Why did Heritage Hall star Andy Bass commit to OU football? 'The list never really ends'

Another in-state star has committed to the OU football program.

Heritage Hall senior Andy Bass, a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, announced in his school’s gymnasium Thursday that he’ll play for the Sooners, choosing the program over Kansas State and Syracuse.

Bass held preferred walk-on offers from OU and Kansas State, while Syracuse offered him a full scholarship. However, with the ability to sign name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, Bass said staying in-state to join the Sooners made perfect sense.

A quarterback at Heritage Hall, Bass will likely be a running back or slot receiver at the next level.

He has some unfinished business at Heritage Hall and will try to lead the Chargers to their second straight Class 3A title but is thrilled about his commitment.

“The list never really ends for the Sooners,” Bass said of why he chose OU. “There’s the fan base, the talent, the team, the family aspect, the coaching staff. They all did a great job of kind of putting the team together, and I’m super thankful to be a part of that.”

More: The Oklahoman's Week 0 picks for every high school football game in the state

Brent Venables is recruiting more Oklahoma players than the Sooners’ previous coaches.

Edmond Santa Fe’s Josh Aisosa and Bergin Kysar, Westmoore’s Mykel Patterson-McDonald and Carl Albert’s Xavier Robinson are all seniors who have committed to OU within the past few months.

Bass has a great relationship with Venables, and that played a big role in his commitment.

“He actually FaceTimed me this morning and was talking about kind of his vision for the future and the family he’s trying to build with the in-state guys,” Bass said. “I think that’s going to work out perfectly, and I’m super excited.”

Bass began his high school career at Casady before transferring to Heritage Hall in the spring of his freshman year.

He wasn’t allowed to play football at the varsity level as a sophomore due to transfer rules but did compete in track, starring alongside OU sophomore receiver Gavin Freeman.

Bass’ junior year was filled with success.

In the football season, he completed 62.7% of his passes for 2,833 yards and 28 touchdowns and ran for 970 yards and 17 scores on 125 carries. Heritage Hall finished 13-1 and beat Tulsa Metro Christian 72-56 in the highest-scoring 11-man championship game in state history.

But Bass’ recruitment didn’t pick up after that.

It truly gained steam in May following his track season.

More: Top Oklahoma high school football games for Week 0 highlighted by Del City at Choctaw

Bass led Heritage Hall to the team championship and claimed individual titles in the 100-meter dash (10.56 seconds), 200 (21.74) and 4x100 (41.96). The time in the 4x100 broke the Class 3A state meet record.

The offers rolled in after that, and Heritage Hall football coach Brett Bogert is proud of how Bass has taken it all in.

“He’s handled the recruiting in a perfect way," Bogert said. "Recruiting is hard these days. Just the way he marketed himself in the right way — not over the top, just the complete kid he is. He’s a stud athlete. Humble athlete.”

Bass has been a great quarterback at Heritage Hall, but his days at the position will likely end soon.

But Bass is a team guy.

He’s ready to step into whatever role OU needs.

“I think I project the most as kind of a slot back, being in the backfield but also still being out wide too and getting the ball in space in one-on-one situations.

“I think I’ll really thrive in the OU offense.”

More: 'It’s extremely hot': How Oklahoma high school athletics are dealing with heat wave

OU football 2024 commitments

• Player, Pos., Ht., Wt., Hometown/School

• Josh Aisosa, OL, 6-3, 305, Edmond Santa Fe

• Isaiah Autry, OT, 6-6, 290, Fulton, Miss.

• *-Andy Bass, RB/WR, 5-11, 200, Oklahoma City (Heritage Hall)

• Eugene Brooks, OL, 6-3, 325, Chatsworth, Calif.

• Ivan Carreon, WR, 6-6, 205, Odessa, Texas

• KJ Daniels, WR, 5-9, 150, Franklinton, La.

• Dozie Ezukanma, WR, 6-2, 180, Keller, Texas

• Wyatt Gilmore, DE, 6-4, 250, Rogers, Minn.

• Jaydan Hardy, S, 5-11, 165, Lewisville, Texas

• Jayden Jackson, DT, 6-2, 295, Bradenton, Fla.

• Michael Hawkins, QB, 6-2, 195, McKinney, Texas

• Zion Kearney, WR, 6-2, 200, Missouri City, Texas

• Bergin Kysar, DL, 6-4, 230, Edmond Santa Fe

• Davon Mitchell, TE, 6-4, 245, Los Alamitos, Calif.

• James Nesta, LB, 6-4, 205, Cornelius, N.C.

• Jeremiah Newcombe, CB, 5-11, 175, Queen Creek, Ariz.

• Mykel Patterson-McDonald, DB, 5-11, 175, Moore (Westmoore)

• Zion Ragins, WR, 5-8, 155, Gray, Ga.

• Xavier Robinson, RB, 6-2, 225, Midwest City (Carl Albert)

• Taylor Tatum, RB, 5-10, 205, Longview, Texas

• Brendan Zurbrugg, QB, 6-4, 185, Alliance, Ohio

*-Preferred walk-on

Andy Bass at a glance

• School: Heritage Hall

• Height: 5-foot-11

• Weight: 200 pounds

• Position: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver

• Recruited by: Air Force, Army, Connecticut, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Kansas, Kansas State (preferred walk-on), Kent State, Navy, New Mexico State, North Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Syracuse, UNLV, Yale

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: Andy Bass commits to Sooners' 2024 recruiting class