Top Juco Prospect Puts Oklahoma in Top 5

Sione Laulea, a the No. 1 overall junior college prospect and a long, rangy cornerback, hasn't taken an official visit to OU but still has the Sooners among his finalists.

John E. Hoover | Jul 31, 2023

Top Juco Prospect Puts Oklahoma in Top 5 /

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Oklahoma Sooners

The nation’s No. 1 junior college player has narrowed down his top five, and Oklahoma has made the cut.

Sione Laulea, a 2024 cornerback at College of San Mateo (CA), dropped his finalists on Monday and has the Sooners listed alongside Miami, Oregon, Penn State and USC.

Laulea took an unofficial visit to the OU campus in May, then visited Utah, Penn State, Miami, USC, Oregon and over the summer.

The 6-foot-4. 195-pound Laulea took official visits to Miami, Penn State, USC and Utah.

He played at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo before attending junior college.

According to 247 Sports, Laulea is the No. 1-rated juco prospect in the nation

After getting a verbal commitment from Westmoore defensive back Mykel Patterson-McDonald on Monday, Oklahoma now has three 2024 DBs committed and have landed 17 commitments overall. The Sooners’ class currently stands at No. 15 nationally, according to 247 Sports. Per Rivals, OU’s current class ranks No. 14 nationally.

Published Jul 31, 2023

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.