The Oklahoma Sooners continue to experience repercussions on the recruiting trail from the loss of running backs coach DeMarco Murray, who left for the same position with the Kansas City Chiefs just last month.
BlueandGold.com reported on Monday that OU running back commit Keldrid Ben will visit Notre Dame this weekend after the Fighting Irish just offered Ben on Feb. 26 as his recruiting rankings have recently rocketed.
Keldrid Ben's Notre Dame visit another twist for Sooners recruiting
This news of Ben visiting elsewhere came less than a week after 2028 commit Micah Rhodes revealed to Parker Thune of Rivals that, although still committed, he'll at least look at other options since the position coach he pledged to left. So far, Jaxsen Stokes is the only running back commit that has assured he's still locked in after Murray's departure.
Read more: DeMarco Murray's departure raises serious questions for Oklahoma recruiting
The Sooners were going to have to fend off new programs pursuing Ben whether Murray left or not, so this will be yet another challenge for OU after seemingly securing Ben early. Ben's recruitment has recently exploded since OU was his first Power Four offer as an unranked and unrated prospect.
Ben has since risen as the No. 6 running back in the 2027 class and No. 16 prospect in the state of Texas out of Montgomery High School, according to the 247Sports Composite. His list of offers now includes Texas, Florida State, Oregon, USC, Wisconsin and multiple lower-level programs. Florida also just offered Ben on Wednesday.
According to Rivals, Ben was just in Norman on March 7 for an unofficial visit, which confirms new running backs coach Deland McCullough has began building a relationship with Ben to keep him committed. Ben should also be in Norman for the Sooners' Champ U BBQ recruiting event on June 12.
McCullough overall seems like an upgrade for the coaching staff, but that doesn't negate growing pains, especially in recruiting where relationships are most important. He now basically has to re-recruit the Sooners' committed running backs, but at least with Murray's move to the NFL, he can't take them with him somewhere else.