Oklahoma visit might be the Sooners' climax of 5-star Kellan Hall's recruiting race, but not the end

It’s been all hands on deck for the Oklahoma Sooners in their pursuit of 2028 five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall, but never more so than this weekend.

Hall will be the guest of honor in Norman for his visit during the No. 24 Sooners’ game against New Mexico on Saturday night at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. This will be Hall’s fourth reported visit to Oklahoma as one of the Sooners’ top priorities.

There’s a reason the Sooners are putting so much effort into recruiting Hall, who’s already listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds. He would be the crown jewel of OU’s, or any program’s, 2028 signing class as the No. 2 prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the top defensive lineman in the class and the best player from Kentucky out of Christian Academy of Louisville.

When ESPN ranked the top 25 high school recruits regardless of class and position, Hall came in at No. 20.

OU’s current players are well aware of the impact Hall could have on the program’s future success. SoonerScoop reported in August that the Sooners’ defensive line room already has a group chat that includes Hall to help recruit him to join them. That was defensive tackle David Stone, also a five-star recruit, just a few years ago.

Even OU legend Gerald McCoy is also helping with the Sooners' recruiting pitch, particularly after Hall got his Texas offer.

Sooners still have long ways to keep lead in Kellan Hall recruiting battle

All that has the Sooners leading the race early. Rivals currently gives OU an 81% chance of landing Hall, with the next closest being Kentucky at 4%. No expert predictions have been logged yet, though.

But this is definitely a marathon, and the finish line doesn’t seem close yet. Hall has announced a final group of 12 programs and has a long list of 10 game-day visits to take throughout the season before settling on a decision.

Hall’s top 12 included OU, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Miami, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon and in-state Kentucky.

He’s already made stops at Oregon and Kentucky this season before getting to Oklahoma. He also still has trips planned to Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

The Sooners are about to get their best chance to impress, then it will likely be months of waiting and hoping someone else doesn’t one-up them before Hall makes a decision that would take OU’s 2028 class to the next level.

In the meantime, the Sooners have a pair of 2028 commits so far in four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferria and four-star tight end Connor Arant, who just made a decision this week out of Oklahoma powerhouse Bixby High School.

That list of pledges could explode soon with a big group of fellow OU targets joining Hall in Norman this weekend. No matter who else commits, though, there's no doubt Hall would be the headliner on signing day if he chooses to be a Sooner.

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