Tag: Tausili Akana

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.

Oklahoma Sooners aiming high with the 2023 recruiting class

The Oklahoma Sooners are in good shape heading into the final days before the early signing period.

At the moment, the Oklahoma Sooners have the No. 8 recruiting class in the nation, per 247Sports. After reeling in another No. 8 class in 2022, Brent Venables is going to be getting another top class in the nation in his first full recruiting cycle.

With the Sooners landing a few big fish in the transfer portal already, this recruiting season is off to a very good start. With a few big names still in play, it could get even better.

The Sooners have received several predictions to flip Peyton Bowen’s commitment from Notre Dame to Oklahoma. Future Sooners QB Jackson Arnold has undoubtedly been working overtime to get his high school teammate to join him in Norman.

Another defensive player expected to land in Norman is Tausili Akana, a four-star Edge from Utah. If OU lands both Bowen and Akana, that No. 8 class will become the No. 3 class, falling behind only Georgia and Alabama.

Getting both Bowen and Akana seems likely at this point, so let’s take a look at something that is a little less likely to happen.

David Hicks has been committed to Texas A&M since September but has been on flip watch for weeks now. He visited Norman during the Sooners’ win over Oklahoma State this season.

If OU can flip Hicks, that would give them the No. 2 class in the nation and four five-stars in the class as a whole, assuming they also flip Bowen. Hicks’ commitment to A&M feels likely to stick, at least according to Hicks’ father.

Then again, Dan Lanning has hosted Hicks in Oregon twice in the last month, so the Aggies could end up losing Hicks to the Ducks.

The early signing period is nearly upon us, and it always brings a surprise or two with it. There are few players committed to the Oklahoma Sooners that are currently on flip watch. If they can maintain this class and add a surprise or two themselves, the Sooners could end up with a historic recruiting class in 2023.

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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, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.

Oklahoma Sooners receive predictions for several 2024 4-Star prospects

Over the last few days, the Oklahoma Sooners received predictions to land 2024 4-star prospects Eli Bowen, Caden Durham, and Aaron Flowers.

The 2023 recruiting cycle is nearing the early signing period, which opens on Wednesday. With [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], [autotag]David Hicks[/autotag], and [autotag]Tausili Akana[/autotag] the names to watch over the next week and on national signing day in February, Oklahoma is busy trying to finish this class with a bang.

The Sooners are also making strides in the 2024 recruiting class. Over the weekend, Oklahoma earned recruiting predictions for a trio of 2024 four-star prospects, who happen to each be from the North Texas area.

Oklahoma received projections for cornerback Eli Bowen, running back Caden Durham, and safety Aaron Flowers.

Here’s a quick look at these prospects.

Five LSU recruiting targets to keep an eye on as the early signing period nears

The Tigers are looking for a strong close to an already good recruiting class.

We are only a few days away from the beginning of the early signing period on Wednesday, and the 2023 class is shaping up to be a phenomenal one for LSU.

The class was already ranked as the No. 5 class in the country before [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] committed, and now the Alabama wideout transfer has added a former five-star to the mix. The Tigers have a chance to land a few more guys as well.

A couple of them will be signing on Thursday in cornerback [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Jordan Hall[/autotag] — two really talented guys on the defensive side of the ball. LSU is considered the favorite for Ricks while Georgia seems to lead for Hall, but anything can happen.

Here are five prospects for Tigers fans to watch as the 2023 class winds to a close.

The top 20 undecided recruits in the class of 2023

Here are the top 20 remaining undecided recruits around the country.

National signing day is now less than six weeks away and the early signing period kicks off this week, which means we’re now in the home stretch for the recruiting cycle of 2023. Things are already heating up, as this past weekend saw a flurry of activity in the transfer portal as well as new commitments.

With that in mind, here are the top 20 remaining undecided recruits around the country.

More football recruiting stories

USA TODAY High School Sports Top 100: 2023 Recruiting Rankings

Top ’24 prospect Dylan Raiola decommits from Ohio State

No. 1 EDGE of ’23 class Keon Keeley commits to Alabama

Texas Football: Reliving the Red River Shutout

Venables doesn’t push all the right buttons quite like Lincoln Riley did.

As 2022 comes to a close, one highlight comes to mind. This season, Steve Sarkisian and company produced the blowout nobody saw coming. Continue reading “Texas Football: Reliving the Red River Shutout”

Oklahoma Sooners predicted to land 2023 4-star EDGE Tausili Akana

The Oklahoma Sooners earned several more predictions to land 2023 four-star EDGE Tausili Akana.

The opening of the early signing period is on Wednesday, and the Oklahoma Sooners No. 8 recruiting class has a chance to earn a significant bump come Christmas if recent predictions hold true.

Amidst receiving several predictions over the last couple of days to flip 2023 five-star safety Peyton Bowen, the Oklahoma Sooners have become the favorite for 2023 four-star EDGE Tausili Akana.

The No. 1 player in the state of Utah and the No. 16 overall player in the 247Sports composite, Akana has been heavily recruited by Sooners’ head coach Brent Venables.

Earlier this week, the Oklahoma Sooners received favorable predictions from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong, Brandon Drumm, and Parker Thune. Rivals recruiting analysts Josh McCuistion and Tyler Bannerman also issued predictions to the Sooners.

Now, the Sooners picked up three more crystal ball predictions from 247Sports. Brandon Huffman, Greg Biggins, and Blair Angulo joined the folks predicting Akana to Oklahoma.

That’s six predictions from 247Sports, a pair of predictions from Rivals, and On3 has the Sooners with an 89.1% chance to land the talented Akana.

At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Akana could play linebacker for the Sooners, or he could become another talented pass rusher for Miguel Chavis to work with in 2023.

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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.

Players to watch as Texas closes its 2023 recruiting class

Somehow this recruiting class can get even better.

Steve Sarkisian and company are picking up steam on the recruiting trail following a massive recruiting win with Anthony Hill.

Hill and Sarkisian shocked the world by announcing they would join forces after an in-home visit on Thursday night. Now, the Texas Longhorns have recruits buzzing about the potential of playing in Austin.

Make no mistake, regardless of where this class finishes in the final recruiting rankings it is one of the best the Longhorns have ever compiled.

The 2023 recruiting class checks nearly all of the boxes for the ideal class. Even so, the Texas staff looks far from finished on the recruiting trail.

Let’s look at a few players to watch as Steve Sarkisian’s staff closes the 2023 recruiting cycle.

New projections have Sooners as favorites for 2023 4-star edge Tausili Akana

Oklahoma has surged into the lead for four-star LB/edge Tausili Akana. From @thatmanbryant

We are eight days away from the opening of the early signing period for the 2023 football recruits across the country. Teams are making last-minute pushes to secure commitments those early signatures next week.

Along with the transfer portal, December is a crazy month. Especially if you factor in bowl prep for the teams fortunate enough to play in one.

Recruiting never stops, however. As Oklahoma looks to finish strongly, it is trending in a positive direction for another top-flight defensive prospect.

One of their remaining targets, four-star edge Tausili Akana is trending in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Akana plays his high school ball in Utah but is a native of Hawaii. He’s been on the Sooners’ radar for months, and Brent Venables took the lead in his recruitment. It seems the head coach’s efforts have been rewarded. Three predictions in favor of Oklahoma hit the internet Tuesday afternoon

Not only are there three predictions, but one of them came from national recruiting director for 247Sports Steve Wiltfong. Wiltfong’s ears are everywhere, and if he’s confident enough to drop a crystal ball, that’s great news for the Sooners.

In addition to Wiltfong’s prediction, Brandon Drumm of OUInsider at 247Sports, Josh McCuistion of Sooner Scoop and Rivals and Tyler Bannerman also of Rivals issued predictions in favor of the Sooners.

Oklahoma on Monday secured the services of four-star safety Daeh McCullough as it continues to round out its 2023 class. It two big fish (Peyton Bowen and David Hicks) remain committed to other schools, but Oklahoma will fight to the end.

A commitment by Akana would help push Oklahoma closer to a top five finish in the team recruiting rankings.

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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, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

5 lingering questions about the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class

We are in the stretch run of the 2023 recruiting cycle, and the Oklahoma Sooners are looking to close strong. From @thatmanbryant

We are exactly two weeks away from the first day of the early signing period. Though a only added to the calendar in recent years, it’s provided another element of excitement and intrigue to the recruiting process.

Oklahoma, as it stands, owns the No. 7 ranked class in the nation. They are headlined by consensus five-star QB Jackson Arnold, who has blown everyone away with his senior season. He and his Denton Guyer team look for a state title at Texas’ highest classification.

While Oklahoma sits inside the top 10, there is room to move up, and Brent Venables and Co. are road-tripping across the country to improve the class.

Oklahoma has several high-profile targets in its sights and they’re well within reach. However, recruiting is about closing. It’s never how you start but how you finish.

Here are five lingering questions about the Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class as we sprint to the finish line for this recruiting cycle.