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USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners earn trio of predictions for 2026 linebacker out of Wisconsin
Oklahoma Sooners earn trio of predictions for 2026 linebacker out of Wisconsin The Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put the pieces together on the defensive side of the ball in the 2026 recruiting class. The Sooners earned their first defensive commitment in the cycle on Tuesday, gaining a pledge from linebacker Niko Jandreau. OU is also trending favorably for Niko's brother Beau, a linebacker who was projected to land with the Sooners by Parker Thune of OUInsider and Rivals. On3's Steve Wiltfong issued a prediction favoring the Sooners for one of the more impressive defensive line prospects in the class, Brian Harris. With the possibility that the Oklahoma Sooners could lose up to three of their top four linebackers after the 2025 season and with light linebacker recruiting classes over the last couple of cycles, the Sooners may need to load up in the 2026 class. On Wednesday morning, the Sooners were favored to land three-star linebacker Ben Wenzel out of Appleton, Wisconsin. The Sooners earned a trio of predictions from Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith and OUInsider's Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm. Wenzel's considered the No. 4 player in the state of Wisconsin and holds offers from Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Army, Wyoming, and North Dakota. He received his offer from the Sooners back on April 29, according to Wenzel's X profile, and has an official visit set for the ChampU BBQ June 20-22. He also has official visits set up with Wisconsin and Kansas. Wenzel may not be the most highly rated player, but it's clear he's impressed Brent Venables, the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff, and the front office led by Jim Nagy. Wenzel has good size at 6-foot-3 and plays linebacker the right way. He does a great job working through the opposition to track down the ball carrier and make a play. He has plus athleticism and flows well to the football. Wenzel does a great job using his length to keep blockers from washing him out of the play. Wenzel's a fast-rising player that's beginning to get more national looks across college football and it appears the Oklahoma Sooners have put themselves in a strong position to land his commitment. Highlights Watch Ben Wenzel's highlights on Hudl. Vitals Projected Position Linebacker Height 6-foot-3 Weight 215 pounds Hometown Appleton, Wisconsin Ratings Site Stars Overall Position State Rivals 3 -- -- 4 ESPN -- -- -- -- 247Sports 3 -- 97 7 247Sports Composite -- -- -- -- On3 -- -- -- -- On3 Industry -- -- -- -- Twitter Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big 12 Spotlight: Programs off to hot starts recruiting the 2026 class
© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The 2026 recruiting cycle is still in its infancy but that hasn't stopped some programs from racing out to hot starts with several big commitments. Here are four programs in the Big 12 that are in the recruiting spotlight, including some surprising trends early in the cycle. RELATED: Big 12's 2026 team recruiting rankings | Big Ten programs off to hot starts in the 2026 class | SEC programs off to hot starts | ACC programs off to hot starts CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100 TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker Parker Thune/ RELATED: Arizona State's 2026 commit list Coming off its run to the College Football Playoff in coach Kenny Dillingham's second season, the Sun Devils have the early pieces of a nice recruiting class but there is also some danger because other major programs are trying to flip some elite commits. Four-star quarterback Jake Fette from El Paso (Texas) Del Valle has been committed to the Sun Devils since September and he's shown no signs of backing off that pledge even after Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and others have offered in recent weeks. Another early big commitment for Arizona State is high three-star offensive lineman Cortavious Tisaby, who definitely looked the part at the recent Navy All-American Bowl, and has four-star potential down the road. Mississippi State and Missouri are two of his newer offers but if the Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff standout sticks with Arizona State it would be a major coup for the Sun Devils. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARIZONA STATE FANS AT © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images RELATED: Iowa State's 2026 commit list Other than Kansas and TCU, Iowa State has the most commitments in the Big 12 so far with five as the Cyclones have brought in a bunch of prospects over the last few months and it's paid off with a handful of early pledges. Coach Matt Campbell stayed local by landing three-star receiver Jeffrey Roberts from Ames and kept it pretty regional for the rest of the class so far with pledges from Ohio, Nebraska, Minnesota and Colorado. There are only two four-stars currently in the Iowa state rankings and the Cyclones have work to do with both. But Campbell has a system that works and developing guys over years while inside the program is something Iowa State does well. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH IOWA STATE FANS AT © Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK RELATED: Kansas' 2026 commit list Kansas has been on a major heater especially after its recent junior day. Since last weekend, the Jayhawks have landed nine of their 11 commitments in the month of January. Coach Lance Leipold's club is the only one in the conference with double-digit pledges and Kansas has more than double the commits of any other Big 12 team except for one. Plus, Kansas is getting some really talented players. Four-star defensive ends Hunter Higgins and Landen Anderson were two of the biggest pickups during the busy month for the Jayhawks but not the only ones. Manhattan, Kan., high three-star defensive back James Dunningan Jr. will continue to hear from top programs across the country and three-star tight end Jack Utz is a super solid addition this early in the recruiting cycle. Three-star quarterback Jaylen Mason could be a sneaky-good pickup as well after the Wichita (Kan.) Northwest standout threw for 24 touchdowns with only three interceptions and then rushed for 645 yards and nine more scores. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH KANSAS FANS AT © Rob Gray-Imagn Images RELATED: TCU's 2026 commit list Coach Sonny Dykes might be known for his offensive mind but there has been a significant defensive focus to the start of the Horned Frogs' recruiting class. TCU has the second-most commits in the entire Big 12 and five of them are on the defensive side of the ball with four-star defensive end Jesse Ford and three-star defensive tackle Duncan McGhee leading an impressive group. Something else that helps TCU and other programs in the talent-rich state of Texas: All seven Horned Frogs commits are in-state recruits and more should be on the way. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TCU FANS AT
