Brent Venables’ Oklahoma is going full throttle in the 2027 recruiting field, sitting at No. 4. With this, the Sooners are starting to look like a serious problem for Texas. That’s because a 2027 safety holding 41 offers continues to hype Venables’ program despite the Longhorns leading the chase.

“The #Sooners will host a 2027 safety with -41 offers- for Future Freaks weekend on March 7th,” reported 247Sports’ analyst Collin Kennedy. 

The 3-star safety, Elijajuan Houston, from North Crowley (Fort Worth, TX) received offers from Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Michigan, Texas Tech, and other blue-blood programs. According to On3’s prediction, Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns are leading the race with a 33.9% chance to land Houston, followed by SMU at 15.5%. Venables’ Sooners sit quite low in the predictions with 1.0% chance. Among the 41 offers, the safety has trimmed his list to 12 programs. 

“I’m very blessed,” Houston said. “I saw it coming, and it’s all coming together into a process. But the top-12 list, I had to narrow a lot of schools down and cut some out. All of the 12 I picked, they stuck out to me during my recruitment and they’re heavily recruiting me right now. So, I’m wanting to look at each one of those schools.”

The lucky 12 are Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Michigan, UCLA, Nebraska, Stanford, Kansas State, Arizona State, SMU, Texas Tech, and Ole Miss. But making it to the top 12 list only makes the chase tougher for Venables, as Houston has made it clear that he is going to make a stop at each of them. However, a member of Venables’ staff has already caught Houston’s attention. 

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“Coach Hall, he’s a great guy on-and-off the field,” he said about Sooners’ safeties coach Brandon Hall. “I want to see the environment there. See how it feels to be a Sooner. They’re doing great things.”

Hall holds more than two decades of coaching experience. In 2024, he helped Venables’ defense rank 19th nationally in total defense (318.2 ypg), 24th in rushing defense (115.1 ypg). However, the 2025 season saw even better performance as the Sooners’ defense stifled some of the strongest units like Auburn, LSU, and eventually punched the CFP ticket. 

Houston checks every box of a blue-chip defender. At 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, he turned in a jaw-dropping junior season at North Crowley with 72 tackles, 14 pass breakups, four interceptions, four tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. So, he is not a one-dimensional defensive back. Venables’ hot target is a do-it-all safety who can cover, tackle, hit, and create turnovers. When it comes to Texas, the Longhorns confirmed their plans to explore him more as a safety. 

“Just catching up with Coach Gideon, catching up with the DBs, watching film,” Houston said. “Texas, the facilities—everything was great.”

With Oklahoma’s coach catching interest, this might bring déjà vu feelings for Texas. At the beginning of 2026, the Longhorns lost the commitment of four-star edge rusher Taven Epps to the Sooners. So, who are the other 2027 players whom Venables has yet to tick off from his wishlist? 

Other hot 2027 targets on Brent Venables’ wishlist

Venables already landed two defensive linemen, Deven Robertson and Elija Harmon, for the 2027 class. Yet, the Sooners now have their eyes fixed on another 2027 defensive lineman who has already committed to a program. Jalen Brewster has committed to Texas Tech, but Venables can now see a silver lining in Robertson’s case. 

Joey McGuire parted ways with defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch. That’s what raised questions about whether Brewster will stay committed to the program after the coach’s departure. 

“No,” said Brewster.

However, wooing the defensive lineman will not be a cakewalk for Venables. That’s because Ryan Day’s Ohio State already made a move to poach him to Columbus. The Buckeyes’ defensive line coach, Larry Johnson, made a trip to Cedar Hill, Texas, to meet Brewster in February. 

While they are awaiting an update on Brewster, the Sooners are leading the charge to land 2027 target quarterback Jamison Roberts. Chad Simmons, Rivals’ director of recruiting, has logged an RPM prediction projecting the three-star quarterback to Oklahoma. How many of the Sooners’ recruiting dreams will become reality?