Oklahoma Recruiting Report (Mar. 15th)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It might be the offseason in Oklahoma and not much is going on across the state in football. But there's always something to cover and recruiting is in full swing across the state for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 classes. Each week, we'll take a look at some of the top stories happening in recruiting across Oklahoma. In our latest post today, we put a spotlight on the new staff at Tulsa and how they are attacking in-state recruiting. From signing local seniors to getting former Oklahoma standouts in the transfer portal, the new Golden Hurricane staff have made an immediate splash and local high school coaches are taking notice. We also caught up with new Tulsa coach Kevin Wilson recently and discussed the importance of recruiting their home state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Well I've always thought that you start in your own backyard, no matter what school I was at," Wilson said. "We're not going to get to every school. We're not going to like every player and every player isn't going to like us. But historically, this state has a strong history of good football."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilson went on to talk about being in Tulsa and all of the good football being played within Tulsa County. It was evident that the Tulsa-area programs have always impressed Wilson as he signed a total of nine in-state prospects when you include the transfers and seven of the nine prospects were from the Tulsa area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Wilson and the Tulsa staff were putting the finishing touches on their 2023 signing class, they also got a head start on the future classes and spent some serious time on the road all over Oklahoma. They were getting into the schools, shaking hands with high school coaches across the state and extending offers to some of the top prospects in the classes coming up. And that's just the start for the Tulsa coaches because they see these early offers as a way to begin a relationship that lasts even beyond that prospect's signing day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I don't know if we're going to get a kid just because we offer him early," Wilson said. "I think nowadays, you make an early offer to show that kid and his family that you are genuinely interested. That you're investing in having a relationship moving forward. A key with recruiting, especially locally is building great relationships. So we want to build those relationships so short term and long term, we can always be here for the kids in Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The short term impact on recruiting is evident by the nine in-state players they signed in December and February. It's also evident with nearly 20 in-state prospects right now holding offers from Tulsa after the first few months of the new staff. And that number is going to expand when spring practice rolls around in a couple months. But the long term impact is something that is worth taking a look at and with the landscape of college football right now, Tulsa's staff will be counting on those relationships moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the nearly 20 in-state prospects that currently hold offers from Tulsa, almost all of them also hold offers from "Power Five" programs. And history tells us that the majority of those kids who hold those P5 offers will end up signing at that level. But not every kid who signs with a P5 program stays at that level. And with the world of the transfer portal in college football, there is more player movement than ever before. And while there is a big concern that the transfer portal will hurt the Golden Hurricane from the standpoint of being a "feeder program" to P5 schools, it will also benefit them. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And by beginning these relationships with the in-state prospects early on in their high school careers, even if they don't sign them out of high school, the Golden Hurricane will still look good to a prospect if they decide to enter the transfer portal. The relationships they're building right now might not pay off immediately, but we could see Tulsa doing a really good job of getting those former in-state standouts that are ready for a fresh start. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 High School Signees</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='98181' first='Bennett' last='Ringleb'] - Offensive Lineman - Union<br>[player_tooltip player_id='38715' first='Camden' last='Crooks'] - Athlete - Cushing<br>[player_tooltip player_id='287383' first='Devin' last='Robinson'] - Defensive Back - Union<br>[player_tooltip player_id='376092' first='Grayson' last='Tempest'] - Wide Receiver - Union<br>[player_tooltip player_id='51854' first='RJ' last='Jackson'] - Defensive Lineman - Choctaw<br>[player_tooltip player_id='47158' first='Tyler' last='Rich'] - Defensive Lineman - Owasso</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2023 Transfer Signings (Former In-State Prospects)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Braylin Presley - Running Back - Bixby (Oklahoma State)<br>DJ Jones - Defensive Back - Booker T Washington (Oklahoma State)<br>Kejuan Parker - Defensive Back - Booker T Washington (Arkansas)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->