Oklahoma receives commitment from Northern California multi-star athlete

Porter Moser and Skip Johnson picked up a commitment from a Northern California student-athlete Alec Blair on Tuesday. Blair is a multi-star athlete who has excelled not only on the hardwood but also on the diamond and plans to play both sports once he sets foot on the Oklahoma University campus in the fall of 2025.

The 6-foot-6 lanky left-hander will play small forward for Moser, while also playing in center field for Johnson in the spring. Blair hails from De La Salle High (Concord, California) and finished his junior basketball season with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists per game, while shooting 54 percent from the field. Blair is the 38th-ranked basketball prospect in the 2025 class and the seventh-best small forward as of this summer according to 247 Sports. The two-sport athlete brings versatility to the court and can play a mix of one through three.

Blair picked Oklahoma over California, Clemson, Texas A&M, and Clemson and the Sooners gained the edge by being willing to allow him to play multiple sports in college. "I feel like both coaching staffs are on board with this and they truly want me to succeed in both," Blair told Eric Bossi of 247 Sports. "Playing both baseball and basketball puts me in such a small and unique category as well. It's going to be a challenge to do both but I truly do believe that OU is trying to make it work and I have the utmost confidence in their plan and coaching staff."

Assistant coach Clayton Custer was the main catalyst in Blair's recruitment and has been a welcome addition to the men's basketball coaching staff since he came in August of 2023. Custer played for Moser on his 2018 Loyola Chicago team that reached the Final Four. The former Ramblers' guard has brought a youthful energy to the program and has undoubtedly been a factor in the Sooners' recent recruiting success after landing top-40 guard Jeremiah Fears on Saturday and St. John's transfer Glen Taylor on Sunday.

Blair's credentials on the baseball field also can't go unnoticed. He may be even better in that sport. What Johnson and Oklahoma baseball is getting is an outfielder who has a .338 batting average with 41 RBI and 36 runs scored in two seasons at De La Salle. There is also some buzz about Blair's MLB potential, which is a good thing to hear if you are a Sooners fan.

It may be a challenge to compete in multiple sports at the top level of Division I athletics, but it isn't uncommon or impossible either. Names such as Kyler Murray and current Oklahoma student-athletes James Nesta and Taylor Tatum come to mind, who will each suit up for the baseball team after their football seasons. However, a former Sooners' star who found success in basketball and baseball was the late Ryan Minor, who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and the Baltimore Orioles in 1996. Minor more notably helped Oklahoma win the 1994 College World Series, beating a Georgia Tech team that featured many MLB All-Star players including Nomar Garciappara and Jason Varitek.

While putting Blair on the same trajectory as Minor may be unfair, it's hard to not see the talent and potential that Blair can bring to either or both programs in the near future.