Four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri's commitment on Friday should have been the first domino to fall that really gets the Oklahoma Sooners' 2028 recruiting class going now.
Running back Micah Rhodes was actually the Sooners' first 2028 addition, but then he backed out after running backs coach DeMarco Murray left for the Kansas City Chiefs. Then, for a month and two days, OU's 2028 class sat empty until Tagliaferri became the first commit that hopefully sticks. However, some fans have their doubts considering Tagliaferri was committed to Notre Dame for only six days before changing his mind.
It was last summer in August when the Sooners got their first 2027 pledge in offensive lineman Luke Wilson, who's still locked in today. Wilson's decision opened the floodgates of early commitments for the Sooners that boosted them to having an early top-3 class before just recently slipping a bit in recruiting rankings.
Read more: Oklahoma's historic recruiting chase just got a lot more interesting
Now seemingly a month ahead of schedule and the 2027 class basically complete, the Sooners should soon start stockpiling 2028 talent, with five top targets in particular already destined to be Tagliaferri's future teammates in Oklahoma.
Predicting the Sooners' next 2028 commitments
Although offensive lineman Luke Wilson, from Southlake Carroll High School in Texas, was the first addition to the 2027 class, things really exploded thanks to a pair of in-state commits on the same day in offensive linemen Cooper Hackett and Kaeden Penny. The 2028 group could see the same boost from local talent.
Four-star athlete Kamieon Compton-Nero, who just transferred from Rejoice Christian School to Owasso High School, has been on the Sooners' radar since getting an offer last summer. His recruitment has exploded since, but that early belief and being his home-state program should pay off for OU, especially since he's already taken the short trip to Norman five times for visits.
Compton-Nero is the top prospect in the state as the No. 2 athlete in the class and No. 49 overall player, per the 247Sports Composite. Listed at 6-foot-3, he will likely play defensive back for the Sooners, but is also a standout quarterback.
Five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall would be the headliner of the Sooners' 2028 class as the No. 8 prospect in the country and No. 2 DL. Despite the loaded race for Hall, the Sooners are still the early favorites, with Rivals giving OU an 84% chance at landing him over Ohio State. That's likely because Brent Venables & Co. have made Hall a top priority and he knows that.
A lot can still happen in a battle as contested as this one, though. Even if Hall does make an early decision in the Sooners' favor, other big-time programs won't back off. It would still be a massive building block that would jump Oklahoma in recruiting rankings and draw the attention of other recruits.
Trey Tagliaferri will need receivers to throw to, and four-star Carson LaCombe, listed at 6-foot-3, could one day be his favorite target. According to the 247Sports Composite, LaCombe is the No. 30 wide receiver in the class and No. 22 overall player in the state of Texas out of Pieper High School.
After earning an OU offer less than a month ago during an impressive camp showing in Norman, Rivals already gives LaCombe a 97% chance of committing to OU.
From the heart of Cowboy country in Stillwater, four-star receiver David Thomas will likely be a Sooner instead of staying home. He's the No. 39 receiver in the class and No. 2 player in the Sooner State.
Thomas has already taken four reported visits to OU, compared to two to Oklahoma State just down the road. That early interest gives Thomas a 60% chance of being a Sooner, per Rivals.
Last month, it seemed like a guarantee that offensive lineman Gavin Wilson would be the first piece to the Sooners' 2028 class. Rivals national recruiting expert Sam Spiegelman in mid-June already logged a prediction for Wilson to commit to OU. He got his Oklahoma offer just two weeks before that during a visit.
Wilson is still unrated and unranked by 247Sports, but Rivals has given him three stars as the No. 35 interior offensive lineman in the class and No. 9 prospect in the state out of Bixby High School.
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