Oklahoma Flips 2026 Defensive Back From SMU

Oklahoma’s big recruiting week continued on Wednesday as the Sooners landed another verbal commitment from yet another flip.

Defensive back Markel Ford, who was previously committed to SMU, told On3 recruiting insider Hayes Fawcett that he has switched his pledge to OU.

In March, Ford flipped to SMU after previously committing to Texas A&M.

A physical safety from Horn High School in Mesquite, TX, is a 3-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. ESPN rates him the highest of the three, tagging Ford as the No 47-ranked safety in the nation, while 247Sports has him at No. 61 among safeties nationwide.

National Signing Day for the 2026 class is next Wednesday, Dec. 3.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Ford, who also runs track at Horn, collected four interceptions as a junior last year to go along with 56 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered.

Now a senior cornerback and wide receiver, he leads Horn with six touchdown catches and averages 73.4 yards per game through the air, according to the team’s MaxPreps page. In five games, he’s hauled in 14 passes for 367 yards, an average of 26.2 yards per catch.

On defense, Ford has made 18 tackles with two interceptions and six passes defensed.

He picked OU over offers from SMU, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee, TCU, Texas Tech, USC and Utah, among others.

It was the second verbal commitment of the week for Brent Venables and the Sooners, following Monday’s news that Jonathan Hatton, a 2026 running back who originally chose OU but then flipped to Texas A&M, has flipped back to Oklahoma.

That followed immediately after OU lost a long-time pledge in Arkansas linebacker Jakore Smith, who told On3 he no longer felt like a priority in Norman after his NIL money was reduced.

Ford’s addition raises OU’s incoming class to the No. 16-ranked class in the nation, according to Rivals.

The 22 commitments now include 11 defensive players: Ford, 4-star end Jake Kreul of Florida’s IMG Academy, 4-star cornerback Derrick Johnson of Murietta, CA, 4-star linebacker Jacob Curry of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 4-star end Matthew Nelson of Bryant, AR, 4-star end Daniel Norman of Fort Lauderdale, FL, 3-star tackle Brian Harris of Jacksonville, FL, 3-star tackle T-Ron Richardson of Hopewell, VA, 3-star tackle James Carrington of Irvine, CA, 3-star linebacker Beau Jandreau of Chandler, AZ, and his twin brother, 3-star safety Niko Jandreau.