Texas vs. OU: How they were ranked as high school prospects
Both Texas and Oklahoma are undefeated heading into one of the biggest rivalries in sports, as the Red River Shootout returns Saturday. Here is a Rivals star breakdown of their rosters as both the Longhorns and Sooners continue to battle for many of the same elite prospects.
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FIVE-STARS
When it comes to five-stars, Texas holds the distinct advantage here as the Longhorns have especially loaded up with elite prospects recently.
There are six five-stars on Texas’ roster compared to three at Oklahoma as quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, wide receiver Johntay Cook, offensive lineman Devon Campbell and linebacker Anthony Hill lead the way for the Longhorns.
For the Sooners, all three of their five-stars came in their loaded 2023 recruiting class in quarterback Jackson Arnold, defensive lineman Adepoju Adebawore and safety Peyton Bowen.
Ewers is starting to back up his five-star ranking as he’s thrown for 1,358 yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception so far this season and he’s also tied for a team-high with five rushing scores. Campbell is emerging as an elite offensive lineman, Sanders is third on the team in receptions and Hill already has 17 tackles and two sacks this season.
On the Oklahoma side, Arnold is waiting his turn behind QB Dillon Gabriel but has already shown promise, Adebawore has five tackles and 1.5 sacks but is looking for more playing time and Bowen is already fourth on the team with 18 tackles and two pass breakups.
EDGE: Texas
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FOUR-STARS
This is where the bulk of the Texas and Oklahoma rosters exist, and the Sooners have three more four-stars (47) than the Longhorns heading into Saturday’s matchup.
An argument could be made that some of them should have been five-stars as well.
Oklahoma has five four-star running backs on its roster, led by leading rusher Marcus Major. Ten offensive linemen were ranked as four-stars. Some top defensive players like Jaren Kanak, Kip Lewis, Key Lawrence, Gentry Williams, Billy Bowman and others were all four-stars.
While Oklahoma edges out Texas in the four-star realm, the Longhorns are loaded there as well.
Top running back Jonathan Brooks is one of four four-stars on the Texas roster, along with leading receivers Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell, a whole host of offensive linemen, including Kelvin Banks and many others.
On defense, four-star standouts David Gbenda, Ryan Watts and Jerrin Thompson are just a few that had that ranking coming out of high school. There are also some three-star prospects who are clearly outshining their ranking as well.
EDGE: Oklahoma
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THREE-STARS
It’s nearly a draw among three-star prospects on the Oklahoma and Texas rosters as the Sooners have 30 and Texas is at 29. As is always the case, both squads have three-stars who have clearly outplayed their ranking over the years.
Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel was a three-star coming out of high school as the Mililani, Hawaii, lefty had a circuitous route to the Sooners that started with a pledge to Army, then a flip to UCF and then a transfer to Norman. Heading into this rivalry matchup, Gabriel has thrown for more than 12,000 yards with 110 TDs.
Leading receivers Andrel Anthony and Nicholas Anderson for the Sooners were three-stars. Leading tackler Danny Stutsman has more than twice as many tackles as anyone else on Oklahoma’s roster and he was a mid-three-star out of Winter Garden (Fla.) Foundation Academy who wasn’t offered by any of the big in-state schools.
On the Texas side, offensively many of the star players were five- or four-stars, but on defense leading tackler Jaylan Ford was a three-star linebacker and defensive back Jahdae Barron, who has 20 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery, was a three-star from Waco (Texas) Connally.
SLIGHT EDGE: Oklahoma
| OKLAHOMA | TEXAS |
|---|---|
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QB Jackson Arnold 5-star Davis Beville 4 Dillon Gabriel 3 |
QB Quinn Ewers 5-star Arch Manning 5 Maalik Murphy 4 Charles Wright 3 Cole Lourd 3 |
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RB Jovantae Barnes 4-star Marcus Major 4 Daylan Smothers 4 Gavin Sawchuk 4 Emeka Megwa 4 Kalib Hicks - 3 |
RB CJ Baxter 4-star Keilan Robinson 4 Jaydon Blue 4 Jonathan Brooks 4 Savion Red 3 |
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WR/TE Jayden Gibson 4-star Jalil Farooq 4 LV Bunkley-Shelton 4 Austin Stogner 4 Jason Llewelyn 4 Brenen Thompson 4 Jaquaize Pettaway 4 Kaden Helms 4 Nicholas Anderson 3 Andrel Anthony 3 Drake Stoops 3 JJ Hester 3 Blake Smith 3 Hampton Fay 3 Kade McIntyre 3 |
WR/TE Ja’Tavion Sanders 5-star Johntay Cook 5 Xavier Worthy 4 Ryan Niblett 4 Deandre Moore 4 Gunnar Helm 4 Jordan Whittington 4 Adonai Mitchell 4 Casey Cain 3 Will Randle 3 Spencer Shannon 3 Juan Davis 3 Isaiah Neyor 2 |
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OL Aaryn Parks 4-star Savion Byrd 4 Joshua Bates 4 Nate Anderson 4 Cayden Green 4 Andrew Raym 4 Jake Taylor 4 Walter Rouse 4 Jacob Sexton 4 Logan Howland 4 Heath Ozaeta 3 McKade Mettauer 3 Troy Everett 3 Ethan Lane 3 Caleb Shaffer 2 |
OL Devon Campbell 5-star Cole Hutson 4 Cameron Williams 4 Kelvin Banks 4 Jaydon Chatman 4 Neto Umeozulu 4 Malik Agbo 4 Jake Majors 4 Sawyer Goram-Welch 3 Connor Stroh 3 Hayden Conner 3 Andre Cojoe 3 Max Merrill 3 Trevor Goosby 3 Payton Kirkland 3 Connor Robertson 3 Christian Jones 3 Lance St. Louis 2 |
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DL PJ Adebawore 5-star Marcus Stripling 4 Gracen Halton 4 Jacob Lacey 4 Taylor Wein 4 Kelvin Gilliam 4 Trace Ford 3 Phil Paea 3 Isaiah Coe 3 Jordan Kelley 3 Rondell Bothroyd 3 Ashton Sanders 3 Markus Strong 3 Ethan Downs 3 R Mason Thomas 3 Jonah Laulu 2 Da’Jon Terry 2 Davon Sears 2 |
DL Justice Finkley 4-star J’Mond Tapp 4 Vernon Broughton 4 Sydir Mitchell 4 Jaray Bledsoe 4 Alfred Collins 4 Zac Swanson 4 Ethan Burke 4 Colton Vasek 4 Tausili Akana 4 Billy Walton 3 Kristopher Ross 3 Trill Carter 3 T’Vondre Sweat 3 Barryn Sorrell 3 Byron Murphy 3 Aaron Bryant 3 |
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LB Dasan McCullough 4-star Jaren Kanak 4 Kip Lewis 4 Samuel Ogosigho 4 Kobie McKinzie 4 Phil Picciotti 4 Lewis Carter 4 Reggie Grimes 4 Shane Whitter 3 Danny Stutsman 3 Blake Heim 3 |
LB Anthony Hill 5-star Liona Lefau 4 David Gbenda 4 Derion Gullette 4 Smaje Burrell 3 Morice Blackwell 3 Jaylan Ford 3 Jett Bush 2 |
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DB Peyton Bowen 5-star Billy Bowman 4 Robert Spears-Jennings 4 Daeh McCullough 4 Jasiah Wagoner 4 Woodi Washington 4 Jayden Rowe 4 Makari Vickers 4 Gentry Williams 4 Jacobe Johnson 4 Key Lawrence 4 Justin Harrington 3 Kani Walker 3 Kendel Dolby 3 Reggie Pearson 3 Erik McCarty 3 |
DB Derek Williams 4-star Jaylon Guilbeau 4 Warren Roberson 4 Jerrin Thompson 4 Jelani McDonald 4 Kitan Crawford 4 Austin Jordan 4 Malik Muhammad 4 Ryan Watts 4 BJ Allen 4 Terrance Brooks 4 Larry Turner-Gooden 4 Jalen Catalon 4 Gavin Holmes 3 Xavion Brice 3 Jahdae Barron 3 |