Although in charge of the defense and with a loaded recruiting staff at his disposal, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables beat out the snow storm and traveled to sunny California to try and get the Sooners some elite talent on the offensive side of the ball.
Four-star 2027 wide receiver Quentin Hale posted on X over the weekend that Venables and OU wide receivers coach Emmett Jones were in the Los Angeles area to visit the prized target. While in Cali, Venables, alongside defensive analyst Xavier Brewer, also made a stop in Long Beach to visit 2027 cornerback JuJu Johnson, who's already predicted to commit to the Sooners.
Sooners visit 2027 WR Quentin Hale during California recruiting trip
Appreciate you coach@CoachVenables and @CoachEmmett for stopping by to see me much love,Boomer Sooner pic.twitter.com/O7iikCXWuL
— Quentin Hale 4⭐️ (@QuentinHalee15) January 23, 2026
Hale, listed at 6-foot-3, is a consensus four-star recruit out of Centennial High School in Corona, California. According to the 247Sports Composite, Hale is the No. 10 receiver in the class and No. 51 overall prospect. Rivals has Hale ranked as high as the sixth-best receiver in the class.
His other offers include nearby USC, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and others for a loaded list and stacked battle for the Sooners, which is why a visit from the headman was necessary.
According to MaxPreps, Hale caught 62 passes for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season as a junior. He was even more impressive as a sophomore with 63 receptions, 995 yards and 14 TDs.
👾@GregBiggins @coachjmcdaniels@adamgorney @247Sports @BrandonHuffman @Zack_Poff_MP @adamgorney @latsondheimer pic.twitter.com/BdMrAfREVJ
— Quentin Hale 4⭐️ (@QuentinHalee15) September 8, 2024
Venables and his OU staff have been hitting California hard recently. Hale would already be the fifth commit from the Golden State to join the Sooners' 2027 class that is No. 1 in the country. That batch of Cali commits includes fellow four-star receiver Demare Dezeurn from Palisades. Edge rusher Taven Epps, defensive tackle Elija Harmon and running back Jaxsen Stokes are also committed to leave California for Norman.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Hale would be the highest-rated prospect from California for the Sooners in the 2027 class.