Wins on the football field also usually result in victories on the recruiting trail, and the Oklahoma Sooners are getting to reap those double benefits now after upsetting No. 1 Texas on Saturday.
Just three days after that massive Red River Rivalry win, Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman on Tuesday has logged an expert prediction for the Sooners to eventually land 2028 four-star linebacker Tylan Henderson, who was at the Cotton Bowl to witness the Sooners beat his home-state Longhorns.
Rivals gives it an 85.6% chance that Henderson ultimately ends up being a Sooner. The next closest is Texas Tech at 5%.
NEW: Rivals' @samspiegs has logged an expert prediction for Oklahoma to land 2028 4-star LB Tylan Henderson⭕️https://t.co/Mh40p7NgWX https://t.co/B9W5uNfAVi pic.twitter.com/vgSyyEGkLm
— Rivals (@Rivals) October 13, 2026
Henderson, from Pflugerville Weiss High School, is the No. 25 prospect out of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s also the No. 16 linebacker and No. 225 overall player in the 2028 class.
247Sports is somewhat low on Henderson, giving him three stars as the No. 19 linebacker. ESPN is the highest on Henderson as the No. 10 linebacker in the class.
Regardless, what matters most is that OU head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy and their staff believe in Henderson. Inside linebackers coach Nate Dreiling has been leading the charge in getting Henderson to Oklahoma.
Texas Tech and SMU seem to be the Sooners’ biggest obstacles in sealing the deal. He’s made four reported visits to Texas Tech and three trips to SMU, including the weekend before OU hosted him at the Cotton Bowl.
His offers count is up to 31, including from Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, and more. OU joined that list in February.
Tylan Henderson could be just the start of 2028 recruiting explosion for Sooners
If the prediction holds true and the Sooners do secure Henderson, he would be the fifth addition to their 2028 class, joining fellow linebacker Jay Schell, quarterback Trey Tagliaferri, tight end Connor Arant, and wide receiver Colton Fitzgibbon.
Based on Rivals' rankings, if Henderson commits, the Sooners' top two pledges would both be linebackers, with Henderson right below Schell, who's ranked No. 7 at the position as a four-star recruit. That would be right on cue, as Venables' defense carries the Sooners with strong linebacker play in his system.
Henderson might not be the only looming addition, either, as the Sooners ride the momentum of their Red River Rivalry win. OU will get the opportunity to host more targets this weekend, with a home game against No. 15 Kentucky on Saturday.
The Sooners can already boast about taking down No. 1 Texas, but notching another upset right in front of recruits again would impress even more and have prospects convinced that OU is still headed in the right direction after a sluggish start under Venables.
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