All Sooners

Oklahoma Targets Show Out at Under Armour Atlanta Recruiting Camp

The Sooners continue to look to expand their recruiting footprint to the Southeast under new head coach Brent Venables.

Ryan Chapman

As the recruiting dead period ends on March 1, Oklahoma’s new focus in the Southeast is clear.

Under Armour’s yearly spring recruiting camp circuit is in full swing, and the influence from Brent Venables’ staff in Norman was felt all the way in Atlanta this past weekend.

Sports Illustrated All-American attended the camp, and the Sooners kept coming up as a campus some of the top defensive recruits in the region had to get to before making their college decision.

The biggest name in Atlanta Oklahoma hopes to attract was defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton, who recently reclassified from a 2023 recruit into the 2022 class.

The Sooners will have some ground to make up with the consensus 5-star recruit, as Overton said he has his sights set on visiting Oregon, Georgia and Texas A&M in March. But OU will look to make a run by attracting his brother, Micaiah Overton, who is in the transfer portal.

Overton was far from the only OU defensive target at UA Atlanta.

Defensive back Caleb Downs has the Sooners on his radar as well. The 2023 prospect continues to turn heads across the country, as he has visits lined up with Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and North Carolina.

But Jay Valai, Brandon Hall and Venables will get their chance to make an impression at the end of March, Downs told SIAA.

Another elite secondary prospect, 2024 recruit K.J. Bolden, will head to campus on March 5 for OU’s next Junior Day, another opportunity for the Sooners to add talent on the back end of the defense.

The Buford, GA, product possesses top-end track speed, and has already made waves in the Southeast. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Texas are just a few of the schools who have already offered Bolden to date.

Defensive line coach Todd Bates had another target at the UA Atlanta camp in Alpharetta, GA, product T.A. Cunningham.

Cunningham told SIAA he hopes to take campus trips to Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, Texas, Penn State, Tennessee and Oklahoma before starting to narrow down his recruitment this fall.

Last year, Cunningham was credited with 22 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and 66 overall tackles playing for Johns Creek High School.

On the offensive side of the ball, a pair of OU’s 2023 recruiting targets took the field.

Ridgeland, MS, wide receiver Ayden Williams was ranked as one of the top performers for the recruiting camp, and is poised to make a trip to Norman soon.

A relatively under the radar recruit to this point, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver holds offers from Florida, Florida State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech and Louisiana Monroe.

But he does have a prior relationship with Sooner offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who will hope to continue to build on that bond in Norman.

Offensive tackle prospect Wilkin Formby also took the field in Atlanta, another Oklahoma offer who hopes to visit the Sooners on campus soon.

The Tuscaloosa, AL, native stands 6-7, and would be a nice addition to Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line room, as Oklahoma needs bodies along the front line after missing out on key targets over the past two recruiting cycles.

The UA Camp series will continue across the country this Spring, paying a visit to Dallas on March 13.

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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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