Oklahoma lands homegrown towering 6-foot-5 WR

Sooner Nation has been begging for more towering wide receivers on the Oklahoma Sooners' roster. Well, receivers coach Emmett Jones found one that's homegrown.

Xavier Okwufulueze, from Rejoice Christian School in Owasso, Oklahoma, committed to the Sooners on Tuesday, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Xavier Okwufulueze commits to Sooners

Okwufulueze is listed at a colossal 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds. He's built like an elite basketball prospect, which is why he didn't even play football as a sophomore in 2023 to focus on one sport. He returned in 2024 and immediately impressed as a junior, but that year off stunted his recruitment as a football player and might have led to Jones discovering a gem late.

The Sooners didn't even offer Okwufulueze until Monday, but it must have been the offer he was waiting for, because, according to Rivals' Parker Thune, he committed on the spot. His other offers included Oklahoma State, Arkansas, TCU, Kansas State, Tulsa, Utah, Arkansas State, Boston College and Texas State. All of those offers have come since January, with OSU being the first.

Listed as an athlete, Okwufulueze is a consensus three-star recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 40 athlete in the 2026 class and No. 8 overall prospect in the state. He wasn't even rated by major recruiting outlets until March.

Okwufulueze plays wide receiver and cornerback for Rejoice Christian, but will likely play receiver for OU. Imagine a 6-foot-5 corner, though.

As a receiver last year in his first season back, Okwufulueze caught 46 passes for 901 yards and nine TDs while averaging 19.6 yards a catch. He also tallied 31 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for a score. Last week in his senior season opener, Okwufulueze had 11 receptions, 236 yards and three TDs.

Okwufulueze is a saving grace for the Sooners after they've struggled to get receivers from the 2026 class. He's just the second WR commit after four-star Daniel Odom. He's also the Sooners' first 2026 in-state commit from the state of Oklahoma, giving OU everything it was missing with one player.

Read more about OU football recruiting