Oklahoma and Texas are set to take the field this weekend in the Red River Rivalry, one of the sport's biggest rivalries. The two are undefeated heading into the matchup during their final season in the Big 12 with lofty goals for the remainder of the fall.
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Cole Patterson takes a look at some of the biggest storylines surrounding both programs on the recruiting trail.
*****
MORE: Texas vs. OU: How they were ranked as high school prospects
FIVE-STAR CHECKUP: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 and 2018
FINAL 2023 TEAM RANKINGS: Comprehensive (overall) ranking | High school/JUCO ranking | Transfer portal ranking
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer portal player ranking | Transfer portal team ranking | Transfer Tracker | Message board
*****
Conference recruiting crown
Texas and Oklahoma are always leading the way on the recruiting trail in the Big 12. To no surprise, that is no different this cycle as both the Longhorns and Sooners prep for life in the competitive SEC..
Head coach Brent Venables and the Sooners currently lead the way in the rankings heading into Saturday's game. Despite a rough first season of the Venables era, Oklahoma has been able to successfully sell its message and pitch its vision for several top prospects on their recruiting board.
Oklahoma sits at No. 6 nationally in the Rivals team recruiting class rankings. The class consists of one five-star prospect, 15 four-star recruits and eight three-star pledges. Which is good for 2,498 points, not far behind Notre Dame, who rounds out the top-five.
Meanwhile, Texas is on the outside looking in for the top-10. The Longhorns land at No. 13 nationally, bolstering commitments from one five-star, 12 four-stars and four three-stars. Obviously, neither side is done on the trail so there will be changes between now and signing day.
*****
5-stars in the boat
Each program has a commitment from a five-star prospect. And both the Longhorns and Sooners won out in contested recruiting battles to get that five-star in their respective class.
For Texas, the Longhorns beat out LSU for five-star Colin Simmons in a recruitment that went all the way down to the wire. Miami was also involved and other programs tried to stay in the mix, but it was truly a two-team race between the Longhorns and Tigers for the Duncanville (Texas) pass rusher.
Ultimately, Simmons announced for Texas during a commitment ceremony that also saw his teammate and Rivals100 running back Caden Durham - who was a top OU target - announce for LSU. Steve Sarkisian has reeled in some big-time commitments since arriving in Austin, but there's no doubt that Simmons is the crown jewel of this year's cycle.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, earned a commitment from their own five-star defender in David Stone. Ranked as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the class, Stone is a physically impressive player in the trenches that should fit perfectly with what Venables wants to do on that side of the ball.
The Sooners held off serious pushes from both Michigan State and Miami for Stone, who is originally from the Sooner State but attends IMG Academy in Florida.
*****
5-stars still on the board
Naturally, both programs are still in the mix to add more five-star firepower in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Sooners have their eyes on flipping one prospect that is committed elsewhere, while the Longhorns are heavily in contention for an elite pass catcher.
Williams Nwaneri committed to Missouri over Oklahoma in another recruitment that went down to the wire. Both sides were confident in the lead up to the decision before the Tigers won out for the in-state defender.
But the Sooners have not let up in their pursuit, and Nwaneri was even seen wearing OU gloves this season. Oklahoma's continued push for the five-star defensive end is without a doubt a storyline worth keeping close tabs on.
And for Texas, the Longhorns missed out on Micah Hudson to Texas Tech in September, but they have shifted the focus to five-star wideout Ryan Wingo. Wingo has taken multiple visits to Austin and there was even though that he could have gone public with a commitment by now.
Instead, Wingo has held off in making any kind of announcement to this point. And he'll be at Missouri's game against LSU this weekend instead of the Red River Rivarly, which is worth noting. Still, my FutureCast favors the Longhorns and Texas remains in solid position to land the difference-making offensive weapon out of St. Louis.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
