— I was out at Lee’s Summit North yesterday to check in with head coach Jamar Mozee and his loaded Bronco squad, which is aiming to lock down a first-round bye in the Missouri state playoffs tomorrow. LSN is 7-0 on the year behind a dominant defense that’s anchored by Oklahoma commit Ka’Mori Moore and a fellow named Williams Nwaneri. Regarding the five-star DE and Missouri commit, I can tell you all that the Sooner staff has not backed off an inch since Nwaneri’s August pledge to the Tigers. They’re in contact with him quite often, and when I spoke to Nwaneri after Thursday’s practice, he said that he had talked to Todd Bates as recently as Wednesday. He further acknowledged that he’d like to take a visit to Oklahoma at some point during the season, but that he also understands the firestorm such a visit would create in the public eye. So stay tuned for further updates there. Sources in and around the Switzer Center aren’t budging in their belief that the Sooners can turn the tide with the nation’s No. 3 overall player, and I’m not either. OU is staying the course from a relational perspective, and they’re also putting out a defensive product on the football field that can — and does — provide significant appeal in the eyes of an elite prospect like Nwaneri. Whatever happens isn’t going to happen quickly, but the Sooners have done a masterful job on multiple fronts to position themselves as ideally as possible for a potential flip. Only time will tell whether the flip actually comes to fruition.
— As it concerns four-star 2025 WR Isaiah Mozee, I remain confident in my midsummer assertion that the race is down to Oklahoma and Oregon. Tennessee is still pushing, as are Georgia and Missouri, but the Sooners and Ducks have a significant leg up on the field and Mozee isn’t going to hold out on a decision much longer. Dan Lanning is a through-and-through KC guy, and his longstanding relationship with Mozee is the primary reason that Oregon has been able to stay abreast of Oklahoma. But make no mistake: Mozee and his family have taken note of the way Emmett Jones has transformed the Oklahoma receiver room, and that has kept the Sooners in the pole position. As of now, I have no reservations about my FutureCast for the Sooners, and Mozee is scheduled to be back in town for Oklahoma’s Oct. 21 tilt with UCF.
— Understandably, the focus is on Nate Roberts and Dasaahn Brame right now, but another 2025 TE that shouldn’t be forgotten is three-star prospect Chase Loftin of Elkhorn (Neb.) North High. Joe Jon Finley has leveraged his connections in the Cornhusker State to build a mini-pipeline down to Norman, as he’s landed Kaden Helms and Kade McIntyre in the last two cycles (and obviously could have had Malachi Coleman). Loftin is quickly emerging as one of the top players in the entire Midwest, and that’s been validated with a recent surge of Power 5 offers. One source whom I respect a great deal told me, “He’s the best prospect in Nebraska; no comparison. Body control, speed, hands like glue.” Many will recall that Loftin’s very first scholarship offer was a June camp offer from Oklahoma, which will at minimum keep the Sooners in the thick of this race until the end. He’ll be back in Norman for the UCF game on Oct. 21.
— Really, really like where Oklahoma stands right now in the recruitment of blue-chip 2025 cornerback Cobey Sellers. Oklahoma and Texas are the two schools that have emerged early in the process as top contenders, and Sellers attended the Red River Shootout last week as a guest of the Longhorns. Of his experience at the game, he told me, “Man, I was there with Texas, but I’m not gonna lie: I was rooting for OU.” We’re a long way from the finish line here, and two other schools I’m eyeing in his process are LSU (he’ll visit later this fall) and Washington (he’s got lots of family ties to the Seattle area). But I’m more than comfortable asserting that Oklahoma has taken the early lead, and Sellers told me that he and Jay Valai are in contact on a near-daily basis. The Houston-area corner has already been up to Norman for a game day this season, and he plans to make another stop at OU before the year ends. He cited Valai as the coach that he’s clicked with the most.
