Texas S target Jamal Morris among big Oklahoma pledges on spring game weekend

The main storyline from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game weekend won’t be the actual spring game. Rather, that honor will be reserved for Oklahoma’s efforts on the recruiting trail.

Within a matter of hours, the Sooners struck gold with a trio of four-star pledges rolling in from Allen wide receiver Theo Wease, Richmond Fort Bend Travis receiver Arjei Henderson, and most recently, Richmond Fort Bend Bush safety Jamal Morris.

Each of the three held a Texas offer, but prior to their Friday pledges, only Morris was still considering Texas, as he named the Longhorns in his final three in early March, along with LSU, and of course, Oklahoma.

Morris was scheduled to officially visit Texas on May 4, but various rumblings indicated that the Sooners could seal the deal this weekend with Morris in town for his official visit. Of course, those rumblings are now reality, and yet another elite in-state prospect will now take his talents across the Red River.

It’s also worth noting that Morris, a teammate of Texas cornerback target Erick Young, entered his Oklahoma official visit joined by other key Longhorn targets in Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco cornerback Chris Steele, Conroe Oak Ridge offensive tackle Tyler Johnson, and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Jaden Davis, who are each on official visits, as well.

Following the latest recruiting surge, Oklahoma now holds commitments from four of the top 14 talents in Texas, which catapults the Sooners’ class from No. 18 nationally to No. 4.

Texas, on the other hand, owns the No. 4 class in the Big 12 thus far, and holds a pledge from just one elite in-state prospect in Cuero wide receiver Jordan Whittington. Fortunately for the ‘Horns, Oklahoma’s momentum should impact Texas too significantly, other than the fact that they’ll have to face these elite talents on the field in future.

Although recruiting often doesn’t go according to plan, Steele isn’t aiming to announce a commitment until the fall, and in the case of Johnson, the Longhorns appear to have a comfortable edge at this point. Davis, on the other hand, is projected to remain in Florida when it’s all said and done, anyway, so save for the sheer momentum Oklahoma is joining, the impact that Friday’s barrage of pledges should have is fairly minimal for Texas.

As noted, Wease and Henderson — both previously pledges to Oklahoma — had previously eliminated the Longhorns from contention, and as far as missing on Morris is concerned, Texas is still a major factor and considered the favorites for a pair of four-star safeties in Loganville (Ga.) Grayson product Kenyatta Watson II and Mansfield Legacy star Jalen Catalon.

On the surface, Lincoln Riley’s latest momentum-building weekend isn't ideal for Texas, but with the Longhorns awaiting soon-to-come announcements from Watson, Garrett Wilson, and NaNa Osafo-Mensah, with DeMarvin Leal, and David Gbenda aiming to announce at some point during the summer, as well, what’s currently the nation’s No. 20 class could crack the top 10 long before the focus shifts towards preseason camp.