Oklahoma has its 22nd commit of the 2025 cycle in four-star DT Floyd Boucard, as the Sooners only needed to get the elite trench warrior on campus one time in order to win the battle for his services. Despite holding offers from Georgia, Oregon, Florida State, Penn State and many other top P4 programs, Boucard picked Oklahoma from a final four that also included USC, Miami and Alabama.

It's the culmination of a nearly six-month recruiting process for the Sooners, who initially offered Boucard back in February. At the time, Syracuse and Boston College were his top two schools, and he was a modest three-star prospect according to Rivals. Since then, he's generated interest from many of the best programs in college football, and his offer sheet numbers nearly 40 schools in totality.

But Oklahoma was earlier to the table than many of their peer programs in Boucard's recruitment, and Todd Bates' outstanding work throughout the course of the process was enough to give OU the decisive advantage. Boucard joins Trent Wilson and Ka'Mori Moore in a strong class of defensive tackles for the Sooners, who continue to buttress their defensive front in preparation for SEC competition.

Here's a look back at the arc of Boucard's recruitment and how Oklahoma won out over the other contenders for the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Miami (Fla.) Central product.

“So let me tell you how it first started,” Boucard told OUInsider in an interview published on February 29. “I was at home chilling and then I just seen Oklahoma people blowing up my phone, following my Twitter. Then Coach V just called me out of nowhere. I really didn’t know nothing about it. But Oklahoma was always the school I used to look at growing up, with Ceedee Lamb and Jalen Hurts and all them big-time players. So I really enjoy Oklahoma.

“And they called me and [Todd Bates] was like, ‘When are you going to Miami?’ I was going down the same Friday. And he was like, ‘I’m finna come see you. I got some big news for you.’ I was excited, and when I got off the phone, it was just like butterflies in my stomach. Because I knew if I get an offer from Oklahoma, it might be home. So I got that call; he came to visit me, he introduced himself to my family and he paid a lot of attention and respect... I liked the vibe that he was putting out. My momma liked him. And you can never go wrong with what your momma want for you in life. So if my momma likes him, I love him even more. So I just want my dad and my mom to see what Oklahoma’s all about on the official visit. So I really hope they bring the big guns out, because there’s a lot of people that want me and I’m just trying to go wherever it’s gonna be best for me and my family.”

“Man, it’s been different since day one, even before I blew up,” Boucard said of his relationship with Bates in an interview published on April 3. “He got a special place in my heart, and me and him, our bond is unbreakable. Even if I don’t commit to his school, he’s still gonna check on me and I’m gonna check on him... I think [our bond is] one of one. I’ve got strong connections with coaches, but me and Coach Todd, our relationship is rare.”

"July 20th," Boucard told Rivals in an interview published on May 4. "It’s locked... UM, of course I'm down here now. Oklahoma, it's always been up there in my heart because of my connection with Coach Venables and Todd Bates. LSU, too. There are others really up there."

"It got that country side out of me. I had fun; I'm not gonna lie," Boucard told Rivals in an interview published on June 18. "It was great to see the people over there. It's fun to see a place you've never seen... They're not going to bother you a lot. They're like, 'If you rock with us, we rock with you.' They've been wanting my commitment for the longest. Other schools will talk bad about certain schools, try to get you to commit, but they're real humble about it. They say they want me there, but they want me to have the best career no matter where I go.

"OU is a top option. It's underrated. It's one of those places where there's not really a ton to do, so at the same time you can really focus on football. At first I thought it was straight country... but it's fun and it's diverse. They even got a lot of Jamaican food over there."

"What I like is how genuine the love is over there," Boucard told KREF in an exclusive interview Wednesday. "They're really loyal people. They're gonna take care of you. They're ready to take their shirts off their backs and give them to you. I've been talking to the whole coaching staff each and every day for the past couple months, since January, and nothing has changed. They didn't change on me. I didn't change on them. The love over there is real... Each and every single one of their players is mentored very well. They told me, even on the OV, you might think all this flashy stuff that they're showing you is really life. It's really not. Here, we're a family, and we're trying to make each other better each and every day. So, when you come down here, you just got to be better. If you're gonna be a dog, you gotta come with us. So, I really like how they be mentoring their players overall."

Though USC was the favorite to land Boucard throughout the month of June, the Trojans ultimately peaked too soon, and Oklahoma now adds Boucard to a class that's firmly planted in the national top 10. He's the Sooners' second straight commit from south Florida, as they landed four-star Homestead (Fla.) WR Cortez Mills earlier in July.

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