Let's start here with Antoni Ogumoro. He is fresh off an official visit to Missouri, and I have plans to speak with the three-star OL tonight. In advance of his commitment tomorrow evening, what I can tell you all for the moment is that Bill Bedenbaugh is scheduled to be in Elgin today. While Ogumoro has yet to turn in his chip, Bedenbaugh's visit would provide a very opportune juncture to do so, and the full expectation among Ogumoro's peers is that he will choose Oklahoma tomorrow. Even speaking to Darius Afalava last night, he (Afalava) conceded that although he has no family in Oklahoma, Ogumoro's presence is significant to him as he parses the data in his own recruiting process. Would he say something like that if Ogumoro planned to commit anywhere else this week? Survey says no. Pending a bizarre twist (and granted, it is the one-year anniversary of the Xadavien Sims fiasco), I like Oklahoma to add Ogumoro tomorrow.
I think Mason James has taken more unofficial visits to Oklahoma this spring than any other prospect with an offer, and the Sooners remain in ideal position to land his pledge. I caught up with him in Dallas yesterday afternoon, and he informed me that he plans to camp at least once (and potentially multiple times) at Oklahoma in June. He'll also camp at Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee, but especially given the fact that Emmett Jones was the first to offer James, I find it very hard to believe the talented WR prospect makes it out of Norman. Why he has a three-star designation right now, I do not know, but I expect that to change. I absolutely love his game and think he has the potential to be a top-100 player in the nation; even though he's only a rising junior, I'm still comfortable saying James is the most talented wideout I've seen in the state of Oklahoma since Talyn Shettron. And he may end up being even better than Shettron was. He has previously stated that he would like to commit sometime during his junior year, so if the Sooners can stay the course and remain on top, this could be an enormous early addition to the 2026 haul.
Trenton Yancey is a name with which to get familiar, as the Sooner staff is very high on the 2027 Arlington Lamar wideout. He is someone for whom I have heard comparisons to Micah Hudson, who's obviously one of the more talented wideouts to emerge across the last several recruiting cycles. Yancey is an elite route runner with strong hands and awesome top-end speed, and has all the makings of a nationally elite receiver prospect. I've gotten to watch him live twice in the last three weeks, and he looks the part of a certifiable monster as a rising sophomore. He's building a strong relationship with Jones and the rest of the Oklahoma staff, and gave me some really good quotes yesterday about his bond with Oklahoma. Unfortunately, we talked outdoors in blustery conditions, so the wind washed out a lot of what Yancey had to say about OU into my recorder. I managed to pull a couple of quotes that survived the wind. I imagine we'll get another chance to catch up with him next month, as he expects to visit Norman for an elite camp.
On his plans to get up to Oklahoma: "They talked to me about getting out to a camp this summer. I'm probably going to go with Zane Rowe."
On Emmett Jones: "He's a real motivating coach. He's gonna push you."
Last thing I'll add here is that Oklahoma's signing of Ivan Carreon has helped make the Sooners a very attractive suitor to one of West Texas' top up-and-coming prospects. 2027 Odessa Permian DB Caleb Cruz visited for the spring game on April 20, at which point he told me, "The atmosphere was awesome and I really liked talking to Coach Jay Valai. He said he likes my game and is ready to see my skills in person at camp in June. I never really saw my myself at OU, but after that visit, it changed my whole perspective. Coach Chavis was really cool too, and everyone was real welcoming."
Cruz currently holds just one offer (UTEP), but has numerous Power 4 schools monitoring his progress. He started at cornerback for Permian as a freshman and recorded fourteen pass breakups. In speaking with both Cruz and his father at yesterday's camp, it sounds as if an offer from Oklahoma would make the Sooners a very tough school to turn down, even this early in the process. Now, whether he earns that offer at camp is the bigger question. His 5-foot-10 listing may be a bit generous, and we've seen Valai show a preference for taller and longer corners. But Cruz is a relentless defender and brings some really impressive skills to the table, so he'll nonetheless be one we watch carefully at camp in June.
