Baylor Beats out Oklahoma State and Others to Land 4-star RB Michael Turner

On Thursday evening, 4-star Richland (TX) running back Michael Turner Jr. announced his commitment to Baylor.

Turner chose the Bears over Oklahoma State, Washington, SMU, TCU and Utah after narrowing his list to six schools earlier this month. Rated the No. 82 overall prospect and No. 5 running back in the 2025 recruiting class, according to On3, Turner also held offers from Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri and others.

Listed at 6-feet tall and 190 pounds, Turner would have been a huge addition for Mike Gundy and the Cowboys in the 2025 cycle. OSU already boasts pledges from 4-star Columbus (TX) quarterback Adam Schobel, 3-star Pflugerville Weiss (TX) running back DJ Dugar, five talented wide receivers and two 3-star tight ends in the 2025 class.

WIth one running back already on board for Kasey Dunn and company, losing out on Turner isn’t a huge setback for the Pokes, but adding one of the top running backs in the nation would have given Oklahoma State’s class another blue-chip prospect.

Currently, the Cowboys’ 2025 cycle boasts two blue-chip prospects, Schobel and 4-star Port Arthur Memorial (TX) edge rusher Michael Riles. Blue-chip prospects are high school players who are rated as 4-star and 5-star recruits.

Additionally, Turner picking a conference opponent makes the decision an even bigger loss for the Pokes, as they will now have to compete against the talented running back during his college career. As a junior, the 4-star tailback ran for 1,625 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the Royals to an undefeated regular season campaign in 2023.

Despite losing out on Turner, Oklahoma State still has 17 pledges in the 2025 recruiting class and seems to be on a good pace to round out a solid class with less than five months left until the early signing period.

Want to join the discussion? Like AllPokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.