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Fact or Fiction: This is Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting weekend of the year
Rivals national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson and national rankings director Adam Friedman, along with OUInsider.com‘s Parker Thune and OrangeBloods.com‘s Jason Suchomel tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
1. This is Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting weekend of the season.
Thune: FACT. Everything about this game is why Oklahoma made the transition to the SEC: A marquee conference opponent, a prime-time window on national television, and — in an ideal world — a sellout crowd that’s got more reason to get stoked about the on-field matchup than any crowd since Ohio State came to Norman in 2016.
The Sooners’ visitor list is absolutely jam-packed with elite talent across three different classes, and some of these visitors have had their plans cemented for months. Oklahoma fully planned on orchestrating its biggest recruiting weekend of the season for its SEC opener, and it’s come to fruition. Now can the Sooners maximize the strength of their impression on this bevy of blue-chip recruits by beating Tennessee?
Levenson: FACT. Oklahoma was wise to make its most anticipated recruiting visit weekend in the first half of the season. With the way their schedule is built out, the Sooners are likely to suffer some losses along the way so having it while still undefeated against a premier opponent in Tennessee makes for a buzz-worthy event.
Top names in the country such as Deuce Geralds, Peyton Houston, Danny Beale and Cooper Witten mark just a small fraction of how many significant prospects will be in attendance.
The Sooners have another big game later in the year against Alabama that will surely draw recruits to campus, but there is no way to tell what shape the season is in for Oklahoma by that time. This weekend was a perfect opportunity for Oklahoma to ramp up their recruiting efforts.
MORE OU-TENNESSEE: Which team needs it more for recruiting? | Five biggest visitors | QB matchups of former 2023 five-stars
2. Arch Manning should already be considered QB1 for 2026 NFL Draft.
Suchomel: FICTION. While I would think there’s a very solid chance that Arch Manning winds up being the No. 1 pick when it’s his time to head to the NFL, I can’t already proclaim that he should without a doubt be considered QB1. Manning has flashed tremendous talent but he’s really only played about one half of meaningful football. He’ll get his first start on Saturday so we’ll have another big data point to consider, and I expect he’ll do well once again. Do I think he’ll be a high draft pick, possibly even No. 1 overall? Absolutely. Am I willing to stick my neck out and say he should already be the no-brainer QB1 when he comes out? Not quite.
Levenson: FACT. More than a full year out from the 2026 draft, there is no telling where most of the top prospects are going to come from. In recent years, we have seen plenty of players rise to top in the months leading up the draft. But, for Manning, you can be 100-percent his name will be on every watchlist, prediction and radar from now until the spring of 2026 when the draft takes place.
He is worthy of being in the conversation as well. Nico Iamaleava certainly will have his place in the discussion and Jackson Arnold might creep in, but Manning will be a constant. While he has not given a ton of production in his reserve role, we have honestly seen enough to at least know he is a premier talent at the college level, whether he has played lesser talent or not. If he is even competent this season in his limited role behind Quinn Ewers, he will receive most of the buzz for the 2026 draft.
3. Keelon Russell can rise to QB1 in the 2025 class.
Friedman: FACT. The race for number one in the Rivals250 and the No. 1 quarterback in the country is really tight, but right now, Tavien St. Clair and Bruce Underwood lead the way, followed by Julian Lewis and Keelon Russell. Russell certainly has a chance to jump up to the top of that list, but it depends on how the rest of the season plays out. We’re definitely watching to see how his game has continued to develop, and same with the rest of the quarterbacks I just mentioned. He has a ceiling just as high, if not higher than every other quarterback in this class because of his arm strength, athletic ability and his potential as an accurate passer down the field.
He has experience with elite teammates and playing against elite defenses week in and week out, so there shouldn’t be too much of a learning curve. Once he gets to the next level, it’ll be all about how he takes to the offensive system at Alabama and adjusts to the tighter coverage he’ll see in the SEC.
Levenson: FACT. Russell proved this offseason he belonged in the group of elite quarterback prospects in the class. Now, the question is where does he fit among them? He is the No. 4 quarterback right now, but he certainly has the physical ability to rise higher. The level of competition he faces on a weekly basis gives him a leg up on the likes of St. Clair and Underwood. Russell is a winner, shown by his two state championships in arguably the toughest division in the country.
What gives me confidence he can prove worthy of No. 1 is that he rises to the occasion when the most pressure is on him. Whether it is this season, the postseason or the Under Armour All-America game before heading off to Alabama, he will be cool, calm and collected while being the best athlete on the field.
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