Top Players from Oklahoma’s Brent Venables Football Camp’s First Day

NORMAN — At the Everest Training Center on Thursday, high school football players and elite prospects from across the nation gathered for Oklahoma’s yearly Brent Venables Football Camp to showcase their talents.

There were hundreds of people at the camp, just as in years past, but some players stood out from the crowd. It was a busy day for the Sooners coaching staff, with several OU pledges and offers in attendance and even more recruits receiving offers following strong performances.

In contrast to the previous summer, when both offensive and defensive linemen dominated the morning workout, trench players and skill position players worked out at different times.

More than any other position on Thursday, the offensive line group was highlighted by the fact that two players arrived with offers from Bill Bedenbaugh and associates and two more players left with offers.

During Thursday’s session, Noah Best, a 3-star offensive lineman from Midlothian, Texas, was the first player to accept an offer.

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and 290 pounds, Best demonstrated adequate strength to withstand strong rushers and decent footwork to maintain a safe distance from more dexterous edge players.

Texas, Wisconsin, Arkansas, SMU, and other schools have already extended offers to the gifted offensive lineman of 2026.

After a strong showing at the Brent Venables Camp, 4-star 2026 offensive lineman Chancellor Barclay, who hails from Minneola, Florida, also received an offer from the Sooners on Thursday.

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and 290 pounds, Barclay packs a powerful punch when he engages a defensive lineman. Making good plays at tackle and on the interior, the First Academy (FL) standout appeared to win every one-on-one rep he faced against Thursday’s d-line group.

Rivals ranks Barclay as the No. 4 interior offensive lineman and No. 168 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. He has offers from Clemson, Penn State, Miami, Florida, and other schools.

Felix Ojo, one of the two offensive linemen who brought an offer from the Sooners to Thursday’s practice, was equally impressive.

Ojo, a 4-star recruit from Mansfield Lake Ridge (TX), is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 14 offensive tackle and the No. 173 overall talent for the 2026 cycle. Ojo, who is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 274 pounds, can prevent defensive linemen from putting their hands in his chest when he rushes.

Ojo managed to keep 2027 Oklahoma edge commit Zane Rowe out of the pocket and prevented him from being pushed backwards during several repetitions versus Rowe. Ojo obviously has the build to get larger and has functional strength to compete with other elite players, even though he still needs to put on weight.

Another 2026 offensive lineman who came into the workout on Thursday with an offer from Bedenbaugh and colleagues, Toa Katoa, performed admirably as well. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and 358 pounds, Katoa demonstrated remarkable power and unexpected agility during one-on-one drills, effortlessly impeding many defensive linemen.

The standout from Euless Trinity, Texas, is a 3-star recruit who has offers from Texas, Oregon, Miami, Nebraska, and other schools.

Three more players had good performances on Thursday: 2027 Hays (KS) o-lineman Gus Corsair, 2027 Braswell (TX) interior lineman Brayden Wood, and 3-star 2026 Valor Christian (CO) tackle Kannon Smith.

Although he didn’t win every rep, Rowe, an OU pledge and 2027 edge rusher from Denton Guyer (TX), demonstrated impressive quickness and speed off the line considering his stature.

Standing at six feet five inches and 225 pounds, Rowe stopped working out on his own and instead focused only on working with defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and senior defensive lineman Ethan Downs.

Two 4-star quarterbacks stole the show in Thursday’s afternoon session, and both performed as expected.

The 2025 quarterback commit from Oklahoma, Kevin Sperry, was present and was impressive once more. Sperry was able to open receivers deep in one-on-one sessions by pushing the ball downfield with ease with to his strong arm and excellent touch on deep passes.

The four-star quarterback appears to be continuing where he left off while playing for the Carl Albert (OK) Titans this season at Denton Guyer.

Dereon Coleman, a Jones (FL) 2026 signal caller, was also present on Thursday. The 4-star quarterback’s lightning-fast release was evident when he completed throws during one-on-one drills and airborne routes.

Despite not having a particularly huge build, Coleman is able to obtain velocity on his throws almost effortlessly. Rivals ranks Coleman as the No. 5 quarterback and No. 158 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. Coleman accepted his offer from Seth Littrell and associates in February.

Coleman listed his top eight schools shortly before reporting for camp; Oklahoma Mississippi, Texas A&M, Nebraska, TCU, Arkansas, UCF, and Illinois made the cut.

2027 Arlington Lamar (TX) star Trenton Yancey seized the spotlight at wide receiver, winning practically every rep he faced in one-on-one drills.

With an amazing blend of speed, agility, and exceptional direction switching, Yancey outran defensive backs downfield and caught almost every ball that was thrown to him. The 6-foot wide receiver had little trouble getting away from opponents and even made some excellent contested catches on passes that were underthrown.

Late in April, the Sooners made Yancey an offer, bringing his total to over thirty for the athletic pass catcher.

After a strong performance on Thursday, 2027 Owasso (OK) defensive back Bryson Brown received an offer in the defensive backfield. Brown, who is listed as 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, has offers from Penn State, South Carolina, and Charlotte, but his recruitment may pick up speed soon.

In one-on-one drills, the Tulsa native effectively mirrored wide receivers and shown good closing speed to make plays with the ball in the air. Despite a strong bunch of quarterbacks attempting to pass the ball, Brown made several outstanding pass breakups on Thursday.

Carter Langenderfer, another defensive back from Owasso, had a strong showing as well, snagging several interceptions during one-on-one drills.

A promising 2026 prospect from West Plains, Texas named Kane White-Tinsley also performed well in the defensive backfield. The three-sport star from West Texas is the grandson of national champion and former Oklahoma defensive back Derrick White, who was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1988 NFL Draft.

White-Tinsley’s older brother, Anthony White, is a defensive back at Texas Tech, and his father, Corey White, was a defensive back at Eastern New Mexico.