Oklahoma Sooners in pole position for priority recruit, but his commitment timeline creates a lot of doubt for him to land in Norman

In terms of the most important 2026 recruiting targets that still haven’t made their commitments, there may not be one more important remaining for the Oklahoma Sooners than Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive end Jake Kreul. Considered a top-100 recruit by multiple platforms, Kreul has recently trimmed his finalists down to three. The Sooners, Texas, and Ole Miss are those schools to know. 

Over the last several weeks, Oklahoma has become the assumed leader for Kreul. There was some hope that the talented pass rusher would come off the board this summer, but that appears unlikely.  In a report from Rivals recruiting analyst John Garcia, he made the timeline for Kreul better known.

As of today, he has the intention to take this decision into his senior season.

2026 EDGE Jake Kreul

The elite pass rusher continues to weigh his top three of Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas and plans to get to each campus for games this fall. Kreul has questions to dig into with each program, from the winning culture at OU to an initial experience at the Grove and extended time in Austin. Other programs continue to communicate with the blue-chipper, including in-state Florida, but his focus is on his senior campaign and the top three options. A potential decision window will materialize around the middle of the season, at the earliest.

Anytime you’re the assumed leader for a really talented player, you always want a decision to come quickly. With so much of a runway until Kreul does make a decision known, that makes things murkier for the Sooners. That allows teams like Texas and Ole Miss the time to recover, and overtake Oklahoma. 

Kreul is currently rated as a four-star player by all of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the IMG Academy star currently sits as the No. 63 overall player and No. 9 EDGE in the 2026 recruiting class. Kreul also ranks as the No. 9 player in the state of Florida, one of the very best states for developing talent. 

A long list of impressive programs has pursued Kreul heavily. Outside of the finalists, his other top targets include Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Miami, Penn State, Clemson, Florida, Nebraska, Florida State, Auburn, Louisville, Missouri, UNC, Colorado, Arkansas, Maryland, South Carolina, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Duke, Baylor, UCF, Wake Forest, Stanford, and Purdue among others. 

As a junior with IMG Academy, Kreul became a very important player for a deep and talented defense. In nine games, the 6-3, 230-pound pass rusher managed to collect 39 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, and 11 more quarterback hurries. Kreul previously played for Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore.