Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners predicted to land toolsy Midwestern pass catcher ahead of his decision date

After a slow stretch earlier this year, Oklahoma is starting to add a ton of talented to the 2026 recruiting class. New general manager Jim Nagy has already made his mark on the Sooners program, and that staff is continuing to try and find some values on the recruiting trail. 

We are just a few days until 2026 Lincoln City (Ind.) Heritage Hills tight end Tyler Ruxer is set to make his college decision. The Indiana native will be selecting between the Oklahoma Sooners, West Virginia Mountaineers, Duke Blue Devils, and Northwestern Wildcats on Monday. 

Steve Wiltfong, who is the vice president of recruiting at On3, has put an expert prediction for Ruxer to land with the Sooners. Luckily for Oklahoma fans, they aren’t going to have to wait long to see if Wiltfong’s prediction is correct. 

From a rankings perspective, Ruxer is a bit underrated. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, he is currently ranked as the No. 487 overall player, No. 25 tight end, and No. 3 player in the state of Indiana. On3 is the highest on Ruxer, pegging him as the No. 164 overall player and No. 9 tight end in the 2026 recruiting class. 

Outside of his finalists, Ruxer has an interesting offer list. Some of the top schools that have offered him include Iowa, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Baylor, Cincinnati, Houston, and Purdue amongst many others. That isn’t the typical offer list you would expect for a Sooners target. 

As a junior, Ruxer put together an impressive season for Heritage Hills. In 15 games, he managed to haul in 43 receptions for 893 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s an average of 20.8 yards per reception. 

The 6-4, 220-pound athlete was also utilized on the defensive side of the football. He managed to collect 30 total tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. 

If Ruxer does end up with Oklahoma, he shouldn’t be expected to make a huge impact in 2026. He is a developmental upside project whose best football is a little down the line.