On Opening Day of Early Period, Sooners Sign 27
NORMAN — On the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced the signing of 27 players from OU’s 2024 recruiting class.
Recruiting websites 247Sports, ESPN, On3, and Rivals have rated 22 of the 27 signees as four- or five-star prospects, while five others have received ratings of three stars. The regular signing period is from February 7 to April 1, while the early signing period is through Friday.
As of 12:30 p.m. CT, Rivals had the Sooners’ class ranked No. 5 in the country, while On3, 247Sports, and ESPN had the class ranked No. 8 and No. 9, respectively.
Venables exclaimed, “I am really excited.” “We are a group of high school students from fourteen states as well as England; nearly half of the students are from Oklahoma and Texas. I am extremely pleased with the lines of scrimmage. After everything is said and done, we should have, give or take, sixteen offensive and defensive linemen who will fortify the trenches—where the game is won or lost—along with a few portal additions. I adore how quickly this class moves. I adore how aggressively this class plays on both sides of the ball.”
Wednesday signed 27 seniors who attend high school. Thirteen of the signees are defensive players (seven defensive backs, one linebacker, five defensive linemen/ends, and two quarterbacks), and fourteen are offensive players (two running backs, four wide receivers, one tight end, and five offensive linemen).
The Oklahoma defensive end Danny Okoye, the Kansas defensive back Michael Boganowski, and the England offensive lineman Daniel Akinkunmi are three players that the Sooners signed that are considered the best recruits in their state or nation. At least one recruiting service has ranked nine prospects among the top 10 nationally at each position, thirteen signees among the top 15 at their position, and eighteen players overall among the top 25 at their position.
With seven, Texas led the state in OU signees on Wednesday. Oklahoma followed with six, and Ohio with two. Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, and North Carolina were among the teams from which the Sooners signed a single player.
“I would like to express my gratitude to our staff for their unwavering dedication and hard work in assembling a stellar recruiting class and establishing the program with incredible individuals,” Venables stated. “It goes without saying that they have been working incredibly hard for several years; it was not just in the last month or so.
“I also want to thank each and every one of our players. If you are not a shining example of what we want in our locker room and how we do things, you will not draw the caliber of people that this class represents, both as individuals and as players. I will always think that there is a multiplier effect from the young men in our locker room.”
In the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on December 28, at 8:20 p.m. CT, the 12th-ranked Sooners will take on No. 14 Arizona. ESPN will broadcast the match.
