Oklahoma football: Sooners win commitment from elite WR for 2023

Two days after rounding out its 2022 class, Oklahoma football recruiting added an elite wide receiver for 2023.

Four-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart committed to the Sooners on Friday. He is the only wide receiver in the Sooners’ 2023 class and the fourth commitment for the Crimson and Cream. The addition of Cozart, who was in attendance last weekend for an OU recruiting visit, helps backfill the loss of top-50 wide-receiver prospect DeAndre Moore, who decommitted a week ago.

Cozart, from the northern Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, is listed at 6-foot, 3 inches and has excellent speed for his size, a couple of attributes that should work well in the Sooners’ offensive plans in the coming years.

The scouting book on Cozart is he used his frame and length to go up and grab passes put up high out of the reach of smaller defenders, and his ability to make tacklers miss after the catch creates opportunities for big plays.

After a sophomore season that had him sidelined with injuries, Cozart returned this past season with 36 catches for 680 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. And its noteworthy to point out that he accomplished this in a run-oriented offense.

Cozart announced his commitment decision via social media. He chose the Sooners over offers from Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M and TCU and others.

Oklahoma’s 2023 class, once the top-ranked class before Lincoln Riley departed for USC and several former OU commitments had a change of heart, currently numbers four. Cozart’s commitment is the second Brent Venables and his staff have received this week. Erik McCarty, a three-star, in-state running back from McAlester announced his commitment to the Sooners last weekend while attending OU’s Junior Weekend.

Cozart and McCarty join four-star quarterback prospect Jackson Arnold, who committed Jan. 24 and offensive lineman Joshua Bates, who has been committed since last August.