Class Introductions: Meet the Sooners' full group of expected signees

It's December 20, and the early signing period has officially arrived for Class of 2024 football recruits across the country. Provided no unforeseen hiccups occur throughout the day, Brent Venables and the Oklahoma staff are set to ink 27 scholarship players, plus four scholarship-caliber walk-ons. The class currently ranks No. 6 in the nation, per the Rivals team rankings for the class of 2024.

For those who don't pay attention to recruiting until signing day, as well as those who simply want a concise breakdown of the class at a glance, here's a look at the background and accolades for each of the Sooners' 31 notable signees-to-be.

Recruitment Summary: Hawkins, a legacy recruit whose father played cornerback for the Sooners in 2002, was one of the earliest commits of the cycle for the Sooners. He pledged in April after Oklahoma won a drawn-out battle with TCU for his services. He's maintained blue-chip status for close to two years, and was a three-year starter at the 6A and 5A level in the state of Texas. He's visited Norman well over a dozen times throughout his recruitment, and has been instrumental in helping recruit his peers to Oklahoma.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior, Hawkins accounted for 55 total touchdowns and just four turnovers in leading Frisco Emerson to the 5A-II state semifinals. That came on the heels of a two-year stint as the starter at Allen High School, in which he was named District 5-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore and a district first-team selection as a junior.

Fun Fact: Hawkins' younger brother, Maliek, is a three-star cornerback prospect in the class of 2025 who holds offers from Oklahoma, Texas, Houston, Indiana and several other Power 5 programs.

Recruitment Summary: Zurbrugg was originally committed to Syracuse before flipping to Northwestern in June, but Pat Fitzgerald's firing led him to quietly reopen his recruitment in late July. In search of a second quarterback, Oklahoma sprung, and Zurbrugg publicly committed to the Sooners some two weeks after receiving the offer.

Stats/Accolades: Zurbrugg will graduate from Alliance High School as the program's all-time leader in passing yards, completions, completion percentage and passing touchdowns. As a senior in 2023, he was an all-state first-teamer and the district's Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He's also a state champion hurdler.

Fun Fact: He's the son of former Michigan quarterback Chris Zurbrugg, who is best known for serving as the backup to a fellow named Jim Harbaugh in the mid-1980's.

Recruitment Summary: Things didn't get hot and heavy between Tatum and the Sooners until the late spring, at which point Michigan and USC were considered the favorites for his pledge. But the Sooners were able to sell Tatum with a dynamic two-sport presentation on his official visit, and officially picked up his commitment in mid-July. The nation's No. 1 running back is also a fantastic baseball player who will suit up on the diamond for the Sooners, and Oklahoma head baseball coach Skip Johnson had a very significant role in closing on Tatum's pledge.

Stats/Accolades: Tatum earned district MVP honors as a junior in 2022, with over 2,000 total scrimmage yards and 36 offensive touchdowns to his credit. In 2023, as a senior, he rushed for 1,463 yards and 20 touchdowns. He's also a decorated sprinter, and would likely have been an MLB draft pick next summer had he chosen to exclusively pursue a career in baseball. He's an All-American Bowl selection and will compete in the game next month.

Fun Fact: Tatum comes from the same high school program that previously produced a pair of Oklahoma legends: Malcolm Kelly, a productive wideout immortalized for his freestyle rap after the 2006 Big 12 Championship, and Trent Williams, a former All-American offensive tackle who's now 14 seasons into what is likely a first-ballot Hall of Fame career in the NFL.

Recruitment Summary: Oklahoma emerged victorious in a back-and-forth battle with Iowa State for Robinson, who'd received his first offer from the Cyclones months before the Sooners threw their hat in the ring. Notre Dame briefly made a run at Robinson, but dropped out of the race in early June, and the Sooners outlasted ISU for one of the most productive high school players in the nation. A unique athletic specimen, Robinson is built like an old-school fullback, but has the explosiveness and agility of a true running back, and his unique skill set ought to be a welcome addition to the Oklahoma backfield.

Stats/Accolades: Robinson ran for an astonishing 2,594 yards and 39 touchdowns as a junior, which thrust him squarely onto the radar for Oklahoma and numerous other Power 5 suitors. He comfortably led the state in rushing, and ranked in the top 40 nationally for rushing yards across all 11-man classifications.

Fun Fact: Robinson is the first Carl Albert Titan to sign on scholarship with Oklahoma in over a decade, but the cavalry's coming behind him. The Sooners already have three 2025 commits from the school in Kevin Sperry, Marcus James and Trynae Washington.

Recruitment Summary: Though a move halfway across the country bisected his recruitment process, Oklahoma remained a constant contender for Mitchell from the jump. He was raised in Alabama, which gave the Crimson Tide a strong case, and Miami made a late surge. But in the end, his relationships with Joe Jon Finley and Michael Hawkins helped the Sooners stave off the Hurricanes on Mitchell's commitment day. The elite pass-catching prospect spent the first two years of his high school career at Allen High in north Texas, then transferred to Los Alamitos (Calif.) High for his junior season. Remarkably, he's set to graduate high school in just two and a half years, as he'll enroll at Oklahoma in January after reclassifying from the 2025 class into the 2024 class.

Stats/Accolades: Mitchell caught 33 passes for 731 yards and nine TD's in 2022, earning all-district first team honors as a sophomore. Over the course of his 2023 season at Los Alamitos, Mitchell snagged 43 passes for 749 yards and seven scores.

Fun Fact: Mitchell's father, Marko, was a seventh-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 2009 as a wide receiver.

Recruitment Summary: All Oklahoma had to do was fend off Texas A&M for Kearney's commitment, and they did so with relative ease. Emmett Jones made Kearney an early focus of his recruiting efforts after joining the OU staff in January, and by late April, Kearney was cashing in his "ALL IN" poker chip at the Sooners' spring game. He's stayed solid with the Sooners ever since, and was unambiguous in reaffirming his pledge after Oklahoma lost former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to Mississippi State.

Stats/Accolades: As a junior in 2022, the athletic Houston-area receiver earned district first-team honors after logging 39 catches for 765 yards and eight touchdowns. He continued that strong production as a senior while also flashing exciting potential as a kick returner.

Fun Fact: Kearney is set to become the highest-ranked signee of Emmett Jones' career as a position coach.

Recruitment Summary: Emmett Jones made quite an unexpected splash in coaxing Ragins out of SEC country, as the Peach State product was high on Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee before OU came along and overturned the apple cart. Many expected that Ragins would stay local, and he himself admitted that distance was the main inhibitor with the Sooners. But a June official visit left Ragins all but sold on Oklahoma, and though he took subsequent trips to Athens and to Tallahassee, he pledged to Jones and OU a month later.

Stats/Accolades: Ragins is one of the fastest prospects in the nation, as he owns a personal best of 10.37 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He won Georgia's 5A state title in the 100 meters as a freshman, then defended the title as a sophomore. He's contributed as both a running back and wide receiver for Jones County High, eclipsing 1,000 yards as a receiver during his sophomore year and logging over 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of his four high school seasons. He'll take part in the All-American Bowl in January.

Fun Fact: Ragins is the only offensive commit whose recruitment to Oklahoma predates the arrival of the current staff. He originally picked up the offer from the Sooners in 2021, when Lincoln Riley was still the head coach at OU.

Recruitment Summary: While still at Texas Tech, Emmett Jones was the first coach to offer Daniels an FBS scholarship. And when Jones joined the staff at Oklahoma, it wasn't long before he reached back out to Daniels and offered him the opportunity to be a Sooner. It didn't take long for the Louisiana native to jump on board with OU, as his recruitment was a pretty open-and-shut case after LSU kicked the tires but never offered. The Tigers came back around later in the cycle and expressed interest in Daniels, but he was all-in with the Sooners by that point.

Stats/Accolades: Accurately kept season stats aren't easy to come by in small-town Louisiana, but Daniels is a three-time all-district selection and went out with a bang in the final game of his high school career. Despite a loss in the state playoffs, he accounted for 265 total yards and three touchdowns.

Fun Fact: Back in March, at the regional Under Armour Next camp in Dallas, Daniels logged the fastest 10-yard split among hundreds of prospects from across the Mid-South region.

Recruitment Summary: This one was all Emmett Jones. Noticing a trend? Carreon initially committed to Texas Tech in November 2022, when Jones was on staff with the Red Raiders as their receivers coach. He stayed locked in with Tech until June, when he showed up in Norman for a team camp and earned an offer from the OU staff after a strong performance. Four weeks later, after a trio of official visits to Tech, Oklahoma and Purdue, Carreon made the decision to reunite with Jones and flip to the Sooners.

Stats/Accolades: Carreon crossed the 1,000-yard threshold in three consecutive seasons from 2021-23, and in his spare time, he also earned a reputation as one of the state's finest punters. As a senior, he earned first-team all-district honors at both wide receiver and punter, averaging 46.6 yards per boot.

Fun Fact: At 6-foot-6, Carreon is the tallest blue-chip wide receiver prospect in the nation.

Recruitment Summary: Pierre-Louis was the cherry on top of Oklahoma's 2024 recruiting haul, as he didn't commit to the Sooners until some five days ago on Dec. 15. The nation's No. 1 offensive guard only visited Norman once over the course of his recruitment, taking an official visit with OU back in June. However, that one visit — and his immense respect for Bill Bedenbaugh — gave Pierre-Louis enough confidence to eventually rebuff UCF and pull the trigger on Oklahoma.

Stats/Accolades: Obviously, stats are far less plentiful (and far less relevant) for offensive linemen, but how's this for freaky? Not only does Pierre-Louis run a 12.97 in the 100-meter dash, but he bench pressed 225 pounds twenty-five times this past summer. For context, former Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison was a first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars back in April... and he only managed 24 reps of 225 pounds at his pro day.

Fun Fact: Pierre-Louis actually grew up an Oklahoma fan, essentially "bandwagoning" the team after he watched the Sooners' 55-0 rout of Kansas State in 2015.

Recruitment Summary: Though he held Power 5 offers from the likes of LSU, Oregon, Alabama, Ole Miss and others, Autry closed the book on his recruitment remarkably quickly once Oklahoma got involved. He announced his commitment while on an unofficial visit in mid-April, and despite an early November visit to Ole Miss with some high school teammates, he never wavered in his verbal pledge to the Sooners.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior, Autry was selected for the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game and the 2023 U.S. Army Bowl.

Fun Fact: Autry is a second cousin of former Oklahoma running back Marcus Dupree, the subject of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "The Best that Never Was."

Recruitment Summary: It's not often that Oklahoma and Texas end up waging a good old-fashioned Red River recruiting battle over a native Californian, but that's what happened with Brooks. His only two official visits were to Norman and to Austin, and after mulling over his decision for several weeks, the blue-chip guard decided to eschew the Longhorns and become a Sooner. When he pledged on July 25, he ended a three-month drought for Bedenbaugh on the recruiting trail, as the Sooners hadn't added an offensive line prospect since Autry's commitment in April.

Stats/Accolades: Back in August, Brooks earned the nod as an Under Armour All-American, and will compete in Orlando at the All-American Game next month.

Fun Fact: Brooks' given name may be Eugene, but he's more commonly referred to as "BJ."

Recruitment Summary: Akinkunmi, a Londoner who had to travel thousands of miles every time he wanted to take a college visit, had five OV's in the works for the month of September. In successive weekends, he'd planned to visit Oklahoma, Clemson, Miami, Michigan and Ole Miss. But the Sooners got the first visit, and they sure made it count. After Akinkunmi spent the weekend in Norman, he boarded the plane back to London as an Oklahoma commit and cancelled all his remaining officials.

Stats/Accolades: Come January, Akinkunmi will compete in the All-American Game as the event's lone international representative.

Fun Fact: Because the schooling system is a bit different across the pond, Akinkunmi has actually been done with his high school coursework for over a year, and plans to enroll at Oklahoma in January for the spring semester.

Recruitment Summary: Aisosa was weighing several Group of 5 and low-end Power 5 offers when Oklahoma came calling, and when Bill Bedenbaugh extended the offer on the Sooners' behalf, it only took five days for Aisosa to inform the Sooner staff that he wanted to commit. Oklahoma was the only official visit destination for Aisosa.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior in 2023, Aisosa was named both the conference and district Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Fun Fact: Aisosa grew up with dreams of being a star on the basketball court, and didn't begin playing football until his sophomore year of high school.

Recruitment Summary: OU offered Stone, a native of nearby Del City, after his freshman year of high school. And though a seemingly interminable flirtation with Michigan State — and a late surge from Miami — gave the Sooners reason to sweat, the road ultimately led back to Oklahoma for Stone. The five-star defensive lineman acknowledged that Miami made it a very close race, but when push came to shove and he had to pick a hat on August 26, his heart compelled him to choose the Sooners. He's been a regular on campus over the last two and a half years, and also proved pivotal in the Sooners' pursuit of Eddy Pierre-Louis and Jayden Jackson.

Stats/Accolades: A MaxPreps Junior All-American and an Under Armour All-American Game selection, Stone has spent the last two years at IMG Academy, which is widely considered the top prep institution in America for high school football players. Before transferring to IMG, he recorded 52 tackles and nine sacks for Del City as a sophomore in 2021.

Fun Fact: Stone is set to become the first five-star defensive tackle to sign with Oklahoma since the great Gerald McCoy nearly two decades ago.

Recruitment Summary: Heading into the month of June, there wasn't a clear leader for Jackson's services, and he took five official visits in the span of three weeks. Florida, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Miami all got him on campus throughout the month, and when he set an announcement for mid-July, it wasn't immediately clear which school was in line to get his pledge. But in a battle that came down to the Sooners and their rivals across the Red River, Todd Bates and Oklahoma prevailed, and the IMG Academy product went public with his commitment to the crimson and cream.

Stats/Accolades: Jackson will head to Hawaii to compete in the Polynesian Bowl next month.

Fun Fact: Before Jackson committed to Oklahoma in July, the Sooners hadn't landed a scholarship player from IMG Academy since Brendan Radley-Hiles and TJ Pledger in the 2018 cycle.

Recruitment Summary: Though Smith maintained a deliberate and thorough approach throughout the recruiting process, there was never a ton of doubt that he'd be a Sooner when everything reached a conclusion. Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M and even Texas all made noise at various junctures for Smith, but he never seemed to go more than a month or two without showing his face in Norman. Among recruits, he was one of the Sooners' most regular campus visitors from the spring of 2022 through the conclusion of the 2023 season. Both Miguel Chavis and Bates were heavily involved in his recruitment, but the plan is for Smith to primarily play defensive end upon his arrival.

Stats/Accolades: Smith is an All-American Bowl selection, and his career at Melissa High included back-to-back district Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2021 and 2022.

Fun Fact: Smith's father, Nigel Sr., is 6-foot-9 and played basketball at SMU.

Recruitment Summary: Eight months ago, most anyone would have laughed at the notion that Okoye would eventually commit to Oklahoma. By his own admission, the blue-chip defensive end from Tulsa had no interest in the Sooners, and had communicated that reality to the OU staff. But this past spring, Okoye began to warm to Oklahoma after doing some research of his own volition, and he reached back out to the staff to inquire about a visit. Fast-forward five months, and Okoye pledged to Oklahoma over 30-plus other offers, with Texas and Tennessee the other finalists for his commitment. Though he grew up in a household loyal and true to Oklahoma State, he's now on the precipice of becoming a Sooner, as outlandish as that notion might have sounded earlier this year.

Stats/Accolades: Okoye is a U.S. Army Bowl selection, and before dealing with minor injuries throughout each of the last two seasons, he burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2021. He finished the season with 78 tackles, 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a punt return touchdown.

Fun Fact: Okoye is the second alumnus of the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools (NOAH) that Oklahoma has signed to a scholarship; LaRon Stokes is the other.

Recruitment Summary: Gilmore grew up a Miami fan in the Minneapolis metro area, so when he picked up offers from both the Hurricanes and the hometown Golden Gophers, it didn't seem likely that any other school would be able to mount a serious run at his commitment. However, nobody relayed that message to Miguel Chavis. The Sooners hosted Gilmore for a pair of unofficial visits in the spring, and when he returned to campus in June for his official visit, Gilmore informed the staff of his intention to commit. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end was the first pledge of the cycle for Chavis.

Stats/Accolades: Gilmore is remarkably athletic for a big man, as he's recorded a 35-inch vertical jump and clocked a 40-yard dash below 4.8 seconds. He's been one of the most ballyhooed players in the Land of 10,000 Lakes since his sophomore season, when he tallied 17 tackles for loss and four sacks in a breakout campaign.

Fun Fact: The Sooners haven't signed a player from the state of Minnesota in over half a century, a drought that's set to end when Gilmore puts pen to paper.

Recruitment Summary: Nesta held high-major offers in baseball from the time he was in seventh grade, but still pursued football with the intent to play both sports in college. After a breakout junior year on the gridiron, Power 5 offers began to fly in, and Nesta eventually narrowed things down to eight schools that would give him the opportunity to pursue a two-sport career. However, that top eight went out the window when OU offered in the late spring. The Sooners immediately became a top contender for his services, largely because of the reputations held by Brent Venables and Skip Johnson. After official visits to North Carolina and Miami, Nesta took his final OV to Oklahoma and left thoroughly sold on everything the Sooners could offer him. He publicly committed less than 72 hours later.

Stats/Accolades: Over the last two seasons, Nesta has accumulated a total of 24 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher role. On the baseball diamond, he's clocked a 94 mph fastball, but perhaps most impressively, he ran the 60-yard dash in 6.84 seconds at a baseball showcase as a rising high school junior.

Fun Fact: Nesta's hometown is less than 150 miles from Clemson, and his high school runs a defensive scheme modeled after the system that Brent Venables has pioneered over the years. Thus, Nesta's learning curve will be significantly less steep when he arrives at Oklahoma.

Recruitment Summary: Few and far between are the recruitments as straightforward as Newcombe's. The blue-chip corner visited Oklahoma in late March, committed on the spot and went public with his pledge within 24 hours, thus becoming the first commit of the 2024 cycle for the Sooners.

Stats/Accolades: A four-year varsity contributor at the high school level, Newcombe rose to prominence on the recruiting trail by logging four interceptions and 18 pass breakups as a freshman in 2020. He followed that up with seven INT's as a sophomore in 2021, at which point opposing offenses naturally began to look the opposite direction. Even so, he recorded 62 tackles, a pair of picks and six pass breakups as a junior in 2022.

Fun Fact: Newcombe's father, Bobby, was his head coach at Casteel High School. Prior to his coaching career, Bobby won a national championship as a player at Nebraska before enjoying a brief NFL career as a wide receiver.

Recruitment Summary: Hardy is a Tennessee legacy, and Miami made a strong push for him in the spring. But his relationships with Brandon Hall and Jay Valai, the latter of whom had offered Hardy at Alabama in 2021, helped Oklahoma emerge as the clear leader for his services by March. He committed on the day of the Sooners' 2023 spring game, and OU was the only school that got an official visit from the standout safety.

Stats/Accolades: Also a four-year varsity player, Hardy was named the 6-6A District Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2020. Though injuries limited him to less than half the season in his sophomore year, he returned with a vengeance in 2022, earning district Co-MVP honors and an invite to the Under Armour All-American Game.

Fun Fact: Hardy briefly spent time at IMG Academy in Florida before returning home to the DFW area. Thus, he is one of three former IMG Ascenders (joining Stone and Jackson) in Oklahoma's 2024 signing class. The Sooners have never before signed three former IMG players to scholarships in the same cycle.

Recruitment Summary: A longtime Michigan State commit, Powers reopened his recruitment in September after the Mel Tucker fiasco, and Oklahoma didn't wait to enter the market for his pledge. The Sooner staff fancied Powers for Brent Venables' famed cheetah position, and after an unofficial visit to campus in late October, Powers shut things down and cancelled a pending official visit to UCLA. He committed to the Sooners shortly thereafter, becoming the second Buckeye State native (after Zurbrugg) to join Oklahoma's 2024 class.

Stats/Accolades: Powers tallied 80 tackles and 10 pass breakups as a junior, then followed it up with 57 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his senior season.

Fun Fact: Powers is a cousin of singer John Legend.

Recruitment Summary: A quiet and dragged-out recruitment came to an end in mid-October, when Jordan decided to surprise Sooner Nation with a previously unannounced commitment to Oklahoma. The Tulsa (Okla.) Union standout had also been considering TCU, Texas A&M and Alabama, but Oklahoma had offered him early in the process and Jordan's trust in Jay Valai won out in the end. He's the highest-ranked 2024 defensive back in the state.

Stats/Accolades: Though hardly targeted as a senior in 2023, Jordan still accrued 24 tackles and three interceptions en route to earning All-World honors from the Tulsa World as the state's No. 1 defensive back.

Fun Fact: Jordan is the second Union defensive back in three cycles to commit to Oklahoma, as the Sooners also nabbed Jayden Rowe in the class of 2022.

Recruitment Summary: Though Kansas and Florida State had hats on the table when Boganowski made his decision in October, it was Oklahoma and Kansas State that had long been battling for his pledge. The Wildcats had been first to offer and had the hometown advantage, as Bill Snyder Family Stadium sits just 20 minutes from Boganowski family's house in Junction City. But Brandon Hall's relationship with Boganowski, as well as the Sooners' unique pitch that placed him at safety rather than linebacker, ultimately helped the blue-chip defender settle on Oklahoma.

Stats/Accolades: As a junior, Boganowski racked up 123 total tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble. Come his senior year, he earned an invite to the U.S. Army Bowl after a standout season that included 85 tackles, seven pass breakups and a pair of forced fumbles.

Fun Fact: Boganowski's father, Mike Sr., played at New Mexico State from 1997-2001. There, he was a teammate of former Oklahoma defensive ends coach and current Denver Broncos assistant Jamar Cain.

Recruitment Summary: Texas made a run at the dynamic corner from Denton, but Oklahoma seemingly always had Eli's heart. After his older brother Peyton dramatically flipped from Notre Dame to Oregon and finally to Oklahoma in the early signing period last December, it always seemed to be a matter of when — not if — Eli would follow in his brother's footsteps and commit to the Sooners.

Stats/Accolades: In 2021, Bowen established a new school record at Guyer with 10 interceptions and earned a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American nomination. Despite being limited by a collarbone injury in 2022, he recorded 35 tackles, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Fun Fact: Eli's addition gives the Sooners two pairs of brothers on the defensive side of the ball, as he and Peyton join Dasan McCullough and Dash McCullough.

Recruitment Summary: Patterson-McDonald was never shy about the fact that Oklahoma was his dream offer, and when he got that offer in late January, there was never much question as to where he'd end up committing. He held offers from Michigan State, UNLV, Iowa State and numerous other programs, but despite it all, Oklahoma was his first (and biggest) offer. He committed six months to the day after receiving the offer from the Sooners.

Stats/Accolades: As a junior, Patterson-McDonald logged 108 tackles and three interceptions en route to earning his four-star designation from Rivals.

Fun Fact: Mykel's father, Larry, runs Sooner Daiquiri Bar and Lounge on Main Street in Norman. Sooner Daiquiri will host the 2024 OUInsider Signing Day Special.

Recruitment Summary: After picking up numerous Ivy League and Group of 5 offers throughout the spring, Bass scored a Power 5 offer from Syracuse in June and quickly set up an official visit with the Orange. However, fresh off his OV, he showed up unannounced at an Oklahoma team camp and worked out at running back and wide receiver. By the end of the day, Bass held a PWO offer from the Sooners, and for the next two months, he mulled things over from all angles. Eventually, he made the decision to commit to OU over Syracuse, thus becoming one of the highest-ranked PWO commits in the entire nation.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior in 2023, Bass racked up an astonishing 4,693 total yards and 66 total touchdowns, and led Heritage Hall to the doorstep of a second consecutive state title before injuring his knee in the championship game. He's also the reigning 3A state champion in the 100 meters, with a winning time of 10.56 seconds this past spring.

Fun Fact: His grandfather, also named Andy Bass, was a collegiate golfer at Oklahoma in the late 1960's.

Recruitment Summary: Born and raised in the OKC area, Evans is a lifelong Sooner fan. So when he received a preferred walk-on opportunity at Oklahoma, it didn't take long for him to jump on board, and he committed to the Sooners in August. He's regarded as the nation's No. 7 prep kicker by Kohl's Kicking.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior in 2023, Evans missed just one field goal attempt and converted numerous kicks of 50-plus yards, earning conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors for his performance throughout the season.

Fun Fact: Evans grew up playing soccer and didn't make the transition to football until eighth grade, when a group of friends convinced him to try his hand at kicker. He agreed, and it's certainly paid off in the long run.

Recruitment Summary: Another lifelong Sooner fan, Hodges needed no further incentive to join the Oklahoma football family than an invitation to play defensive tackle for Todd Bates as a preferred walk-on. He committed in June over opportunities at FCS and military institutions.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior in 2023, Hodges had 61 tackles (21.5 for loss), 13.5 sacks and 11 pass breakups, as well as a forced fumble.

Fun Fact: When he's not competing on the gridiron or in the weight room, Hodges is also a standout heavyweight wrestler.

Recruitment Summary: Though he held scholarship offers from multiple FBS programs, including Oklahoma State, Tulsa and UNLV, Kysar had long aspired to wear the crimson and cream. When he received a preferred walk-on offer from Miguel Chavis in July, the stud defensive end wasted no time in committing to Oklahoma.

Stats/Accolades: As a senior in 2023, Kysar popped off with 61 tackles, 10 sacks, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and a blocked field goal. His performance earned him conference Defensive Lineman of the Year honors. He also logged nine receptions for 200 yards and a TD on the offensive side of the ball.

Fun Fact: Like his future teammate Ivan Carreon, Kysar is also a capable punter, as evidenced by this collection of boots well in excess of 50 yards apiece.

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