What Oklahoma's Massive Jake Kreul Win Means for Brent Venables

After a few near misses, the Sooners added another top 100 recruit to their 2026 recruiting class on Tuesday.

Head coach Brent Venables runs an Oklahoma football practice. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Everybody in Norman can exhale. 

Between last-minute NIL negotiations and college football fans across the country familiarizing themselves with Venmo payment subject lines, Oklahoma needed a win. 

On Tuesday, Brent Venables and Miguel Chavis delivered. 

Class of 2026 edge rusher Jake Kreul announced his commitment to the Sooners on the Pat McAfee Show, which was the culmination of over two years of work by the OU coaching staff. 

Venables still needs to get Kreul to campus next offseason, but Tuesday’s victory allows the Sooners to close talking season with a bang before the pressure is truly on starting Aug. 30.

2026 Struggles

Oklahoma defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis notched a massive recruiting win on Tuesday. | STEVE SISNEY / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 2026 recruiting class was always going to be an uphill battle for Oklahoma. 

Last year’s 6-7 finish meant Venables would be the first OU coach to enter a season legitimately on the hot seat since John Blake. 

Everyone battling the Sooners on the recruiting trail will have pointed this out to recruits, further complicating the recruiting wars. 

The only thing that can ease that concern is a strong showing by Venables’ team in 2025. If he’s able to get the program back on track, that will become evident by the results on the field throughout the fall.

Which makes Kreul’s commitment even sweeter. 

Texas has enjoyed back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff, and Steve Sarkisian has ushered in the most stability in Austin since Mack Brown’s peak in the 2000s.

Turning around less than 24 hours after losing Davian Groce to Florida shows even a wounded Oklahoma can be a force — even if the program isn’t going to come out as the highest bidder at certain positions like wide receiver. 

Games in the SEC are won and lost in the trenches, and if the coaching staff does enough to show they’re back on the right track, Kreul should be a welcome addition to a defensive line that already projects to be one of the strongest in the conference in 2025. 

Back on Track

Edge rusher Jake Kreul rushes to recover a fumble during his time playing for Bishop Moore Catholic High School. | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kreul’s commitment also allows the fanbase to breathe a sigh of relief. 

Since fall camp opened, things had gone pretty smoothly for the Sooners. 

There have been no reports of major injuries decimating entire position groups like 2024’s camp. 

The work done so far by new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is always met with optimism, and quarterback John Mateer has handled the transition from Washington State to Oklahoma as well as one could have expected before playing a single game. 

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Read More Oklahoma Football

• Bill Bedenbaugh: Fausi and Fodje Are 'Going to Play' for Oklahoma in 2025
• Why OU DE Coach Miguel Chavis Believes Danny Okoye Can Become 'Household Name'
• How Oklahoma OL Michael Fasusi Got 'Mentally Stronger' Throughout the Offseason

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Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh raved, in his own way, about the progress of his pair of highly-rated freshmen, Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje. 

Monday night, Mateer found himself at the center of online discourse. But as of right now, nobody seems to be sounding the alarm that this will be a distraction that drags into the season.

The Sooners have a chance to get back to work and seize momentum early in the season.

Michigan, which landed at No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll, travels to Norman in Week 2.

Wins over the Wolverines and then Auburn two weeks later would surely see the Sooners march into the Cotton Bowl ranked in the top 10 with a chance to avenge last year’s loss to Texas and cement Venables’ team as a nailed-on College Football Playoff contender. 

The path is open for OU to bounce back in a big way in 2025 if Arbuckle’s offense can come together quickly in the first month of the year. 

Taking Stock of 2026

Celina quarterback Bowe Bentley was Oklahoma's highest-rated commitment before Jake Kreul's announcement on Tuesday. | Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kreul is OU’s 16th verbal commitment in the class. 

Rated as the No. 61-overall recruit in 247Sports’ Composite Ranking, he immediately jumped quarterback Bowe Bentley as the Sooners’ highest-rated 2026 commit. 

On the defensive side of the ball, OU also holds verbal commitments from 4-star linebacker Jakore Smith, 3-star defensive linemen Matthew Nelson, Daniel Harris and Daniel Norman and brothers Beau Jandreau (linebacker) and Niko Jandreau (safety).

OU’s class is only rated 29th in 247Sports’ Team Rankings, but with just 16 commits in the boat, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

The Sooners are expected to host plenty of future prospects when Michigan comes to town in Week 2, and Kreul can team with Bentley to lead Oklahoma’s efforts for the rest of the 2026 cycle and beyond.