Although certainly not as devastating as in the past, Lincoln Riley could be responsible for more heartbreak in Oklahoma. However, Brent Venables and his staff have a few more days to completely flip the script and leave Riley still searching this time.
247Sports recruiting analyst Blair Angulo reported on Tuesday that 2027 consensus four-star wide receiver Quentin Hale will announce his commitment at 1 p.m. CT Friday after reportedly recently narrowing down his options to OU, USC, Texas and LSU. His top 9 also included Alabama, Miami, Tennessee, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. LSU was then added to the mix later when Lane Kiffin got there and extended an offer.
Many recruiting experts, though, have already logged predictions for Hale to choose in-state USC and Riley.
Quentin Hale nearing decision between OU, USC, Texas and LSU
According to the 247Sports Composite, Hale, listed at 6-foot-3, is the No. 10 receiver in the 2027 class and No. 51 overall prospect. Rivals has Hale ranked as high as the sixth-best receiver in the class. He's also the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of California out of Centennial High School in Corona, California.
Hale caught 62 passes for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season as a junior, per MaxPreps. 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 recently took matters into his own hands and went all the way to Southern California alongside wide receivers coach Emmett Jones last month to visit Hale and try to convince him to be a Sooner.
That's the only home visit Hale has posted about on X, but Riley is just down the road. Hale took two unofficial visits to USC during the football season, and also visited OU, Texas and Texas A&M once. He was in Norman on Sept. 20, when the Sooners beat Auburn in their SEC opener.
The Sooners already have two receivers committed from the 2027 class in four-star Demare Dezeurn, also from California, and three-star Tra'Von Hall, who has been gaining even more interest from in-state Alabama. With so much time still left until 2027 prospects can sign, the Sooners will easily recover if Hale doesn't choose OU on Friday.