Thune's Tidbits from the Trail: Notes from the Week in Sooner Recruiting

Jamar Cain and Alex Grinch are making moves.

One month after securing a commitment from Texarkana hybrid rusher Clayton Smith, the Sooners picked up Portland, OR standout Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge on Wednesday. Throw in Weatherford product Ethan Downs, and it makes for quite a trifecta at defensive end for Oklahoma. All three are four-star recruits, and all three have the versatility to rush the passer and play in coverage as desired.

Rawlins-Kibonge, who had never played organized football before last year, has the physical tools to be an immediate contributor for the Sooner defense. He stands 6-foot-7, weighs in at 248 pounds, and is incredibly dextrous. Perhaps due in part to his basketball background, he's got a very quick first step, and he's strong enough to manhandle offensive linemen. His inexperience is somewhat evident on tape, as he hasn't quite figured out how to keep his center of gravity low. But once he learns to use his body properly, he's going to be a fearsome presence off the edge for Oklahoma.

The Sooners officially whiffed on 2021 wideout Christian Leary, as he committed to Alabama on Tuesday. The four-star speedster from Edgewater, FL, had originally scheduled his commitment for June 6, but later reneged on the date. His decision came somewhat out of the blue, and few expected Leary to roll with the Tide. His motive may be the opportunity to compete against LSU; Leary had called Ed Orgeron's program his "dream school," but they never offered him.

Oklahoma also missed out on three-star defensive back Dakota Mitchell of Winter Park, FL. Mitchell decommitted from LSU on June 12, put the Sooners in his top five just days later, and then pledged to Florida on Thursday. Currently, the Sooners' only defensive back commit is Jordan Mukes, though top in-state prospect Kendal Daniels appears a safe bet to choose Oklahoma as well.

The Sooners made the final 5 for another three-star DB. Damond Harmon, who's a teammate of Kelvin Gilliam at Highland Springs (VA), placed Oklahoma alongside Georgia, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee in a video announcement Saturday morning. It's important to note here that Gilliam and Caleb Williams are very close, and if those two both choose Oklahoma, Harmon could follow.

There's one new Sooner offer this week, and it's Frisco offensive lineman Cole Hutson. The 2022 guard stands 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, and adds OU to a list of offers that includes TCU, Arizona State, and Texas A&M.

Parker's Prospect Projections tracks all of my official predictions for where the 2021 Sooner targets will land.

Current success rate: 1.000 (5-for-5)

Daymon David

Projection: Oklahoma, 5/4 ↔️

Status: Uncommitted

Mario Williams

Projection: Oklahoma, 5/12 ✅

Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 5/15

Clayton Smith

Projection: Oklahoma, 5/14 ✅

Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 5/15

Ian Jackson

Projection: Alabama, 5/26 ✅

Status: Committed to Alabama, 5/28

Raheim Sanders

Projection: Arkansas, 6/7 ✅

Status: Committed to Arkansas, 6/8

Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge

Projection: Oklahoma, 6/14 ✅

Status: Committed to Oklahoma, 6/17

Tantalizing Tweets tracks the most intriguing Twitter activity from Sooner commits and targets.

Four-star 2021 DB Prophet Brown tweeted an edit...

@ prophjet pic.twitter.com/EYxLuygtBf
— Prophet “Peanut Butter” Brown (@ProphetPb) June 18, 2020

... as did four-star 2021 wideout Keon Coleman.

2021 DB Latrell McCutchin, a heavy target for Oklahoma, tweeted his congratulations to Rawlins-Kibonge.

Yeeeesssiiiiirrrr CONGRATS❤️🕺🏾 https://t.co/rFJdFvGGLM
— Latrell McCutchin🦹🏾‍♂️ (@bil_trell) June 18, 2020

And finally, Caleb Williams continues to feed the Sooner hype machine with his retweets.

Will Oklahoma land both five-star QB Caleb Williams and five-star OG Bryce Foster? @BPrzybylo predicts both in his latest #Sooners full class forecast https://t.co/7IlcCIlqKw pic.twitter.com/buqEQv5vUr
— Rivals (@Rivals) June 16, 2020

Stay up to date with SI Sooners for plenty more recruiting content, including another update from Williams as his decision date draws ever nearer.

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