The Oklahoma Sooners are rolling out the red carpet for Kellan Hall this weekend, and for good reason.
Hall, a 2028 five-star defensive lineman, will be the featured visitor in Norman on Saturday night when No. 24 Oklahoma hosts New Mexico at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It’s his fourth reported trip to OU, and the Sooners have made him one of their biggest recruiting priorities.
At 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Hall looks the part of a program-changing defensive lineman. The 247Sports Composite has him as the No. 2 prospect in the country, the top defensive lineman in the class and the best player in Kentucky out of Christian Academy of Louisville. ESPN also slotted him at No. 20 on its list of the top 25 high school recruits regardless of class and position.
Oklahoma’s push has gone well beyond the usual recruiting pitch. SoonerScoop reported in August that the Sooners’ defensive line room already has a group chat that includes Hall, a tactic that mirrors what the program did years ago with defensive tackle David Stone, another five-star recruit.
Even Gerald McCoy has gotten involved. The Oklahoma legend has been helping with the Sooners’ pitch, especially after Hall picked up an offer from Texas.
McCoy wrote: "Hey kid not to rain on your parade but wanted to point something out…….. Texas is a top 5 school in the country.
Gods to honest truth I believe that. Anybody should be honored to go there but go ahead and let them down easy man.
Don’t play with their emotions……. You see how…"
For now, that effort has Oklahoma in front. Rivals gives the Sooners an 81% chance to land Hall, with Kentucky next at 4%. No expert predictions have been logged yet.
Still, this recruitment is nowhere near finished. Hall has already named a final group of 12 schools: Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Miami, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon and Kentucky. He has also lined up 10 game-day visits across the season before making a choice.
He has already been to Oregon and Kentucky this season, and his remaining scheduled trips include Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame and Tennessee.
That leaves Oklahoma with a big opportunity this weekend to make its strongest impression yet. After that, the Sooners may have to wait months and hope no other school can top what they put on the table in Norman.
OU already has two 2028 commits in the fold: four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferria and four-star tight end Connor Arant, who made his decision this week out of Bixby High School. More pledges could follow soon, especially with a crowd of fellow targets also visiting Norman. But if Hall ends up choosing the Sooners, he would be the clear headliner of the class.
In Other News...
Brent Venables Just Turned Oklahoma's Offense Into A Bigger Problem
Oklahomas win over New Mexico did little to quiet the noise around the Sooners offense, and Brent Venables made sure of that afterward. The head coach was blunt in his assessment of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, saying the unit has to improve significantly after a sluggish showing that left plenty of frustration behind even in victory.
The tension has been building beyond the sideline, too, with fans chanting for Arbuckles firing during the game as the offense struggled to find a rhythm. Venables stopped short of offering any real backing for his coordinators current work, which only sharpened the focus on what Oklahoma expects to change next and how quickly it has to happen. [Read more 🡒]
John Mateer Didn't Hide Oklahoma's Biggest Offensive Concern
John Mateer didnt try to dodge the rough edges after Oklahomas win over New Mexico. The quarterback owned both interceptions, said his mistakes affected the teams performance and pointed back to the previous trip to Michigan as part of the emotional reset he had to make before moving forward. His faith, he said, helped him clear his head and get back to work, which fit the tone of a player who knows the standard in Norman leaves little room for self-protection.
Mateer also put his finger on a broader issue the Sooners still need to clean up: the running game. He said Oklahoma has to be better there and admitted he missed some run checks, a detail that matters because the offense cannot afford wasted chances if it wants to keep growing. For a team trying to stack cleaner performances, the candid part is easy enough to appreciate - the harder part is turning that self-scouting into a more consistent Saturday product. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's Win Over New Mexico Raised A Bigger Concern Before Georgia
Oklahoma got the result it needed against New Mexico, but the performance did little to calm nerves around the Sooners. A 14-6 win sounds tidy enough on paper, yet the way it unfolded told a different story, with John Mateer throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions while the offense struggled to sustain drives.
David Stones late stop helped keep New Mexico from turning the afternoon into something worse, but the bigger issue is what the Sooners showed on offense heading into Georgia. Even a missed field goal attempt late in the game drew boos from the crowd, a clear sign that the margin for error is shrinking fast as Oklahoma tries to sort out its rhythm. [Read more 🡒]