Tag: Tausili Akana

WATCH: 2023 class represents Texas in the All-American Bowl

Texas is loaded with All-American talent.

Texas football has plenty to look forward to in the next few seasons. Five players, some of which might make an impact right away at Texas, took the field for the All-American Bowl on Saturday after sending six signees to the All-American Game.

Anthony Hill, Ryan Niblett, Payton Kirkland, S’maje Burrell and Tausili Akana represented the Longhorns 2023 class in the game. The group of players should play a crucial role for the team over the next four seasons. Four-star athlete Jelani McDonald also announced his commitment to Texas while at the game.

Hill, Akana and Burrell represent part of one of the best linebacker classes Texas has assembled in recent memory. Given the departures of DeMarvion Overshown and Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, the class is much needed for depth and playing time.

Niblett and Kirkland continue the encouraging recruiting trends at their respective positions. Past coaches recruited bigger, slower receivers and smaller, quicker linemen. Texas is doing the opposite.

Niblett brings elite speed to Texas, while Kirkland is the big, imposing human that Kyle Flood looks for up front.

Here’s a look at the players that took the field for Texas in the game.

WATCH: Texas signees, targets at All-American Bowl practice

Anthony Hill, Ryan Niblett, Payton Kirkland and more are participating in All-American Bowl practices this week.

Several Texas signees and one primary recruiting target are participating in the All-American Bowl practices this week. Continue reading “WATCH: Texas signees, targets at All-American Bowl practice”

Top moments of 2022 for the Oklahoma Sooners

What were the best moments from the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022?

2022 was an incredible year for the Oklahoma Sooners. Several teams competed for national championships along the way.

The women stole the show this year with Oklahoma softball and gymnastics winning national championships. Women’s basketball made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament in Jennie Baranczyk’s first season at the helm.

Not to be outdone, Skip Johnson’s crew rallied at midseason to go on an improbable run to the College World Series.

So as we flip the final page on 2022, what were some of the top moments from Oklahoma Athletics.

How Texas fared in head-to-head recruiting battles with Oklahoma

Oklahoma took second place to Texas in recruiting and on the field this year.

We have reached the final months of the 2023 recruiting cycle and the picture for each team is clearer than it was prior to Wednesday’s signatures. Texas solidified a significant portion of its recruiting class on the day.

The Longhorns and their rival Sooners have accumulated impressive recruiting classes that both figure to finish in the Top 10 of the 2023 team recruiting rankings.

Due to proximity, there is plenty of overlap in the players to which each team has offered scholarships. Many of each team’s targets hail from the state of Texas.

While the Sooners have put up an impressive class in Brent Venables’ first full cycle, they haven’t fared as well with players who Texas also offered. Even the state’s top quarterback Jackson Arnold did not receive a scholarship offer from Texas.

Here’s a look at how the two teams fared with players that each team offered.

5 takeaways from the first two days of the early signing period for the Oklahoma Sooners

Peyton Bowen signs with the Sooners. Oklahoma has a top-five class. 5 takeaways from the first two days of the early signing period.

The early signing period for the Oklahoma Sooners has been, in one way, unremarkable and, in another way, utterly insane.

Oklahoma signed every single recruit they had committed prior to December 21. No one jumped ship even after a 6-6 season which was far and away the worst season Oklahoma has had in years. Everyone remained committed, and the Sooners even added guys along the way.

Outside of that, they waited on decisions from four-star [autotag]Tausili Akana[/autotag] and five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Oklahoma missed on Akana, who committed to the Texas Longhorns, but landed Bowen after one of the more wild recruiting sagas in recent years.

They didn’t land Bowen at first, who flipped from Notre Dame to Oregon at the signing event in his hometown of Denton. We’ll unpack that later.

Nonetheless, barring another five-star surprise from [autotag]David Hicks[/autotag], Oklahoma may not anyone else until national signing day in February. Unless it’s via the transfer portal.

Here are five takeaways from the first two days of the early signing period.

Social media reacts to the Sooners’ first day of the early signing period

How did social media react to the Oklahoma Sooners recruiting efforts on the opening day of the early signing period?

The buildup to the first day of the early signing period didn’t disappoint. Like waking up on Christmas morning, the Oklahoma Sooners unwrapped 24 shiny new players to add to the roster through the early signing period.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of disappointment. A couple of the prospects  the Sooners wanted went to someone else. Peyton Bowen and Tausili Akana were both heavily projected to land in Norman in recent weeks, and both landed with different schools. Bowen flipped from Notre Dame to Oregon, and Akana committed to Texas, where his sister had just won a national championship in volleyball.

It wasn’t a terrible day for the Sooners, who still have a top 10 recruiting class in tow after signing all 23 of their pre-signing period commits and adding defensive lineman Markus Strong. It hurts to come so close to Bowen and Akana and miss, but the Sooners still have a really good class that they’ve put together.

Sooners miss on No. 1 player from Utah as Tausili Akana commits to Texas

Oklahoma was spurned at the last moment again by another highly regarded prospect. Four-Star Tausili Akana commits to Texas.

Oklahoma’s first day of the early signing period saw it sign every recruit that was committed to them. No commits turned in surprise flips.

Top target Peyton Bowen flipped, but not to Oklahoma as was being projected. He signed his national letter of intent for Oregon.

The day grew even weirder as Oklahoma awaited a decision from [autotag]Tausili Akana[/autotag], the No. 1 player in the state of Utah. Like Bowen, Akana had been projected to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Akana announced his decision on CBS Sports in front of a beautiful backdrop in his home state of Hawaii. He chose Texas over Oklahoma, LSU, Colorado and a few others. Akana would have been a great way to cap the day for an otherwise very good class, but, as was the case with David Hicks and Peyton Bowen, they couldn’t close the deal.

Akana is versatile with a frame that can stand to add a little weight to it, which will allow him to maximize his potential in college. He was recruited by head coach Brent Venables.

Venables mentioned in his early signing period press conference that the Sooners expect to add around 10 more players by the end of national signing day in February.

We’ll keep you updated as the Sooners build their 2023 recruiting class.

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Texas lands four-star edge Tausili Akana over Oklahoma, others

Tausili Akana is the No. 1 overall recruit from Utah and the No. 4 edge in the country.

The start of the early signing period on Wednesday went as well as Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian could have hoped. Continue reading “Texas lands four-star edge Tausili Akana over Oklahoma, others”

On3 tabs Oklahoma as a team ‘poised to finish strong’ in the 2023 recruiting cycle

As the early signing period approaches, On3 believes the Oklahoma Sooners will finish the 2023 recruiting cycle in a big way.

In just a year’s time with the Oklahoma Sooners, Brent Venables and his staff have pulled off a top-10 recruiting class (2022) and look to be on the verge of a top-five recruiting class in 2023.

They still have to get all their players signed during the early signing period, but the Sooners are on pace to have their best recruiting class in the modern recruiting era. That would be a truly remarkable feat coming on the heels of a 6-6 season.

With 23 commits in tow, the Sooners carry a top 10 recruiting ranking with Rivals, On3 and 247Sports. On3 believes the Sooners are a team heading for a strong finish in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Brent Venables’ first full class already includes a pair of five-stars: Jackson Arnold and Adepoju Adebawore. But he’s looking for more, and five-star Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen would be the perfect cherry on top of this class. The Fighting Irish are working desperately to hold onto him, but the On3 RPM favors a flip as we stand today.

The other big name on the board for the Sooners is Akana, who has played his recruiting process slowly until the last few weeks, when he’s taken a handful of visits and hosted a few schools in-home. The Sooners are trending right now, but both Colorado and Louisville are looking to pull off a shocker. – Keegan Pope, On3

There shouldn’t be very many surprises that pull current Oklahoma commits away from the Sooners in the early signing period or before national signing day. There’s a good chance the Sooners sign nearly all of their class by the close of the early signing period.

Oklahoma has a couple targets they need to close on: Notre Dame commit [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and four-star prospect [autotag]Tausili Akana[/autotag]. Both players are projected to land with the Sooners from each of the major recruiting sites, all Brent Venables and the Sooners need to do is finish.

Don’t be surprised if the Sooners pull off some surprise additions at the tail end of the recruiting cycle as well. Like last year, when they flipped R Mason Thomas, Kevonte Henry, and Gracen Halton late, Brent Venables and his staff will have a few surprises.

Oklahoma sits with a top 10 class in the recruiting cycle with a chance to move into the top three by signing day.

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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, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Where is Oklahoma in the 247Sports team rankings ahead of the early signing period?

Ahead of the opening of the early signing period, where do the Oklahoma Sooners rank in 247Sports team recruiting rankings?

Starting Wednesday Dec. 21, the Oklahoma Sooners will begin to officially welcome their 2023 recruiting class to the crimson and cream.

The next wave of Oklahoma Sooners will sign their national letters of intent. Many will finalize their commitments during the early signing period, which runs through Dec. 23, and a few will wait until February’s national signing day.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still looking to close strong on several recruitments. Though Peyton Bowen and Tausili Akana look like they’re trending to Oklahoma, nothing’s final until it’s final. Getting their signatures would be huge for Oklahoma’s future.

Then there’s David Hicks. The guy that many thought was heading to Norman until a surprise commitment to Texas A&M. The Sooners are still in pursuit of the five-star defensive tackle, but it’s more likely that Hicks signs with the Aggies.

Like the 2022 class did, the 2023 recruiting class will be huge toward building the foundation of Brent Venables’ Oklahoma Sooners. Let’s take a look at where things stand in the 2023 team recruiting rankings at 247Sports ahead of the opening of the early signing period.