Oklahoma football: Who’s still out there who could end up Sooners in 2022?
By Chip Rouse
Fourteen 2022 Oklahoma football recruits signed with the Sooners a week ago on the first of two National Signing Days.
Eleven of the 14, all freshmen, were committed to Oklahoma long before Lincoln Riley announced he was leaving. The Sooners did lose several 2022 and 2023 commitments in the days following Riley’s bombshell news.
Former head coach Bob Stoops and newly named Sooner head coach Brent Venables did an outstanding job of stemming a potential tidal wave of defections allaying concerns and reconnected with OU commitments in the days immediately after Riley’s departure and with the date for early signing just days away.
Even with several highly rated commitments choosing to move on, Oklahoma still ended up on National Signing Day with the country’s 10th ranked 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ team rankings.
And Venables acknowledges that he’s not finished filling out the Sooners’ 2022 recruiting class, including bringing in the right fits through the transfer portal. “There are a few positions we are still looking to add to,” Venables said after announcing the 14 signees in the OU 2022 class.
https://twitter.com/DanielParkerJr/status/1473886976629739524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1473886976629739524%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoonerswire.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F12%2F23%2Fmissouri-tigers-tight-end-commits-to-oklahoma-via-transfer-portal-for-2022%2F
“We’re looking for football players, (but more than that) guys who bring value,” he said.
Late on Wednesday, the Sooners got an early Christmas present, picking up a tight end from the transfer portal. Former Missouri tight end Daniel Parker announced via Twitter that he was transferring to Oklahoma for his final year of eligibility.
The 6-foot, 2-inch, 235-pound Parker was recruiting by Missouri as a defensive end but was converted to tight end. He has been utilized primarily as a blocker at Mizzou. In 24 games at Missouri, he caught 24 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
The first priority in terms of continuing to recruit for the OU 2022 class is retaining the one you already have halfway in the fold. Four-star athlete Gentry Williams committed to the Sooners in October and remains so, but has said he will not sign until National Signing Day in February. USC and Arkansas are also suitors for Williams’ services. So the Sooners can’t afford to take this one for granted.
Among the top Oklahoma targets who are still out there and have not committed or signed with anybody yet are four-star running back Jovantae Barnes out of Las Vegas. OU running backs coach DeMarco Murray has been working this one hard, trying to ward off an attempt by Lincoln Riley to divert the highly recruited Barnes to USC.
Barnes is expected to announce his commitment during the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 2. There has been some speculation that Barnes may have already signed with Oklahoma but is waiting to publicly announce on Jan. 2. Either way, that’s when we’ll find out how successful the Sooners are in landing this top prospect.
Keep a watchful eye on a pair of defensive standouts out of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Four-star defensive tackle Ahmad Moten was recently upgraded to four stars by 247Sports and was officially the first Oklahoma offer by Brent Venables after being named head coach. R Mason Thomas, a four-star linebacker prospect, has been committed to Iowa State since July but did not sign last week. OU and LSU have entered the picture in recent weeks, which may be why Thomas has not finalized his commitment with Iowa State.
Also of interest, insofar as Oklahoma’s chances of landing these highly touted defensive prospects, both Moten and Thomas are planning a recruiting visit to Norman in January.
The biggest of the big fish in the positional category of offensive lineman has narrowed his choices down to two schools. Five-star prospect Devon Campbell, from Arlington, Texas, rated the No. 1 offensive guard in the 2022 class, will choose between Texas and Oklahoma.
Texas appears to have the edge in this one, but the Sooners are in greater immediate need for offensive linemen than the Longhorns. This being a key area of need, you can expect Venables and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to work hard between now and February 3 to get Campbell to come north across the Red River