How University of Oklahoma football is protecting its backyard and keeping more in-state prospects home

Recruiting efforts by staff, upcoming SEC move among key reasons Sooners keeping in-state stars home

Michael Kinney | Oct 5, 2023

College coaches will often declare there is nothing more important than protecting your own backyard when it comes to recruiting.

To allow other programs to come into their home state and steal prized talent is a cardinal sin among some coaches and fan bases.

Yet, an even more unforgivable faux pas is just plain overlooking the players all together. Both were criticisms former University of Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley had been accused of during his tenure with the Sooners.

Top 25 Oklahoma high school football rankings (10/4/2023)

Even though the numbers may not bear that to be true, that was the prevailing feeling throughout the Sooner nation.

So it should not have been a surprise that when Brent Venables took over the program after the 2021 season, he appeared to have made protecting his backyard a premium.

“You don't see Rolls Royce commercials ever,” Venables said during his introductory press conference in 2021. “And I'm not saying this in an egotistical way, but Oklahoma and its rich history, tradition, success, takes a back seat to nobody. So we shouldn't have to go across the country to the mega-camps where there's 600 kids and 30 colleges.”

That has never been more apparent than the work he and his staff have done so far in 2023, especially on the heels of a 6-7 record in 2022, Venables' debut season.

As of Sept. 21, out of the Sooners' 24 total commits from the 2024 class, five come from inside the borders of Oklahoma.

They include Andy Bass (Heritage Hall), Xavier Robinson (Midwest City Carl Albert), Mykel Patterson-McDonald (Westmoore) and Josh Aisosa (Edmond Santa Fe). David Stone, who plays at IMG Academy in Florida, is a native of Oklahoma as well, having previously played at Del City.

“That was big for me. (Venables) actually Face Timed me (recently) and was talking about how he was kind of trying to build the family aspect and how people from the home state care about the program like no other,” said Bass, who was offered a spot as a preferred walk-on. “So, it means the world to me.”

The most recent addition to the ever-growing list is Danny Okoye. Hailing from NOAH in Tulsa, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound 4-star edge rusher verbally committed to the Sooners on Sept. 20.

It took Okoye time to understand just how crucial he would be to the program and what it would mean to stay home.

“I wasn’t even interested in OU at first,” Okoye said. “I saw that 6-7 season and it kind of made me look at them sideways; I’m not going to lie. But I really just gave them a chance, and listened to what (defensive ends) Coach (Miguel) Chavis was selling.

"I understood that one bad season doesn’t make a program. There are a lot of factors that went into why they had the season that they had. Looking at this season, I see a big change, and I know why that change is because I’ve been talking to them and keeping in communication with them in the offseason.”

While Okoye had to be somewhat convinced, Patterson-McDonald knew right away it was going to be hard to turn down the Sooners. The 5-10, 180-pound safety out of Westmoore was looking to follow in his family’s footsteps and that meant staying home.

“As a kid, I always wanted to play college football. I knew what I wanted to do from the start after watching my dad and my uncles,” said Patterson-McDonald. “It means a lot because they did something good, but I'm going to do it just as good, if not better.”

With Patterson-McDonald, Oklahoma showed they aren’t just reading through recruiting sites or following the action on social media. They were his first offer at any level.

“Gotta give a big shout-out to Coach Venables and his staff,” said Westmoore coach Lorenzo Williams. “The way they recruited him, the way they came after him and stuff like that.

"They kind of took a long shot on him to start off with because that was his first offer. So that's a big deal to get that offer first.”

Venables and Oklahoma have also been aided by their upcoming move to the SEC. That means a bigger stage than what the Big 12 was able to provide.

“That's the best competition in football, so that's what I want to do is go against the best,” said Bass, who committed as a preferred walk-on.

With the six verbal commits from Oklahoma in the 2024 class, that is more than the five they signed in 2023.

OU still has a couple of months before the early signing period and has their eyes on Washington High tight end Nate Roberts. The 6-4, 230-pound tight end is the No. 2 ranked tight end in the nation and after de-committing from Notre Dame, many believe the Sooners have jumped to the top of his list.

If Oklahoma is able to keep Roberts at home, that would certainly vault their 2024 class up the rankings. Currently, they are as high as No. 5 on various recruiting sites.

Yet, that only tells part of the story. The Sooners have already started racking up the commits in their 2025 class as well.

Jaden Nickens (Oklahoma City Millwood), Elijah Thomas (Checotah), Ace Hodges (OKC Casady), Bergin Kysar (Edmond Santa Fe), Liam Evans (Moore) and Kevin Sperry, who transferred from Rock Hill, Texas, to Carl Albert during the offseason, have all announced they will be playing for Oklahoma.

"Playing in front of Oklahoma, I get to have everyone come and watch me," said Nickens, who is a junior at Millwood High. "Playing in front of the whole state of Oklahoma and playing for the Eastside community, it really means a lot. Oklahoma is always in the loop, no matter what.

"Playing for OU, I've been seeing OU all my life. I've always been a Sooner since I was a kid. Man, I'm really lost for words."

Oklahoma City Millwood's Jaden Nickens :: Photo by Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Photo of Midwest City Carl Albert tailback Xavier Robinson (with ball)

-- Michael Kinney | @SBLiveOK

Published Oct 5, 2023

MICHAEL KINNEY