Oklahoma “just felt like home” for four-star WR and new commit Zion Ragins
Zion Ragins had his inhibitions about playing college football nearly a thousand miles from home.
But when push came to shove, the people and the environment at the University of Oklahoma left Ragins confident enough to step outside of his comfort zone.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ragins went public with his commitment to the Sooners, becoming the program’s fourteenth pledge in the 2024 cycle. The four-star lightning rod from the Peach State checks in at No. 44 in the nation at the wide receiver position, per the latest Rivals rankings. As Oklahoma continues to expand its geographical footprint on the recruiting trail, Ragins is set to become the Sooners’ first signee from the state of Georgia since Jadon Haselwood in 2019.
Shortly before announcing his decision, Ragins dished on his college choice with OUInsider in an exclusive interview.
“It was really just the atmosphere and the love from the coaches and stuff like that,” he remarked. “It just felt like home. Coach V… I love Coach V, man. And I 100 percent trust him with everything in the process.”
Remarkably, Ragins is the fifth wide receiver commit of the 2024 class for Oklahoma; he joins Louisiana native KJ Daniels and a trio of Texans in Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon and Dozie Ezukanma. It’s a feather in the cap for Emmett Jones, who’s been dominant on the trail since taking over as Oklahoma’s wide receivers coach in January. Although four-star wideout Bryant Wesco did pick Clemson over the Sooners, Jones has essentially nabbed every other prospect he’s targeted beyond Wesco. And on Ragins’ part, he’s eager to learn from the coach recently dubbed a “technician” by veteran Oklahoma wideout Drake Stoops.
“Coach Jones, he’s a great coach,” said Ragins. “He done coached a lot of great receivers, and he said he can get me to where I’m trying to go. They got special ways that they can use me.”
At 5-foot-8, Ragins is relatively diminutive in stature, but he’s got some of the most impressive speed in the nation. He’s clocked a 100-meter dash below 10.4 seconds, and his breakaway ability is evident on tape. Despite his slight frame, his explosiveness was so impressive that the former staff at Oklahoma actually offered him during his sophomore year of high school in 2021. Ragins and Jaydan Hardy are the Sooners’ only 2024 commits whose Oklahoma recruitments predate the current staff.
“They’re gonna get me the ball a lot of ways,” Ragins continued. “How our playbook is [at Jones County High], we run basically the same playbook they run. So it’ll be the same and similar. But I’ll be better.”
It’s not hard to see shades of former Oklahoma standout Marquise Brown in Ragins, and his home-run speed ought to be a welcome addition to Jeff Lebby’s offense. And one peer that’s especially eager to see Ragins in the crimson and cream is his future quarterback, Michael Hawkins. The Sooners’ four-star quarterback commit has been in Ragins’ ear for months, constantly entreating him to join the Oklahoma family.
“I talked to Mike yesterday; he had hit me up and was just checking in,” Ragins said of Hawkins. “We was talking ever since I went up on [January] 28 for junior day. Oklahoma’s getting good players; they’re getting unique and intelligent players. They’re good men.”
Ragins’ decision comes less than four weeks after he wrapped up a June official visit slate that also took him to Georgia and Florida State.
“It was kinda tough — like, before I made my decision, the past few weeks it’s been tough [with] three schools: Georgia, Florida State and OU,” Ragins admitted. “Because all of them showed love.”
In the end, though, it was Oklahoma that sold Ragins on a future in crimson. He gives Oklahoma a quartet of blue-chip commits at the offensive skill positions, joining Kearney, Carreon and elite tight end pledge Davon Mitchell. A varsity contributor since his freshman year of high school, Ragins’ skill set allows him to make plays out wide, in the slot or even in the backfield (he’s got nearly 500 career rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns). At minimum, he should provide immediate situational and special-teams value at Oklahoma, as his speed will make him an asset from the jump.
