Running wild: Oklahoma keeps up their recruiting momentum landing 4-star running back Daylan Smothers
The Sooners have broken into a full-out sprint on the recruiting trail in the month of July after getting their legs under them in June. Their recruiting exploits have taken them to the Pacific Northwest through the midwest and to the northeast.
These aren’t places a team like Oklahoma typically ventures into to find talent.
Another part of the country that is relatively untapped for Oklahoma is the state of North Carolina. The Oklahoma Sooners have had a bit more of a presence here in the last few years, with former Sooners like Austin Kendall, Ryan Jones, and most recently, Jeremiah Hall all hailing from the N.C. Adding to that list is another Sooner, as the North Carolina High School Player of the Year by the Charlotte Observer and News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) Daylan Smothers committed to Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon.
Smothers, a do-it-all four-star running back hoping to play his final year of high school ball at West Charlotte High School, received an offer from Oklahoma in March when he shined the brightest at the Rivals camp held in Charlotte, NC. Standing front and center was the trio of DeMarco Murray, Brent Venables, and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. They extended the offer and then proceeded to put the full court press on Smothers, who was considering Alabama, Florida State, and in-state school N.C. State. Smothers is the 15th commitment for the Sooners.
BOOM! #Sooners stay hot on recruiting trail landing commitment from 2023 4⭐️ RB Daylan Smothers!https://t.co/2PfphqoFDt pic.twitter.com/DnP2O3L8WJ
— Brandon Drumm (@BrandonDrumm247) July 14, 2022
Projections came in fast and furious in favor of Oklahoma for the running back when he dropped his top four a few weeks ago, and that was the precursor to letting the recruiting world know who was the overwhelming favorite with a commitment imminent.
His combination of speed, power, and vision made him a coveted prospect by many teams on the east coast, and he’s now a Sooner. He pairs with Kalib Hicks, another four-star running back, to round out the Sooners’ recruiting efforts in the backfield. With Hicks and Smothers, the Sooners get dynamic playmakers with track backgrounds. Both have some legitimate acceleration and top-end speed and will only add to the running back room when they team with guys like Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk upon arriving on campus next year.
With recruiting all but done for 2023, DeMarco Murray can now look forward to 2024 as he seeks to build on this year’s work. Names to watch early on include four-stars Stacy Gage and Tovani Mizell.
List
Oklahoma Sooners 2023 Commitment Tracker
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
