The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to follow up a pair of top-10 recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023 with another in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Sooners 6-7 season didn’t impact the finish to the 2023 recruiting class, which finished No. 4 in the nation according to 247Sports.
Brent Venables and his staff are hoping to have a repeat of that success or better and have themselves well-positioned to be near the top of the rankings when it’s all said and done in 2024.
Much of the success of this class will be determined by how well the Oklahoma Sooners recruit the defensive line ahead of their move to the SEC in 2024. In a strong defensive line class, the Sooners are in a good spot with highly-coveted prospects David Stone, Williams Nwaneri, Dominick McKinley, Jayden Jackson, Nigel Smith, Danny Okoye, Jayshawn Ross, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Zina Umeozulu, and Wyatt Gilmore.
They won’t land all of their targets, but Venables, Ted Roof, Todd Bates, and Miguel Chavis have made a strong impression on an impressive group of defensive line prospects.
Still just over five months out from the early signing period, here’s a look at who is committed to the Oklahoma Sooners as of June 24, 2023.
Jeremiah Newcombe – 4-Star CB – Casteel, Ari.
Wow!! Words can’t describe how excited and blessed I am!!♥️🤍 @OU_Football @JayValai @CoachVenables @CoachNewcombe @IsaiahNewcombe @CasteelFootball @MsRachelN ⭕️U pic.twitter.com/i3wd3QAFrz
— Jeremiah Newcombe (@newcombe_jj) March 26, 2023
Jeremiah Newcombe was the first player to commit to the Oklahoma Sooners back on March 25. A four-star prospect that’s one of the top 25 players at the position in the cycle, Newcombe brings size and athleticism to the position.
Newcombe is a fantastic athlete, playing both on offense and defense for Casteel. At cornerback, he displays fantastic play recognition and comes downhill in a hurry on wide receiver screens and in run support. Playing a lot of off-corner, he showed fantastic discipline and awareness in zone coverage. He plays like the fastest player on the field. – John Williams, Sooners Wire
Michael Hawkins – 4-Star QB – Frisco, Texas
Allen strikes first on a Michael Hawkins (@mikehawkinsj) touchdown throw to #Colorado commit Jordyn Tyson (@tyson_jordyn). #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/pOk6QQ5siE
— Cole Patterson (@RivalsCole) November 27, 2021
After flirtations with Arkansas and then TCU, Michael Hawkins commited to the Oklahoma Sooners on April 8. A four-star prospect out of Frisco Emerson High School, Hawkins is another incredible athlete that’s able to make big plays as both a passer and a runner.
In landing Hawkins, the Sooners get a dual-threat QB with remarkable accuracy. He put that accuracy on display at the UA Next showcase earlier this year, when he took home the accuracy award. – Bryant Crews, Sooners Wire
K.J. Daniels – 3-Star WR – Franklinton, La.
HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE 🏠 THIS WEEKEND❤️⭕️ OU fans show me some love on https://t.co/58WxoD4trb #BOOMER❤️⭕️💥 pic.twitter.com/iRj9SYDnAe
— KJ Daniels (@KJDaniels10) June 18, 2023
The Oklahoma Sooners added a legit deep threat when the earned the commitment of wide receiver K.J. Daniels. He’s the biggest wide receiver in the class, but Daniels can flat-out run. He’s part of the speed movement Jeff Lebby and Emmett Jones are pushing at Oklahoma. Daniels committed to the Sooners back on April 17.
If there’s one trait that best describes the latest Oklahoma Sooners’ commitment, it’s speed. He has it for days. Regularly, he runs away from players, even running by players that appear to have a good angle on him. Even when his break isn’t clean, he has the speed to recover and blow by the defender. – Williams, Sooners Wire
Jaydan Hardy – 4-Star Safety – Lewisville, Texas
#24k https://t.co/3SzvfN2mai
— Jaydan Hardy (UNO) (@jaydan_hardy) June 19, 2023
Oklahoma’s defensive backs coach continued their blue-chip recruiting with the addition of Jaydan Hardy, one the best players in the state of Texas and top 200 player in the nation. He committed to Oklahoma back on April 22.
Hardy is a 6-foot, 170-pound safety that showed the versatility to line up in the nickel and the box as a run defender and showcased the range to play deep for his high school team. He also played corner and doubled as a two-way player that made plays at wide receiver and lined up as quarterback. In short, Hardy is a multi-faceted athlete. For the 2022 season, he was the Texas District 6-6A Co-MVP as a junior. – Crews, Sooners Wire
Zion Kearney – 4-Star WR – Missouri City, Texas
Ready to cash in! 🏠 🎥 @BallerTribe pic.twitter.com/IEf4jcWNvz
— Zion Kearney (@ZionKearney2024) April 27, 2023
A top-100 player in the country, Zion Kearney was a tremendous addition for the Oklahoma Sooners. He’s the No. 15 player at the position and is a wide receiver that can win in a lot of ways. He’s got size, speed, quickness, and agility.
Kearney also runs track, and his ability to get up to top speed in the open field is very evident on tape. During his junior season, he posted 100-meter times of 10.89 and 10.98 in February. In the fall, he was a unanimous selection to Texas District 20-6A first-team after tallying 39 catches for 765 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. Kearney also displays an ability to operate as a big slot or out wide. From the slot, he caught bubble screens or ran drags that allowed him to utilize his speed and frame to be a huge target for his quarterback while on the move. – Crews, Sooners Wire
James Nesta – 4-Star LB – Cornelius, N.C.
COMMITTED ⭕️‼️ #Sooners @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/j8bnzQMT10
— James Nesta (@James_nesta3) June 20, 2023
Oklahoma’s football and baseball programs got a two-for-one package with the commitment of star linebacker and pitching prospect James Nesta. Nesta committed to Oklahoma on June 20 and broke a nearly two-month freeze on commitments. He was the first player out of the ChampU BBQ to pledge to the Sooners.
Nesta hails from North Carolina, where he plays at Hough High School just outside Charlotte. Nesta is a talented linebacker/edge who could play in the box and provide run support while rushing off the edge in clear pass-rushing situations. His athleticism and ability to play in space make him a possible cheetah candidate in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense. – Crews, Sooners Wire
Dozie Ezukanma, 3-Star WR – Fort Worth, Texas
Sooner Nation.. I’m H⭕️ME!!! #OUDNA #BOOMERSOONER pic.twitter.com/IJi9K4LYnf
— Dozie Ezukanma (@DozieEzukanma) June 20, 2023
The Oklahoma Sooners’ third wide receiver of the class, Dozie Ezukanma committed within minutes of James Nesta on June 20. He’s an Emmett Jones guy, someone the Sooners new wide receiver coach was pursuing while still at Texas Tech.
Like his older brother, Dozie has the size and athleticism to be a dynamic playmaker at the collegiate level. He’s a three-star prospect with On3 and 247Sports and has notable offers from Arkansas, Miami, Oregon, Oklahoma, Missouri, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Wisconsin. – Williams, Sooners Wire
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