The Golden Hurricane received 16 total letters of intent for the class of 2023, including 7 in the early December signing period, and also added eight players from the NCAA Transfer Portal. The following is an in-depth recap of Tulsa's 2023 recruiting cycle, with a focus on in-state prospects, battles with Power Five schools and AAC foes, as well as what's left for TU as they could add more in the spring.
New head coach Kevin Wilson and his assistants had just over a month to put their first TU recruiting class together. They signed six in-state high school prospects, and brought in three D-1 transfers that are originally from the Tulsa metro area.
"We're excited about filling out our first recruiting class," said Wilson. "We were able to address what we see as some of our needs going forward, while adding quality young men who are good students.
"It's important for us to have a solid presence in the city of Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma and still have a regional reach within a five to six hour radius of Tulsa, and that's pretty much where we landed with this group."
The Hurricane had quite a flurry of activity in the last few weeks, with three official visit weekends and seven commitments between January 22 and February 1. Tulsa also extended a late offer to a 2023 running back -- Jailen Hicks -- who is yet to make a decision.
The regular signing period runs through April 1, and Transfer Portal players will be making decisions throughout the spring, so it's possible TU could end up adding more to its 2023 class.
KEEPING OKLAHOMANS AT HOME
Kevin Wilson clearly emphasized the priority of recruiting the state of Oklahoma's top talent. While he and his staff didn't have much time, they still signed six players from the Sooner State.
Three of Tulsa's signees are listed in the Top 25 of the Rivals.com Sooner State Rankings: #18 Bennett Ringleb (Tulsa Union), #19 RJ Jackson (Choctaw) and #24 Devin Robinson (Tulsa Union).
Rivals.com recruiting analyst Josh McCuiston was very impressed with all three players.
"Ringleb has had some poor luck with health over his (sophomore and junior) seasons but when he's on and playing like he can, he's got every chance to be a quality FBS offensive tackle. Ringleb finishes well and has the size to grow into a quality tackle," McCuiston said. "Robinson has nice size and is a very complete player that figures to only get better and better as he hits a college weight program.
"It seems like every year, at least as of late, (Choctaw) has a player who just blows up in the weight room before his senior season. While seeing Choctaw this spring there isn't much doubt that person is the highly-talented RJ Jackson. He's a bit of a tweener positionally."
Jackson was ranked No. 16 on The Oklahoman's Super 30 postseason rankings of the state's top high school recruits in the 2023 class, and Robinson was ranked No. 29.
Tulsa's other three in-state signees were Cushing athlete Camden Crooks, Owasso defensive lineman Tyler Rich and Tulsa Union athlete Grayson Tempest.
Tempest was named named the 6AI District 2 co-MVP as a senior, while Rich was selected to the OCA All State East Team. Crooks was named to the 2022 MaxPreps Small Town All-America High School first team and was selected as the Prep Redzone Oklahoma Class 4A Player of the Year as a senior.
The Hurricane also added OSU transfer Demarco Jones and Arkansas transfer Keuan Parker, who both played high school ball at Booker T. Washington in Tulsa. Oklahoma State transfer Braylin Presley is originally from Bixby High School.
TU kept the in-state theme rolling with preferred walk-on commitments from Metro Christian QB Kirk Francis and Edmond Memorial lineman Will Morris.
BEATING OUT THE BIG BOYS
Over the last 20 years, the University of Tulsa has made a habit out of beating Power Five programs for a few prospects. Kevin Wilson has extended that impressive run.
TU beat out Colorado and Kansas for 3-star linebacker CJ Turner. He also held offers from Memphis, Tulane and several others.
The Hurricane beat out Washington State for Tulsa (OK) Union defensive back Devin Robinson. Plano (TX) Prestonwood tight end Luke McGary chose TU over Colorado, Navy and North Texas, while Choctaw defensive end RJ Jackson picked Tulsa over Vanderbilt and Navy.
TU went head-to-head with current or future American Athletic Conference mates for six of its signees, beating out Memphis, Tulane, Navy, North Texas and UTSA.
NEAR MISSES
Tulsa only missed out on a few of its top recruiting targets, such as Bethany athlete Taylor Heim and Broken Arrow offensive lineman Jamison Mejia. In both cases, in-state Power Five schools jumped in late with offers.
TU offered Heim on January 17, and he took an official visit to Tulsa on the weekend of January 20. Oklahoma offered Heim on January 20, and Heim committed to the Sooners a week later.
Mejia picked up an offer from Coach Wilson on December 14 and visited Tulsa on the weekend of January 13. Oklahoma State offered ten days later and brought Mejia in for a visit on January 27. He ultimately chose OSU on signing day.
At Coach Wilson's signing day press conference, he seemed to indirectly comment on OU and OSU coming in late on Tulsa recruiting targets.
"We did lose a couple that we wanted," said Wilson. "It was interesting. We got on a couple guys, and after we offered, our Big 12 partners in the state offered them. They had all year. I don't know where they were until last week."
TU also missed out on Houston (TX) Shadow Creek offensive lineman Tyson Kestner, who visited Tulsa on the weekend of January 27 and came away with a scholarship offer from the Hurricane. However, Kestner chose to play at Division 2 Colorado School of Mines so he could attend the top engineering school in the nation.
WHAT'S LEFT FOR TULSA IN THE CLASS OF 2023?
While the bulk of Tulsa's class is done, there are a few 2023 targets that are yet to make a decision. High school prospects have until April 1 to sign a letter of intent, and Transfer Portal players can sign scholarship agreements at any time. If TU has any scholarship players leave or graduate after the spring semester, a few spots could be open.
On January 27, Tulsa offered Greensboro (NC) Dudley running back Jailen Hicks. The 6-foot-4 and 195-pound speedster flew under the radar after moving to a different state, but his recruitment started to pick up late with offers from Colorado State, Northern Illinois and TU.
Hicks took an official visit to Northern Illinois on the weekend of January 27 and has also visited Yale (Dec. 9) and Grambling State (Jan. 13). NCAA rules do not allow visits between January 30 and February 28, so Hicks might visit TU next month.
"It all happened so fast," Hicks said of his offer from Tulsa. "I would really like to see the campus and meet the coaches and players. The offer was unexpected. I’m hoping to visit Tulsa in early March."
The Hurricane has remained active with portal prospects as well. TU offered ULM grad transfer Quae Drake on January 16. As a junior last season, he totaled 47 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and an interception as a linebacker. On January 19, Drake told Inside Tulsa Sports that he was hoping to visit TU soon.
"I am building a relationship with coach Matt (Guerrieri)," he said. "I think he could develop me into the type of player I want to be."
Since entering the transfer portal, Drake has also been offered by Louisiana Tech, Troy, Arkansas State and Jacksonville State.
Towson defensive lineman Jesus Gibbs picked up a Tulsa offer on January 5 and also has offers from Fresno State, Bowling Green, Arkansas State, James Madison, Old Dominion and Akron. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Gibbs was an All-CAA Second Team selection this past season, playing in all 11 games with 10 starts. He was the team leader in sacks with five and tackles for loss with eight, and he was tied for ninth in the CAA in total sacks. Gibbs led all Towson defensive linemen with 44 tackles and seven quarterback hurries.
ADDITIONAL SIGNING DAY NEWS
Stay tuned to Inside Tulsa Sports as we look ahead to Tulsa's 2024 targets. In the meantime, here are several links to keep you busy...
• Complete look at 2023 Tulsa Football signees
• Inside scoop in Hurricane Alley
• List of Tulsa Official Visitors
• Prospects that listed an offer from Tulsa
• AAC Team Recruiting Rankings
• TU Football offers -- class of 2024
• TU Football Offers -- class of 2025
• TU Football Offers -- class of 2026
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