Let's start off here with Hawkins, who is maintaining a deliberate pace and a quiet nature with regard to his recruitment. Arkansas and Texas continue to assert themselves as the main contenders to Oklahoma, but most sources have maintained that it'll be tough to pull the three-star defensive back away from the Sooners' clutches. I'm genuinely surprised it has taken this long for Hawkins to make his decision, but he's savoring the process and not rushing to follow in his brother's footsteps. Even so, I think Oklahoma secures his pledge by midsummer, and there's a chance things could move quickly once spring ball hits. The Hawkins family intends to spend a lot of time in Norman throughout spring practice as they get familiar with Michael's new digs. That ought to offer Maliek opportunity to get any remaining questions answered.
Emmett Jones hasn't pulled a Floridian at Oklahoma yet, but that could change if the Sooners can make a strong initial impression on Mills. He'll take his first visit at the spring game on Apr. 20, and when I spoke to Mills yesterday evening, one of the things he mentioned is that Oklahoma has remained in contact with him every single day. He's grateful for the consistency from Jones and the OU staff, and it's not shocking to see things ramping up with Mills as the Sooners continue to fade in Isaiah Mozee's recruitment. I'm told Mozee has no plans to visit Oklahoma in the spring as of right now, which would seem to confirm a lot of suspicions about the direction things are headed. Expect Oregon and Tennessee to be the main contenders in that race from here on out, with Mizzou and Nebraska lurking. As for Mills, he has officials set with Clemson, Florida and Miami, so the usual regional suspects will factor into the race for the Homestead (Fla.) native.
Still think Oklahoma is out in front for Briehler, but also think it's still a bit too early to fire in a FutureCast. Spoke with the three-star DL last night and he told me that Michigan has remained consistent with him throughout all the staff turnover, but that the Sooners have shown him the most love. Todd Bates visited Briehler every single week during the contact period, and Brent Venables made an appearance as well. The Oklahoma official in June is still the only one that Briehler has locked in, and the primary contenders here (besides the defending champs) are Stanford, USC and Rutgers. Expect Briehler to release a final list of 3-5 schools by the end of the spring. I like the Sooners to get his pledge, but with spots at a premium, his midsummer timetable leaves a few questions unanswered.
Still rocking with Blaylock as my pick to be the Sooners' running back take in the 2025 cycle, as Michael Turner seems to have eyes on Baylor right now. If that's surprising, it ought to be understood that Baylor running backs coach Khenon Hall is one of the most dynamic recruiters in the Mid-South region. Hall has not been dissuaded on the trail by the Bears' lack of recent success on the gridiron, and he's maintained a strong relationship with Turner throughout his recent transition from SMU to Baylor. I favor the Bears for Turner as things stand. If there's another running back that could seriously enter the picture for Oklahoma, I'd keep an eye on Girard Pringle, who has Oklahoma on his shortlist and will be in Norman this spring. But with Tiger Riden electing to commit to Texas A&M earlier this week, it strengthens my belief that the Sooners are the team to beat for Blaylock.
