Brent Venables still remembers Jackson Arnold emanating nervous energy as he sat in the Oklahoma coach’s office last winter for their first conversation.
At the same time, Venables recalls a quiet confidence about the five-star quarterback recruit, that “he knew what he wanted” and was ready to take advantage of his opportunities.
Arnold didn’t jump around as some prospects do nowadays, committing early, then flirting with other schools and changing plans before signing time. He knew he wanted to go to OU, and committed on Jan. 24, shortly after his talk with Venables.
Then, he stayed locked in right through signing with the Sooners at the start of the early signing period Wednesday. Venables believes the No. 4 quarterback in the 2023 cycle, per the 247Sports Composite ratings, can be a “foundational” piece for Oklahoma’s future.
“From the beginning to the end, zero maintenance, and he's been recruiting in a great way for us for the last several months,” Venables said. “And (he) never ever wavered or questioned what his opportunities were here, or the direction that the program is going.
“He's everything that you want. He's confident, he's tough, he's competitive, he's very patient, he's loyal. And again, he brings out the best in people. And he sees an opportunity to learn, learn, all the great qualities that a guy like (current OU starter Dillon Gabriel) has, he sees that as a great opportunity for him to continue to mature and grow as well.”
To offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, whose relationship with Arnold dates back to his time at Mississippi, Arnold’s willingness to help recruit other players to Norman was crucial, especially during a disappointing 6-6 season that fell short of OU’s typically lofty standards.
“He's a young man that has a great vision and understanding of his impact and what he can do with the class, and was able to do it,” Lebby said. “So, incredibly appreciative of him and the family.
“He's been so strong, so good, so loyal. Been about his business. And at some point, he's gonna be the face of Oklahoma, which is exciting.”
While Arnold’s leadership is oft-touted, his skill is also marveled at. Lebby said watching Arnold’s tape, in less than 10 plays, one can see his “competitive spirit,” love for football and other intangibles.”
“I think the very first thing was just how effortlessly he can spin the football,” Lebby said. “It comes off his hand incredibly smooth, and then his athletic ability really got showcased in the playoffs for him this year, but he can do so much. I think that's the biggest thing, is we're gonna put him in positions of success, but I don't think there's anything that he can't be really, really good at.”
Sooners rave about Adebawore’s potential
Just a few weeks after being named Oklahoma’s defensive ends coach, Miguel Chavis identified Adepoju “PJ” Adebawore as a potentially special prospect.
Fast forward nearly a year, and the Sooners signed Adebawore, a five-star defensive end, who’s the highest-rated defensive player of their 2023 recruiting class.
OU’s coaching staff spent months developing a relationship with the 6-foot-4, 240-pound recruit from Kansas City. Adebawore earned a massive jump among recruiting circles after strong showings at various camps last summer, which eventually rocketed him to a No. 25 overall ranking nationally and No. 4 edge rusher, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
“(We) developed relationships with him, and (he) was pretty lightly recruited until about midway through the summer, and then things started really heating up for PJ,” Venables said. “Knowing his family and the type of people they are, he’s very loyal, he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do and really never had a problem whatsoever with him.
“Although people continued to try and recruit him, he did a great job of managing that alongside his family. He’s got tremendous, tremendous upside. Again, he’s about the work. Excellent student, got tremendous humility. Incredibly intelligent, great, great talent (and) natural pass rush ability.”
Adebawore committed to Oklahoma on July 10 and stayed firm throughout OU’s 6-6 regular season finish. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof raved about Adebawore’s potential on Wednesday.
“Really, really explosive and really, really long,” Roof said. “He’s got, I don’t know what his wingspan is, but it’s big, whatever it is. And you look at him rushing the passer and doing things like that, and not just rushing the passer for sacks, but also to be able to get his hands up and bat balls. And that’s a big deal.
“He’s a great fit here, love his spirit and he’s got a lot of good energy, a lot of really good, positive energy. (He has) a lot of ability, with a lot of commitment and loyalty to the University of Oklahoma, so really excited about him.”
Adebawore joins three-star Taylor Wein as the Sooners’ lone defensive end recruits of their 2023 class. Wein also signed Wednesday.
“He values what we value. He values accountability, values toughness, he values structure, he values connection, he values family (and) he values education. And those are the things like, regardless how this landscape of college football, those things last forever.”
Junior tight end/H-back Austin Stogner before the game against Kansas in Lawrence on Oct. 23.
Venables high on transfers Stogner, Lacey
After finishing 6-6 in his first season as Oklahoma’s head coach and losing players to the NFL draft and NCAA Transfer Portal left and right, Venables decided to look to the portal himself.
In addition to signing 24 players during Wednesday’s early signing period, the Sooners boast commitments from three transfers: Indiana edge rusher Dasan McCullough, South Carolina tight end Austin Stogner and Notre Dame defensive lineman Jacob Lacey.
Stogner played his first three seasons at OU before transferring to the Gamecocks. Venables remembers briefly meeting the veteran tight end when he landed the job and is thrilled to have him back in Norman.
“We felt like he could be a tremendous addition,” Venables said. “We know the talent, the size, the length and the athlete that Austin is and what a weapon he could be in our offense, so incredibly excited about him.”
Lebby also expressed his excitement about landing Stogner. The former Sooner is a welcome sight at tight end as fifth-year senior Brayden Willis used his last year of eligibility in 2022.
“I could not be more excited about him,” Lebby said. “I’m fired up about him, he's coming back, he loves Oklahoma and I’m excited about the year he's gonna have, he's a huge piece.”
Venables also spoke about Lacey, who will also play his fifth and final season at OU. The Sooners’ coach envisions Lacey playing the tackle position and being a mentor for younger players in the locker room.
Lacey provides Oklahoma with much-needed depth on the defensive line as it lost five players at the position to the portal and redshirt junior Jalen Redmond to the draft.
“Jacob is a guy that we had a relationship with while we were at Clemson,” Venables said. “He's been a leader, incredibly tough and versatile. Probably gonna be just an inside guy, but is a guy that understands leverage and how to play the game. He’s got a good foundation of fundamentals and moves well, he's a young man that we really felt like would be able to mentor some of the younger players.
“He's got great maturity, natural leadership skills and would bring great value to our locker room, having played at Notre Dame and having college experience.”
Sanders, Wein, Strong bloom late, but sign with Sooners
On Nov. 1, three days after Oklahoma defeated Iowa State, Venables shared he challenged his staff with finding under-the-radar recruits who bloomed late in the cycle.
Amid recruiting struggles, such as losing out on defensive line targets David Hicks and Kayden McDonald, OU soon extended offers to three-star linemen Ashton Sanders, Markus Strong and Wein.
Strong earned an offer on Oct. 30, Sanders was offered Oct. 31 and Wein was offered Nov. 9. Sanders and Wein committed on Nov. 20 and 21, respectively whereas Strong decided on OU Wednesday.
Despite the trio earning late offers, all three signed with Oklahoma on Wednesday, as Strong committed and put pen to paper.
“Sometimes guys like that make great jumps during their senior season (but) didn’t have the type of offers that maybe their play warranted,” Roof said. “Certainly we want to find them early, but whenever we find them, we evaluate them as good fits here for what we do and what we believe in. And yeah, that comes at all times.”
"SEC" sign during the game against Texas Tech in Lubbock on Nov. 26.
Did SEC move impact recruiting?
Oklahoma’s looming transition to the Southeastern Conference was indeed a talking point as Venables and his assistants visited with recruits this cycle.
Venables said the impending move, which reportedly could come as early as 2024, is “an attractive thing,” but shouldn’t be the sole reason players choose one school over another.
“I believe in the program, not necessarily the conference,” Venables said. “You don’t choose a school because of the conference. You choose it because of the program and the people and programmatically and the history and the success, things of that nature. But I think it's another ‘and’ that you can put on the end of a whole long list of ‘ands’ for us, and going into the SEC sometime in the near future.
“We stood on — just like when I was here, or even at Kansas State for that matter — looking at the program, and the success that the program has had. And that's why you choose, because that's where you're going to be. You're not going to be in a conference, you're going to be in a program, you're going to be in a home, you're going to be with mentors and what have you.”
During his 10 seasons at Clemson, Venables was always recruiting against the SEC, often with great success, but he said that hasn’t adversely affected his ability to recruit toward the Sooners’ future home.
“I think that lends credibility, just like Oklahoma,” Venables said. “We've done well when we've had our opportunities on that stage, against whether it was Auburn or Florida or Alabama. We've won our share, and I think people recognize that.”
