Oklahoma's New Additions to the Secondary Are Going to 'Fly Around'

NORMAN — Oklahoma only signed three defensive backs on Wednesday, but what OU lacks in quantity, it made up for in quality.

Derrick Johnson II was the only corner the Sooners signed, but the 4-star recruit was rated as the No. 23 cornerback by 247Sports.

He was joined by Niko Jandreau and Markel Ford, two guys who project to join Brandon Hall’s safety room in Norman.

“The common theme for a lot of these guys on defense, they are going to fly around,” Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy said on Wednesday. “And I’ve got to watch my words here, but they are going to knock your head off. So it’s going to be a fast and violent defense moving forward. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch. Really versatile players.”

Johnson has NFL pedigree. His father played in the league, and he knows firsthand what it takes to compete at the highest level.

The 6-foot-0, 170-pound corner totaled 47 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and an interception as a junior — production that immediately excited the Sooners’ coaching staff.

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“He’s a very natural player,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Got great instincts. His best days are in front of him as well.”

And while Johnson was the only corner signed on Wednesday, Nagy is confident that more are on the way.

“Kind of wish we could have added more there, but I’m excited about the haul we’re going to get in 2027 without naming names,” he said.

Jandreau signed with Oklahoma alongside his twin borther, Beau, and both Venables and Nagy raved about the 6-0, 200-pound Chandler, AZ, product.

“Niko Jandreau, again, just a ball junkie,” Venables said. “And really, this whole class here, guys that are a bunch of gum rats. Guys that love ball. Great teammates. Bunch of alphas. Niko’s a guy that’s a ball magnet. Plays incredibly fast. Blows dudes up. Like a missile out there.”

Ford was one of the late additions to the Sooners’ class.

The 6-1, 210-pound defensive back from Mesquite, TX, originally committed to SMU this past April, but Hall didn’t give up on his pursuit.

“He always wanted to be a Sooner,” Venables said. “We were able, credit to Coach Hall, continue that relationship. Did a great job recruiting Markel.”

“Again, like Brent said, he decided to go somewhere else,” said Nagy, “and at the last minute, B-Hall — I think our coaches did a great job of staying on a lot of these players. And Brandon Hall deserves a lot of credit for that relationship.”

The patience was worth landing Ford.

“Incredibly physical, got great size to him, can really run, he’s got tremendous ball skills,” Venables said. “… He’ll rip your soul out.”

Ford has played cornerback in high school, so he can provide versatility on the back end of OU’s defense if needed.

“Markel Ford was a real favorite of mine,” Nagy said. “… He played a lot of corner this year but I see him as a safety. But he does have really nice man coverage skills for a safety.”

Thankfully, the Sooners have plenty of options at corner next year.

Both Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory can return in 2026, as can Jacobe Johnson and Devon Jordan.

Gentry Williams also has another year of eligibility remaining if he chooses to return next year.

Pair those returners with Michael Boganowski, Reggie Powers, Jaydan Hardy and potentially another year of Peyton Bowen at safety and OU’s three new defensive backs will have plenty of role models to learn from when they arrive in Norman.