Oklahoma’s 2028 recruiting class has been stuck in neutral for months, but the temperature is suddenly climbing fast.
After a quiet stretch, the Sooners have started stacking predictions for a handful of key targets, and the timing is no accident. Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman and Steve Wiltfong have both spent the week logging expert picks in Oklahoma’s favor ahead of Saturday night’s game against New Mexico, when the Sooners will host a long list of visitors.
The class already got a boost in July when four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri flipped from Notre Dame and became the first addition since running back Micah Rhodes had decommitted. Then came another important pickup this week, when four-star tight end Connor Arant of Bixby High School committed. That could be the start of a much bigger run.
A few more names now look close to joining him.
Four-star safety Drake Coellner remains one of the most likely additions. Oklahoma is pushing hard for the Indiana prospect, and Rivals gives the Sooners a 92% chance to land him, with Indiana next at 2%.
Coellner is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 24 safety in the 2028 class. The wrinkle here is that Michigan recently hosted him, and the Wolverines beat Oklahoma while he was watching.
He has already visited Indiana too, so a decision feels close.
Four-star wide receiver Dedrick Kimbrough looks even closer. At this point, it reads less like a recruitment and more like a matter of when he makes it official.
Rivals has Oklahoma at 96%, and 247Sports already has a Crystal Ball Prediction in with a 100% confidence rate. The 6-foot-3 receiver is the No. 29 wideout in the class and the No. 10 player from Alabama, according to the 247Sports Composite, which would keep the Sooners’ “Bama Sooners” pipeline rolling.
Kimbrough will be in Norman this weekend, so that momentum could turn into a commitment quickly.
@TrentSeaborn.
2028 4-Star WR Dedrick Kimbrough @the1_DK on receiving end.
Video via @JyeNance. pic.twitter.com/jhKcUGBeG3
- Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) September 12, 2026
Another target trending toward Norman is four-star linebacker Jay Schell. The Georgia prospect, whose dad played at Clemson, once looked like a battle for Clemson or Georgia.
Instead, Oklahoma appears to have surged to the front. Schell said in August that the choice was down to OU or Clemson, and both Rivals and 247Sports now have him headed to Oklahoma.
He visited Clemson last week while the Tigers were struggling with Georgia Southern, and he’ll be at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Michigan has also entered the picture recently, which could slow things down, but the Sooners still seem to have the edge.
Schell is listed at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, and the 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 8 linebacker and No. 142 overall prospect in the class.
Then there’s Kenyon Sweat, the Oklahoma receiver who probably should have already been in the fold. Sweat, a Cache High School product, had been waiting on an OU offer, and once it came in August, multiple recruiting experts predicted within 24 hours that he would end up a Sooner.
The three-star wideout is 6-foot and brings speed to the table. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 54 receiver in the class after a recent rise that figures to keep continuing.
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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
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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 🡒]