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Plenty of big fish remain for Lincoln Riley and his staff in the 2021 class.
After a period of quiet on the recruiting trail, plots are slowly but surely beginning to thicken for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021. Here’s where OU stands with a number of its top remaining targets.
OL Tristian Leigh
Probably the biggest news of the week would be that of five-star OT, Tristan Leigh. Leigh was a part of LSU’s ‘Tiger Turnout’ — an event similar to the Sooner Summit. This led many recruiting analysts to pin Leigh to the Tigers, but that doesn’t seem to be the foregone conclusion. In fact, Rivals’ Mike Farrell posted his own prediction that Leigh ends up at Oklahoma .
I’ve maintained that Leigh’s recruitment seems like it’s going to be a long process, and LSU’s only way of truly knocking Oklahoma out of it is to get a spur-of-the-moment commitment on a weekend visit. To OU’s favor, that didn’t happen, and the Sooners will continue to be a strong contender for Leigh due his close relationship with OL coach Bill Bedenbaugh and five-star QB commit Caleb Williams. It’s expected that he will make a return visit to Norman (likely for another another Sooner Summit situation, as official visits are out of the picture until at least the end of the calendar year).
RB Camar Wheaton
Wheaton has been one of the more interesting storylines to follow throughout this cycle. Due to the five-star prospect’s silent nature, no one has really been able to definitively say where he’s heading. Right now, it seems the Sooners are in the best situation to land his commitment, but with how reserved Wheaton is, it’s hard to say with certainty when that announcement could come. The other contenders are Alabama and LSU, so OU can’t really sleep easy until there’s an NLI in hand.
Jahlil Farooq
The four-star WR has been trending Oklahoma’s way for some time now. Initially expected to join the Sooners’ 2021 class shortly after the Williams announcement on July 4th, Farooq postponed that decision to Sept 27th for family reasons. Despite the delay, the Sooners have remained in great shape with the talented receiver out of the DMV area and are the favorite to land his commitment.
Emeka Egbuka
The five-star WR was expected to be a highlight at the Sooner Summit but was a late cancel. Still, Oklahoma has more than a shot here, but they’ll need to find a way to get him on campus before they hope to overtake Ohio State.
Jardin Gilbert
A somewhat new name to Sooners fans, Gilbert is becoming a primary target to fill the final DB spot. He currently holds a three-star rating according the the 247Composite, but his upside certainly suggests he’s undervalued at the moment. Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame and Mississippi are among the 25 offers he’s received at some point. The Sooners have made themselves a contender, but they have plenty of work to do here with Alabama taking a real interest to Gilbert.
Bryce Foster
Foster continues to be one of OU fans’ most-wanted prospects. The four-star OG has narrowed down his list of schools, with Oklahoma and Texas A&M seemingly being the two out front. As far as the Sooners are concerned, they’re in great shape due in part to Foster’s relationship both the OU football and track staff. If I were picking today, it would be the Sooners. However, should official visits be allowed before he has to sign, Oregon would be a name to watch for.
Savion Byrd
The four-star OG was another big name that joined in LSU’s big visit weekend. It goes without saying that visiting the reigning college football champs would impress and it certainly did for Byrd but as far as impact, it’s tough to say it made much as far as Oklahoma is concerned. According to Brandon Drumm of 247Sports, Byrd made the trip to Baton Rouge without bringing along family. The one school to continue to watch out for however would be SMU.