Oklahoma Flip Young Talented Starman From Texas Tech Football
The Oklahoma Sooners just delivered a seismic jolt to the 2027 recruiting cycle, flipping Cooper Hackett from Texas Tech and landing Kaeden Penny, giving the Soonersโ class a foundation built in the trenches. Those moves alone helped vault Oklahoma into the No.โฏ3 spot in most early national rankings.
A homecoming for Hackett
Cooper Hackett, the 6โfootโ7, 250โplusโpound offensive tackle out of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, had originally committed to Texas Tech on August 30.
But on September 25, he announced a flip to the Sooners, stating simply, โIโm home, Boomer Sooner!โ
Hackettโs decision wasnโt driven by NIL money. According to Rivalsโ Steve Wiltfong, he actually took โa good chunk lessโ to be at Oklahoma. When asked why, Hackett told reporters that in his eyes, the NFL is the goal, and โthat money is not going to matterโฆ Iโm going to bet on myself.โ
From a rankings standpoint, Hackett is a huge win. In the 247Sports composite, he sits as a Topโ10 recruit nationally, a topโ3 offensive tackle, and the No.โฏ1 player in Oklahoma.
For Oklahoma, locking in their home stateโs top talent โ especially on the offensive line โ strengthens their ability to build dominance from the line of scrimmage outward.
Penny adds depth, local pedigree
Just minutes after Hackettโs flip became public, Oklahoma closed the day by securing a commitment from Kaeden Penny, a highly rated in-state lineman from Bixby, Oklahoma. ([SI][3]) At 6โfootโ4 and 265โ280 pounds, Penny brings interior strength to the class.
Penny was ranked by Rivals at about No.โฏ34 overall in the 2027 class at the time of commitment, and 247Sports lists him as the No.โฏ2 interior offensive lineman nationally โ and the No.โฏ2 overall player in Oklahoma, just behind Hackett.ย He had a host of offers โ Ohio State, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn โ but chose to stay in his home state with the Sooners.
Why this matters for Oklahomaโs class
These two moves together reflect a concerted strategy by Oklahoma to own the inโstate offensive line pipeline. As recruiting analysts have observed, landing the top two Oklahoma players in the same day โ both offensive linemen โ is a major recruiting statement.
And the impact is immediate: Oklahoma is now being cited as the No.โฏ3 class nationally in early 2027 rankings, thanks largely to these highly prized offensive line additions. ([Stormin in Norman][5]) For a program that has often centered its identity on dominant line play, this recruiting surge is far more than splash โ itโs foundational.
Of course, development remains key. Hackett, in particular, is still young and refining technique. But if his ceiling is reached, and Penny grows into a stalwart interior anchor, Oklahomaโs offensive-line recruiting juggernaut could help power the Sooners back to national relevance in a way few predicted this early.