With Stone on board, Oklahoma's 2024 class is almost completely rounded out. The Sooners have no more than 12 targets left on the board as things stand, but this piece focuses on ten, as I expect Brayden Platt to commit to Oregon next week. In reflection of that belief (which has taken root across the industry since my July 14 prediction), I've removed Platt from the list. Nigel Smith is also omitted, as there is no tangible reason to believe Oklahoma won’t be the choice when he commits on September 8. Let's take a quick look at the recruitments of each of the remaining uncommitted targets.
I'd mentioned that it was a strong possibility, but we're officially back in a holding pattern here. Brix is down to Oklahoma and Nebraska, but the timeline is once again unclear after Brix didn't feel confident enough to make a decision prior to his Aug. 25 season opener. I'll be candid: the longer this drags out, the better things look for Nebraska given their advantage in proximity. Brix only has to drive an hour to Lincoln to attend a Huskers game, so if this drags into September, expect the Nebraska staff and commits to coax him down for a closer look at Matt Rhule's refurbished program. There is still a good degree of confidence from the Oklahoma side, but I think there's a window to close this one out, and that window's going to start sliding shut at a certain point. In my conversations with Brix and sources close to him, I get the sense that it's a matter of the head versus the heart. Brix has acknowledged Oklahoma offers the best fit for him from a developmental standpoint, but his heart just isn't 100 percent crimson... at least not yet. If Oklahoma could get Brix back to campus at some point, that could go a long way towards closing it out, but that trip is much easier said than done for a kid who's seven hours away in western Iowa.
Seaton is slated to take an official visit with the Sooners at the end of September, but it's still a long shot here. Bill Bedenbaugh and Oklahoma will have to hit a second-deck home run if they want to end up a final contender for his pledge, although it does help that two of his IMG teammates are now committed to the Sooners (David Stone and Jayden Jackson).
Pierre-Louis has shown plenty of love to Oklahoma on social media and has made comments to his peers that suggest an Oklahoma lean, but there's not a ton of empirical evidence elsewhere to back up the notion that the Sooners have the leg up. UCF is heavily involved, as is Oregon. Moreover, Pierre-Louis still has in-season visits on tap before his decision. The Sooners will have to play the long game with Pierre-Louis if they want to add the four-star lineman from Florida to their class, but they're indisputably in the thick of it.
Akinkunmi has his Oklahoma official visit scheduled for September 1-3, but the Sooners face some stiff competition from a couple of new contenders in the race. Miami and Clemson will have a say in the race for the high three-star offensive lineman from Great Britain, especially because of those schools' proximity to the East Coast. It'll be tough to truly gauge Oklahoma's odds with Akinkunmi until he makes his first-ever campus trip, so consider the jury still out on this one.
The current intel favors the Sooners slightly for Okoye, the four-star defensive end from Tulsa who's emerged as the state of Oklahoma's top 2024 prospect. Tennessee and Texas are also involved. As our Brandon Drumm had previously reported, Okoye's got his Oklahoma official set for this coming weekend. The Sooners will thus get their chance to make a decisive impression on the in-state phenom. There's still a lot to be decided here, but OU has positioned itself well in this race over the last few months.
There was a time, even recently, where the Sooners might have been considered the leader for Umeozulu. But he didn't show up to the Party at the Palace in late July, opting to visit Texas A&M instead. This three-horse race between Oklahoma, Texas and A&M has been highly fluid throughout the summer, but the Sooners have a bit of work to do if they're to outpace the Longhorns and Aggies for Umeozulu. Especially given that his older brother Neto plays at Texas, the safe money says that Zina ends up in Austin.
It's OU and Texas pacing the field for the four-star defensive tackle from Louisiana, with LSU doing all it can to make up ground. A wave of recent predictions across the industry favors UT, but there's definitely some conflicting intel depending on the sources I've spoken with. I wouldn't call Oklahoma the leader at this juncture based on the sum of said intel. However, it still feels like McKinley's destination is up in the air, and as with a few other recruitments over the last couple of cycles, Mom's opinion may end up carrying a lot of weight. In such a situation, it can be tough to sift through the detritus and peg a clear favorite.
He's committed to Missouri, but Oklahoma doesn't intend to give up in their pursuit of Nwaneri, who is the nation's No. 1 defensive player. Here's the latest on the Sooners' continued push for the five-star DE.
With Jeremiah Newcombe and Eli Bowen in the fold for Oklahoma, Jordan is the lone remaining target at cornerback as Jay Valai looks to put the finishing touches on another strong class. Jordan recently narrowed the field to five final contenders, with Oklahoma joined on the shortlist by Alabama, TCU, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are fighting an uphill battle, but all four other programs have a legitimate chance with Jordan, who's grown increasingly quiet as his recruitment has gotten deeper. There's no set timeline here, so we'll have more on Jordan in the days ahead as we continue to track the arc of this recruitment. On paper, OU, TCU and Alabama look like the programs best positioned for his pledge at this time.
As I've said before, this recruitment is similar to that of Grant Brix in that the longer the recruitment lasts, the better things look for the program that's geographically closest to home. In Boganowski's case, that would be Kansas State. It's the Sooners and Wildcats battling down the stretch for the four-star Junction City (Kan.) ATH, who would be a safety in Oklahoma's defensive scheme. Kansas State was the first offer for Boganowski and they do have some unique relational advantages with the family, but Oklahoma has the edge in prestige and can offer the opportunity to play in the SEC. Boganowski will be back in Norman this weekend for the Sooners' opener against Arkansas State, his first-ever trip to OU for a game day. This represents a critical landmark in the process, and what happens over the weekend could determine whether Boganowski stays home with the Wildcats or ends up at Oklahoma.
I'd mentioned that it was a strong possibility, but we're officially back in a holding pattern here. Brix is down to Oklahoma and Nebraska, but the timeline is once again unclear after Brix didn't feel confident enough to make a decision prior to his Aug. 25 season opener. I'll be candid: the longer this drags out, the better things look for Nebraska given their advantage in proximity. Brix only has to drive an hour to Lincoln to attend a Huskers game, so if this drags into September, expect the Nebraska staff and commits to coax him down for a closer look at Matt Rhule's refurbished program. There is still a good degree of confidence from the Oklahoma side, but I think there's a window to close this one out, and that window's going to start sliding shut at a certain point. In my conversations with Brix and sources close to him, I get the sense that it's a matter of the head versus the heart. Brix has acknowledged Oklahoma offers the best fit for him from a developmental standpoint, but his heart just isn't 100 percent crimson... at least not yet. If Oklahoma could get Brix back to campus at some point, that could go a long way towards closing it out, but that trip is much easier said than done for a kid who's seven hours away in western Iowa.
Seaton is slated to take an official visit with the Sooners at the end of September, but it's still a long shot here. Bill Bedenbaugh and Oklahoma will have to hit a second-deck home run if they want to end up a final contender for his pledge, although it does help that two of his IMG teammates are now committed to the Sooners (David Stone and Jayden Jackson).
Pierre-Louis has shown plenty of love to Oklahoma on social media and has made comments to his peers that suggest an Oklahoma lean, but there's not a ton of empirical evidence elsewhere to back up the notion that the Sooners have the leg up. UCF is heavily involved, as is Oregon. Moreover, Pierre-Louis still has in-season visits on tap before his decision. The Sooners will have to play the long game with Pierre-Louis if they want to add the four-star lineman from Florida to their class, but they're indisputably in the thick of it.
Akinkunmi has his Oklahoma official visit scheduled for September 1-3, but the Sooners face some stiff competition from a couple of new contenders in the race. Miami and Clemson will have a say in the race for the high three-star offensive lineman from Great Britain, especially because of those schools' proximity to the East Coast. It'll be tough to truly gauge Oklahoma's odds with Akinkunmi until he makes his first-ever campus trip, so consider the jury still out on this one.
The current intel favors the Sooners slightly for Okoye, the four-star defensive end from Tulsa who's emerged as the state of Oklahoma's top 2024 prospect. Tennessee and Texas are also involved. As our Brandon Drumm had previously reported, Okoye's got his Oklahoma official set for this coming weekend. The Sooners will thus get their chance to make a decisive impression on the in-state phenom. There's still a lot to be decided here, but OU has positioned itself well in this race over the last few months.
There was a time, even recently, where the Sooners might have been considered the leader for Umeozulu. But he didn't show up to the Party at the Palace in late July, opting to visit Texas A&M instead. This three-horse race between Oklahoma, Texas and A&M has been highly fluid throughout the summer, but the Sooners have a bit of work to do if they're to outpace the Longhorns and Aggies for Umeozulu. Especially given that his older brother Neto plays at Texas, the safe money says that Zina ends up in Austin.
It's OU and Texas pacing the field for the four-star defensive tackle from Louisiana, with LSU doing all it can to make up ground. A wave of recent predictions across the industry favors UT, but there's definitely some conflicting intel depending on the sources I've spoken with. I wouldn't call Oklahoma the leader at this juncture based on the sum of said intel. However, it still feels like McKinley's destination is up in the air, and as with a few other recruitments over the last couple of cycles, Mom's opinion may end up carrying a lot of weight. In such a situation, it can be tough to sift through the detritus and peg a clear favorite.
He's committed to Missouri, but Oklahoma doesn't intend to give up in their pursuit of Nwaneri, who is the nation's No. 1 defensive player. Here's the latest on the Sooners' continued push for the five-star DE.
With Jeremiah Newcombe and Eli Bowen in the fold for Oklahoma, Jordan is the lone remaining target at cornerback as Jay Valai looks to put the finishing touches on another strong class. Jordan recently narrowed the field to five final contenders, with Oklahoma joined on the shortlist by Alabama, TCU, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are fighting an uphill battle, but all four other programs have a legitimate chance with Jordan, who's grown increasingly quiet as his recruitment has gotten deeper. There's no set timeline here, so we'll have more on Jordan in the days ahead as we continue to track the arc of this recruitment. On paper, OU, TCU and Alabama look like the programs best positioned for his pledge at this time.
As I've said before, this recruitment is similar to that of Grant Brix in that the longer the recruitment lasts, the better things look for the program that's geographically closest to home. In Boganowski's case, that would be Kansas State. It's the Sooners and Wildcats battling down the stretch for the four-star Junction City (Kan.) ATH, who would be a safety in Oklahoma's defensive scheme. Kansas State was the first offer for Boganowski and they do have some unique relational advantages with the family, but Oklahoma has the edge in prestige and can offer the opportunity to play in the SEC. Boganowski will be back in Norman this weekend for the Sooners' opener against Arkansas State, his first-ever trip to OU for a game day. This represents a critical landmark in the process, and what happens over the weekend could determine whether Boganowski stays home with the Wildcats or ends up at Oklahoma.
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