Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners suffer a massive loss despite several recruiting predictions to land their top target
The Oklahoma Sooners and head coach Brent Venables have been on quite the roll on the field to start 2025. The recruiting results have been less exciting.
Head coach Brian Kelly and the LSU Tiger program landed a massive commitment on Monday when 2027 Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian quarterback Peyton Houston opted for Baton Rouge over programs like Oklahoma and USC. Viewed as one of the top signal callers in the entire country, Houston has a chance to be a special player on the college level. This looks like the future of the LSU program waiting in the wings.
Even though Houston is a native of Louisiana, this commitment did take some by surprise. After receiving an early prediction to land with the USC Trojans, Houston has been predicted by several big names in the recruiting industry to land with head coach Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners program. Most assumed that was where this was trending.
Oklahoma losing out on Houston is a massive blow. This is a blow for the 2027 recruiting class, but obviously, the program does have a lot of time to recover. It will be interesting to see who they turn to next.
Peyton Houston is a special football player
Houston is highly regarded across the majority of major recruiting platforms at present. He currently sits as the No. 126 overall player and No. 11 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. They also have him rated as the No. 6 player in Louisiana, a state known for putting out a high volume of talent. Keeping that type of talent at home is big for LSU.
Despite being just around 5-10 and 200 pounds, Houston had been pursued by a long list of impressive suitors. Some of those top early offers include the Tigers, the Sooners, Notre Dame, Trojans, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, USC, Texas A&M, Penn State, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn, Colorado, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, SMU, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Duke, Arizona, Houston, and Purdue among others.
As a sophomore in 2024, Houston put together an outstanding season for Evangel Christian. He managed to throw for 4,480 yards and 38 touchdowns, while throwing just six interceptions and completing 70 percent of his passes. He also added another 690 yards rushing and six scores on the ground.
Houston is off to a fast start as a junior this season. In two games, he has thrown for 664 yards and five touchdowns, averaging an absurd 332 yards per game as a passer. The Louisiana native has also added another 189 yards and two scores on the ground, averaging nine yards per carry.
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