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Oklahoma Lands Commitment from Another Arkansas Product

Matthew Nelson, a big, athletic 3-star defensive end, attended OU camp last week and took his official visit to Norman this weekend.
John Hoover|
Oklahoma commit Matthew Nelson
Oklahoma commit Matthew Nelson | Matthew Nelson via OU Athletics

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Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma has tapped into its growing Arkansas pipeline again. 

Brent Venables and the Sooners landed a verbal commitment from 2026 edge rusher Matthew Nelson, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound prospect from Bryant, AR.

Nelson, a Rivals 3-star prospect, announced his pledge to OU Sunday night via Twitter.

Nelson is OU’s eighth verbal commitment in the 2026 class and the fourth consecutive defender to choose OU, joining Bryant teammate and linebacker Jakore Smith, defensive lineman Brian Harris and safety Niko Jandreau.

Nelson stood out at Venables’ Elite camp last weekend, where he worked closely with defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis. 

Nelson chose OU over offers from Cincinnati, Houston, Mississippi State, Missouri and others.

Nelson also runs hurdles in track and recently won a state championship in the 110-meter hurdles.

He is the first to commit to OU after the Sooners’ massive recruiting weekend, during which Venables and his staff hosted more than a dozen prospects on their official visits. That list included quarterback Beau Bentley and more than a half-dozen other 4-star prospects, and is expected to produce more commitments.

Nelson’s commitment not only brings another Bryant product across state lines. He also joins four other Sooners with Arkansas roots: freshman defensive backs Omarion Robinson (Little Rock) and Marcus Wimberly (Bauxite), as well as wide receivers Javonnie Gibson (he played at Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Isaiah Sategna, who hails from Fayetteville and transferred to Oklahoma after beginning his career with the Razorbacks.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN 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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