Oklahoma football: Sooners finally break into ESPN 2021 class rankings

It took a while longer than normal, but Oklahoma football recruiting this past week moved into the top-25 in ESPN’s 2021 recruiting class rankings.

Before gaining commitments from the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2021 national class and a four-star outside linebacker a little over a week ago, the Sooners 2021 class was hovering down around the No. 50 mark in the class rankings. That changed dramatically after those two announcements, which brought the Oklahoma 2021 commitments to seven total.

Five-star wide receiver Mario Williams committed to the Sooners on May 15 over such heavyweight programs as Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Auburn and Georgia. That same day, Lincoln Riley heard from Clayton Smith, a linebacker from Texarkana, Texas, that he had accepted Oklahoma’s offer.

The Sooners made their move this week, climbing inside the ESPN top 25 in 2021 Football Class Rankings. Currently listed at No. 21, if OU is able to land several top-rated recruits on its target list, including the No. dual-threat quarterback in the class, Caleb Williams, the Sooners are likely to continue climbing in the class rankings.

Lincoln Riley’s first three recruiting classes as Oklahoma’s head coach have all been top-15 classes, and two of them (2018 and 2019) have been top-10 classes, according to both ESPN and Rivals.

The Sooners have seven commitments so far. In contrast, Ohio State, the top-ranked team in the 2021 ESPN Class Rankings, has 17 committments, and Tennessee, the No. 2-ranked teams already has 24 commitments.

Two other Big 12 teams are ranked in the ESPN top 25. Texas, a perennial leader in college football recruiting but lately without the on-field performance reflective of a talent-laden pipeline, checks in at the No. 10 spot, and Baylor is No. 19, both with 10 commitments to this point.