Sooners flip an elite playmaker which only helps make sense of some of the other moves Oklahoma has been making in their recruiting
Brent Venables and the Sooners flipped Markel Ford from SMU to Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Sooners have been making some moves in their recruiting, specifically in their 2026 recruiting class. On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, the Sooners had something new to be thankful for – a flip from 2026 safety Markel Ford. He was previously committed to SMU, but chose to flip to Brent Venables’ elite defense.
Early in the week, the Sooners lost safety/linebacker Jakore Smith, a three-star from Arkansas. He decommitted, and I guess that he did so because he realized he was no longer a priority. Smith plays linebacker for Bryant High School in Arkansas, but all indications were that he will be a safety at the next level, unless he fills out majorly. Smith will be a great football player, but it seems the Sooners were more committed to Ford.
Markel Ford can be better than his three-star rating suggests
The Sooners have been known for turning three-star guys into monsters, especially on the defensive side. The best defensive player this season, Taylor Wein, is a former three-star, along with defensive tackle Jayden Jackson, cornerback Courtland Guillory, and some others sprinkled throughout the team are all three-stars.
Brent Venables and his staff do not care about a star rating. And, honestly, this is how most programs work, but for Venables, they solely look at what the player does on tape and their measurables. Then they talk to those players to get a feel of whether they would even be a culture fit.
With Ford, they have identified those things. Ford is a 6’1, 200-pound safety from Dallas, Texas, and when you watch his tape, you can see all of the things that the Sooners likely see. He has explosiveness on defense, whether it’s playing the ball in the air or making tackles. His size and athleticism combination is not something you really see often, either.
The Sooners love Ford, and they see this as a huge win for the 2026 recruiting class, which is only getting closer to being complete. On Saturday, the Sooners are set to host a ton of recruits while they play the LSU Tigers.
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