Oklahoma football: Sooners await some big announcements

There could be some big Oklahoma football recruiting news coming in the next few weeks.

At least two top prospects the Sooners have been heavily recruiting — one for 2022 and one for 2023 — are expected to announce their commitment decision in July on where they will be playing college football

Four-star offensive lineman Jacob Sexton announced on social media that he will be revealing his choice on July 3. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 285-pound O-lineman is rated by the 247Sports Composite Player Rankings as one of the top prospects from the state of Oklahoma and is a consensus top-24 offensive tackle in the 2022 class nationally.

OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, one of the most respected and acclaimed line coaches in college football, has been in regular contact with Sexton. Under Bedenbaugh’s leadership in the previous eight seasons he has been on the Sooner coaching staff, Oklahoma has fielded one of the nation’s top offensive lines.

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Sexton, a three-sport star at Deer Creek High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, has narrowed his choice to five schools: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma State. The Sooners are considered the favorite, but we will have to wait until Friday to know for sure.

Five-state QB prospect Malachi Nelson, ranked by 247Sports as the No.-2 ranked QB recruit in the 2023 class, has said he will make his announcement on July 18, and the Sooners are reported to be in the lead position.

With two former five-star QBs currently on the roster and without a QB commitment in the 2022 class, Lincoln Riley has been actively pursuing Nelson, a Southern California native and the 2021 California Gatorade Player of the Year.

Nelson reportedly possesses many of the skills Riley considers to be vital for success at a high level at the quarterback position: good size, smooth release, high decision-making skills and mobility and escapability allowing time and ability to extend plays.

Nelson was among the two-dozen or so top recruiting targets for 2022 and 2023 who were in attendance at OU’s ChampU BBQ event a couple of weeks ago.

“They’re developing kids over there,” Nelson said in an interview with The Atlantic during the ChampU event, “and obviously I want to be in the league (NFL).”

“It could change in a couple of weeks, but right now I have a plan in my head,” he said. Sooner nation is optimistic that plan has Oklahoma at the top of the list. If the Sooners are the choice, they will have beat out home-state USC.

The good news the Sooners are anticipating unfortunately was preempted on Wednesday by the disappointing news that four-star wide receiver Talyn Shettron has decommitted from OU and flipped to Oklahoma State. Shettron had been committed to Oklahoma since October 2020, but the fact that his brother, Tabry, was offered by Oklahoma State earlier this week was enough incentive for Talyn to reconsider his choice.