Oklahoma 1 step closer to landing 5-star linebacker that will infuriate Vols fans

The Sooners are closing in on Cooper Witten's commitment, and it should send shockwaves throughout the SEC for one of the top defensive players in the nation to land with Oklahoma.

Witten, the five-star linebacker and son of Sooners tight ends coach Jason Witten, is being predicted by On3 to join his Dad in Norman.  His top five is an SEC-centric group with Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas and Tennessee joining Oklahoma. Cooper Witten has recently had a visit with coaches from Texas A&M and traveled to Athens to visit Georgia for a junior day event. 

Tennessee is also one of the biggest competitors here for the Sooners. Jason Witten was a first-team All-SEC player with the Volunteers in 2002 and despite the elder Witten's current ties to Oklahoma, the Vols aren't going to go away quietly when it comes to recruiting a legacy recruit. Getting Cooper Witten in the fold doesn't just give the Sooners an elite player at linebacker, it completely puts Josh Heupel under the gun for a failure to land a legacy recruit as a major position of need. 

Oklahoma zeroes in on Cooper Witten commitment

Landing Witten would arguably be the centerpiece of what Brent Venables is trying to build on defense with this 2027 class that already includes blue-chip linebacker Taven Epps, four-star pass rusher Krew Jones and four-star defensive tackle Elija Harmon. 

Venables wants to put together a group of players on that side of the ball that can get the Sooners closer to a championship. Oklahoma is already believed to be the team to beat for four-star safety Jaylen Scott and if he can add Scott and Witten to this class, it could be an all-time group. 

So far, Venables and the Sooners staff have been putting in the work for this 2027 class. 247Sports has Oklahoma as the top-rated class in the country with 13 commitments and eight pledges considered blue-chip prospects. It's already an impressive group that would be made that much better with Witten.