Oklahoma football: USC QB transfer throws twist into his recruitment

Oklahoma football recruiting to add to its top-10 2022 class has shifted into high gear with National Signing Day under two weeks away, and that includes talent needs available through the transfer portal.

Although head coach Brent Venables and his staff still have several highly rated players from the high-school ranks they are hopeful of signing on Feb. 2, perhaps the biggest prospect they have their eye on right now is former USC QB Jaxson Dart.

Dart has only been in the transfer portal for a couple of weeks, but earlier this week he reportedly had narrowed his destination choices to two schools: Oklahoma or Ole Miss. And the program he ultimately chooses is likely to get a bonus. His USC teammate, WR Michael Trigg, who also is in the portal, has indicated he would like to join Dart wherever he ends up.

There was some excitement in the Sooner Nation earlier this week, when Dart posted a photo on his Twitter account following his recent visit to OU showing him in an Oklahoma uniform. That excitement was tempered somewhat, though, when he smartly posted a comparable image after his visit to Ole Miss.

Several days have now passed, and there has been no announcement regarding Dart or his former teammate Trigg. Today, we learned why the decision has been delayed. Several news outlets have reported that Dart visited BYU on Wednesday.

Although the timing of the BYU visit was a surprise after Dart had previously announced that he would be choosing between OU and Ole Miss, there are some plausible reasons why he would throw everyone but those in his inner circle a curveball by showing a late interest in BYU.

To begin with, the former USC quarterback, who 247Sports lists as the third highest-rated QB in the transfer portal this offseason, is from Draper, Utah, just a half-hour drive from the BYU campus in Provo.

BYU was the first school to offer the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year out of high school. Dart eventually signed with USC, over offers from Arizona State, UCLA and BYU, the top four he was considering.

So, the obvious question is: Why would he visit BYU now after not having that school on the initial list of transfer possibilities?

One reason might be that Dart is now down to the 11th hour in his decision process and is torn between Oklahoma and Ole Miss. Is he more enticed by the opportunity to step in and play immediately, which probably would favor Ole Miss, or does he believe his development and NFL prospects would be better served at a program like Oklahoma, even though he would have to battle Dillon Gabriel, another QB transfer, for the starting role, at least for this coming season?

In the end, the ultimate deciding factor will be about relationships and with which set of coaches and players does he feel the most comfortable. Dart’s visit to BYU may have been about confirmation on which way he is leaning. Perhaps even a stopover point on his way back home to discuss the situation with his family.

The BYU visit could also be one last ditch effort to bring closure to the notion of finishing out his college career closer to home, although I think that ship may have sailed over a year ago.

Whatever the reason — and we may never know for sure — it appears that the talented young quarterback transfer is not quite ready to put that final stake in the ground. So, the wait goes on.

Memo to Sooner fans: No news is still good news.