All Sooners

Four Key Oklahoma Targets to Keep an Eye on in the 2026 Recruiting Class

The Sooners 2025 recruiting class is nearly complete, meaning OU's staff will be turning most of its attention to the upcoming cycle.

Randall Sweet

Jenks' Kaydin Jones carries the ball during the Class 6A-1 high school football championship game between Bixby and Jenks
Jenks' Kaydin Jones carries the ball during the Class 6A-1 high school football championship game between Bixby and Jenks / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
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After 5-star offensive lineman Michael Fasusi announced his commitment to Oklahoma on Wednesday, the Sooners' 2025 recruiting class is nearly finished.

With 23 pledges in the current cycle and the No. 7 class in the nation, according to Rivals, the Sooners are still looking to add two or three more players in 2025. Aside from prospects like Jayden Bradley, Christian Jones and Andrew Babalola, however, Brent Venables and company appear to have their current class almost completely filled out.

With a strong group in 2025, OU will likely turn much of its recruiting efforts to the 2026 recruiting class, where the Sooners boast commitments from 4-star Narbonne (CA) quarterback Jaden O'Neal, 4-star Cibolo Steele (TX) running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. and 4-star Frisco Lone Star (TX) tight end Ryder Mix.

Despite being off to a solid start, Oklahoma will need to get to work building out their upcoming class with only three pledges on board thus far. Here are four prospects who seem to be a priority for Venables and company in the 2026 recruiting class.

Mason James

Norman North (OK) wide receiver Mason James is one of two in-state standouts that the Sooners are trying to add in the upcoming cycle.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, James is rated the No. 175 overall prospect and No. 30 wide receiver in the nation, according to 247Sports. With great speed and explosiveness, James easily beats defenders deep downfield in addition to being a threat to break a long run on jet sweeps.

The Timberwolves' standout holds offers from Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Michigan, Oregon and others, but Emmett Jones and company seem to be in a good spot with James.

James visited campus multiple times during the 2023 season and has participated in OU's football camp each of the past two summers, winning numerous one-on-one reps against talented defensive backs.

Kaydin Jones

The second OK Preps standout the Sooners' are looking to bring on board in the 2026 recruiting class is Jenks (OK) running back Kaydin Jones.

As a sophomore in 2023, Jones helped lead the Trojans to a state championship berth, where the team ultimately fell to the Bixby Spartans. Despite the loss, Jones had an impressive showing, running well out of the backfield and even making plays as a pass catcher when split out wide.

Listed at 6-feet tall and 185 pounds, Jones is rated the No. 101 overall player and No. 14 running back in the nation, according to On3. DeMarco Murray and company seem to be in a good position with the Tulsa-area standout, whose dad is former OU running back Kejuan Jones.

Like James, Jones made a handful of visits to Norman last fall and was back in the spring and over the summer. Jones also seems to have a good relationship with O'Neal, which should help Oklahoma recruit the star tailback.

In early July, Jones included OU, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Oregon, Miami, Michigan State, Missouri, Louisville and Vanderbilt in his top 11 schools list.

Deuce Geralds

Daverin "Deuce" Geralds could be the "big fish" the Sooners go hunting for in the 2026 recruiting class.

Rated the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 1 defensive lineman in the nation, according to Rivals, Geralds would be another huge addition along the defensive line for Venables and company after landing 5-star d-lineman David Stone and 5-star edge rusher PJ Adebawore in the the last two classes.

After visiting Norman over the summer, Geralds seemingly liked what he saw, scheduling three more visits to the Sooner State in the fall.

A star at Collins Hill (GA) in Suwanee, GA, Geralds racked up 30 tackles for loss and 14 sacks as just a sophomore in high school.

Hunter Higgins

Finally, Miguel Chavis and company seem to have their sights set on 3-star Maize South (KS) edge rusher Hunter Higgins.

Listed at 6-5 and 245 pounds, Higgins has a good frame and great length that would make him an ideal fit in the SEC. Rated the No. 25 edge rusher in the nation, according to 247Sports, Higgins holds offers from OU, Nebraska, Mississippi, Kansas State, Michigan, USC, Missouri and many others.

The Sooners seem to be in a good spot with Higgins, however, as the talented edge rusher made the trek to Norman for Oklahoma's summer football camp in June.

During his time on campus, Higgins not only showed off a quick first step in one-on-one drills, but was pulled aside to get individual coaching from Chavis while the rest of the edge group was doing drills in line.

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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 bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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