Oklahoma’s upcoming home schedule is starting to double as a recruiting showcase, and the Sooners are lining up some of the biggest names in the 2028 class.
The headliner is Jayshawn Mitchell, the No. 1 running back in the cycle, who is set to be in Norman for Oklahoma’s Oct. 31 game against South Carolina, according to Sam Spiegelman of Rivals. Mitchell, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior at San Antonio Brennan High School, is a consensus 4-star prospect and has been piling up production this season with 742 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in six games.
He has also added 14 catches for 311 yards and five scores. Spiegelman reported that Mitchell was at Georgia on Saturday for the Bulldogs’ win over Vanderbilt, and that he is also expected to visit Ohio State and Texas during the fall.
Oklahoma is also set to bring in interior offensive lineman Nick McChesney for a gameday visit when the Sooners host Texas A&M on Nov. 21, per Collin Kennedy of 247Sports. McChesney, a Littleton, Colo., product, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds and is a consensus 3-star recruit.
247Sports has him as the No. 7 player in Colorado from the 2028 class. Kennedy added that McChesney’s fall stops also include USC, Arizona State and Nebraska, along with a couple of FCS visits.
The Sooners have also landed in the top group for one of the best players in their own backyard. Class of 2028 athlete Kamieon Compton-Nero, the No. 1 recruit from Oklahoma, included OU in his top five, per Hayes Fawcett of On3.
Compton-Nero, from Owasso, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds and is a consensus top-100 prospect. In 247Sports’ composite rankings, he checks in at No. 45 overall in the class.
Oklahoma is recruiting him as a safety, and he put together a big sophomore season at Rejoice Christian in 2025 with 95 tackles, five interceptions and three return touchdowns before moving on to Owasso High School. Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Alabama and SMU are the other schools still in the hunt.
Edge rusher Keoni Snipes also trimmed his list, and Oklahoma made the cut in his top 10, according to Fawcett. Snipes, from Saraland, Ala., is listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds and is ranked as a 4-star recruit by all major services.
247Sports places him at No. 71 overall and No. 14 among edge rushers in the 2028 class. As a sophomore at Saraland High School, he posted 30 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
The other schools still in play are Georgia, Texas, Miami, Florida, Texas A&M, Oregon, Auburn, LSU and Alabama. Snipes is also the high school teammate of 2027 quarterback Jamison Roberts, who has been committed to Oklahoma since March.
In Other News...
Oklahoma's Run Game Desperately Needs What Tory Blaylock Could Bring
Oklahomas ground game has been grinding through a difficult 2026 season, and the Sooners are still looking for a spark to make it more functional. Through the early going, they have been stuck at 99 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry, with Lloyd Avant taking on the bulk of the work but finding little room to break through consistently.
Tory Blaylock could be the piece that changes the feel of that offense. The sophomore missed time with an injury and has only had limited carries so far, but his past efficiency and speed have stood out enough to make him a real candidate for a bigger role moving forward. If Oklahoma is going to get its run game moving in the right direction, Blaylock looks like the kind of back who could help it happen. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Just Picked Up More Pressure At Oklahoma
Brent Venables is entering the kind of stretch that can change the mood around a program fast. Oklahoma already has two losing seasons in the last four years under Venables, and even with a contract extension through 2031, the early part of the 2026 season has done little to quiet the unease. A 2-2 start and the offenses uneven play have put the Sooners in an uncomfortable spot, where patience is getting tested against expectations.
The path ahead does not offer much relief. Oklahoma still has a brutal schedule in front of it, with multiple ranked opponents left to navigate, and the margin for error is already thin if the Sooners want to get back to bowl eligibility. They need to win at least half of their remaining games, so the next month will say plenty about whether this season becomes a rebound or another frustration point in Venables tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Jackson Is Giving Oklahoma Exactly What This Defense Needed
Jayden Jackson has been one of the steadying forces for Oklahomas defense early in the 2026 season, giving the Sooners dependable play in the middle while the rest of the unit works through some uneven moments. The junior defensive tackle has piled up 15 total tackles and backed that up with a strong Pro Football Focus defensive grade, the kind of production that helps explain why the front has stayed effective even as the defense around him has had to keep adjusting.
What makes Jacksons start even more valuable is the timing. Oklahoma has been good on that side of the ball, but the missed tackles have been hard to ignore, with 49 of them over the first four games, and that leaves plenty of room for the Sooners to tighten things up. Senior captain Kip Lewis has pointed to Jacksons consistency and leadership as part of that process, and for a defense still chasing cleaner execution, having a player in the interior who keeps showing up the same way every week matters. [Read more 🡒]
