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Director of Player Personnel J.R. Sandlin leaving OU

headshotby:George Stoia•02/19/24•

GeorgeStoia

A J.R. Sandlin
J.R. Sandlin - Photo by: Josh McCuistion - SoonerScoop/On3

OU football Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting J.R. Sandlin is leaving Norman, according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports. Sandlin, who has been with the Sooners the past two years, is expected to be hired as SMU’s assistant athletic director and football general manager.

He has served as an important piece of coach Brent Venables‘ staff, overseeing much of OU’s recruiting efforts. Before his time in Norman, Sandlin spent eight years as recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach and senior executive head coach at Jacksonville State.

It’s currently unclear how OU intends to fill Sandlin’s role. As general managers become more common in college football, it wouldn’t be a surprise if OU were to hire someone to fill that role. Sandlin’s role at OU involved helping evaluate talent and organize recruiting events. He had an integral behind-the-scenes role for the Sooners.

SoonerScoop has confirmed that OU is expected to hire Jolie Ale as its next director of on-campus recruiting, as 247Sports first reported Monday. This role differs from Sandlin’s, as Ale is replacing Lee Davis, who left OU for UCF. Ale spent the past year with the Los Angeles Chargers working in community relations. She previously worked in recruiting at Utah (2021-2022) and USC (2017-2020).

OU does have a big recruiting cycle approaching. The 2025 class is currently ranked 11th in On3’s industry team rankings. And with a busy spring and summer approaching, Oklahoma will likely want to fill Sandlin’s role quickly.

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