top 3 schools for Nwaneri. Finishing and securing the commitment has been Oklahoma’s biggest struggle with these five-star defensive linemen lately. Last year they landed five-star defensive end [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag]. Still, the Sooners have an unprecedented chance to land not one but two if they somehow find a way to entice Nwaneri and five-star defensive tackle [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] to commit to OU.

Nwaneri is a talented and dynamic defensive player. Oklahoma has gone the distance to put itself in a position to woo the five-star defender. The job isn’t done; in many ways, it may just be getting started.

All the groundwork that has been done has led Oklahoma to the official visits. Recruiting insiders across the industry believe the Sooners are in a strong position to land Williams Nwaneri. Now all they have to do is land the commitment and get his signature.

[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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Sooners predicted to land 3-star linebacker Easton Baker

Three-star linebacker Easton Baker predicted to land with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma may have homed in on one of their linebacker targets for the class of 2024. OUInsider’s Parker Thune issued a Rivals futurecast predicting the Oklahoma Sooners to land three-star linebacker Easton Baker

Baker hails from Tooele, Utah, and while listed as an athlete, will most certainly play linebacker in college.

In 12 games during his junior season, he was credited with 83 total tackles, including eight for a loss, along with five sacks. He is a two-time all-state selection and two-time All-Region Defensive MVP. He has the credentials and the production you look for and continues to get better each season.

Baker plans to announce his commitment on July 1. June will be a busy month for Baker. He has three official visits lined up to three schools that appear to represent his top three.

Washington State will host Baker on June 9, and Oklahoma will have him in for an official visit on June 16th. Illinois will host him to round out the month on June 23rd.

Oklahoma offered Baker earlier this week and have seemed to make a notable dent into his college recruitment story.

Easton Baker’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

Film

HUDL

Oklahoma Receives another Rivals FutureCast for 2024 DL Williams Nwaneri

Oklahoma receives Rivals FutureCast for 2024 DL Williams Nwaneri. Nwaneri would be a huge get for the Sooners on the defensive line.

As has been the trend in recent months, the Oklahoma Sooners received another prediction to land 2024 five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag].

Previously it was a number of Oklahoma recruiting analysts that favored the Sooners in his recruitment. The latest comes from Kansas State Rivals recruiting analyst Mason Voth of EMAW Online.

Nwaneri already has good size and will get even bigger when he gets to the collegiate level. He’s 6-foot-6 and weighs 265 pounds. The question will be, do teams see him as an interior defensive lineman or edge player or a guy that can do both.

Nwaneri is another example of the Sooners trying to fill out their defensive line under Brent Venables. Venables is known for having elite defenders up front. His previous stint at Oklahoma and during his tenure at Clemson, produced elite play from the defensive front. Nwaneri would be an elite piece to add to the Sooners’ defensive front.

Voth is the latest to put a prediction in for the Sooners after Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune resubmitted their FutureCasts after moving from 247Sports to Rivals on May 1. Tennessee recruiting analyst Shayne Pickering entered a pick favoring Oklahoma on March 6.

He has offers from 36 schools, including 34 Power Five programs. The most notable are Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and USC.

Time will tell for sure, but Nwaneri would be a massive pickup for Ted Roof and Brent Venables as they work to rebuild a defense looking to improve from 2022.

From our profile here at Sooners Wire:

Nwaneri is a mismatch as an interior rusher. His quickness, agility, and speed make him incredibly difficult to block. On the rare occasion when the offensive line does stymie his initial rush, he continues to work to the ball to make the play.

He’s a little light at the moment to play on the interior at the collegiate level but would be fantastic as an edge player in three or four-man alignments. However, with another year of growth and then working in a collegiate strength and conditioning program, Nwaneri could be a terror on the inside. – Williams, Sooners Wire

Williams Nwaneri’s Recruiting Profile

Projections

  • Rivals futurecasts from Parker Thune, Brandon Drumm, Shayne Vickering and Mason Voth favor the Oklahoma Sooners.
  • On3 predictions from Josh McCuistion and Sam Spiegelman.

Film

Hudl

Sooners separating from the pack for 2024 four-star DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye

Oklahoma continues to lead the pack for 2024 DL prospect Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.

Oklahoma’s 2023 spring game will have a lasting impact across multiple recruiting classes. For the immediate future, the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] is affected the most as they draw closer and closer to their signing days.

Recruitments for all 2024 prospects seem to be a hitting new gear as summer nears and the time for official visits starts. Oklahoma has gained considerable steam on the recruiting trail for 2024. They’ve picked up five commitments since March 25 and could have several more coming before the end of April.

While he hasn’t made any announcements about a commitment date, 2024 four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Joseph Jonah-Ajonye[/autotag] has been trending Oklahoma’s way the last few days, and the momentum hasn’t stopped.

Fresh off his visit to Norman for the spring game, the connection between Jonah-Ajonye and Oklahoma hasn’t slowed down. Monday morning saw the Sooners earn yet another recruiting prediction in Oklahoma’s direction.

The latest prediction is a Rivals FutureCast coming from Texas A&M insider Landyn Rosow. Texas A&M had the early edge for Jonah-Ajonye, but things have since tapered off while coaches Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis have pushed Oklahoma out in front.

Oklahoma’s defensive line haul in 2024 could range from four-to-six commitments, and Jonah-Ajonye is firmly one of the names that stand strongly in play should he commit.

Jonah-Ajonye looks like a flexible inside-outside player should he continue to add to his already 6-foot-5 frame. Oklahoma will continue to push for the talented four-star Texan. Other teams hot on his heels include Texas and Texas Tech.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.