After missing on four straight '21 studs, here's how Oklahoma's '22 recruiting class is shaping up

In addition to OU's four 2022 verbal commitments already in the fold, Oklahoma coaches are addressing needs by going after big-time players at various positions nationwide

Lincoln Riley has had a tough few weeks on the recruiting trail.

Since landing Sports Illustrated All American’s SI1000 offensive tackle Savion Byrd on the opening day of the early signing period, the Sooners have struck out with four straight SI99 prospects.

OU first lost out on offensive tackle Bryce Foster to Texas A&M, followed by wide receiver Emeka Egbuka committing to Ohio State, running back Camar Wheaton picking Alabama and then, on Saturday, offensive tackle Tristan Leigh selecting Clemson. 

Riley and the OU staff have exactly one month — National Signing Day is Feb. 3 — to chase down any backup plans. But it is not expected that the 2021 recruiting class will grow much larger than the 16 recruits who have already signed. Riley said during his signing day press conference that the class was kept intentionally small this cycle.

So while the transfer portal is an option to plug holes, it’s now time to turn the page and look at the 2022 class for reinforcements.

The Sooners currently have four commitments for 2022 — a trio of wide receivers and an elite linebacker prospect.

Luther Burden, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound pass catcher from Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, is one of the top recruits in the country. Burden announced his commitment to the Sooners back in early October.

Later in October, Oklahoma high school standout Talyn Shettron, from Edmond Santa Fe, joined the class as well. The 6-3 playmaker helped take his Santa Fe Wolves all the way to the state championship game in Oklahoma high school football’s largest class. Burden and Shettron joined Jordon Hudson to give OU three elite playmakers that could help Riley’s talented quarterbacks terrorize defenses for years to come.

The fourth member of Oklahoma’s 2022 class is Lubbock, TX, linebacker Kobie McKinzie. McKinzie actually considered reclassifying as a 2021 prospect, but ultimately decided against it.

The Sooners will build out the rest of the class, but their biggest areas of need are running back, offensive tackle, defensive tackle and linebacker.

With McKinzie already addressing one of the needs, Bill Bedenbaugh might not have to leave the state of Oklahoma to add to his offensive line depth.

Jacob Sexton is a 6-5, 285-pound offensive tackle from Deer Creek High School. Sexton leans on his wrestling background to combine footwork and his technique to blow people off the ball.

“Before I even started playing football, I wrestled for two years,” Sexton told SI Sooners in June. “That was one thing that my dad made me do.”

The Sooners aren’t the only suitors for Sexton, as he also has offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and Michigan.

Alex Grinch also won’t have to leave the state to start building his secondary in 2022. Gentry Williams, a versatile defensive back with top-end speed coming off an injury, plays at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa. In high school, Williams has put up numbers as both a corner and at quarterback, but the Sooners would want him to play defense for Grinch and Roy Manning.

Playing just one way at the collegiate level won’t be a problem, Williams told SI Sooners in May.

“When you get to the next level, you don’t want to be good at some positions — you want to be great at one position,” he said. “And that’s kind of been my mindset. I want to be great at one position.”

As well as Oklahoma, the 6-foot, 170-pound Williams has been offered by Florida, Georgia, LSU, USC, Penn State and Oklahoma State.

DeMarco Murray missed out on his first big running back recruit when Camar Wheaton picked Alabama, and the Sooners have been left at the altar two years in a row after Jase McClellan also flipped to the Crimson Tide on early signing day last year. Murray is in on a pair of the top running back prospects again, attempting to court Gavin Sawchuk and Raleek Brown.

The 5-11, 175-pound Sawchuk projects to be an all-around back with breakaway speed once he hits the open field. OU will have competition for the dynamic product of Valor Christian in Littleton, CO, as Michigan and Stanford are also in on Sawchuk.

In Brown, OU would have to go west to earn the commitment of the versatile back, who can be impactful in both the run and pass game. The 5-8, 185-pound product out of the Mater Dei football factory in Santa Ana, CA, is sought after by the likes of USC, Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee.

Perrion Winfrey and Joshua Ellison were great stop-gap additions for Grinch’s defense from the junior college ranks, but Oklahoma needs to hit on a defensive tackle to prepare for when Winfrey inevitably is playing on Sunday’s.

The Sooners have made the top 15 for Denton, TX, native Bear Alexander. The disruptive interior lineman has size Grinch’s defense hasn’t utilized yet, plugging gaps at 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds.

Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy is an interior lineman more in the mold of Winfrey and Neville Gallimore. The Lakeland, FL, standout is 6-3 and 275 pounds, and he relies on his speed to wreak havoc across the line of scrimmage. Calvin Thibodeaux will have his hands full, as Brownlow-Dindy is understandably coveted by most of the top programs in the region, including the usual suspects out of the SEC.

The close to the 2021 class left fans disappointed, but all could be forgiven if Riley can rebound on the recruiting trail and the Sooners hit on their top targets in 2022.