Oklahoma Sooners' vision for key defensive position room revealed by latest recruiting offers
The Oklahoma Sooners landed their tenth commitment of the 2026 recruiting class last week, pulling in cornerback Derrick Johnson II. The son of former San Francisco 49er Derrick Johnson, Johnson was Oklahoma's first cornerback commitment of the class. They aren't stopping there, as they are also aiming to add another top cornerback whose decision is […]
The Oklahoma Sooners landed their tenth commitment of the 2026 recruiting class last week, pulling in cornerback Derrick Johnson II. The son of former San Francisco 49er Derrick Johnson, Johnson was Oklahoma's first cornerback commitment of the class.
They aren't stopping there, as they are also aiming to add another top cornerback whose decision is coming soon. Danny Odem is a priority target for the Sooners, and they want to hopefully form a starting duo with those two.
What's interesting to note about these two priority targets is how remarkably similar the two are, traits-wise. Looking at this duo, it paints a picture of how the Sooners are evaluating their cornerback room and how they potentially want to build it to compete in the SEC.
Both Johnson and Odem are listed at 6'2, giving them ample size on the perimeter. Each of their scouting reports builds a template of a long, physical cornerback with tremendous ball skills and speed. Additionally, both of them have experience playing on both sides of the ball.
Size. Physicality. Length. Ball skills. Aggressiveness. Speed.
While that feels like an obvious skill set, each staff will tend to value different traits differently. Some coaches don't care for size as long as you're smart or smooth in short areas. Other coaches tend to just recruit athletes who they think they can coach.
For Oklahoma, we're starting to see the shared vision the staff has here in the secondary for the future. Even though their best cornerback last season was the 5'9 Eli Bowen, he is a remarkable outlier. To fit in the SEC, the Sooners have to add those perimeter threats who can handle the freak athletes at wide receiver that the SEC churns out every season.
We'll see how this trend holds up over time, but it's an interesting note to keep in mind for future evaluations here for Oklahoma moving into the future.
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Veteran fans of the Oklahoma Sooners will recognize Tony Jefferson, a former defensive leader for Oklahoma from 2010 to 2012. A former All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 safety, Jefferson pivoted his Sooners career into the NFL, where he has been a significant contributor for over a decade. Now, Jefferson is trying to ensure his brother […]
