Tulsa Football: Preview of the Early Signing Period

Tulsa Football currently has six commitments in the 2021 recruiting class, and all six are expected to sign with the Golden Hurricane during the early December signing period that begins on Wednesday, December 16.

High school prospects can sign a National Letter of Intent from December 16 through December 18, while mid-year junior college transfers have until January 15, 2021 to sign.

The Hurricane's current commitments are high school students and will likely all sign on Wednesday. TU has offers out to a few junior college prospects that expect to make their college decisions soon, including East L.A. College defensive end Chace Davis and Trinity Valley CC defensive tackle Rasheed Lyles.

Tulsa still has several scholarships to fill and will continue to add to its recruiting class leading up to the regular signing period in February. Expect the Hurricane coaching staff to continue to pursue talented players such as Holland Hall defensive lineman Owen Ostroski.

Below is a look at Tulsa's current six commits that expect to sign with TU during the early signing period.

Scottie Alexander was recently rated as the No. 38 prospect in Tennessee. He chose Tulsa over offers from Tennessee, Wake Forest, Memphis, Kansas, Coastal Carolina and others. Collierville finished 6-4 this season, and Alexander totaled 27 catches for 406 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 100 rushing yards and two scores on 20 carries. As a junior, he had 25 catches for 446 yards and six scores.

Braylon Braxton led Frisco Independence to the Bi-District championship on December 10 with a 58-10 over Wilson. Independence moved to 5-4 and will face 9-0 Highland Park in the Area playoff. Braxton has completed 99 of 180 passes for 1,639 yards with 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He has also rushed for 800 yards and 13 scores on 96 carries, averaging 8.33 yards per rush. The 3-star QB chose Tulsa over 15 other offers, including Arizona State, Memphis, Hawaii, New Mexico, Marshall, Coastal Carolina and others. After watching Braxton in November, Rivals analyst Sam Spiegelman said, “Braxton was under duress throughout the night, but came up with some impressive darts. He has good arm strength and is capable of delivering accurate, catchable balls.”

Roderick "Zion" Hopes excelled as a senior, but Jefferson struggled to a 3-7 record this season. From his safety spot, Hopes collected 80 tackles (including 50 solos), eight pass deflections and two interceptions. He also returned eight punts for a 27.1 yard average. Hopes also kicked extra points for his team and handled punting duties. In his junior season, he totaled 60 tackles, two pass deflections and an interception return for a touchdown. Hopes chose Tulsa over offers from Hampton and Valparaiso.

After a few games were canceled due to COVID-19, Cardinal Ritter finished 4-4 on the season. Bill Jackson only played in the final six games, but still put up impressive numbers. As a senior, he rushed for 742 yards and six touchdowns on just 73 carries, averaging 10.2 yards per rush. He also averaged 67 yards on three kick returns. In six games as a junior last year, Jackson carried the ball 76 times for 847 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 11.1 yards per rush. He also caught six passes for 69 yards. Jackson committed to Tulsa back in May over offers from Nebraska, Arizona State, Purdue, Kansas, Eastern Michigan, Arkansas State and others. He is rated as the No. 15 overall prospect in the state of Missouri.

Jaden Moore committed to Tulsa in July over offers from Southern Miss, UAB, Louisiana-Monroe and several others. Last week, North Texas offered Moore as well. Shreveport Green Oaks finished 7-3 this season, and Moore was a beast. In nine games, he racked up 86 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Moore had a breakout season as a junior last year, amassing 120 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four QB hurries, three sacks and two interceptions, helping his team to the second round of the playoffs.

Katy Tompkins is 9-0 and faces Cy-Fair in the Area Championship on December 18. While Marquis Shoulders was recruited as a receiver, he has played mostly at running back this season, amassing 969 yards and 15 touchdowns on 117 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per rush. He also has 13 receptions for 184 yards and two scores. As a junior last season, Shoulders had 1,513 total yards and 16 touchdowns. He chose Tulsa over offers from New Mexico State, Louisiana, Cornell, Penn, Yale and Lehigh.