With 20 players eligible to return leaving the Oklahoma football program for the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, it is refreshing to see more than half of the OU 2022 recruiting class already on campus enrolled for the spring semester.
Bryant Crews of Sooners Wire, a USA Today-affiliated website that covers OU athletics, is reporting that 10 members of the Sooners’ 2022 class are registered and will begin classes on Tuesday. This means they will begin football activities immediately and will participate in spring practice, giving them an early start of the 2022 season and their college careers.
Getting these newcomers on campus and acclimated to the program and college life early can only be a positive that is in the early stages of a coaching transition with a lot of moving parts as it begins preparation for the next college football season.
The Oklahoma 2022 recruiting class currently stands at 17, with 16 of the 17 signed. Four-star defense back Gentry Williams, out of nearby Tulsa, remains committed to the Sooners but has said he will not sign before the February signing period.
Move in day! @kobiemckinzie26 @CoachVenables @KanakJaren pic.twitter.com/UERSlgAHDt
— Will Truby (@WillTruby) January 15, 2022
247Sports currently rates the OU 2022 class as the 10th best. This is a strong statement about the ability and influence of new head coach Brent Venables and his staff, along with the help and support of former head coach Bob Stoops, to perform damage control in the aftermath of Lincoln Riley’s sudden departure for USC.
These 2022 recruits will begin college classes on Tuesday:
QB Nick Evers
RB Jovantae Barnes
WR Jayden Gibson
WR Nicholas Anderson
TE Jason Llewellyn
TE Kaden Helms
LB Kobie McKenzie
LB Kip Lewis
DB Robert Spear-Jennings
ATH Jaren Konak
With OU spring semester classes beginning this week, it will be interesting to see who the Sooners might be able to pull out of the transfer portal and get on site early to begin their acclimation to Oklahoma football.