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Oklahoma Recruiting Roundup: Stars Descended Upon Norman This Weekend

Brent Venables' "Party at the Palace" turned out to be an instant success for the Sooners.

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma Recruiting Roundup: Stars Descended Upon Norman This Weekend
Oklahoma Recruiting Roundup: Stars Descended Upon Norman This Weekend /
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With fall camp just days away, Brent Venables’ staff set aside this weekend for another major recruiting event in Norman.

The “Party at the Palace” welcomed in top recruits from all across the country, allowing them to mingle with the Oklahoma coaching staff as well as current verbal commits in the 2023 class.

Quarterback commit Jackson Arnold was on hand, and he brought a pair of his high school teammates with him.

Denton Guyer High School safety and current Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen joined Arnold, as well as fellow safety and LSU commit Ryan Yaites.

A few of Arnold’s fellow commits were also on hand in offensive lineman Joshua Bates, running back Kalib Hicks, linebacker Samuel Omosigho and Oklahoma preps star Erik McCarty.

Plenty of major uncommitted targets were also on hand for the Sooners.

David Hicks Jr., a consensus 5-star recruit who is rated the best defensive lineman in the country and the No. 7 overall player in the 2023 class by 247 Sports’ composite rankings was in Norman for the Party at the Palace.

Hicks announced his top seven on July 1, where he included OU alongside Texas A&M, Alabama, Oregon, Miami, Michigan State and Texas.

The coveted recruit told Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports that he continued to build a good relationship with OU’s coaching staff over the weekend.

“It was a great atmosphere and the relationship and how all the coaches connected was a big highlight for me,” Hicks told 247 Sports.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pounder from Katy, TX, would be a major coup for Venables in his first full recruiting cycle at the helm in Norman.

Safety Makari Vickers also made it in this weekend, as the Sooners are battling Alabama and Michigan for the Tallahassee product’s commitment.

Vickers is ranked as the sixth best safety and the No. 82 overall player in the 247 Sports composite ranking.

AllSooners.com also confirmed that Texas defensive linemen Jordan Renaud and Colton Vasek also visited this weekend.

Former OU linebacker and current staff member Rufus Alexander hinted at some good news for Oklahoma fans, as Alexander teased future commitments.

Former Del City High School-turned IMG Academy defensive lineman David Stone wasn’t on hand, but family members of the class of 2024 defensive lineman attended the event in his place.

Another 2024 standout was on hand during the week, and he didn’t leave Norman empty-handed.

Allen High School quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. was offered a scholarship by the OU staff after he threw for 2,807 yards and 25 touchdowns on just five interceptions during the 2021 season. The dual-threat also rushed for 730 yards and eight touchdowns.

Another pair of 2024 recruits were also on hand in Lindale, TX, offensive lineman Casey Poe and Mesquite, TX, edge rusher Armstrong Nnodim.

Attention will turn back to the 2022 team as training camp opens this week, but Oklahoma closed an explosive July on the recruiting trail with one last major weekend. 

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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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