Key 4-star RB target Jovantae Barnes set to visit Oklahoma

The Sooners have made a living out of recruiting Las Vegas over the years – going all the way back to the DeMarco Murray and Ryan Reynolds days back in the early 2000s. The Silver State continues to be kind to Oklahoma in the 2022 class, with the Sooners already having a commitment from On3 Consensus four-star offensive tackle Jake Taylor. Now, the Sooners are hoping to cash in on another Vegas star in four-star running back Jovantae Barnes.

Jovantae Barnes will be in Norman this weekend on an official visit. The trip comes after past visits to Alabama and Florida State. Barnes says he’s “extremely close to a decision.” Intel indicates the Sooners are in a very good spot with him. But still, the visit will be important for Barnes to continue to build a bond with the Sooners.

Jovantae Barnes was in Norman for the Championship Bar-B-Que over the summer, and he can’t wait to get back on campus. He’ll be greeted when he arrives by Murray, who is now the running back coach for the Sooners.

“Coach Murray is from Las Vegas. He recruited me when he was at Arizona. He told me he was going to get me right before he left for Oklahoma,” Jovantae Barnes recently told On3’s Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons.

“Since he got to Oklahoma, he has recruited me hard. He has really gotten to know me, and he has been focused on me. He sees me as one of the top running backs in the country and he is a coach I trust. Our relationship is strong.”

Key DL targets join Jovantae Barnes on visit

Jovantae Barnes isn’t the only priority recruit scheduled to be on campus this weekend.

The Sooners are playing host to one of the top junior college players in the country this weekend on an unofficial visit. Independence (Kan.) Community College DL Jeffrey M’ba will be on campus for the game against Iowa State. He’ll also be at Auburn for an extended weekend of official and unofficial visits for the Iron Bowl. He also has official visits planned to Tennessee (Dec. 3) and Oregon (Dec. 10), and he already visited Miami.

It’ll be interesting to see how hard the Sooners push for a commitment from M’ba this weekend and where things stand after the visit.

Another name that is quickly moving up the charts with the Sooners is On3 Consensus four-star LB Jaishawn Barham out of District Heights (Md.) St. Francis Academy. Barham was basically down to Penn State, South Carolina and Maryland, but the Sooners are now making a big push and will get him on an official visit this weekend.

Having St. Frances teammate and On3 Consensus four-star Sooner commit Derrick Moore in on an unofficial alongside Barham certainly doesn’t hurt for the Sooners.

Also scheduled for an unofficial visit is five-star 2023 DL David Hicks of Allen (Texas) High. Hicks is one of the most coveted prospects, regardless of class, in the Lone Star State. The Sooners are definitely a factor in his recruitment, along with Texas A&M and others.

Hicks and M’ba will be joined on the unofficial visit by On3 Consensus four-star junior DL Hunter Osborne of Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville. However, Osborne recently said he was wide open and listed the Sooners in a large group of national-level programs.

“Schools making me feel wanted is a very important aspect in all of this for me,” Osborne said. “It is nice to be needed too but feeling wanted is key for me.”

A large group of Oklahoma commitments is expected on campus: Gentry Williams, Kaden Helms, Jacob Sexton, Brandon Inniss, Treyaun Webb and DeAndre Moore Jr.