When Makari Vickers saw plenty of action for the Sooners as a true freshman, many imagined he would help stabilize the cornerback room for years to come at Oklahoma.

Instead, he's portal-bound after a tumultuous sophomore season that included a June arrest and an unexpected tumble down the depth chart. Vickers missed the majority of fall camp due to an undisclosed ailment, which didn't help his case, but he only appeared in four games and recorded just one tackle in 2024. If nothing else, Vickers' participation in only four games ensures that he'll preserve three years of eligibility at his next destination.

Per an open records request with the OU Police Department, Vickers was arrested on June 12 for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. An OU Athletics spokesperson informed OUInsider that the matter would be handled internally, and there was never any announcement of discipline or suspension for Vickers.

When the season began, Vickers sat out the entirety of nonconference play before returning to action against Tennessee. He played in the Sooners' next four games, but never made an appearance after Oklahoma's Oct. 19 loss to South Carolina. In the season's latter stages, he hadn't even cracked the Sooners' travel squad for road games, which provided a rather obvious indication of where things were headed between Vickers and OU.

A native of Quincy, Fla., Vickers was ranked No. 81 overall and No. 10 among cornerbacks in the 2023 recruiting class. He chose Oklahoma from a final three that also included Alabama and Michigan, and worked his way into the Sooners' cornerback rotation as a true freshman. He finished the 2023 season with eight tackles and a pass breakup, and had been expected to contend for a starting role in 2024. Instead, he fell behind freshman Eli Bowen and proved unable to challenge veterans Dez Malone, Kani Walker and Jacobe Johnson for the leftover snaps.

Now, Vickers will look for a larger and more consistent role elsewhere, as his time in Norman appears to be over.

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