Early arrivals: Oklahoma's 2021 class is here
The next generation of Oklahoma Sooners are already with the team.
Classes start for the spring semester on Monday in Norman, meaning the early enrollees from the class of 2021 have arrived on campus.
Led by the No. 1 player in Sports Illustrated All-American’s SI99 in quarterback Caleb Williams, nine members of the 2021 class in total enrolled early.
Among them are wide receivers Mario Williams and Cody Jackson, defensive linemen Isaiah Coe, Ethan Downs, Clayton Smith and Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, and defensive backs Latrell McCutchin and Jordan Mukes. Also, preferred walk-on Ben Harris, who committed to OU just this week, has enrolled early and is part of the team.
Mario Williams and McCutchin also finished in the SI99, ranked No. 24 and 57 respectively.
During his early Signing Day press conference, Lincoln Riley said the number of mid-year enrollees would actually be one of the few things not completely derailed by the pandemic.
“We expect to have our normal number of mid-year enrollees,” Riley said. “I don’t think we’ll be far off that, if not right on that mark.
“In some ways, there are going to be a couple that are now going to be mid-year enrollees that maybe without the pandemic would not have been. If anything, it might have sped up things for a few guys.”
Caleb Williams is one of those who originally was not going to enroll early, but online classes have allowed him to start his OU career ahead of schedule.
After following months of blogs and seeing Williams recruit others on Twitter, Sooner fans will rest easy knowing he'll be hitting the practice field in an Oklahoma uniform under Riley's tutelage.
Having made three additions so far through the NCAA Transfer Portal, Oklahoma expects a pair of new offensive linemen in Wanya Morris of Tennessee and Robert Congel of Arizona, as well as former Penn State quarterback Micah Bowens.
With National Signing Day just around the corner on Feb. 3, the calendar will officially flip and everything in Norman will be full speed ahead toward the lofty expectations for the 2021 season.
The 2021 class looks to end Oklahoma’s longest national title drought since winning the program's first in 1950.
The early arrival will give the newcomers extra time to acclimate to the offseason strength and fitness program, and allow them to compete for snaps to fill the void of the production lost to the NFL Draft and transfer portal.
The exits of defensive backs Tre Brown and Tre Norwood, running back Rhamondre Stevenson, center Creed Humphrey and offensive tackle Adrian Ealy to the NFL Draft, as well as the transfers of receiver Charleston Rambo, running back T.J. Pledger, linebacker Jon-Michael Terry and quarterbacks Tanner Mordecai and Chandler Morris will open the door for the 2021 class to find their way into the two-deep early.
