Tulsa adds to 2023 class after another successful weekend
The new Tulsa football coaches continue to recruit at breakneck speed. TU hosted another round of official visitors over the weekend of January 27 and came away with commitments on the following Sunday and Monday.
Tulsa also extended a scholarship offer to another official visitor and continues to pursue several prospects in hopes of closing out the 2023 class prior to signing day on Wednesday.
On Sunday afternoon, Argyle (TX) Liberty Christian defensive end Reeves Baller announced his commitment to the Golden Hurricane.
"It was great," Baller told Inside Tulsa Sports about his visit to TU. "I committed to Tulsa (Sunday) morning during my meeting with Coach (Kevin) Wilson."
The 6-foot-6 and 215-pounder was offered by Tulsa on January 25 and came in for an official visit two days later. He had a home visit with TU coaches this past week as well.
"Coach Wilson, Coach (Ron) Burton and Coach (Ricky) Brown have all been awesome," said Baller.
As a senior, Baller was 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-District, as well as District Defensive MVP. The defensive end totaled 100 tackles, 18 sacks, 38 tackles for loss and 32 quarterback hurries.
"My get off and pass rush ability," Baller said of his strengths. "Also my ability with my length and wrestling past to keep offensive linemen off me and not able to engage. I have only played football for two years but was a two-time Texas state champion wrestler and national qualifier before switching to football.
"Our coach Jason Witten was the one who convinced me to change. I have two older brothers that are D1 athletes. One plays football at Dartmouth and the other is a college wrestler."
Witten, Baller's coach he referenced, is legendary former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
"I respect him so much because he really cares about us," Baller said of Witten. "He works harder than any coach I have ever seen. He has definitely taught me how to watch and review film and demands excellence from us. Details are important."
Aside from TU, Baller also held offers from Texas State, Army, Incarnate Word, Drake and Valparaiso.
Tulsa's second commitment this week came from Owasso (OK) defensive tackle Tyler Rich, a 6-foot-3 and 290-pounder that also excels in wrestling.
"I love (the TU coaches)," Rich told Inside Tulsa Sports. "They're very experienced and ready to do something."
Rich has somehow flown under the radar. Until Tulsa offered on January 23, his only other offers of note were Abilene Christian, Missouri State and Central Oklahoma.
As a senior, Rich recorded 60 total tackles, 36 solos, 24 tackles for loss, six sacks and 15 QB pressures.
"He's a beast," said Owasso head coach Bill Blankenship. "Dominating all year. Three year starter. He was the heavyweight state wrestling runner-up last year."
Owasso Athletics recently celebrated one of Rich's big accomplishments.
"Congratulations to Tyler Rich on winning his 100th career (wrestling) match at the Jerry Billings Invitational earlier this month," the school posted on Twitter. "Tyler is a dominant force in the heavyweight class and has been an outstanding leader and teammate on and off the mat."
Another TU official visitor this past weekend was Pearland (TX) Shadow Creek offensive lineman Tyson Kestner. At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, he is a big, agile prospect that played tackle and center.
Coming into the weekend, Kestner held offers from Lamar, Houston Christian, Missouri A&T, McPherson, UT-Permian Basin, Colorado School of Mines and Angelo State. He picked up an offer from Tulsa after his visit.
The 1st Team All-District 23-6A selection is an excellent student that plans to major in engineering, so two of his top choices are Tulsa and Colorado School of Mines -- both well know for their engineering programs.
TU signed seven high school prospects during the December signing period and added Oklahoma State transfer Braylin Presley. The Hurricane then added several players from the transfer portal and has six additional high school commits that plan to sign on Wednesday.
Kevin Wilson and his assistants likely aren't finished, as several prospects with recent TU offers are yet to make a decision. Stay tuned to Inside Tulsa Sports for all the latest info.