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Oklahoma Hosts Elite 5-Star RB During Massive Junior Day Recruiting Weekend

Alabama, Miami, Ohio State and Georgia are among the other programs expected to vie for Richard Young's prodigious talents.
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma Hosts Elite 5-Star RB During Massive Junior Day Recruiting Weekend
Oklahoma Hosts Elite 5-Star RB During Massive Junior Day Recruiting Weekend

It’s a massive recruiting weekend for Oklahoma.

Brent Venables is hosting his second Junior Day on the OU campus, and there are dozens of top prospects in Norman for the event.

One of the most high-profile recruits visiting Oklahoma this weekend is Florida running back Richard Young, who comes in as the No. 1 running back in the nation in the 2023 class, according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.

Young was among the subjects Friday of SI All-American’s national look at the busy recruiting weekend.

“Most elite programs are courting the Lehigh, FL, Lehigh Acres running back and he's already made key visits early this year, including to Alabama and Miami,” writes SIAA’s John Garcia. “Ohio State hosted him in the fall and has staying power in Young's recruitment, so Brent Venables and his staff has some work to do to climb the list in what will be the star back’s first impression of Norman as far as we can tell. Georgia and Oregon are set to get him on campus in the coming weeks in what already has the feel of a true national recruiting battle.”

Among those with Young in Norman this weekend include numerous defensive prospects who could fit into what Venables is building in Norman, such as Fort Worth linebacker S’Maje Burrell, Florida safety Landon Hale, Texas linebacker Derrion Gullette and Texas safety Mikal Harrison-Pilot.

Some of the offensive talent assembling in Norman is significant, too, such as ’23 commit and Texas wideout Ashton Cozart, ’23 commit and Colorado offensive lineman Joshua Bates, New Jersey athlete Moussa Kane, Missouri offensive lineman Cayden Green and Alabama offensive lineman Wilkin Formby, among others.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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