Clemson 4-star LB commit Jaren Kanak appears to be enrolled at Oklahoma
According to Bob Przybylo of SoonerScoop.com, four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak of Hays, Kan., has enrolled at Oklahoma.
Kanak committed to Clemson on July 30 but failed to sign with the Tigers during the early signing period that ended last Friday.
Jaren Kanak was primarily recruited by Brent Venables, then the defensive coordinator at Clemson. Venables is now the head coach at Oklahoma.
Przybylo first reported a search of the student database shows that Kanak is enrolled at Oklahoma. On3 was able to confirm that a “Jaren Kanak” is in the student database at OU. Now, it appears the four-star linebacker is expected to be with the Sooners for the spring semester.
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has been hinting for weeks that a flip is likely. As of Tuesday morning, the RPM said there was an 83.6% chance of Jaren Kanak ending up in Norman.
While it was not publicly announced, a flip from Clemson to Oklahoma has long been expected by Kanak. Joseph Hastings of Clemson Sports wrote three days ago about the reasons why a flip was expected.
“Kanak is significantly closer to Norman (5-hour drive) than he is to Clemson (a 16-hour drive),” Hastings wrote. “His family would have more opportunities to see him, a factor here that should not be overlooked. Everything appears to be lined up for Oklahoma to land Kanak. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) agrees with that.”
Venables said he wasn’t recruiting commits like Jaren Kanak
One thing makes this situation even more fascinating: Brent Venables said he was not willing to recruit Clemson commits. This past Wednesday Venables told reporters he wasn’t actively targeting Clemson recruits he was involved with while he was in South Carolina.
“I’ve not tried to continue to quote-unquote ‘recruit’ guys,” Venables said. “I’ve got my relationship with Coach (Dabo) Swinney that goes so much further than the football field. He’s family to me. The rest of the staff there’s family to me.”
However, the door was left open for players like Jaren Kanak to reach out to Venables and the Clemson coaching staff and let them know he was having a change of heart.
“So, if Kanak wanted to go to Oklahoma, he’d be the one to initiate the call with Venables,” Hastings wrote. “If that was to happen, or if it already did, we’d imagine that Venables would not be open to accepting his commitment.
“Reading the tea leaves, it seems the likeliest option would be Kanak contacting Swinney, informing him of his decision. Then Swinney would give his blessing to Venables.”
And based on the fact that Kanak is in the OU student database, it appears the blessing has been given.