Oklahoma
Sunday Offering: Oklahoma Hosts Junior Day, Extends Several Offers to Recruits
Between OU’s first junior day of the spring, several at-school and at-home visits and a handful of offers, the Sooners had a productive week on the recruiting trail.
Here is the latest on Oklahoma’s search for rising football talent:
A handful of the Sooners’ top targets went to Saturday’s junior day, the first one of the 2025 spring geared toward prospects in the Class of 2026.
Prospects that announced their intentions to attend include quarterback Jaden O’Neal, running back Kaydin Jones, edge rusher Kevin Ford Jr., wide receivers Jabari Brady and Daniel Odom and defensive lineman Valdin Sone.
O’Neal is one of three players committed to Oklahoma in the Class of 2026. He is ranked as the No. 63 prospect in the class by ESPN and is in the top 300 in all major recruiting services.
Excited to be back in 📍Norman, OK this weekend for the Jr. Day! #agtg #BoomerSooner 🤘🏽👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/0N9oZfcfSo
— Jaden O’Neal (@Jadenoneal_26) January 24, 2025
Out of Harbor City, CA, O’Neal committed to OU on June 24, 2024.
Jones — the No. 2 recruit from Oklahoma in the 2026 class, per Rivals — narrowed his list of schools down to five earlier this week, and OU was one of them. The 4-star running back out of Jenks also has Kansas, Louisville, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in his top five.
Jones also posted a photo on X alongside O’Neal and 2026 wideout target Mason James.
James, out of Norman, is a 4-star wide receiver prospect that is ranked No. 172 by 247 Sports.
Brady and Odom are both graded as 4-stars by 247 Sports. Brady is the No. 68 overall prospect in the 2026 class, while Odom is the No. 29 player from California.
Ford, also a 4-star, is the No. 11 edge rusher in the 2026 class. Sone, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound d-lineman originally from Sweden, is the No. 9 prospect from Virginia.
A handful of Oklahoma coaches visited numerous prospects at their schools or their homes this week.
More than 10 prospects posted on X/Twitter that coaches visited them.
Sone got a recruiter visit in the same week that he went to junior day, while 4-star linebacker Brayden Rouse was visited by OU coach Brent Venables and recruiting coordinator Miguel Chavis and picked up an offer from the Sooners.
Other coaches that visited recruits include offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, wide receivers coach Emmett Jones, co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates, running backs coach DeMarco Murray and defensive backs coach Jay Valai.
In addition to Rouse, the Sooners offered nine other prospects this week: quarterback Bowe Bentley, tight ends Luke Sorensen and Jeramie Cooper, wide receiver Derrick Johnson II, defensive backs Chace Calicut, Carter Stewart and Dhillon McGee, offensive lineman Canon Pickett and defensive lineman Corey Wells. All eight of them announced their offers via X/Twitter.
Cooper and Wells are part of the Class of 2027, while the other six are 2026 prospects.
Bentley, a 4-star quarterback, led Celina (Texas) to a 16-0 record and the 4A state championship in 2024.
Shortly after Calicut’s offer, he reportedly told Hayes Fawcett of On3 that the Sooners are among his top 10 schools.
NEWS: Four-Star Safety Chace Calicut is down to 10 Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 195 S from Houston, TX is ranked as the No. 1 Safety in Texas (per On3 Industry)
Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/QzjhFv6iHr pic.twitter.com/TKGgyYxdtw
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 25, 2025
On3 has Calicut ranked as the No. 1 safety from Texas in the Class of 2026. Other schools in Calicut’s top 10 include Texas, Texas A&M and Oregon.
McGee, also from Texas, is another 4-star defensive back. 247 Sports has him rated as the No. 92 player in the Class of 2026, and McGee has also collected offers from Nebraska, Ole Miss and Texas Tech.
Oklahoma
Iowa State wrestling adds Brayden Thompson from transfer portal
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
New Iowa State wrestling coach Brent Metcalf outlines vision for team
Iowa State wrestling’s first commitment of the Brent Metcalf era will be a transfer portal addition.
The Cyclones added Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson, who announced his commitment on April 18 via Instagram. Thompson is a one-time NCAA qualifier at the 2024 NCAA Championships, doing so as a true freshman. He redshirted in 2024-25, but competed in open tournaments at 184 pounds and was 9-0. He did not wrestle a match in 2025-26 and will have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
Out of high school, Thompson was ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound wrestler and No. 1 at 182 pounds in the 2023 recruiting class by Flowrestling. He also won Powerade and Ironman titles, two of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation. Assuming Thompson returns to 184 pounds where he last wrestled, he should fill in nicely as a potential replacement for Isaac Dean after his graduation.
Thompson is Iowa State’s first transfer portal addition after several departures, including Anthony Echemendia and Christian Castillo, who also entered the portal.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s Jahsiear Rogers ‘Knew It Was Time to Showcase’ His Talents In Spring Game
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
Follow
Oklahoma
Oklahoma knocks off Missouri in series opener
The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
-
Fitness2 minutes agoHow the 3-3-3 Rule Helped Me Stick to an Exercise Routine
-
Movie Reviews14 minutes agoFILM REVIEW: ROSE OF NEVADA – Joyzine
-
World26 minutes ago
Oil prices rise anew after a US-Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz strands tankers
-
News32 minutes agoVideo: 8 Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting, Police Say
-
Culture1 hour agoPoetry Challenge: Memorize “The More Loving One” by W.H. Auden
-
Lifestyle1 hour agoPhotos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis
-
Technology1 hour agoBlue Origin successfully reused its New Glenn rocket
-
World2 hours agoDistress call captures tanker under fire, Iran shuts Hormuz trapping thousands of sailors