Oklahoma adds former Utah cornerback Jocelyn Malaska via the portal

In June 2021, Bethany (Okla.) rising senior cornerback Jocelyn Malaska put on a shutdown performance at one of Oklahoma's team camps.

It didn't result in a coveted OU offer for the homegrown defender, but it did create a ripple effect in his recruitment. The SMU staff was in attendance that day, and Malaska quickly picked up an offer from the Mustangs. Texas Tech soon threw its hat in the ring as well, and after an official visit in late June, Malaska committed to the Red Raiders. He remained pledged to Tech until early December, when an in-home visit from Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley convinced him to flip to the Utes.

Now, some two years after he left the Sooner State behind to head west for Salt Lake City, Malaska is coming back home, where he'll wear the crimson and cream for the University of Oklahoma.

Born in Haiti and adopted by a pair of native Oklahomans while in elementary school, Malaska didn't pick up football until the seventh grade, but quickly rose to prominence in the Oklahoma prep ranks. He finished the 2022 recruiting cycle as a three-star prospect, and played in eight games over his two seasons at Utah before hitting the transfer portal last month.

Though several other Power 5 programs made overtures to Malaska, he couldn't resist the allure of playing college football half an hour from his hometown. He committed to Oklahoma after a series of conversations with cornerbacks coach Jay Valai, who had already been engaged in recruiting Malaska's younger brother Evenson to Oklahoma.

Malaska will help bolster an already strong cornerback group in Norman, as Gentry Williams will reprise his starting role in 2024. Rising sophomores Makari Vickers, Jasiah Wagoner and Jacobe Johnson are joined by San Diego State transfer Dez Malone in the competition for the remaining snaps, although it's still not out of the question that four-year starter Woodi Washington could return for one final year at Oklahoma. Redshirt junior Kani Walker and incoming freshmen Jeremiah Newcombe, Devon Jordan and Eli Bowen round out the room.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds, Malaska will have three years of eligibility at his disposal when he joins the program.

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