Oklahoma Loses 2026 Linebacker Commit, per Report

With National Signing Day just over a week away, Oklahoma has lost one of its verbal commitments from the incoming recruiting class.

Linebacker Jakore Smith, a 2026 prospect from Bryant (AR), told On3 recruiting insider Hayes Fawcett on Monday that he’s decommitting from his pledge to the Sooners.

“I decommitted from Oklahoma because I don’t feel like a priority anymore,” he told On3. They lowered my NIL significantly and they said they are stuck at that price, no changes. I talked with some former D1 teammates of mine and current OU players and they agreed with me and my decision.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Smith wanted to play defense for head coach Brent Venables (he gave Venables his verbal pledge last May), but in the current climate of high school recruiting, prospects and their families and agents must also come to terms with Jim Nagy and the Sooners’ personnel department over a fair dollar amount.

That apparently didn’t happen, meaning Nagy was unwilling to renegotiate to give Smith additional funds. Clearing Smith’s money allows the Sooners to move on to other 2026 prospects ahead of the Dec. 3 early signing day.

Several recruits have been projected to commit to OU, per Rivals.

That includes 2026 3-star safety Markel Ford from Mesquite, TX, and 2027 4-star cornerback Juju Johnson of Long Beach, CA.

On offense, former Penn State commit Messiah Mickens, a 4-star 2026 running back from Harrisburg, PA, and Jayden Petit, a 4-star 2026 wide receiver from Naples, FL, has been predicted to commit to OU.

The Sooners’ 2027 class just added a commitment last week from Mikyal Davis, a 3-star cornerback from Goodyear, AZ.

Smith said he’s already drawing interest from Memphis, Arkansas and SMU.

OU’s 2026 class is ranked No. 19 nationally by Rivals. The Sooners now stand at 21 verbal commitments after Smith’s exit. 

That includes 10 defensive players and three linebackers: Arizona twins Beau and Niko Jandreau and Florida’s Jacob Curry.