Brent Venables and Oklahoma may not have put on a pretty show Saturday night, but the Sooners still apparently made an impression where it counted.
Just two days after 2028 five-star defensive tackle Kellan Hall was in Norman to watch Oklahoma scrape past New Mexico 14-6, Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman logged an expert prediction for the Sooners to land Hall. Spiegelman’s pick came with a 60% confidence level, and Rivals now gives Oklahoma an 87.4% chance to eventually secure his commitment.
Hall would instantly stand out as the prize of OU’s 2028 class if he does end up in Norman. Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN all place him inside their top 10 overall prospects.
247Sports has him at No. 6, Rivals slots him at No. 2 and ESPN ranks him No.
- He’s also viewed as a five-star talent by every major service, and ESPN ranked him this summer as the 20th-best prospect regardless of class and position.
The 247Sports Composite lists Hall as the top defensive lineman in the 2028 class and the best prospect in Kentucky, where he plays at Christian Academy of Louisville. He’s still a junior, but his frame already looks the part at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds.
Oklahoma has gone hard after him. The Sooners’ current defensive linemen formed a group chat with Hall, and former OU star Gerald McCoy has also pitched in on social media.
That push has kept Oklahoma in front in the race, even if this recruitment still feels like a long one. Hall’s visit to Norman came early in a loaded schedule, and he still has trips lined up for Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame and Tennessee. He’ll be in Georgia on Saturday, the same day as the Sooners, who are expected to get dominated.
The scene inside Memorial Stadium did little to help the offense’s case. OU fans booed, but the frustration was aimed squarely at that side of the ball. Offensive recruits can picture themselves helping flip that unit someday, though they also know offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle probably won’t be around by the time they arrive.
Venables’ defense, on the other hand, is the selling point that keeps holding up. It was the reason Oklahoma avoided the upset, and it remains one of the best defenses in college football.
Venables also has the kind of long runway that matters in recruiting: right before this season, he signed a two-year extension through 2031. By then, Hall should already be headed toward the NFL, which makes Venables look like the biggest draw Oklahoma has in this chase.
Hall would be the first defensive commitment in OU’s 2028 class. The Sooners already have four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri on board from July and added four-star tight end Connor Arant last week.
In Other News...
Kirby Smart Just Put Oklahomas Brent Venables Defense In The Spotlight
Ahead of a matchup that already carries plenty of weight, Georgia coach Kirby Smart made sure to put Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables in the conversation for all the right reasons. Smart pointed to Venables reputation as a top-tier defensive mind and the history between the two coaches from Venables Clemson days, a reminder that this meeting is as much about elite game-planning as it is about the records each team brings in.
For Oklahoma, that kind of public praise only adds to the spotlight on Venables unit, which will be tested by one of the sports most familiar and demanding opponents. The Sooners have a chance to show that their defense can travel against a Georgia program that expects to dictate terms, and the buildup only sharpens the significance of whats coming next. [Read more 🡒]
John Mateer Heard The Boos With Georgia Up Next
John Mateer didnt need anyone to explain the frustration inside the stadium Saturday. Oklahomas quarterback said he heard the boos after two early interceptions against New Mexico, and while the Sooners still came away with a 14-6 win, the first-year signal-caller clearly knows the margin for error shrinks fast when the competition gets better. He settled in enough to finish with a 76% completion rate, 238 yards and two touchdowns, but the early mistakes were impossible to ignore.
Now the attention turns quickly to a much bigger test with No. 2 Georgia coming to town. For Oklahoma, the win over New Mexico was enough to survive, not enough to feel comfortable, and Mateers ability to clean up the giveaways will loom large against a defense that wont be nearly as forgiving. The Sooners got the result they needed, but the next one is where the conversation gets serious. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Defense Is Carrying A Problem Sooners Fans Cant Ignore
Brent Venables has done exactly what Oklahoma hired him to do on the defensive side, turning that group into a far more reliable unit and pushing the Sooners up the national rankings in points allowed. It has given Oklahoma a sturdier identity and a chance to stay in games even when things get messy, which is a major shift from the recent past.
The problem is the other side of the ball has not kept pace. Since offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and quarterback Dillon Gabriel moved on, the Sooners have had trouble finding the same rhythm, and the imbalance is becoming harder to overlook. For a program built to contend, the question now is whether a defense this good can keep carrying the load while the offense searches for answers. [Read more 🡒]