It might have appeared that Oklahoma was too late to the game in offering four-star Peculiar (Mo.) RB DeZephen Walker last month.

Nobody relayed that message to DeMarco Murray, however.

Some six weeks after the Sooners threw their hat in the ring with the nation's No. 18 running back, Walker is pledged to Oklahoma. His father announced his commitment moments ago on social media, fresh off Walker's official visit in Norman over the weekend.

It's a remarkable, even stunning, recruiting win for Murray and OU. Walker had never been to campus before this past weekend, and had much greater familiarity with the other three finalists for his commitment. Nebraska, Kansas and Kansas State had all been prioritizing Walker for quite some time, and Oklahoma had to overcome obvious disadvantages in both the relational and geographical realms.

But Murray began to lay the groundwork with a visit to Walker's hometown last month, and the entire Oklahoma staff took part in recruiting calls with Walker and his family in the weeks that followed. When he got to campus for his official visit, the experience quickly convinced him that he should shut down his recruitment and forgo his planned official visit to Nebraska on June 20.

The first running back commit of the entire 2026 cycle for Oklahoma, Walker joins a burgeoning class that's quickly gained steam in the month of June. He joins three-star DE Matthew Nelson, four-star OL Noah Best and three-star CB Derrick Johnson as the most recent additions to Oklahoma's class.

OUInsider.com will have more on this developing story, including an interview with Walker himself.

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