Oklahoma insider explains why Sooners are near the top for 5-star LB Jonah Williams

After rounding out the 2024 recruiting cycle with a top-10 class in the nation, Oklahoma is already on pace to do the same with its 2025 class.

The Sooners already have 10 commits in the fold, as of Feb. 12. The best may be yet to come, as well. Brent Venables and his staff are trending for multiple elite prospects, including Galveston (Texas) Ball five-star linebacker Jonah Williams.

The No. 13 overall prospect and No. 2 LB in the On3 Industry Ranking was recently back in Norman for a January Junior Day visit. Soon after, Oklahoma recruiting insider Josh McCuistion logged a pick in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) in favor of the Sooners landing the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder.

Multiple reasons have OU considered a frontrunner for one of the best recruits in The Lone Star State. For starters, Williams is eyeing the chance to be a two-sport athlete — something that is far from a turn-off for the Sooners staff.

“Jonah is a guy that — I think you’re seeing Oklahoma have success with a couple of things that have kind of worked in their favor. First of all, big-time baseball background and Oklahoma has done a good job with those kind of athletes,” McCuistion said on ‘The Inside Scoop’.

Sooners see Williams as a safety — not at linebacker

The five-star is listed as a linebacker, but Williams is seen as a safety in the eyes of the Sooners. Starting out as a DB differentiates the new SEC program from other contenders for his pledge.

“I think you’re seeing Oklahoma work well there…I think Jonah has bought into that. Also, a lot of schools early on were talking to Jonah about linebacker, which is obviously where On3 has him ranked as well. Oklahoma’s been very adamant — they want him as a safety, that’s where they see him starting out,” McCuistion said.

“He’s a big kid, linebacker is a possibility in any scheme, but I think they’re sincere in letting him have that opportunity, which is what I think he wants to start with.”

Ohio State and Texas A&M also had Williams on campus to kick off 2024. Texas and Oregon also figure to be factors in his recruitment before he puts pen to paper. It’s still early in the 2025 cycle, but the Sooners look to be in good shape to wrangle a pledge from another elite prospect.

Williams has an On3 NIL Valuation of $139K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.