Goodnews: Oklahoma sealed a mega deal with an in-state four-star cornerback.
The adage doesn’t become any less true just because you’ve heard it a million times in recruitment circles after hearing it once.
Really, the lifeblood of every elite college football school is in-state recruitment. Gaining the best recruits in your area to remain inside state borders (and away from your rivals in the same state) gives you a significant advantage in the recruitment process.
Therefore, Brent Venables, the head coach of Oklahoma, and his staff must be ecstatic about their most recent recruiting success. Oklahoma City native and four-star cornerback Trystan Haynes has committed to the Sooners.
“After much consideration, I ultimately decided on Oklahoma,” Haynes said to On3. It was the crowd and the ambiance. They were really loving every time I went up there.
Although Haynes was considering Texas A&M, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, and Alabama, in the end, the OU staff was a major factor in convincing the four-star to stay in-state.
Haynes had nothing but praise for Venables and Jay Valai, the cornerback’s coach.
“The coaches also had a significant impact. I had a great rapport with Coaches Valai and V, and I have faith in their abilities to help me grow both as a player and a person. Throughout the summer, they have both assisted me with skill development at their camps and have just occasionally checked in with me, telling me that I was an important part of their plans for the SEC, Haynes said.
Haynes will be remembered by the Sooners as a significant commitment. He is ranked as the No. 12 cornerback recruit in the 2025 class by 247Sports.
Currently ranked No. 4 in the country, Venables’ 2025 class is ahead of just Notre Dame, Ohio State, and LSU.
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Oklahoma gains four spots in the 2025 class rankings when Trystan Haynes is added.
Trystan Haynes’ pledge has propelled the Oklahoma Sooners into the top four of the 2025 recruiting class rankings.
The Sooners had quite the spike in April, bringing in seven commits in all, four of which came from the 2025 recruiting cycle. Even though that month was full of momentum, Oklahoma is off to a fast start in the first part of May.
Of course, the Sooners made a big splash when they signed Damonic Williams, a talented defensive tackle via the transfer portal. However, OU returned to the 2025 recruiting class with a significant addition a few days later.
On Tuesday, the 11th, Trystan Haynes announced his decision to remain at home and pursue his profession within the state of Oklahoma. This offered OU access to a defensive back prospect from Carl Albert High School, which is nearby, who is a nationally recognized talent.
The recruiting community ranks Haynes as the No. 151 overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, based on the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Player Rankings. At No. 18, the four-star prospect is ranked among the top-20 cornerbacks in the country and among the top four in Oklahoma. Regarding the 247Sports Network’s particular ranks, however, our group of national specialists has even greater opinions on Haynes’s skills. Haynes ranks No. 119 nationwide in the Top247 of the ’25 cycle, ranking as one of the top-120 prospects overall. According to 247Sports, he is ranked among the top 12 corners in the nation and is regarded as one of the best three players at Oklahoma.
Haynes is Oklahoma’s second-best-ranked commit in this redesigned 2025 commitment class. Haynes helped the Sooners jump up the class rankings because of the kind of player that recently signed.
Oklahoma has moved up two spots from sixth to fourth in the 2025 recruiting class rankings, placing them within the top four. This uptick helps the Sooners pass USC and Clemson.
With a combined score of 225.05, Oklahoma’s 2025 class is only 10.34 points behind the LSU Tigers, who are ranked third in the country. This indicates that the Sooners are only 10.34 points below the top spot in the Southeastern Conference and still have one of the top two classes in the SEC. Ten four-star recruits and five three-star recruits make up OU’s class, which also includes seven offensive prospects and eight defensive recruits.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that Oklahoma has a 90.40 rating on the per commit average. The Sooners rank No. 18 overall and in the top-20 nationally in this category.
However, Oklahoma still has a lot of work ahead of it. There are still a few confirmed decision deadlines that need to be met, so additional dominoes might easily fall in May.
The recruiting calendar is moving toward the summer, but the 2025 cycle is still in its early stages. The official visitation season is approaching, and the actions that typically accompany it will ultimately further influence the rankings. But for the time being, it’s a significant accomplishment for Oklahoma to move into the top four after adding a strong in-state recruit.
