2025 LB Marcus James commits to Oklahoma: 'I'm so confident Coach V is building something special'

Marcus James caught the eye of defensive coaches nationwide this off-season, but it didn’t take long for the hard-hitting 2025 linebacker to ultimately figure out his path.

James, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 46-rated linebacker in the country out of Oklahoma City (Okla.) Carl Albert High School, gave a commitment in-state to the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas A&M, Utah, TCU, and also Arkansas were also finalists for James, who was in Norman last month and for a string of visits since the summertime.

His pledge to the Sooners is a path to be a part of a bigger mission at Oklahoma.

“I’m so confident because I know that Coach V is building something special and it’s something that I want to be a part of and can’t miss out on,” James told On3. “Why not be a hometown hero?”

James, the No. 10 overall recruit from the state of Oklahoma in the 2025 class, has been a regular on campus. In the process, he’s grown very familiar with not only Brent Venables, but defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who has taken a vested interest in the 6-foot-3.5, 210-pounder from Oklahoma City.

“I had a great time talking to the coaches about how I would fit in on the defense … and what really stands out to me about the Oklahoma coaches compared to some other places is that they treat me like family instead of just as a recruit,” James started.

“What caught my attention is that looking at the defense and having Coach Roof and Coach V breaking it down for me the way the defense is designed is that there is always somebody putting pressure on the quarterback, putting him in very uncomfortable positions to make a play,” he continued. “The defensive recruits that Oklahoma has landed so far and trying to bring in are some really good players that I can see going really far once they move into the SEC.”

The Sooners defensive coaches have compared James’ skill set to that of EDGE Dasan McCullough, but also see parallels to LBs Danny Stutsman and Jaren Kanak’s games.

James is looking forward to his positional development in Norman.

“They really have me focusing on watching Dasan McCullough because they believe that I will fit that position really well with the way I move and (with) my athleticism, but they also have me watching (Danny) Stutsman and (Jaren) Kanak as well because they believe I could also play any one of the linebacker positions,” James said. “Knowing that Coach V is a known successful coach who has coached numerous Butkus Award-winning linebackers is also in the back of my head while making this decision.”

James is tabbed as the No. 455 player in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.