All Sooners

RB Camar Wheaton picks Crimson Tide over OU

A year after Jase McClellan flipped from OU to Alabama, Sooners miss out on one of 2021's top running back talents
John E. Hoover|
RB Camar Wheaton picks Crimson Tide over OU
RB Camar Wheaton picks Crimson Tide over OU

After much speculation, Oklahoma still has not landed its running back for the 2021 class.

Camar Wheaton, the No. 9-ranked player in SI All-American’s SI99, picked Alabama over the Sooners on Wednesday.

Wheaton has been largely silent about the recruiting process before announcing on Twitter back on Dec. 4 that he had narrowed his choices to OU and ‘Bama and would reveal his pick on Dec. 23. That remained Wheaton’s last post until Wednesday.

Wheaton, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior at Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, TX, is widely considered one of the top running backs in the 2021 recruiting class.

WHEATON’S SI ALL-AMERICAN EVAL

“Wheaton is a home run threat at every opportunity,” per his SI All-American evaluation, “a game-breaker who should contend for carries the moment he steps on a college campus. The dynamic one-cut style combines with track star speed in any offense, reminiscent of LeSean McCoy at the same stage.

“With the tools to develop into a three-down back and factor into the passing game, there won't be much reason for Wheaton to sit at any level.”

Wheaton’s decision adds to OU’s misery from last year, when 5-star Aledo, TX, running back Jase McClellan flipped from Oklahoma to Alabama on National Signing Day.

While OU struggled to run the football for much of the 2020 season after Trey Sermon transferred, Kennedy Brooks opted out and Rhamondre Stevenson missed five games under suspension, McClellan was mainly a special teams contributor in Tuscaloosa — but also got 23 carries for 245 yards during his freshman year, including a team-best 80-yard run.

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.

Published
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.

Share on XFollow johnehoover
Home/Football