Breaking news: 4-Star Target in Oklahoma sooners decommitted from miami, express readiness for sooners.
The 4-star prospect from Miami decommitted, putting the Sooners in the running for one of the best linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class.
Oklahoma crushed the Temple Owls 51-3 on Friday night to start their 2024 campaign with a major win.
Recruits from high schools were unable to attend the Sooners’ Friday night game. Moreover, OU was unable to hold unofficial visits during DeMarco Murray’s one-game NCAA suspension for recruiting infractions during Week 1.
Before Friday night, Brent Venables and crew enjoyed a quiet spell on the recruiting trail and were getting ready for their season opener against the Owls. Nevertheless, two prominent prospects gave the Sooners excellent news this week.
Retraction of commitment
Miamia suffered a significant blow on the recruiting path when four-star Osceola, Florida, linebacker Elijah Melendez declared his decommitment from the Hurricanes, despite a thrilling victory over the Florida Gators on Saturday.
Melendez, who is listed as 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, is ranked by Rivals as the No. 92 overall recruit and the No. 4 linebacker in the country.
Marcus James, a 3-star prospect from Carl Albert, Oklahoma, is currently a linebacker for the Sooners in the 2025 recruiting class. Zac Alley and colleagues will need to increase the depth in the position group after adding just one player in the 2024 cycle. One possible addition for the position group in the 2025 class would be to add another player.
Now that Melendez has renounced his Miami commitment, Oklahoma appears to have a very realistic chance of pursuing the four-star recruit. When Melendez visited Norman in June, he snapped pictures with Todd Bates, Alley, and other OU coaches.
Under Venables, the Sooners have been quite successful in recruiting central Florida, and if Melendez, an Orlando native, pledges, they may be able to maintain this success. Among those from Orlando and Tampa Bay who came in Norman before Venables are Jayden Gibson, Eddy Pierre-Louis, Lewis Carter, and even Danny Stutsman.
Christian Jones, a 4-star prospect from Omaha Westside (NE), is the other linebacker in the 2025 recruiting class that OU is currently actively recruiting. Jones, who is listed at 6-3 and 220 pounds, is ranked by Rivals as the 77th best prospect in the nation overall.
Oklahoma might focus all of its efforts on Melendez if Jones decides to play for the Cornhuskers, since Nebraska is also actively pursuing Jones.
elite schools
Elite 2027 wide receiver Ethan Feaster released his first list of top institutions the same day that Melendez announced his decommitment.
The DeSoto, Texas, rising sophomore had received over 40 offers from colleges throughout the country, but on Saturday, he down his selection to only 18 institutions.
