Well, Brent Venables might still not be over the big losses on the 2026 recruiting trail. The Oklahoma Sooners had lost two highly-touted wide receivers- Craig Dandridge and Jayden Petit on the same day. Not just this. There came more pain for Venables and co. Their 4-star quarterback, Jaden O’Neal, flipped his commitment from the Sooners club to Florida State.
Right now, Oklahoma still has a long way to go to catch up with the frontrunners in the 2026 recruiting trail. As per On3’s list, Venables’ program stands at No.20 position with only 15 recruits locked in. That too, they are yet to open the book for the 5-star players. But so what? July 7th indeed marked a special day for them. They locked in another four-star, Tyler Ruxer.
On July 7, Hayes Fawcett confirmed, “BREAKING: Four-Star TE Tyler Ruxer has Committed to Oklahoma, he tells me for @rivals.ig.” Now, this blue-chip prospect addition is indeed special. Ruxer is the No. 9 tight end in the 2026 class. So, was the race to land the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder easy? Definitely not. Venables had to beat out West Virginia, Duke, and Northwestern. The tight end also held offers from Power Four programs like Baylor, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa, Louisville, Minnesota, and Purdue. So, this commitment definitely deserves a celebration from Venables.
After all, Ruxer is the second tight end added to the 2026 class after Ryder Mix committed back in June of 2024. But Venables is yet to hit the ‘SETTLE’ button when it comes to their tight end room. That’s because it’s been a position that has failed to live up to expectations during the past two seasons and has been plagued by injuries. How can Venables count on Ruxer to change the narrative? Ruxer adds a dynamic receiving threat to the Sooners’ offense. Even though he will have to make a transition after playing wide receiver for Heritage Hills, he’s a good route runner and displays the ability to make plays down the field.
Venables has been lucky to land Ruxer, whose speed allows him to be a threat after the catch. According to his Hudl profile, the 4-star accounted for 43 receptions for 893 yards and 12 touchdowns. Even at his size, Ruxer also reportedly runs a 4.61‑second 40-yard dash. And the young chap is already reining high with energy and confidence. As he sent a message, “Norman, let’s get it. BOOMER SOONER!” And guess what? More than the commit someone else is more excited to play alongside Ruxer? That’s none other than Venables’ 4-star quarterback of the 2026 class, Bowe Bentley. Under Fawcett’s post, he posted a GIF that shows a cheerleader raising a ‘BOOMER’ placard. That’s because both Bentley and Venables could let out a sigh of relief.
Brent Venables lost to seal a family legacy
They can finally get over the pain of missing out on junior college tight end Josiah Jefferson, who is the top JUCO prospect. After all, Venables might have counted highly on Josiah since he is the brother of the former Sooners’ safety Tony Jefferson. The NFL veteran further raised Oklahoma’s expectations. On May 20, Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy expressed an unusual recruiting wish. He tweeted, “OU is looking for football equivalent of this dude in recruiting. #baller.” The tweet had a picture of Alex Caruso, who made a great comeback after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies.
That’s when NFL veteran Tony jumped into the conversation. Retweeting the post, he vouched for his brother as the perfect fit. “My younger brother is ready to be a big time weapon for OU’s offense .. 40’ vert .” Things have been going well for Venables’ Josiah recruiting race. Nagy even arranged for an in-person visit with Tony. After the meet-up, the GM tweeted, “It was good catching up today, Tony. Bmer! #SoonerScOUting #OUDNA.” Even after all this, the luck did not favor Venables’ squad.
Their hot WR/TE target committed to Utah over the Sooners. Oklahoma typically doesn’t tend to target JUCO products under Brent Venables. On the other hand, Utes. Utah has also been a much better pipeline into the NFL for tight ends than Oklahoma in recent memory. Players like Dalton Kincaid is one of the best examples. Can Ruxer finally patch the hole that’s lingered in Venables’ lineup for years?
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