The Old College Try

You never know until you try. Oklahoma tried, and it turns out that it was incredibly worth it when it’s all said and done.

It was nice for the Sooners to get an official visit from San Diego St. Augustine defensive lineman Gracen Halton last month, but not much was expected entering the trip.

Not much has turned into everything as Halton announced his signing with the Sooners in a ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

It continues what is becoming a massive afternoon for the Sooners and first-year head coach Brent Venables when it comes to the defensive line.

With the staff finalized in early January, OU went to work addressing its needs. The Sooners brought Halton, Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons' R Mason Thomas and Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger’s Kevonte Henry in for official visits in January. Halton and Thomas are Sooners, and OU is in great shape for Henry.

Halton committed to Oregon in January 2021 and really never felt like things were going to go sideways until former coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami in December.

The Sooners entered the picture and threw their hat in the ring, but most believed the Hurricanes were going to be the team to beat. After the trip to OU in January, however, everything fell into place.

Halton decommitted from the Ducks a few days later and set the stage for his Wednesday announcement because he knew exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it.

The four-star prospect brings some versatility, especially when it comes to the direction of his career with the strength and conditioning program.

The theme of Wednesday has been defense for Venables. Two down, but it does indeed feel there is still more out there for the Sooners to make their closing charge at defensive line.