Where would Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class rank in the new-look SEC?
In the next few years, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will move to the SEC. Though contractually, they’re committed to the Big 12 through the 2024 season, lawyers and negotiations could lead to a buyout that has OU and Texas departing before the end of the current media rights agreement.
There’s been a lot of discussion about where the Sooners and the Longhorns will stand once they make the move. Many predict the two teams will take a step back in their on-field competitiveness. While Alabama is the king of the SEC, Georgia and Texas A&M are closing the gap.
The Sooners are well-positioned to compete in the SEC once they arrive. From a recruiting standpoint, they’re in excellent shape. Brent Venables and company finished the 2022 recruiting cycle No. 8 and have a shot to add Lebbeus Overton, who reclassified to the 2022 class. That would give them a more significant bump in this year’s rankings and better position them to compete when they make the move.
The Sooners have a coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball, which has competed with and conquered college football’s Goliath, the Crimson Tide. They’ve won recruiting battles and national championships against Alabama, and a move to the SEC will give them a better opportunity to win those battles.
While Big 12 football has raised its standard of play on the field in the last few years, it’s difficult to argue that the SEC has dominated the landscape of college football for the last decade. Whether by national championships or NFL draft picks, the SEC leads the pack, which provides easy ammunition when on the recruiting trail.
Considering how the SEC will look in a few years when the 2022 recruiting classes will be making significant contributions on the field, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns figure to be in a great position to compete.
Texas and Oklahoma would have the fourth- and fifth-highest graded recruiting classes if they were in the SEC currently. All 16 expanded SEC schools rank inside the top 31 of On3 Sports team recruiting rankings — even lowly Vanderbilt. It stands to reason the Oklahoma Sooners will get a bump on the recruiting trail with kids looking to play in the SEC.
With Oklahoma and Texas, five of the top 10 in On 3’s rankings are current or future SEC teams and 11 of the top 20. And Brent Venables and his crew only had two months to put this recruiting class together. Imagine what they’ll be able to do with the 2023 class with more than a year to pitch to players and their families.
Let’s look at how the expanded SEC stacks up in On3 Recruiting’s team rankings.
Texas A&M Aggies
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 1
Conference Rank: 1
Five Stars: 8
Four Stars: 20
Three Stars: 1
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 2
Conference Rank: 2
Five Stars: 4
Four Stars: 19
Three Stars: 2
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 3
Conference Rank: 3
Five Stars: 4
Four Stars: 18
Three Stars: 7
Texas Longhorns
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 5
Conference Rank: 4 (if in the SEC currently)
Five Stars: 2
Four Stars: 20
Three Stars: 6
Oklahoma Sooners
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 8
Conference Rank: 5 (if in the SEC currently)
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 17
Three Stars: 4
Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 12
Conference Rank: 6
Five Stars: 1
Four Stars: 6
Three Stars: 8
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 14
Conference Rank: 7
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 12
Three Stars: 7
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 15
Conference Rank: 8
Five Stars: 1
Four Stars: 9
Three Stars: 6
Tennessee Volunteers
Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 16
Conference Rank: 9
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 10
Three Stars: 11
Auburn Tigers
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 18
Conference Rank: 10
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 8
Three Stars: 10
Florida Gators
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 20
Conference Rank: 11
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 8
Three Stars: 10
Ole Miss Rebels
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 22
Conference Rank: 12
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 6
Three Stars: 11
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 24
Conference Rank: 13
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 4
Three Stars: 17
Arkansas Razorbacks
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 26
Conference Rank: 14
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 6
Three Stars: 14
South Carolina Gamecocks
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 28
Conference Rank: 15
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 8
Three Stars: 14
Vanderbilt Commodores
Dec. 12, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee; View of Vanderbilt Stadium during the second half of the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Tennessee Volunteers. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
National Rank: 31
Conference Rank: 16
Five Stars: 0
Four Stars: 3
Three Stars: 26
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