4-star LB Kobie McKinzie explains decision to flip back to Oklahoma

It has been a crazy month for Lubbock (Texas) Lubbock-Cooper four-star linebacker Kobie McKinzie.

Less than three weeks ago, McKinzie decommitted from Oklahoma after Lincoln Riley left for USC and committed to Texas a few days later.

Then, he flipped back to the Sooners on Monday, rejoining the class he had previously been committed to for over 11 months.

McKinzie told the CBS affiliate in Lubbock that it was not his favorite experience.

“These have been some of the most stressful and overwhelming weeks of my life,” Kobie McKinzie said. “Everybody in the world doesn’t understand what it’s like to be in that position so making my decision, it wasn’t to persuade or to convince anybody of what I thought was going to push me towards to Oklahoma.

4 ⭐️LB @kobiemckinzie26 has finally found his new home at Oklahoma…
We caught up with Kobie today he told us why he chose to attend OU and play for Brent Venables…@FootballLCP |@KLBKNews |@klbk_sports pic.twitter.com/wkyscaRGus

— Arielle Schafer (@arielle_schafer) December 14, 2021

He is the No. 181 prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the 15th-best linebacker in the nation and the No. 35 prospect from the state of Texas.

One of the reasons he decided to return to Oklahoma was the hiring of new head coach Brent Venables.

McKinzie and Flower Mound (Texas) four-star quarterback Nick Evers are the first two recruits to commit to the Sooners under Venables.

“Brent Venables, his name speaks for himself — it truly does,” Kobie McKinzie said. “He can go anywhere in the country, anytime, anywhere, and he’s going to get hired. I promise you. Talking to him and with my family, what he said to me and what he is, it meant a lot to me. He is a relational guy. Most programs in the country are more so transactional. He actually wants to build a relationship with you. He’s a great guy, great human being. I want great people around me who love ball just like he does.”