One of the biggest questions going back to Oklahoma’s #ChampUBBQ event less than two months ago was how in the world were the Sooners coaches going to be able to spend enough time with the prospects to make it worth it?
It made sense. OU ended up having around 50 prospects for the 2022 and 2023 classes, with an average star rating over four stars per recruit.
Enough time has passed to determine it was a huge success for OU. Everybody knew it was going to be a big factor in the 2022 class starting to make its climb. Sure enough, it has. What maybe not everybody realized was it would be, arguably, an even bigger catalyst to 2023.
The Sooners enter this week with the No. 1-ranked class for Rivals in 2023 and mega-commitments comprising the first four members.
Add up OU’s initial quartet, and it’s average ranking of No. 34 in the country. Coincidentally, all four were in Norman for the BBQ.
Los Alamitos (Calif.) High QB Malachi Nelson
Ranking: No. 2 (no change since last update)
The story: What has been so impressive about the 2022 class is how well Lincoln Riley and staff have been able to do without a quarterback. Fast forward to 2023, though, and you’re allowed to start realistically wondering just what the ceiling for OU’s class can be with Nelson as the ringleader. Not the most vocal recruit on social media going through the process, Nelson has begun to show he accepts that responsibility and embraces the fact he has to play a huge role in helping the Sooners for 2023. It started at the BBQ, and it’s only been amplified ever since.
Bixby (Okla.) High TE Luke Hasz
Ranking: No. 39 (+3)
The story: The top-ranked in-state recruit, and absolutely no drama. That’s a refreshing change of pace for what has been some head-scratching battles in recent years where you felt like OU would have won rather easily. Hasz went everywhere, or just about, during the month of June. OU was among the final trips, but he went to Norman twice in a week and you started to get the idea the Sooners were firmly in the driver’s seat. The BBQ was one of those two visits, and though Hasz still made trips when he could, he ended the speculation with his commitment to OU last Friday.
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian RB Treyaun Webb
Ranking: No. 40 (+16)
The story: You could connect the dots with the other three in this list rather easily, but Webb appeared to be someone OU would fall just short with because of Ohio State. The trip for the BBQ was huge and getting a chance to know running backs coach DeMarco Murray. Webb accelerated his timeline for his commitment and has the honor of being the initial member of OU’s 2023 class. Ever since making that call, he has been a big-time voice on social media, either encouraging others to join or letting the world know OU isn’t even close to being done yet.
Los Alamitos (Calif.) High WR Makai Lemon
Ranking: No. 55 (-9)
The story: It had been talked about that Nelson and Lemon were going to be a package deal, but we’ve seen all too often that recruiting packages rarely actually go down. Except this one has felt different, and Lemon became the fourth Rivals 100 member to commit to OU last Saturday. One of the best athletes in the class and certainly one of the best receivers, OU fans have every right to be incredibly excited about what Nelson and Lemon are going to do on the field for Los Alamitos and what kind of impact they’re going to make together on the trail.
