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— As many of you likely saw by now on Twitter, Wynnewood (Okla.) RB
Caden Knighten has booked a visit to Oklahoma after his recent decommitment from Vanderbilt. DeMarco Murray was one of the first people to reach out to him after he went public with his decision, which came in the wake of Vanderbilt parting ways with former running backs coach Jayden Everett. I spoke with Knighten yesterday and he acknowledged to me that if he picks up the offer while on his visit, it’s going to be very difficult for him not to commit to Oklahoma. As to whether that offer actually comes, I’m not sure just yet. The Sooners will have at least three running backs (
Michael Turner Jr.,
Kentrell Rinehart and
Demarius Robinson) at the Jan. 27 junior day, and the staff has prioritized blue-chip Texan backs
Tory Blaylock and
Deondrae Riden as well. OU is only recruiting for one running back spot in the 2025 class. So if they offer Knighten, they have to be prepared to let him occupy that spot… unless they were to come to an Andy Bass-esque agreement with him as an NIL-incentivized PWO. I do think Knighten will be given the opportunity to play at Oklahoma, one way or the other. But it’ll be interesting to see how Murray plays his hand here.
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— Dropped by Norman North yesterday to check in with 2026 WR
Mason James, who has a very good chance to be the state’s top player in the cycle. Back in the fall, Emmett Jones and Oklahoma gave James his first offer, which understandably meant a lot to the homegrown superstar. The offers have continued to roll in, as Oregon, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kansas State and others have all thrown a hat into the ring. James himself told me that he plans to commit before the end of the calendar year, and Switzer Center sources have said they expect the young wideout to end up a Sooner. I am of that expectation as well, hence my longstanding FutureCast to Oklahoma. He quietly took an unofficial to OU earlier this week, and has been a regular on campus ever since picking up the offer. Now, don’t be surprised if you see James make the rounds at some of the other schools that have offered; the way it was phrased to me by one source is that he wants to verify with certainty that Oklahoma is indeed home. But James understands that an early commitment, especially for a wideout, is increasingly necessary in the age of the transfer portal. If I’m picking OU’s 2026 WR class right now, I think it’s James,
Brock Boyd and
Legend Bey.
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— Another 2026 prospect with whom Oklahoma is in VERY good shape is Richardson (Texas) APB
Dameon Crowe, a diminutive yet explosive weapon who has held the offer from Oklahoma since last summer. The 5-foot-7 dynamo took multiple game-day visits to Norman this past season, and both Emmett Jones and DeMarco Murray have been heavily involved in his recruitment. The Sooners see Crowe as a player that can line up in the backfield or create mismatches as a receiver, and he’s more than capable of making plays in the return game as well. The Sooners love Crowe and Crowe loves the Sooners; OU was the only school he really wanted to talk about when I spoke with him about his recruitment yesterday. Jones and Murray have combined to stake Oklahoma to a huge lead, and I truly don’t think it’s out of the question that the Sooners have an entire 2026 skill-position group committed by year’s end (I’m looking at Crowe, James, Boyd, Bey and longtime RB pledge
Jonathan Hatton). OU boomed early in the 2025 cycle, and the same may be true for 2026.
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— Get to know a new name at linebacker in the 2025 class, as the Sooners will host fast-rising Hoschton (Ga.) enforcer
Luke Metz next weekend. It’s an interesting situation here, as Ted Roof had intended to extend Metz an offer on behalf of the Sooners just after the new year. But on the very day he intended to do so, Brent Venables informed Roof that he’d be replaced as defensive coordinator. Unlike the curious case of
Christian Thatcher, though, the Sooners’ pursuit of Metz doesn’t seem to have died off with Roof’s departure. New linebackers coach Zac Alley visited Metz at his school a few days ago, and when I spoke to Metz, he shouted out Alley completely unprompted. I’d asked the young ‘backer what he valued in the recruiting process, and he used Alley as an example of a coach who maintains a no-nonsense approach and will show you instead of telling you. And not shockingly, he made the oft-utilized Brent Venables comp.
“He came in here and really just laid down his accomplishments and his vision for Oklahoma,” Metz said of Alley. “He’s like a little Coach V. It’s insane how much he reminds me of Coach V.”
Though he’s not yet received his initial ranking, Metz now holds nearly two dozen scholarship offers, several of which are Power 5 opportunities. The Sooners have not yet offered him, but Metz expects that they will do so when he gets to campus next Saturday. Venables obviously has a strong reputation in and around the state of Georgia, but so does Alley, albeit to a lesser extent. And Metz has the utmost respect for both men. Even though he hasn’t yet received the scholarship offer, Metz is high on the board for the Sooners at linebacker. I think what happens this weekend with Christian Jones could go a long way towards dictating whether the Sooners turn up the heat on Metz, as there’s only one linebacker spot remaining in this class. But if Oklahoma does elect to pursue the Peach State standout, I believe they’ll be difficult to overcome. For those that haven’t seen it, Metz’s junior tape is worth a watch; he’s a fun football player.
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