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Former Oklahoma Defensive Back Jasiah Wagoner Finds New Home in ACC

After entering the transfer portal on Thursday, a promising young defensive back has already picked his landing spot.

Randall Sweet

Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Rashod Owens (10) fights off Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Jasiah Wagoner (23)
Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Rashod Owens (10) fights off Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Jasiah Wagoner (23) / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

On Thursday, former Oklahoma cornerback Jasiah Wagoner announced his entrance into the transfer portal.

Two days later, the rising sophomore announced on social media that he has committed to California, returning to the West Coast after a year in Norman.

Hailing from Spanaway, WA, Wagoner was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school, rated the No. 317 overall prospect and No. 32 cornerback in the nation, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

As a true freshman at OU, Wagoner appeared in seven games, logging three tackles and two pass breakups in 76 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus gave the 5-foot-11 DB a 59.2 defensive grade for his efforts in 2023.

Wagoner received a 64.8 grade in run defense, 57.8 grade in coverage and 35.1 grade as a tackler, according to PFF.

Wagoner is a fiesty, physical cornerback who should have plenty of opportunities to get on the field for the Golden Bears. Despite dealing with injuries in his first year as a college football player, Wagoner still managed to earn snaps in over of half of the Sooners' 2023 campaign.

ā€œHe's a pit bull in everything he does, every aspect of his life,ā€ OU cornerbacks coach Jay Valai said of Wagoner.

Valai wasn't the only member of the Sooners' staff to praise the freshman defender, however, as former defensive coordinator Ted Roof also seemed to like what he saw in Wagoner.

ā€œHe doesnā€™t blink,ā€ said Roof. ā€œYou put him out there and itā€™s never too big. Heā€™s very reliable, does what heā€™s supposed to do. He doesnā€™t bust, he plays hard and heā€™s physical.ā€

With Cal heading into the ACC in 2024, the former Oklahoma defensive back will have the opportunity to face well-established college football programs like Miami and Florida State early in his sophomore season.

Additionally, Wagoner will be much closer to home in Berkley than he was in Norman.

With Woodi Washington, Gentry Williams, Kani Walker, Makari Vickers and Jacobe Johnson all returning in the Sooners' cornerback room and the additions of Dez Malone and multiple talented freshman, Valai and company should have solid depth at the position in 2024.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelorā€™s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.