While Oklahoma has been scorching hot this summer on the recruiting trail, they suffered a loss on Thursday afternoon as four-star running back Caden Durham decided to commit to LSU over the Sooners and the Texas A&M Aggies.
Oklahoma had been a staple in Durham’s recruitment for a year. The Sooners’ connections to Durham gave them a premium opportunity to land the speedster who plays his high school ball at Duncanville High School right outside Dallas, Texas.
BREAKING: Duncanville (Texas) High Top247 RB Caden Durham commits to #LSU, giving the Tigers their top target at the position. One of the fastest, most explosive players in the country at the position. Dynamic speed, physical, can catch the ball. Frank Wilson led the charge:… pic.twitter.com/eTLCoFR1my
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) August 10, 2023
Durham was raised in Oklahoma. His mother was a member of Oklahoma’s track and field team, and Durham has friendships with other 2024 Sooners targets. Oklahoma had a fair shot but a massive selling point in Durham’s recruitment was the ability to be a two-sport athlete and run track in addition to playing football. LSU has one of the nation’s best track programs.
When all was said and done, Oklahoma fought to the very last minute, even reportedly reaching out late the night before his commitment to try and swing him, ultimately to no avail.
In Durham’s commitment to LSU, the Sooners miss out on the No. 95 player in the 247Sports composite rankings and a consensus four-star player across the board.
The loss will sting, but DeMarco Murray has shown in the last few recruiting cycles that he has a good handle on recruiting running backs.
Earlier this summer, he landed the nation’s number one running back commitment when Taylor Tatum, another two-sport athlete, chose Oklahoma over the USC Trojans. Murray’s running back coup from the class of 2022 (Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk) figures to carry a significant portion of the Oklahoma rushing offense this year, so he is recruiting well and developing them into impactful players.
Considering the background, losing out on Durham should sting, but Oklahoma should and will bounce back in the long term. To round out this running back class, the Sooners will look to close on three-star athlete Andy Bass, who can play running back and line up as a slot receiver.