Oklahoma Misses Out on Local 4-star TIght End Nate Roberts

After decommitting from Notre Dame last summer, the Sooners were in the mix for talented local tight end Nate Roberts, but were unable to close on the 4-star prospect.

On Saturday morning, 4-star tight end Nate Roberts committed to Ohio State.

Hailing from Washington, OK, Oklahoma had been heavily recruiting the 6-foot-4, 235-pound pass catcher since he backed off of his pledge to Notre Dame over the summer.

Rated the No. 139 overall prospect and No. 7 tight end in the 2025 recruiting class, Roberts was a big-time target for Joe Jon Finley and company in the upcoming cycle. After going on multiple visits to Norman since decommitting from the Fighting Irish, the Sooners were unable to close on the coveted tight end prospect who included OU in his top five schools on March 11.

Roberts chose the Buckeyes over Oklahoma, Penn State, Oregon and Mississippi.

Over the offseason, Oklahoma brought in Roberts' older brother, Jake Roberts, after the former Baylor and North Texas tight end entered the transfer portal. Despite adding the veteran, the Sooners were still unable to land the 4-star 2025 tight end who resides just 15 minutes down the road.

After extending an offer to fellow Warriors' standout and OU legacy Cooper Alexander late in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Finley and company missed out on Roberts' teammate as well when Alexander committed to Iowa State.

With Roberts once again off the board, the Sooners will turn their focus to landing one of Da'Saahn Brame, Linkon Cure or Chase Loftin, three talented tight ends in the 2025 class that have also shown interest in Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma TE Target Da'Saahn Brame is Getting Close to a Commitment

Despite missing out on Alexander in the 2024 class, Finley was able to land Davon Mitchell, who was one of the top tight ends in the 2025 cycle before reclassifying and enrolling at OU in January. With players like Mitchell, Kade McIntyre, Kaden Helms, Josh Fanuiel and even Bauer Sharp having eligibility past the 2024 season, Oklahoma should have a deep tight end room for the next few seasons.

Still, the Sooners will need to land a solid tight end in the 2025 class to continue building depth at a position that was lackluster in 2023.