Sooners position coach continues to be one of Oklahoma’s secret weapons when it comes to recruiting
Todd Bates and the Oklahoma Sooners just landed 2026 defensive lineman T-Ron Richardson.
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Sooners added another commit to their 2026 class, just when we thought they were done. Todd Bates, the defensive line coach, snagged three-star defensive lineman T’Ron Richardson.
Oklahoma seems to think that Richardson is much better than his three-star rating would suggest. During the last few months, the Sooners have salvaged the recruiting class, specifically on the defensive line, where it started off pretty bad.
Sooners’ Todd Bates continues to be a secret weapon in recruiting
As we mentioned earlier, the 2026 recruiting class didn’t start off exactly how the Sooners wanted it to in terms of the defensive line. Still, they’ve recovered in the last few months, with commitments from Jake Kreul, one of the best edge rushers in the country, and then James Carrington recently, followed by Richardson on Tuesday.
And, the way they have done it is with their secret weapon in recruiting — Bates, who just seems to keep winning these kids over.
“Oklahoma just stayed consistent from the beginning,” Richardson told Rivals. “They offered me early and kept calling, texting, FaceTiming — always checking in. I could feel how much they wanted me. Coach Bates is a great guy. Super high energy, intense when he’s locked in, and says what he means. And Coach Venables — he’s nonstop energy. We can talk about anything. He’s super relatable and reachable, even as the head coach. Plus, he’s a defensive guy, and his plan for me was strong. He’s changing the program for the better and getting guys ready to compete in the SEC.”
There will be people out there who look at this and think Bates isn’t doing anything crazy because these kids he is getting to commit are three-stars. But the Sooners don’t go off star ratings when they recruit. They base their decision purely on the film, and they love what they see from Richardson.
When you turn on his film, you will see Richardson is pretty quick for his size, especially right off the snap. He also has a knack for making high-IQ plays in the run game, and it’s great to see that, because these days, most kids only care about sacks. Richardson chose the Sooners over Penn State, Maryland, and Syracuse.
Maybe now we can say that this class is wrapped up until National Signing Day.
