Oklahoma football: Sooners add an elite punter to 2022 recruiting class

In talking about the Sooners’ No. 8-ranked 2022 recruiting class on National Signing Day a week ago, Oklahoma football head coach Brent Venables made the point that they weren’t finished yet.

On Monday, OU made elite punter Brady Braun the 22nd member of the Sooners’ 2022 class.

The Sooners actually got a commitment from the Indiana native after the Under Armour All-American game, and it became official on Monday when Braun signed his Letter of Intent during a public ceremony at his high school in Indianapolis.

Braun was rated as the No. 4 punter in the 2022 class by Kohl’s Kicking, a kicking camp that provided evaluations on more than 100 kickers and punters.

As one of the college football’s most acclaimed defensive coaches, Sooner head coach Brent Venables knows the importance of having an outstanding punting game as part of a defensive game plan. Oklahoma already has three punters on its roster, but Michael Turk and Reeves Mundschau only have one year of eligibility remaining. Josh Plaster, the third punter, is a transfer from Arizona State.

Braun presumably will compete with Plaster for the lead punting role after this season.

Jay Nunez, who the Sooners have not yet officially announced for an off-field position assisting OU on special teams, was the primary recruiter in the recruitment of Braun. Though Braun was the one who established and expanded the relationship with Braun, Venables was the one who closed the deal.

According to OUInsider.com staff writer Parker Thune, Braun knew after conversations with both Oklahoma coaches that he was making the right decision.

Braun told OUInsider that Oklahoma wasn’t on his board when he began the recruitment process, but after meeting and getting to know Nunez and after an official visit to OU and talking with Venables he knew that this was all meant to be. All that history and tradition…the most conference championships, who couldn’t love that, he said.