Oklahoma added another in-state piece to its 2028 class, landing a verbal commitment from Bixby tight end Connor Arant, according to Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.
At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Arant chose the Sooners over Alabama, Ohio State and others. He’s been a two-way standout at the Oklahoma high school powerhouse, and his production last season backed that up.
Arant caught seven passes for 129 yards and six touchdowns on offense. On defense, he was credited with 23 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks, along with two pass breakups and a forced fumble on the defensive line.
Recruiting services are split a bit on where he sits right now. Rivals lists Arant as a 3-star tight end and the No. 2 player in Oklahoma in the 2028 class. 247Sports’ Composite Ranking has him as a 4-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the state.
He joins 4-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri in Oklahoma’s 2028 recruiting class.
The Sooners’ tight end recruiting under new position coach Jason Witten is already moving fast. Witten also landed Class of 2027 tight end Seneca Driver, a 6-6, 234-pound prospect from Danville, Ky.
Driver is rated as a 5-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite Ranking, where he’s the No. 39 overall player and the No. 4 tight end. Rivals has him as a 4-star recruit, ranked No. 42 overall and the third-best tight end.
That position group has been part of the offense early this season, too. Florida transfer Hayden Hansen, Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers, Tennessee transfer Jack Van Dorselaer and Trynae Washington all saw action early in Oklahoma’s win over UTEP in the opener.
Ben Arbuckle leaned on tight ends less in last week’s 17-10 loss at The Big House to Michigan, but Beers still made a major impact. He led the Sooners with six catches for 94 yards, and his nine targets were second on the team behind receiver Isaiah Sategna.
Beers was also Oklahoma’s second-highest-rated offensive player, according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only receiver Mackenzie Alleyne, who scored the Sooners’ lone touchdown on one of his five offensive snaps.
In Other News...
Michael Hawkins Jr. Is Making Oklahomas QB Problem Even Harder To Ignore
Michael Hawkins Jr. has made an immediate impression since leaving Oklahoma for West Virginia, piling up productive rushing games against Coastal Carolina and UT Martin and showing the kind of dual-threat burst that once made him an intriguing option in Norman. For Oklahoma fans still watching from afar, it is a familiar sort of frustration: the former Sooner is finding his footing somewhere else, while the quarterback situation back home remains under a microscope.
John Mateer is still holding the starting job, but that has not quieted the debate around Oklahomas offense. The criticism has grown around his play, and with little proven depth behind him, the Sooners do not have many easy answers if they want a different look under center. Hawkins early success only sharpens the contrast between two quarterbacks with different styles, and it leaves Oklahoma trying to balance patience with a problem it cannot really ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's Run Game Debate Just Got A Telling Player Response
After Oklahomas loss to Michigan, the conversation around the Sooners run game quickly shifted from production to philosophy, with plenty of heat aimed at the game plan and play calling. One of the transfers in the backfield, Avant, offered a more measured read on how it all unfolded, saying he felt in rhythm during the game and believed the coach put him in the best position possible even if the workload did not look like many around the program expected.
Avants response matters because it cuts against the growing criticism and gives a glimpse at how the backfield is processing a performance that left plenty of questions behind. For Oklahoma, the issue is not just whether the offense can run the ball better, but how much of the frustration comes from execution and how much comes from the way the staff is choosing to use its backs, a debate that is only going to get louder if the ground game keeps looking this way. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma May Have Found Its Answer In The Backfield
Oklahomas early-season rushing issues have left Brent Venables searching for a steadier answer in the backfield, and Tory Blaylock is starting to re-enter that conversation. After missing the opener with a hamstring injury, the running back made his season debut recently, and Venables said Blaylock is now fully healthy and back in the mix for playing time.
For a Sooners offense that has needed more push on the ground, Blaylocks return gives the staff another option to lean on as the schedule tightens. His availability matters not just because of what he can add individually, but because Oklahoma has been looking for someone to help settle the run game into something more dependable. [Read more 🡒]