On June 6, 2024, Noah Best received a scholarship offer from his dream school while at a camp session in Norman.

One year later, on June 6, 2025, he began the official visit that would finally convince him to shut down his recruitment and commit to Oklahoma.

“I kind of always knew going in that if no other school stood out to me, I’d be committed by the end of the OV," said Best, a lifelong OU fan who spent a good portion of his childhood in suburban Tulsa.

Despite hard pushes from Missouri, SMU and Texas Tech, nothing could pry Best away from his long-standing dream. He committed to the Oklahoma staff towards the tail end of his official visit, and will not take his scheduled visits to Texas Tech (June 13) and SMU (June 20) now that he's locked in with OU.

“The people in Norman are just amazing to me, and Coach B is the best O-line coach in college football if you want to play at the next level," Best told OUInsider. "So that was the deciding factor.”

Oklahoma freshman OL Owen Hollenbeck hosted Best on his OV, and the entire group of OU linemen made their collective pitch to Best over the weekend. Bill Bedenbaugh didn't need to do much selling, though, as his resume speaks for itself. Best says he's stoked to get to Norman and start learning from a coach with as much clout as Bedenbaugh.

“Just hearing him talk about football, it’s an experience," Best remarked. "It’s really something to hear him talk about your film. He critiques every little detail. And you need to have every little detail perfect if you want to be a great football player.”

Best is regarded as the No. 15 interior offensive lineman in the nation, according to Rivals. He is the ninth commit of Oklahoma's 2026 class, and the first offensive pledge since four-star WR Daniel Odom committed to OU back in late January. Best joins three-star center Will Conroy in an offensive line class that appears poised to grow even larger in the days ahead as the Sooners push for several other key targets.

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