— Let's start with four-star DE Nigel Smith, who's been an Oklahoma lean for quite a while. After talking to sources around the recruitment as well as Smith himself, I feel even better about the security of Oklahoma's lead here than I did before. Smith told me he spent a lot of time around David Stone and Dominick McKinley, and there was definitely some conversation amongst the three as to the possibility of playing together. Brandon will be able to add more color regarding McKinley's recruitment, but one source present for the festivities told me that Oklahoma can count on Stone, Smith and Jayshawn Ross in the 2024 class. That tracks with FutureCast predictions from both me and Brandon. Should Williams Nwaneri end up at Oklahoma as well, McKinley would be gravy for that group.
— Speaking of Williams Nwaneri, it really sounds as though the Tennessee visit didn't move the needle for better or worse this weekend. I've talked to sources on the OU end, the Tennessee end and the Lee's Summit North end about the five-star defensive lineman, and I still favor Oklahoma in this race with a healthy understanding that the Oregon visit — if it happens — could shake things up in a major way. Chandavian Bradley hosted Nwaneri at Tennessee, which was admittedly a very good play on the Volunteers' part. But I still give Oklahoma the edge. I also believe it's worth mentioning that one source intoned Georgia is in a better position than most realize at the moment. I think if a decision comes before the fall, it'll be OU, but it's a lot harder to project definitively if the timeline holds and this thing drags into September or later. Any unofficial gameday visits that Nwaneri takes during the season will probably provide a barometer as to his leaning.
— Obviously, I dropped a FutureCast for Caden Durham, as it definitely appears that Oklahoma is trending nicely once again in the race for the four-star RB. The slew of concurrent predictions across multiple recruiting services paints a pretty clear picture of where things stand. USC is the new Michigan in the race for Taylor Tatum, especially now that the Wolverines have locked up a second 2024 RB in Micah Ka'apana. So it's Lincoln Riley versus his former employer for the nation's composite No. 1 back, but even if the Sooners come up empty in that race, a two-back class of Durham and Xavier Robinson should soften the blow immensely.
— I still think Nebraska is the main competition for the Sooners in the race for Kaedin Massey, but Kansas State is the quiet sleeper here as his process winds down. A decision is on tap by the end of June, and I've had regular conversations with the three-star offensive tackle throughout the month as he's navigated his slate of official visits. I most recently caught up with him mere hours ago, and basically where things stand right now is that each of the three schools has a calling card. He sees Oklahoma as the school with the most football prestige, Nebraska as the school where the relationships are the strongest, and Kansas State as the school that can offer him the best academic opportunity with his degree of choice (which is not an insignificant factor here). He's got his final OV this weekend in Manhattan, and shortly thereafter, it should become clear where Massey will play his college ball.
— In non-BBQ news, the Sooners will get one final shot at Casey Poe beginning tomorrow. I do think Oklahoma has some ground to make up, but it can be accomplished on this visit. What should be of preeminent concern is the fact that Poe's last OV will be to Alabama this coming weekend, but Clemson and Texas Tech are still in the mix here as well. It still feels like this is a race that's yet to be decided, but much as in Massey's case, the decision isn't far off one way or another.
— We're dealing with a pure binary as far as Davon Mitchell is concerned. Either he'll be a Sooner, or An Offer He Can't Refuse will come into play. A source very close to Mitchell told me the Sooners did a bang-up job on the elite tight end's visit, and added that Mitchell "got all the questions [he] needed answered." Heading into a July 8 decision, I have no tangible reason to doubt that Mitchell ends up at Oklahoma; all that gives me pause is the reality that money can always sway the recruitment of a player as highly regarded as him.
More notes to come as players arrive back home and we get the chance to speak with them. We'll also be sure to keep y'all updated on top targets that visited elsewhere this past weekend, including Grant Brix (Kansas State) and Zion Ragins (Georgia).
