Sooners Sign 27 on First Day of Early Period

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced the signing of 27 members of OU’s 2024 recruiting class Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period.

Of the 27 signees, 22 are ranked as four- or five-star prospects on a five-star scale by recruiting sites 247Sports, ESPN, On3 or Rivals, while five others received three-star ratings. The early signing period lasts through Friday, while the regular signing period runs from Feb. 7 through April 1.

As of 12:30 p.m. CT, the Sooners’ class ranked No. 5 nationally by Rivals, No. 8 in the 247Sports composite and ESPN rankings and No. 9 by On3.

“I’m really excited,” Venables said. “We represent 14 different states and England with the high school kids, with almost half the class coming from the state of Oklahoma and the state of Texas. I really feel great about the lines of scrimmage. With a few of the portal additions we’ll have, when it’s all said and done, we’ll have approximately 16 offensive and defensive linemen who will reinforce the trenches, where the game is won and lost. I love the speed that we have in this class. I love the physicality of this class on both sides of the ball.”

All 27 of Wednesday’s signees are high school seniors. Fourteen of the signees are offensive players (two quarterbacks, two running backs, four wide receivers, one tight end and five offensive linemen) and 13 are defensive players (five defensive linemen/ends, one linebacker and seven defensive backs).

The Sooners signed three players who are rated as the top recruit in their state or country in Oklahoma defensive end Danny Okoye, Kansas defensive back Michael Boganowski and England offensive lineman Daniel Akinkunmi. Nine prospects are rated among the top 10 nationally at their respective position by at least one recruiting service, 13 signees are rated among the top 15 at their position and a total of 18 are rated among the top 25 at their position.

The state of Texas produced the most OU signees on Wednesday with seven, while Oklahoma produced six and Ohio two. The Sooners signed one player each from Alabama, Arizona, England, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada and North Carolina.

“I just want to thank our staff for their relentlessness and all their work in helping put together a top-notch recruiting class and building the program the right way with amazing people,” Venables said. “It goes without saying that it wasn’t in the last month or so that they’ve been working tirelessly; it was several years in the making.

“I would also like to thank all of our players. You don’t attract the quality of the people that this class represents – both as people and players – without being a shining example of what we want in our locker room and how we do what we do. I’ll always believe the young men in our locker room have a multiplier effect.”

The 12th-ranked Sooners will play No. 14 Arizona in the Valero Alamo Bowl at 8:20 p.m. CT on Dec. 28 in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised by ESPN.