Jake Kreul is going to make Oklahoma football general manager Jim Nagy impatient to get his newest commit suited up in Norman.
In the same week Kreul committed to the Sooners live on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," he then absolutely wreaked havoc in the season opener for his senior year at IMG Academy in Florida on Thursday night.
Even when from big-time recruits, though, high school performances tend to go unnoticed, so some of Sooner Nation was confused when Nagy had a cryptic post on X on Thursday night referencing Kreul's performance, especially since Nagy can't actually mention Kreul by name until he officially signs because of NCAA rules. All Nagy shared was a GIF that said, "THAT'S A BIG SNAKE."
Any idea what this means? https://t.co/NdYKMOown6
— OU Boom!!! (@asbell_tony) August 15, 2025
OU commit Jake Kreul draws attention in season opener
Nagy's point eventually got across. Just like about everyone else named "Jake," Kreul also sometimes goes by the nickname, "Jake the Snake." Kreul's handle on X is even '@JK_DE_SNAKE_34."
Kreul absolutely dominated in IMG Academy's 41-7 season-opening win. At one point in the first half, Kreul got to the quarterback in three possessions in a row for a sack.
Jake Kreul just registered three sacks in a row to end TFA’s third drive. Here was the 4th down stop for the Oklahoma pledge https://t.co/2AXM6SkJhQ pic.twitter.com/ULRhK2iHYd
— John Garcia, Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) August 15, 2025
4-star Edge Jake Kreul with the sack for IMG Academy against First Academy.@CKennedy247 pic.twitter.com/Xj4SNjcKs0
— Zach Blostein (@ZBlostein247) August 15, 2025
After that performance, Kreul made ESPN look like the correct recruiting service as the only outlet to give Kreul five stars, as every other major recruiting outlet lists Kreul as a four-star recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, Kreul is the No. 9 edge rusher in the 2026 class and No. 9 prospect in the state of Florida.
IMG 5-star edge Jake Kreul, an Oklahoma commit, talks about his first game of his senior season and his multiple-sack effort, including 3 straight in one drive, in a 41-7 victory against The First Academy. @SBLiveFL @IMGAFootball @CoachStudOL @JK_DE_SNAKE_34 @trenchmenAC pic.twitter.com/u92iPfjMNX
— Jeff Gardenour (@JMarkG1962) August 15, 2025
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