Oklahoma’s trip to Michigan ended in a 17-10 loss on Saturday, but the Sooners still picked up some encouraging recruiting news in the Class of 2028.
Rivals vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for Oklahoma to land safety Drake Coellner, a Midwest prospect out of Carmel, Ind. Coellner is listed at 6-foot and 190 pounds, and the recruiting services have him pegged as one of the better defensive backs in the class. Rivals ranks him as a 4-star recruit and the No. 281 prospect in 2028, while 247Sports lists him as a 3-star and the No. 24 safety.
Coellner’s sophomore season at Carmel High School in 2025 was a productive one. He finished with 72 tackles, four interceptions, three pass breakups, two tackles for loss, a pick-six and a fumble recovery.
Even with the distance from Norman, Coellner has already made multiple trips to Oklahoma. He attended the Sooners’ 17-6 win over Missouri in Nov. 2025 and also took an unofficial visit for Oklahoma’s spring game in April.
The Sooners, though, are hardly alone in the race. Coellner has also taken unofficial visits to Indiana, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Miami, Penn State, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Clemson. He has also been to Ann Arbor several times, including for Michigan’s win over Oklahoma.
Another Class of 2028 safety is also on Oklahoma’s radar. Jaelyn Easterling-Flores is scheduled to visit with the Sooners’ staff on Oct. 10, when Oklahoma meets Texas in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl, according to 247Sports’ Collin Kennedy.
A native of Goodyear, Ariz., Easterling-Flores is a consensus 4-star and top-100 prospect. In 247Sports’ composite rankings, he checks in as the No. 59 overall player in the 2028 class.
As a sophomore at Desert Edge High School in 2025, Easterling-Flores posted 45 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Kennedy’s report also says Easterling-Flores will visit Texas, Auburn and Miami during the fall. He is teammates with Mikyal Davis, a Class of 2027 cornerback who is already committed to Oklahoma.
Oklahoma also added two new offers over the last week, including one for 2028 defensive lineman Brynnen Thompson. Thompson, who is 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, is unranked by the major recruiting networks and holds offers from Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Penn State and Boston College.
The other new offer went to 2028 safety Terence Parsee, who picked up an Oklahoma offer on Thursday. Parsee is from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and is listed at 6-foot and 175 pounds. 247Sports’ composite rankings have him as a consensus 3-star prospect and the No. 616 player in the class.
Parsee’s offer list is already loaded. Along with Oklahoma, he has offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Arizona State, UCLA, Cal, North Carolina and Arizona.
In Other News...
John Mateer Just Fueled An Oklahoma Quarterback Debate
John Mateers Oklahoma debut gave the Sooners a first real look at what their offense can be, and what still needs work. He finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the 17-10 loss to Michigan, but the larger story was how uneven the operation looked around him. The reshuffled offensive line made it harder for Oklahoma to settle into a rhythm, and the passing game never quite found its footing.
Mateers arm talent was evident at times, but the accuracy and timing issues were hard to ignore, especially on a few critical incompletions. The fourth-quarter interception only sharpened the conversation about who should be driving this offense as the Sooners move deeper into the season, because the first impression left plenty of room for debate. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces One Pressure Point Against New Mexico After Michigan Loss
After the setback at Michigan, Oklahoma returns home in Week 3 looking to steady things against a New Mexico team that has opened 2-0 and has handled its first two opponents convincingly. The Sooners still have the kind of talent and reputation that make them a heavy favorite on paper, but the mood around the program is more about correction than celebration after an offense that never found much rhythm in Ann Arbor.
What makes Saturday interesting is how quickly a home game can turn into a pressure test when the previous loss exposed some obvious issues. Oklahoma will be expected to control the line of scrimmage and clean up the mistakes that helped sink it against Michigan, while New Mexico has already shown enough confidence to make this more than a routine tune-up. The Sooners need a more complete performance, and this one feels like an early chance to show whether the last week was a blip or a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A Season Long Question It Can't Ignore
A rough Saturday rippled through college football, and Oklahoma was part of the shockwave. While Ohio State and Oregon each had their own problems in losses that turned on missed chances and uneven coaching, the Sooners left the day with a far more familiar concern hanging over them: the passing game never found a real rhythm against Michigan.
For Oklahoma, that is what makes the result sting beyond one bad afternoon. A loss can be survived in September, but the inability to throw the ball with confidence is the kind of issue that follows a team from one week to the next, and now it sits there as a season-long question the Sooners cant avoid. [Read more 🡒]