Oklahoma Lands 2023 In-State Star Jacobe Johnson
Oklahoma landed one of the premier in-state athletes on Saturday night.
Jacobe Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 183-pound star at Mustang High School picked the Sooners over Alabama, Michigan, Stanford and Oklahoma State.
"Every time I went there (Oklahoma), it just got better and better," Johnson said Saturday night at Bronco Stadium in Mustang. "I just love what they're doing there. The program is getting better and better. I just like the way they're going, I want to be a part of that."
A longtime target for Oklahoma, Johnson has been a standout on both offense and defense for the Mustangs throughout his high school career, as well as starring on the basketball court for Mustang.
"When I first got the offer (from Oklahoma), I kind of knew," Johnson said. "Because growing up, I always wanted to be there. I just wanted to go through the recruiting process to make sure."
Rated a 4-star recruit by both 247 Sports and Rivals, Johnson was ranked as the No. 39 player overall in On3’s most recent 2023 player rankings.
Johnson’s athleticism is on full display when he’s deployed at wide receiver for Mustang. As a junior, he flashed the ability to both go up over defenders and haul in contested catches as well as the vision and speed to catch passes underneath and weave through traffic.
When he flipped over to the defensive side of the ball, he paired his physical attributes with the willingness to step up into the play and hit opposing wide receivers.
Johnson is the second OU commit from the Sooner State, joining McAlester’s Erik McCarty. He’s ranked as the second-best player in the state by 247 Sports, only trailing Michigan State pledge Bai Jobe.
He’s also the 20th commit in Oklahoma’s 2023 class, and Johnson is the 16th player to jump in with OU’s class since the start of June.
Johnson joins Jasiah Wagoner as the Sooners’ defensive back commits in the class, and he’s the ninth defensive commit overall for Brent Venables in the class.
"The 2023 defensive side, it's really good in our class," Johnson said.
"We (Johnson and OU staff) have one of the best relationships I've had with any of the coaches talked to. Like, we talk on a daily basis. He sends me videos of him working out and stuff. You know Coach Venables, he's crazy. And that's what I love about him, his energy. It's different than anybody else's."
By design, OU’s class got off to a slower start as compared to some of the other top programs across the country. But Oklahoma has all but made up that ground with its hot summer on the recruiting trail.
The Sooners have ascended all the way up to the seventh overall spot in 247 Sports’ team recruiting rankings, and they could still pick up other targets before the 2022 season gets underway.
Safety Makari Vickers is scheduled to announce his commitment on Aug. 26. The 6-1 defensive back from Tallahassee, FL, narrowed his final three down to Oklahoma, Alabama and Michigan.
In September, another OU target will come off the board as well.
Defensive lineman Jordan Renaud also is picking between the Crimson Tide and the Sooners, and he’ll make that call on Sept. 19.
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