Only two days after closing out the 2021 class, Oklahoma added a top-50 prospect in the 2022 class when ESPN Junior 300 running back Raleek Brown committed to the Sooners.
Brown is the No. 43 overall recruit and the No. 3 running back in the class. A 5-foot-7, 170-pound prospect out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, he chose the Sooners over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and USC.
“It was relationships, and when I went [to Oklahoma] it felt like home,” Brown said. “I liked the setup at Oklahoma, and the offense is the best offense in college football.”
While he’s listed as a running back, Brown says he can help in both the run game and pass game. The Oklahoma coaches have talked to him about how he’ll fit in within the offense and what type of role he might have in the slot as well as at running back.
Because the NCAA implemented a dead period since last March, Brown went off of the two visits he took to Oklahoma his freshman and sophomore seasons to help him make his decision.
“I sat down with [receivers] Coach [Dennis] Simmons, and he showed me how they would use me in the backfield and slot and outside game,” Brown said. “Before I left, I had a meeting with Lincoln Riley and my dad, and Coach Riley told me how he would use me, too.”
Without any in-person visits, Brown has been furthering his relationships with the Oklahoma coaches through phone calls and a few video calls. It doesn’t replace the in-person interaction, but it has helped Brown and his family to learn more about what the entire Oklahoma program has to offer.
“I did a visit on a Zoom call a couple months ago just to catch up with them,” Brown said. “They did a presentation and we talked to everybody. It was like 50 minutes. They showed highlights, the championships, the records, the academic program.
“They showed us around and went through the locker room and the field. It was crazy, it was a lot of stuff.”
With Brown committed, the Sooners now have five ESPN Jr. 300 commitments. That includes wide receivers Talyn Shettron, Jordan Hudson, Luther Burden and linebacker Kobe McKinzie. Among the five commitments, four are ranked in the top 50 with Shettron the highest ranked at No. 13 overall, then Hudson at 36, followed by Brown at 43 and Burden at 48 in the rankings.
That’s a fast start after Riley and his staff signed the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in Caleb Williams, the No. 1 wide receiver in Mario Williams, and three other ESPN 300 receivers in the 2021 class.