All Sooners

Jacobe Johnson's Patience Was Rewarded With His Oklahoma Commitment

The newest OU commit pulled the trigger on Saturday night after a long recruitment.

Ryan Chapman

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Saturday, Jacobe Johnson made his dreams come true.

The two-sport star committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, confirming he’d live out his childhood fantasies of donning the crimson and cream.

Johnson told AllSooners.com he was almost moved to tears when he officially got his OU offer back in the summer of 2020, but he was all smiles when he officially pulled the trigger on his commitment this past weekend.

Now, he’ll get a chance to have it all. Johnson will get to play for his dream school while trying to make an impact on both the football field and the hardwood, all while staying close to what matters most.

“I want to stay close to the family,” he told AllSooners.com two years ago. “If it’s better for me to stay here and I can be close to the family, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Read More: The Jacobe Johnson Chronicles 

The decision to land at OU didn’t come without plenty of patience from Johnson. He withstood not one but two coaching staff changes in Norman.

His initial recruitment as a basketball player was spearheaded by then-head coach Lon Kruger. Kruger’s retirement after the 2020-21 season meant Porter Moser had to step in and continue the relationship.

That transition meant Johnson was a seasoned pro in dealing with change by the time Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch headed out to Los Angeles.

Brent Venables and his staff then got to try their hand at stepping in mid-recruitment, something which the new staff navigated seamlessly.

“On the football side of things,” Johnson said in February, “I like every single one of the coaches over there. Every single one of ‘em.”

Once he arrives on campus, Johnson expects to slot into OU’s defense.

But that doesn’t mean he’s totally let go of the prospect of playing a little wide receiver for the Sooners.

“I’m still open,” he said. “I kind of want to play a little bit of both. But I feel like my main position will end up being defensive back, whether that be safety or corner.”

Johnson’s commitment makes him the 20th player to join OU’s 2023 recruiting class.

Rated the No. 2 player in Oklahoma by 247 Sports, Johnson is a consensus 4-star recruit who is ranked as the 87th-best player in the country by 247 Sports.

The addition of the talented athlete firmly entrenched the Sooners as the seventh overall recruiting class in the 247 Sports Team Rankings, helping to cap off OU’s explosive summer on the recruiting trail. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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