Oklahoma Sooners set to host strong group of DL visitors

The Sooners have been making headlines in the transfer portal and are still awaiting news on former USC quarterback Jaxon Dart. But this weekend is also big on the high school recruiting front for Oklahoma.

The Sooners will host several top 2023 targets, including five-star DL David Hicks, who will be back for a second trip to Norman. But maybe more importantly OU hopes to close out its 2022 recruiting efforts with additions from two Florida defensive linemen scheduled for official visits.

The biggest name on the Oklahoma visit list is four-star EDGE R Mason Thomas of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons. He’ll be joined on the visit by his three-star defensive line teammate Ahmad Moten. Thomas is currently committed to Iowa State. But the Sooners and Miami are believed to be the teams to beat by recruiting insiders. The Hurricanes get the last official visit next weekend.

Last weekend, Moten took double-dip visits to Tennessee and North Carolina. Oklahoma will host Moten on an official visit this weekend. He will then also close things out with an official visit to Miami.

“I am just taking things day by day,” Moten told On3 on Wednesday. “It is a lot. I know I will have to make a tough decision, but it will be a good one for me. These visits are important to me. Although it is going to by super-fast, I am trying to slow it down. I am taking it minute-by-minute right now.”

Gentry Williams set to see Oklahoma again

Also set to visit is On3 Consensus four-star cornerback and longtime Sooner pledge Gentry Williams.

Gentry Williams confirmed to On3 earlier this week that he will be in Norman this weekend for an official visit. Williams, the No. 1 senior recruit in Oklahoma, is allowed to take a second official visit with the Sooners because of the coaching change that ushered in Brent Venables.

Gentry Williams originally committed to Oklahoma on Oct. 18. But he did not sign with the Sooners during the early signing period because he wanted more time to get to know the new staff in Norman and consider other options.

Williams has been getting a lot of attention from other schools like Arkansas, Jackson State and recently from Billy Napier’s new staff at Florida. And much like he is with Oklahoma, Williams said he is also considering a second official visit to Gainesville on Jan. 29 after visiting UF in June.

Will there be other Oklahoma visitors?

There could be a few names added to the Oklahoma official visitor list over the next 24 hours.

Some names to watch for visits could be four-star cornerback Jamarrien Burt of Ocala (Fla.) Forest and four-star defensive lineman Gracen Halton of San Diego St. Augustine. But neither had confirmed officially they will be in Norman this weekend as of Thursday morning.

That being said Halton has indicated a really strong interest in the Sooners, and it would not be a surprise to see him on campus this weekend. Halton said he’s interested in the Sooners largely because the OU coaches feel like he could contribute at both EDGE and in the interior. Miami is believed to be the other team that poses a serious threat to flip the longtime Oregon commitment.

Burt, a former Florida commitment, is coming off an official visit to Utah this past weekend. Burt raved about his visit to Salt Lake City. But if he were to make it to Oklahoma and the Sooners push for his commitment, then they might be hard to beat. Other schools on his list are Missouri, Indiana and Florida Atlantic.