Sexton Stays Home
If there was one position group where you knew there was going to be some clarity for Oklahoma in the 2022 class during this next month, it’s offensive line.
Those dominoes are falling left and right, and a big one went to the Sooners as Edmond (Okla.) Deer Creek offensive lineman Jacob Sexton announced his commitment to OU on Saturday evening.
Sexton becomes the eighth four-star prospect or better among OU’s nine total commitments and the second offensive lineman overall to join the group.
Keeping Sexton home might ease some pain for OU fans after Edmond Santa Fe wide receiver Talyn Shettron flipped to Oklahoma State earlier in the week.
Although OU always felt like the favorite for Sexton, it was a battle that Lincoln Riley and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh had to continually keep winning in recent months.
“A huge part was it’s close to home, and it’s a great school for football,” Sexton said. “The coaching staff was great. The connections and relationships I had were basically what sealed the deal.”
Once the recruiting dead period ended, Sexton spent the month of June visiting all his top schools. From Alabama to OU to Texas to Texas A&M to OSU, he said his family drove everywhere and it allowed him to be firm in his decision.
OU brought as many elite recruits as it could for last month’s #ChampUBBQ, but strangely enough, Sexton wasn’t among the invited prospects.
It felt like it could be a sign of the two sides going their separate ways. All of that talk went out the window a couple of days later when Sexton was back in Norman.
“That definitely was (the moment),” Sexton said. “Went in, five hours that were on campus. They said how they were still super interested and excited. It gave me a lot of clarity.”
Sexton has been a major priority for Bedenbaugh and OU for a long time, even dating back to his OU camp outing in summer 2019. The one thing everybody agrees with when it comes to the Rivals 250 prospect is that every time you see Sexton, he gets better.
Whether it’s footwork or technique or conditioning, Sexton’s best impression is always the last one because he’s constantly improving. He’s 300 pounds, and it’s pretty easy to say he can carry more weight and be just fine going forward.
After a bump in the road with Shettron and with the way OSU has been recruiting in-state talent for 2022 combined with schools like Ohio State and USC trying to steal some OKPreps recruits, it’s hard to deny the shot in the arm.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Sexton about being an in-state recruit committing to OU. “It’s awesome to see these places on TV and then finally knowing you’re going to be playing for them at some point.”
Sexton becomes the first commitment of the month, and he certainly won’t be the last one as OU has planted the seeds and is now fully prepared to start closing the show with 2022 and 2023 recruits throughout these 31 days.