Oklahoma Sooners are one of the three teams in the early sweepstakes for a top 20 player in the 2028 recruiting class
The Oklahoma Sooners seem to really like 2028 running back Zaiden Jernigan, and he likes them, too.
The Oklahoma Sooners are building a strong relationship with 2028 4-star running back Zaiden Jernigan, one of the nation’s top prospects at his position.
Jernigan, a 5’11, 200-pound back from Louisville, Mississippi, has three programs standing out to him the most right now: Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. He is a 92.87 composite-rated prospect, the No. 29 overall player in the 2028 Rivals industry rankings, the No. 2 running back in the country, and the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi.
Jernigan stayed close to home for much of the summer after taking visits to Notre Dame and Auburn in June. Earlier this spring, he visited Ole Miss, Michigan State, Alabama, Georgia, and Nebraska.
He has already taken 10 total visits and plans to take many more, with fall trips planned to Florida, Ole Miss again, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Alabama, Indiana, Auburn, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. He intends to spend the fall traveling the country before trimming his list and working toward an early commitment.
Oklahoma’s pitch to Jernigan
While Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma appear to be the three programs Jernigan is most interested in right now, that list could very well change. This is a 2028 recruiting class, and nothing has to be finalized until Feb. 2028. Things change a lot in recruiting these days, whether it’s NIL or something else.
Many people think Jernigan could end up going the in-state route to Ole Miss, but nobody is ruling out Notre Dame and Oklahoma in this fight. The Sooners haven’t hosted him on campus yet, but they have built a strong relationship in his recruitment. Jernigan likes running backs coach Deland McCullough, and McCullough’s experience coaching NFL talent, like Jeremiah Love last year, stands out to him. That matters because the ultimate goal for most of these recruits is to reach the NFL.
What Jernigan brings to the table
Jernigan has the perfect build for a running back at 5’11, 200 pounds, and he honestly looks like he could play as a true freshman whenever he arrives on campus. With his composite rating and ranking as the No. 2 back in the country, he is going to be a prospect that pretty much every program wants. His recruitment could start to heat up significantly.
Oklahoma seems to be a school Jernigan is genuinely interested in, and the Sooners seem to be genuinely interested in him. Look for him to visit Norman during the season, potentially during a game week. That would be massive. Oklahoma thrives in those settings. They thrive when bringing recruits onto campus during game weeks and showing them what the atmosphere is about, showing them what it’s like to be an Oklahoma Sooner.
Every time that happens, prospects walk away from the visit absolutely blown away. It wouldn’t be surprising if that happened again. Jernigan is a guy the Sooners want and need.
