On Saturday morning, fans of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies woke up to begin their gameday preparations with both schools playing their spring games, not knowing whether Edmond (Ok.) Sante Fe quarterback Justice Hansen would show up in Norman or College Station.
Justice Hansen commits to Oklahoma over Texas A&M
In a strong year for in-state talent, the Sooners had to keep keep Justice in Oklahoma.
The 6-4, 200-pound pro-style prospect with plus athleticism ended up in Norman, as the Sooners were able to secure their top quarterback target in the 2014 class and keep one of the best players in the state at home in Oklahoma, something the Sooners have not always managed in recent years.
Hansen is the consensus no. 3 player in the state of Oklahoma and a four-star prospect who held offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M before shutting down his recruitment. Nationally, Hansen is considered a top-10 pro-style prospect and a top-150 player.
Crimson and Cream Machine recruiting analyst Jordan Esco says that the Sooners were always favored because of family ties and other reasons:
Hansen and Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel have been close for some time and as we’ve told you before, Hansen comes from a family of lifelong OU fans. For some time it seemed almost inevitable that he’d eventually commit to Oklahoma. He was OU’s only offer at the position and Heupel clearly made him the No. 1 priority in this class.
The news didn’t lessen fears from Oklahoma fans that the all-in play by the Oklahoma staff would fail at the hands of Texas A&M recruiting momentum, according to Esco.
However warranted those fears may have been, they were relieved on Saturday afternoon when news broke several hours before the game from SoonerScoop.com that Hansen was in attendance and ending his recruitment in favor of his home state’s flagship program.
Hansen is only the third commit in the 2014 class for Oklahoma following the recent decommitment of Texas City (Texas) wide receiver Armanti Foreman. In the Big 12, the class ranks fifth in the 247Sports Composite team rankings and 36th nationally.
As for the Aggies, the turn their attention to Scottsdale (Az.) Desert Mountain quarterback Kyle Allen, a prospect who actually made it to the Maroon and White game on Saturday. A&M has also been showing interest in Bossier (La.) Parkway quarterback Brandon Harris, who planned to visit for Friday Night Lights, but wasn’t able to make it before showing out at the Dallas Elite 11 and NFTC camps.
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