Where Does Oklahoma’s 2027 Recruiting Class Stand?

The Sooners already have the nation's No. 1 class for the 2027 recruiting cycle, but it can get even better over the coming months.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Just over a month ago, the Sooners put the bow on their 2026 recruiting class.

OU ended the cycle ranked No. 15 in 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings. Per the outlet, seven of the Sooners’ signees were graded as 4-star prospects.

Now, Oklahoma can shift the majority of its recruiting efforts to the Class of 2027 — and the Sooners already have a leg up on their competition.

With nearly 10 months until Early National Signing Day, the Sooners’ 2027 class is ranked No. 1 in 247Sports’ rankings.

What makes the class No. 1?

For one, Oklahoma has more commits than any other school.

The Sooners have already earned pledges from 13 players in the 2027 class. The next closest school in terms of quantity — Texas A&M — has 10 commits.

The sheer number of players committed certainly plays a major factor in the Sooners’ top ranking. Nine programs have higher average prospect grades than Oklahoma: LSU, USC, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Illinois, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Louisville and Oregon.

But that’s not to say that the Sooners’ commits aren’t high-quality players.

Of OU’s 13 pledges, seven are rated as 4-star recruits or better. The Sooners have also already gotten verbal commitments from two Oklahoma players — offensive linemen Kaeden Penny and Cooper Hackett — after they didn’t sign any in-state recruits from the Class of 2026.

What are the class’ strengths?

Oklahoma offensive line prospect Cooper Hackett | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

The Sooners have certainly put an emphasis on bolstering their offensive line.

Penny and Hackett are the two highest-ranked players from OU’s 2027 class. 247Sports ranks Penny, an interior lineman, as the No. 13 player in the cycle, while Hackett is No. 29. OU has one other offensive line commit in Luke Wilson, a consensus 3-star prospect who stands 6-6 and weighs 290 pounds.

Oklahoma has also earned pledges from several players who will help it keep the “hard to kill” mantra.

Linebacker Taven Epps, once a Texas commit, is the third-highest rated player in the Sooners’ class, as 247Sports has him ranked No. 79 in the class. Three other defensive pledges — edge rusher Krew Jones, defensive back Mikhail McCreary and defensive lineman Elija Harmon — are graded as 4-stars.

What do the Sooners still need?

Oklahoma hasn’t gotten any quarterback commits for 2027.

The Sooners signed consensus 4-star signal caller Bowe Bentley in 2026, and they’ll have John Mateer for another year, so the position isn’t a total need yet. But they could always add another arm for the future.

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OU went after Peyton Houston, a quarterback from Louisiana ranked No. 123 overall by 247Sports. But the Shreveport native ultimately committed to LSU, despite his visit to the Brent Venables Football Camp last summer.

If Bentley is as strong as his rankings predicts, he’ll hold the starting job down for a couple of years once Mateer is gone. But it’s never too early to start planning for life after both of them.

Things to watch

Obviously, things will change — that’s part of recruiting.

Inevitably, players will decommit from OU, just as they’ll decommit from other programs to consider playing in Norman.

It’s possible that Oklahoma loses its top spot at some point. Recruiting powerhouses like LSU, Texas A&M, Texas and USC still have plenty of slots unfilled, so expect those schools to be near the top alongside the Sooners.

Over the coming months, Brent Venables and company will plan their football camps for the summer. Players in the 2027 class will also schedule visits to OU’s six home games in the upcoming season.

Again, it’s early. But there’s much to be encouraged about on the recruiting front for Sooner fans.