Oklahoma football: Every committed prospect has signed for the ’23 class

Oklahoma football had a ho-hum day from their already public commitments; every Oklahoma pledge signed today. Welcome news for Oklahoma in the face of chaos everywhere across the country. We saw flips all over the country, and of course, this bled into affecting Oklahoma with Peyton Bowen’s commitment (for now at least) heading to the Ducks. Akana chose Texas over the Sooners, though he was an uncommitted prospect. Still, the Sooners came in with 24 committed prospects, and all of them signed on the dotted line and are now Oklahoma Sooners.

Stability in the face of chaos

Say what you want about the staff and their inability to close on a few coveted prospects out there. This staff built strong relationships with their players that withstood NIL offers and other pushes. I heard Washington, and Colorado was hot on the trail for Jasiah Wagoneer., both options would be much closer to home, but credit Venables and Jay Ajayi for hanging on to the talented defensive back.

Daylon Smothers had smoke involving Colorado, he didn’t flinch and stayed on with Oklahoma. Even Jackson Arnold was involved in a rumor for Texas A&M and Georgia where NIL allegedly would be a big part of the pitch, but the Elite 11 MVP did not flinch, staying loyal to his selection of OU. Florida certainly did not stop their pursuit of Derrick LeBlanc, and this type of thing could be said about many other players on the roster. The staff held on to every single one of them. Considering what is happening around the country, that is undeniably a victory in and of itself.

Coming in second place is not the same anymore.

When you came in second or third place in a kids’ recruitment a couple of years ago, it meant nothing. As my grandfather often told me, “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” Those are wise words, but you can add college football recruiting to that mix now with the advent of the transfer portal and the one-time free transfer rule that allows the second or third-place team to vroom into the first a year or two down the line. Could Jordan Renaud, and Peyton Bowen, among others, perhaps choose to come to Oklahoma in a year or two? Certainly not if everything goes according to plan, but nothing goes to plan in football. Building relationships with young men is still the biggest key to success in recruiting, which now includes your own roster and the rosters of other programs. Welcome to the new era.

This is still an elite class, anyways.

Five-star QB, Five-Star edge, seven top-100 prospects? No matter who you were, if that were what you were told the yield would be for this cycle in advance, you would have taken it. According to the major recruiting services, Oklahoma currently sits in the following position.

ESPN: 4th nationally
247Sports: 7th nationally
Rivals: 10th nationally
247sports composite: 8th nationally
On3 composite: 9th nationally

More good news is coming from the portal soon as well. Stay tuned, Sooner Nation.