Tag: zion ragins

Sooners add one of nation’s fastest players in Zion Ragins

Wide reciever Zion Ragins signed with the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday. Ragins is an electric playmaker out of Georgia.

Emmett Jones has had one heck of a year. He was hired in January and completely changed Oklahoma’s outlook at wide receiver. His work in development is well documented. The wide receiver room was incredibly productive for the Sooners this season.

Outside of his development work, Jones already has a claim to the “best recruiter on the staff” title. He has a loaded receiver class set to come to Oklahoma, and one of those receivers is a pure playmaker.

[autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], a lightning bolt of a receiver out of Jones County High School in Gray, Georgia, signed with the Sooners.

Ragins is a state champion sprinter in the 100-meter dash, and on the football field, he is simply a player who needs the ball in his hands. It doesn’t matter how, but get him the ball and let him do his thing.

He should be an immediate candidate to return punts and kicks next year as a freshman. It would behoove Oklahoma to at least try and get him involved via the screen game as well.

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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3-star WR Dozie Ezukanma decommits from the Oklahoma Sooners

2024 three-star wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma decommits from the Oklahoma Sooners.

Anytime there is a coaching change, there’s bound to be some turbulence in that year’s recruiting class. Jeff Lebby leaving to be the head coach at Mississippi State was sure to create some disruption.

Big names like Michael Hawkins, Davon Mitchell, Zion Kearney, David Stone, and Daniel Akinkunmi have affirmed their commitment to Oklahoma following Lebby’s departure. However, the Sooners saw their first player decommit from the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Three-star wide receiver [autotag]Dozie Ezukanma[/autotag] announced via X that he’s reopening his recruitment.

“After careful consideration and reflection, I have made the decision to recommit from the University of Oklahoma,” Ezukanma said in a statement. “This choice is not made lightly. I’d like to thank OU and the coaching staff for the incredible opportunity given to me.”

Ezukanma has been committed to the Oklahoma Sooners since June 20. He holds offers from Missouri, Kansas, Oregon, Kansas State, Arizona, Arkansas, Houston, North Texas, Miami, TCU, Purdue, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.

With the decommitment, the Sooners still have four wide receivers pledged to their 2024 recruiting class. That includes [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], the No. 103 player and No. 20 wide receiver in the cycle, [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag] (No. 217, No. 31), [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag] (No. 223, No. 32), and [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag] (No. 70 WR). [autotag]Andy Bass[/autotag], the talented in-state athlete also figures to be a factor at wide receiver for the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners likely have a deep group of returning players for the 2024 season at wide receiver as well. Andrel Anthony, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, is likely to return in 2024. Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson saw their roles increase throughout the season and should be back. Jalil Farooq, who’s been a starter for the Sooners each of the last two seasons, could be a candidate to move to the slot to replace Drake Stoops. Brenen Thompson, Gavin Freeman, and Jaquaize Pettaway also return.

The Oklahoma Sooners are deep at the position heading into the offseason and with the transfer portal, could add a name or two to improve their depth.

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Oklahoma Sooners one of the biggest team ranking risers of the summer

The Sooners continue to hit it out of the park in the 2024 class being one of the biggest risers since the summer.

Not many teams in the country have had as big of a rise in the recruiting rankings as the Oklahoma Sooners over the last few months. The Sooners have been on an absolute heater since July.

With the most recent commitment of [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag], the Sooners are No. 7 in 247Sports’ team composite ranking and No. 8 over at On3. On3 Sports ranked the teams to make the biggest jump since the summer, and the Sooners were included, moving up nine spots.

Brent Venables and Co. flexed their recruiting muscles in a big way last cycle, ending with the nation’s No. 6 recruiting class. It featured three five-stars and 15 blue-chippers in total. Beating that haul in 2024 was always going to be a tall task, but the Sooners are yet again on the verge of securing a top-10 class. Five-Star Plus+ DL [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] choosing OU over Miami was the highlight of the summer in that regard, but the Sooners have also added four-star pass-rushers [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag] and Danny Okoye to a very good defensive class. Not to be outdone, OC [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and the Sooners offense has amassed some weapons this summer with elite running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], four-star tight end [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag], and wideouts [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], among others. – Keegan Pope On3 Sports

This move has ranked the Sooners as the fourth-biggest riser of any team in the country. But the Sooners are not done yet. They are still waiting on the decision of offensive linemen [autotag]Grant Brix[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Akinkunmi[/autotag]. They also are waiting for defensive back [autotag]Devon Jordan[/autotag].

Of the three players mentioned, Oklahoma holds a lead for only Akinkunmi, according to On3 Sports. There’s also always that potential of a flip from a five-star or two, but we don’t need to get everyone’s hopes on that just yet.

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Sooners ranked 16th in ESPN’s team recruiting rankings with plenty of time to rise

Oklahoma’s 19 commits have them No. 16 on ESPN’s team recruiting rankings. Craig Haubert takes a look at Oklahoma’s class.

The Oklahoma Sooners went from zero commits in the class of 2024 to 19 pledges in a little over four months. Their first one of the cycle came when four-star cornerback Jeremiah Newcombe out of Arizona announced his commitment out of nowhere on March 25. Since then, the Sooners have been rolling along, progressively claiming the recruiting rankings where they sit 16th with a massive commitment decision looming on August 26 for five-star defensive tackle David Stone. His commitment could help vault Oklahoma ever so close to the top 10.

ESPN has the Sooners ranked 16th overall (ESPN+) with seven commitments in the ESPN300. The Sooners are also the top team in the Big 12 in their latest update.

That seems right in line with other services like 247Sports, who also have Brent Venables’ team slotted at No. 16 in their team rankings. Craig Haubert of ESPN had this to say about Oklahoma. The Sooners’ win over USC for [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] is the highlight of the class thus far.

One of the top RBs in the class, Taylor Tatum has put up impressive testing numbers on the camp circuit, and that translates to his play as he brings a dangerous blend of speed and power.  – Haubert, ESPN

Oklahoma’s recruiting haul has been heavy on the offensive side of the ball. 13 of their 19 commits will be featured in [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]’s offense. The top three prospects in Oklahoma’s class, according to ESPN. Tatum comes in as the No. 38 prospect in the nation. But the Sooners also have other ESPN300 players like wide receivers [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], and [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], four-star tight end [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag], and four-star quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag].

Defense is less represented right now, with [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] the lone commit in the ESPN300 at No. 146. That could change if Oklahoma wins recruiting battles for blue chip defensive linemen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] (8/26) and [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag] II (9/8) in the coming weeks. The Sooners enter the home stretch of both recruitments as leaders, but recruiting isn’t about how you start but how you finish.

Oklahoma knows that well. Last summer provided much of the same recruiting push we’ve seen this summer. They closed their recruiting class for 2023 by flipping five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] from Oregon on signing day. Could they do the same to five-star EDGE player [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag]? Recent comments from the Lee’s Summit North prospect suggest the Sooners are still in pursuit despite his commitment Monday to the Missouri Tigers.

There are so many unknowns with this 2024 recruiting class despite Oklahoma’s hot summer. One thing Brent Venables and Co. can hang a hat on is that this staff has shown a penchant for finishing strong on the recruiting trail. The Sooners will look to do the same this fall as well.

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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.

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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.

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Commitment dates on the horizon for Oklahoma 2024 targets

Over the next seven weeks, a number of the Oklahoma Sooners high-profile 2024 prospects will be making their commitments. Who are they?

The summer months have already been kind to the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail, and we still have a month and a half until most high school seasons kick off for the 2023 season.

More than half of the Sooners’ commitments have come since June 1. They’ve picked up pledges from [autotag]James Nesta[/autotag], [autotag]Dozie Ezukanma[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag], [autotag]Wyatt Gilmore[/autotag], [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag]. With 13 commitments in the class of 2024, the Sooners sit 26th in the 247Sports team rankings and No. 17 in the On3 team rankings.

And that’s with a number of highly regarded prospects still to make their pledge in the coming weeks and months.

Here’s a look at who’s slated to commit during the next couple of months. We’ll update the list as players release commitment dates.

Sooners continue to build momentum for talented 2024 wide receiver

Oklahoma looks to be picking up steam for four-star wide receiver Zion Ragins out of Georgia.

Oklahoma’s recruiting momentum at wide receiver is a sight to behold. Of course, Ohio State has been the standard bearer at wide receiver recruiting for the last several years, but Oklahoma and Emmett Jones are hitting all the right buttons on the recruiting trail.

Oklahoma has four wide receiver commits for the class of 2024: K.J. Daniels, Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon and Dozie Ezukanma. By the looks of it, the Sooners could be adding a fifth: four-star lightning bolt Zion Ragins.

Ragins is a blur with the ball in his hands, and the Georgia native was predicted to land with Oklahoma by Florida State insider Chris Nee. Nee covers FSU for 247Sports. He doesn’t issue predictions often, but when he does, he doesn’t seem to miss.

Ragins’ heaviest suitors included Florida State, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina. UGA, Oklahoma and Florida State received official visits as the summer unfolded. With weeks passed since Ragins was at any of those officials, the talented wide receiver prospect looks to be sorting things out with a potential decision sometime soon.

Georgia has the hometown advantage, and it is the back-to-back national champion in search of a three-peat. That will hold a lot of weight for a Georgia kid. However, Jones has done a great job to put Oklahoma in a fantastic spot.

Ragins’ ability to stretch the field vertically is a match made in heaven for Oklahoma’s penchant for throwing the deep ball under Jeff Lebby. If the Sooners could land the four-star playmaker, it would all but wrap up one of the best-receiving hauls of the 2024 recruiting cycle.

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Pair of predictions favor Oklahoma for 2024 4-star wide receiver 

On Saturday, two predictions from Rivals’ OUInsiders Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune were submitted in favor of the Sooners for wide receiver Zion Ragins from Georgia.

The first big recruiting weekend for the Sooners has come to a close.

In the last 24 hours, a pair of predictions from Rivals’ OUInsiders Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune were submitted in favor of the Sooners for wide receiver [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag] from Georgia.

Ragins is a composite four-star and the No. 117 player in the nation. He’s smaller in stature, standing at 5 feet, 9 inches and 150 pounds. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for with elite speed. According to 247Sports, he runs a 10.47 100-meter dash.

247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins had this to say about the receiver,

A lightning-fast playmaker with some of the better track times in the 2024 cycle,” Ivins said. “Took gold at the GHSA 5A track meet in the 100-meter dash as both a freshman and sophomore and owns a personal-best 10.37 in the race, which happens to be a Peach State record for a 9th grader. Obviously, can turn on the afterburners, but isn’t exactly the biggest skill player as an in-person evaluation suggests that he’s under 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. Still, has averaged 11.3 yards per offensive touch the past two years and has found the end zone 17 different times, including once via a kickoff return. At his best when he gets the ball in space and can find a crease in a defense. However, can get deep on post routes and produce some big gains that way, as well. Should be viewed as a potential gadget player that offensive coordinators can get creative with at the next level. Has some wiggle with the ball in his hands, but must eventually add some body armor to a rather slender frame if he hopes to survive on Saturdays. Will also need to keep evolving as a route runner if he wants to play more than just a complementary role. Likely to add plenty of special teams value as he can hit the home run. – Ivins, 247Sports

He’s a player that reminds of former Sooner great Marquis Brown, displaying elite speed and big-play ability. Now, that’s a tall task to expect him to have the career Brown had, but if he can, that would help the Sooner offense go to another level.

The Sooners have two wide receivers committed to the 2024 recruiting class: Zion Kearney and KJ Daniels pledged to the class. Still, Emmett Jones and Jeff Lebby are hoping to continue to add speed to the Sooners’ offense with Ragins.

The Sooners have put an emphasis on speed at wide receiver this offseason, adding Jaquaize Pettaway and Brenen Thompson for 2023 and their pursuit of Daniels and Ragins in the 2024 cycle. If Oklahoma adds Ragins to its wide receiver corps, it will have several guys that can threaten teams deep in the passing game or wide in the jet sweep, wide receiver screen game.

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Oklahoma Sooners to host a number of big names June 8-11

Oklahoma will look to turn up the heat on their 2024 recruiting as they host a number of prospects for official visits this weekend.

Recruiting has hit its zenith as the June has rolled around, and prospects across the 2024 class can take official visits. Oklahoma has a number of prospects expected to visit during the month, and the program’s signature ChampU BBQ is the headline event.

While this weekend’s official visitors will be a week early, June recruiting visits are where teams begin to separate themselves. Oklahoma will aim to start the recruiting month by knocking this first weekend of officials out of the park. Here is who is expected in Norman in this weekend.

  • Four-star OL [autotag]Grant Brix[/autotag]  

  • Four-star OL [autotag]Jason Zandamela[/autotag]

  • Four-star OL [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag]

  • Four-star OL [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag]

  • Four-star DB [autotag]Marcelles Williams[/autotag]

  • Five-star DL [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag]
  • Five-Star CB [autotag]Kobe Black[/autotag]
  • Four-star CB [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag]

  • Three-star Edge [autotag]Caleb Redd[/autotag]

  • Four-star OL [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag]
  • Four-star WR [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag]
  • Four-star QB [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] (committed)

There’s a great deal of talent coming to Norman this weekend, headlined by five-star prospects Williams Nwaneri and Kobe Black. The Sooners have been the projected leader for Nwaneri, who hails from the Kansas City area, but this is a huge weekend for Brent Venables and his staff to close the deal. Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee and Missouri are serious names to watch.

Black’s recruitment is more contentious at this point, but given the success Jay Valai has had over the last two recruiting cycles, I wouldn’t count out the Sooners.

The Sooners also welcome fellow blue-chip defensive backs Eli Bowen and Marcelles Williams. Oklahoma leads for Bowen based on recruiting projections. The Sooners are hoping to pry Williams from West Coast schools USC and UCLA.

Oklahoma’s also is hosting five offensive linemen over the weekend, which provides them a good opportunity to spend time with the staff, namely Bill Bedenbaugh, but also each other. Chemistry is a huge factor in offensive line play. Spending time with offensive linemen on campus and those the Sooners are pursuing could create a further comfort level with Oklahoma.

This is a big weekend to kick start Oklahoma’s June recruiting efforts.

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