Nation's No. 1 RB Taylor Tatum commits to DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma Sooners

Taylor Tatum views his recruitment differently than others who have been in his shoes.

Tatum, the On3 Industry Ranking’s top-ranked running back, was equally as keen on finding his fit on the diamond as he was on the finding the right football school. That launched USC and Oklahoma to the top for the No. 35 overall player in the nation, who became the latest blue-chipper to pledge to the Sooners’ 2024 class on Friday.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound multi-sport athlete from Longview (Texas) High School in East Texas officially visited Oklahoma in June for the ChampU BBQ and started seeing the finish line in his recruitment soon after. After favoring the bright lights of Hollywood for a chunk of the offseason, Tatum found a home-like feeling during his time in Norman this summer.

“It feels like Longview,” Tatum told On3. “If you go to Longview and you go to Norman, it looks exactly the same. There’s a countryside and a city part, and it makes a big college town feel close together. It’s East Texas vibes.”

Schools coast to coast were in the hunt for Tatum, including Georgia, Texas A&M and Michigan, as well as the Trojans, which were trending for much of the spring and after hosting the elite back for his June official visit.

Return visit to Oklahoma sealed the deal for Taylor Tatum

The Sooners closed the gap quickly during the ChampU BBQ.

Tatum was a focal point for the Sooners on both the football and baseball side. Brent Venables and famed Sooners RB coach DeMarco Murray spent time around the elite running back and his family, emphasizing the same values and beliefs shared by Tatum and his family.

“They’ve always been a top school in the back of my head because of my relationship with Coach Murray,” Tatum said. “Getting back for the official visit really set it off for me.”

“Being around Coach Murray and his family, hearing Coach Venables’ plans for the future, about getting to the SEC and how that’s gonna change the college football world,” he continued. “Knowing they have the same morals and same goals as me, that Coach Murray talks to my dad a lot, my mom a lot, and I’ve connected with Oklahoma in ways I haven’t with other schools.”

Baseball will be a factor at the next level, too

Equally as important to Tatum was the fit on the diamond.

The blue-chip running back is a multi-sport star. He considered his opportunities on both the football and baseball fields.

Skip Johnson, who coached Kyler Murray when he played both sports at Oklahoma a half-decade ago, played a massive role in lifting the Sooners to the top with Tatum.

“More than football going to the SEC, competing in SEC baseball really set them over the top,” he started.

“Being a two-sport athlete — a competitive one at that — I made sure to go somewhere where I had the opportunity to play baseball and compete in football. Being the top running back in the nation, I’m blessed to have the ability to thrive in two sports.”

“Going there and playing two sports is a big reason for me” the On300 running back asserted.

Other notable Longview (Texas) High alums like San Francisco 49ers LT Trent Williams and Malcolm Kelley (former Chargers WR, now TCU WR coach) played for the Sooners after starring under the bright lights of Lobos Stadium.

Tatum checks in as the No. 9-rated recruit from Texas in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies