Jim Nagy just redeemed himself to the Oklahoma Sooners faithful after losing battle to SEC foe
The Oklahoma Sooners just landed on of the best remaining recruits in the country.
On Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners took a massive loss on the recruiting side of things. They lost out on four-star wide receiver Davian Groce to the Florida Gators, after being predicted to land him, and the favorites to land him, all summer long.
Jim Nagy, the new general manager, didn’t land him, and Sooners fans immediately started questioning whether the recruiting space was for him or not. But, he may have made up for it on Tuesday.
The Sooners really wanted two recruits left for the 2026 cycle before they put their full focus on the 2027 class. They wanted Groce, and they wanted Jake Kreul. They got Kreul on Tuesday.
Jim Nagy and Sooners land 2026 DE Jake Kreul
Jake Kreul is a four-star edge rusher for the 2026 class and is one of the defenders in the class that the Oklahoma Sooners desperately needed and wanted. He is probably the defensive recruit they have pushed for the hardest, and they were able to get him, making their 2026 class a success in their eyes.
The Sooners have only two edge rushers in their 2026 class who have committed, Daniel Norman and Matthew Nelson, that is, before Kreul. But, both of them are three-stars, so you can see why they would want to add Kreul to the mix.
At 6’4″ and 240 pounds, Kreul combines speed, strength, and skill, earning praise as a technically advanced defender, which is pretty much the biggest reason why Brent Venables and the Sooners have wanted him so badly. He sees himself as a technician and loves perfecting his craft.
In his 2024 junior season at IMG, Kreul had 39 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries, and nine sacks in nine games against a tough schedule.
On Tuesday, shortly after picking OU over Texas and Ole Miss, Kreul described why OU was the right school for him.
“I think the number one thing it came down to was trust. I’ve known that staff for a while,” Jake Kreul said on the Pat McAfee Show. Coach Chavis has been awesome to me, I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s kept the same thing the same thing no matter what. I love the defense that Coach Venables has. It’s super aggressive. They chase TFLs, and I love to get sacks. The way you do that is by getting them behind in the chains. I think that was the main thing in my decision.”
Oklahoma got a win shortly after getting a loss. Now, it’s time to see how Jim Nagy does in the 2027 class.
