Oklahoma Misses Out On 4-Star Edge Rusher to Texas

2023 4-star EDGE Tausili Akana announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday.

Another tough loss for Oklahoma on National Signing Day.

2023 4-star EDGE Tausili Akana, who had been a large OU target for the past year and a half, announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday.

BREAKING: Four-Star EDGE Tausili Akana has Committed to Texas!

The 6’3 210 EDGE from Kahuku, HI chose the Longhorns over Oklahoma, Colorado, and others.

He joins the Longhorns’ Top 5 Class in the 2023 Team Rankings.https://t.co/YSUjmKwAIM pic.twitter.com/Wq3NJ7eRu7

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 21, 2022

Akana is rated as the No. 4 EDGE in the country and the No. 1 player in the state of Utah by 247Sports.

In addition to the Sooners, he chooses the Longhorns over Colorado, Texas A&M, LSU and Utah in his final six schools.

Akana becomes the second high-profile loss of the day for OU on the recruiting trail after 5-star defensive back Peyton Bowen announced his flip from Notre Dame to Oregon after Oklahoma had been viewed as a heavy contender to land his services.

As things stand currently, the Sooners still sit with 24 signees in their 2023 recruiting class that has them good enough for the No. 7 group in the country.

But, given Akana’s projections as a prospect and his landing spot at OU’s biggest rival, the miss here still will serve as a sizable gut punch.

However, in the age of the transfer portal, Oklahoma may potentially have another crack at Akana at some point down the line - thus probably leaning Brent Venables and company to keep the door open for that future possibility.