Another Mega-Star Commit To Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners hosted several recruits on campus for ‘Heisman Hangout’ weekend and, in the immediate aftermath, that event had paid off. The Crimson and Cream has landed a commitment from 2025 safety Marcus Wimberly.

According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, the world of recruiting sees Wimbery as the No. 624 overall recruit in the 2025 recruiting class. The three-star also rates as a top-50 safety nationally at No. 47 overall and a top-five player in the state of Arkansas. As for the 247Sports Network’s specific rankings, our panel of national experts are a bit higher on Wimberly’s abilities. There he checks in as the No. 45 overall safety in the country.

Wimberly did it all for Bauxite (Ark.) High School in his junior season, playing significant snaps at receiver and QB, while also logging some reps in the secondary. In nine games, Wimberly rushed for 533 yards and scored 15 touchdowns on 74 carries. He also made plays through the air, adding 302 yards and two touchdowns on 28 receptions while throwing for a touchdown as well. On defense, he recorded 12 tackles and one fumble recovery.

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“What excites me most is just seeing how good God is and being able to see that my hard work is starting to pay off,” Wimberly previously told 247Sports. “Oklahoma has the best culture I’ve been around. It’s a great family feel up there. Coach (Brandon) Hall is going to develop you into an NFL-caliber safety. They’ve got a great culture, a great coaching staff and a great program up there… A lot of schools expect you to go in there and not get developed, but Oklahoma will develop you into a great player and man.”

Wimberly becomes the 11th commit of OU’s class in the 2025 cycle. He’s the fourth defensive prospect to pledge to the Sooners so far and the first defensive back that Oklahoma has landed so far.

Wimberly chooses Oklahoma over programs like Alabama, Utah, Michigan, Arkansas, Oregon, Ole Miss, Wisconsin and Memphis. A priority target for OU safeties coach Brandon Hall, this is a big win in a number of ways for Oklahoma.

Wimberly, a former Arkansas commit, reopened his recruitment. Later down the line, the Sooners would emerge as a serious contender within Wimberly’s process. The playmaker out of Bauxite not only checked boxes on the field, but he fits what Brent Venables and his staff look for off the field.

For Wimberly, the culture and program fit, plus the defensive staff and the ability to play in the SEC all made this a perfect match. It didn’t take long for OU to become the overwhelming favorite in the 247Sports Crystal Ball and, now, Wimberly is officially set to become a Sooner.

Oklahoma survives late scare, takes down UT Arlington for midweek win

After a tough loss in the rubber match of the Bedlam series in Stillwater on Sunday, Oklahoma returned to the friendly confines of L. Dale Mitchell Park on Tuesday night for a midweek clash with UT Arlington.

Needing a good performance and a win, the Sooners (18-14) put up a lot of runs early and survived a late rally to hold on for a welcomed 11-9 victory over the Mavericks to open up a four-game homestand.

OU did not wait long to get the bats hot in this one, as they went for four immediate runs in the bottom of the first on a defensive error by UTA, a Kendall Pettis sacrifice fly and a two-run single by Jaxon Willits. The freshman shortstop continued his best offensive stretch of the season after hitting three home runs over the weekend against Oklahoma State.

Two innings later, the Sooners went for another big number as they racked up five runs in the third on a Willits RBI bunt before picking up five consecutive two-out hits by Isaiah Lane, Rocco Garza-Gongora, Anthony Mackenzie, Bryce Madron and Easton Carmichael. After three, it was all OU at 9-0.

“When you’ve got it rolling like that, it’s easy to have quality at-bats because what you’re doing then is just trying to have good at-bats,” Johnson said. “Then all of a sudden, you get a hit, you get a hit, you get a hit…You’re just trying to keep the train rolling.”

The Mavericks would slowly chip away to make things somewhat interesting with two runs in the fourth and two in the seventh, making it a 9-4 game at the stretch. However, Oklahoma immediately got two back in the bottom of the seventh on a Mackenzie RBI triple and subsequent scoring on a wild pitch. After seven, it was 11-4 Sooners.

On the mound, OU went with a bullpen game using 11 different arms to cover the 27 outs. Among them was right-hander Will Carsten, who has had a bit of a tough season so far – but put together one of his strongest outings of the year working two shutout frames in the second and third allowing just a single hit and striking out three.

“It was good to see (Carsten) build some confidence and control what he can control,” Johnson said.

For all intents and purposes, things had all the look of a comfortable win for the Sooners. But, UT Arlington had other ideas. In the ninth, the Mavericks struck for five runs and brought the tying run to the plate before right-hander Brendan Girton recorded the final out to seal the deal.

Beginning in the frame was highly-touted youngster Jacob Gholston, who had made just one previous appearance earlier in the season. Gholston struggled to find the zone with three walks before exiting the game. But, while certainly a tough outing for the right-hander, Skip Johnson notes that moments like these are exactly how you develop young arms.

“College baseball is about development,” Johnson said. “(Gholston) walks out here and he’s one of the best pitchers in high school – and you’ve got to get him out there.”

“How do we develop a guy? We throw his (expletive) out there with lead. And if next week, we’re winning like that next Tuesday, or we’re winning like that on the weekend. You bet your bottom dollar he’s going to be out there because that guy is going to be good one day.”