MLB steals a Sooner star before he even arrives

Eli Willits is the Oklahoma baseball signee who was actually too good to ever be a Sooner.

Willits on Sunday was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Despite endless roads to lead him to Norman, an opportunity as a top draft pick is too much to resist.

OU commit Eli Willits becomes youngest pick in MLB Draft

With the surprise selection, Willits became the youngest top pick in the MLB Draft since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987 at only 17 years old. Willits reclassified to graduate from Fort Cobb High School in Oklahoma early to start his pro career, or maybe even his time at OU, early.

The MLB was the only thing that could out-recruit the Sooners for Willits. His father, Reggie, is OU's associate head coach. Reggie played at OU before an MLB career of his own and a stint as a New York Yankees assistant coach.

Jaxon, Willits' older brother, is also at OU as a sophomore shortstop, the same position as his brother. He started all 60 games this past season with a .302 batting average.

Willits has been around OU since Skip Johnson hired his dad in 2022, so it was no surprise when he committed to the Sooners as one of the best recruits in the country. He had even signed with OU already. However, what seemed like destiny appeared unlikely as Willits emerged as one of the top MLB Draft prospects, even as the youngest player in the class.

The slot value for the No. 1 overall pick is a projected $11.075 million. Even in the day of NIL and revenue share, that's more than the Sooners could even offer a star quarterback, let alone a freshman shortstop.

There was speculation of Willits possibly still playing at OU instead of going straight to the MLB, but on Sunday, the Nationals made the decision for Willits, if there ever really was one to make.

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