Sooners still have full grasp on in-state recruiting even after missing Case Alexander

Despite being an Oklahoma legacy and being from nearby Washington High School, 2027 linebacker Case Alexander will be a Penn State Nittany Lion instead of a Sooner, even after Brent Venables & Co.'s late push to make the race close.

Rivals' Hayes Fawcett reported on Sunday that Alexander committed to Penn State after the battle ultimately came down between the Nittany Lions and Sooners. He became a rare in-state miss for the Sooners once they've set their sights on local targets this cycle, but make no mistake, they still have full control of recruiting in the Sooner State right now.

Brent Venables dominating Oklahoma recruiting while assembling elite class

The fact the Sooners were even still in the race for Alexander shows the local privilege they've earned. Alexander had been predicted by multiple recruiting experts to choose Penn State since March, before official visit season even began, but still nothing was guaranteed with Oklahoma getting to make the final impression when Alexander was in Norman last weekend, a week after his trip to Penn State.

Alexander is the No. 22 linebacker in the 2027 class as a four-star recruit, per the 247Sports Composite. He's also the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of Oklahoma. His other offers included Arkansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and more.

Alexander's father, Stephen, chose to be a Sooner back in 1994 as a tight end before a 10-year NFL career. However, his oldest son, Cooper, went on to commit to Iowa State also as a tight end to ruin the family legacy. Cooper then recently transferred from Iowa State to Penn State while following head coach Matt Campbell. In the end, that was the family connection that prevailed to lure in Alexander.

With Alexander's decision, every top-20 state prospect in the 2027 class has now committed, and four chose to be a Sooner, including cornerback Gabriel Osborne Jr. (Mustang High School), interior offensive lineman Kaeden Penny (Bixby High School), offensive tackle Cooper Hackett (Fort Gibson High School) and athlete Greydon Howell (Broken Bow High School). That's more than any other program, with Bedlam rival Oklahoma State expectedly next with three, but only one in the top 10.

Read more: Oklahoma is using homegrown talent to build the best 2027 recruiting class in the country

Based on the 247Sports Composite, the Sooners landed the three best players in the state with Osborne, Penny and Hackett, respectively. All are also top-50 prospects in the country and make up three of the Sooners' top five commits in their class that ranks as the third-best in college football. They're also the only top-50 national prospects Oklahoma produced this cycle, which is still a record-breaking amount. Howell is just inside the top 10 at No. 10, meaning all of OU's in-state pledges came from the top half.

Even after a loss, the Sooners are clearly keeping the best talent the state produces inside the Sooner State.

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