Sooners land top two 2027 in-state recruits within moments of each other

Thursday was a good day for Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh before he even finished his coffee.

Just minutes after 2027 five-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett flipped from Texas Tech to OU, four-star interior offensive lineman Kaeden Penny also announced his commitment to the Sooners before it was even 9 a.m. in Oklahoma on Thursday morning.

Kaeden Penny commits to Oklahoma after Cooper Hackett

Hackett, from Fort Gibson, and Penny, from Bixby, are the No. 1 and No. 2 overall prospects in the state of Oklahoma, respectively, according to the 247Sports Composite. Both were in Norman together for the Sooners' victories over Michigan and Auburn.

Penny, listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, is nearing five-star status as the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and No. 45 overall prospect in the 2027 class. 247Sports by itself ranks him as the second-best interior offensive lineman in the class.

He also had offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas State, LSU, Miami, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and more.

The Sooners have already landed four commitments from the 2027 thanks to a great 4-0 start with a pair of home wins over ranked opponents to impress prospects at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Bedenbaugh has done most of the work so far, with three of the four being offensive linemen. Luke Wilson, a three-star offensive tackle from Southlake Carroll High School in Texas, was the first addition last month.

Four-star wide receiver Demare Dezeurn, from Palisades High School in California, also pledged to the Sooners after their win over Auburn.

It's still early in the process, but the Sooners' massive haul on Thursday moved them up as the No. 3 2027 recruiting class in the country so far. And recruiting experts have predicted even more on the way soon.

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