Sooners get delayed news that felt inevitable after one big shocking change that happened earlier in the offseason

The Oklahoma Sooners had the No. 1 running back in the 2028 recruiting class in Micah Rhodes, who decided to leave after OU lost RB coach DeMarco Murray to the Kansas City Chiefs

Justin Churchill — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Apr 1, 2026 8:29 PM EDT

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables spring practice lose RB Micah Rhodes — Head coach Brent Venables observes drills during an Oklahoma (OU) football practice in Norman, Okla., on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma Sooners had a shocking development this offseason that, in a way, hurt them. But it’s only affected them negatively in 2028, and it’s not even that big a deal as things currently stand. Losing RB coach DeMarco Murray means they lost their No. 1 RB recruit in the 2028 recruiting class.

First, I want to thank Oklahoma and the entire staff for believing in me and accepting my commitment. The Sooners are a Premier Program and I'm greatful for the time and effort that was put into recruiting me.

After much time and thought, I’ve decided to decommit. Coach DeMarco…
— Micah Rhodes (@themicahrhodes) April 1, 2026

Sooners lose a commit months after losing a coach

Murray was an elite recruiter, but lacked in the development area, so it wasn’t a huge loss, especially considering that the Sooners landed Deland McCullough in return. Murray headed to the Kansas City Chiefs as the RB coach. When that happened, it was obvious it could affect recruiting for the position. But Micah Rhodes, the No. 1 RB in the 2028 class, insisted that he was still locked in with OU when the news broke. This week, it became apparent that it was not the case. Rhodes just decommitted from the Sooners.

And it makes sense, Murray was the reason Rhodes committed to Oklahoma.

“DeMarco was one of the first coaches I talked to. The bond has always been solid and genuine. I call DeMarco when I can, and we talk about football and life and steps on how to be a better player and young man,” Rhodes told Rivals when he was on track to commit to the Sooners months ago. “Having a great coach who desires to develop me is at the top of my list of importance.

“What excites me about playing for Coach Murray is that he has the NFL experience and played RB at the NFL level. It would be amazing to learn and understand how to be an NFL back while working in college. He has just been consistently talking to my dad and me about the culture of Oklahoma — how he would love to use my skill-set and help me improve my game from things he saw from my past games or even at camp working out with him.”

Now it’s important to remember that these are kids, and kids do change their minds, and that’s okay. Rhodes is still very young and has plenty of time before he has to play college football. Decommitting now is not unusual, especially in this circumstance.