3-star OT Isaiah Autry chooses Oklahoma Sooners: 'They are committed to me'

Fulton (Miss.) Itawamba Agricultural three-star offensive tackle Isaiah Autry announced a top five of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma on April 9. However, Autry had a feeling he knew where he was going before then.

The Sooners hosted him on March 24 and the trip made a “big difference” in his recruitment. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound recruit left Norman feeling like Oklahoma was the school for him, and made that official Friday by committing to head coach Brent Venables and his staff.

“I was feeling really good during the whole visit,” Autry told On3. “After we got done talking with coach Venables and sat down and talked for a minute, we were like, ‘Yeah, Oklahoma’s probably gonna be the one.'”

While on campus, Autry got to spend time with Venables and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. They explained not only what Oklahoma has to offer on the football field, but also in the classroom and how the program takes care of its players.

The Mississippi native will be returning to the Sooners this summer on his official visit. Multiple people are excited about his decision, including his second cousin Marcus Dupree. He played running back at Oklahoma during the 1982 and 1983 seasons.

“I am 100% committed to Oklahoma,” said Autry, the No. 531 overall prospect and No. 35 offensive tackle in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. “They are committed to me and I want to be committed to them.”

Oklahoma’s staff made the difference for Autry

According to Autry, his mom is confident that Bedenbaugh and Venables will help him develop on and off the field. The three-star feels the same way.

Bedenbaugh has been recruiting Autry for a few months. The two have already developed a strong connection.

“I watched him do drills,” Autry said. “The way he coaches is different. He wants the players to talk to him a lot to understand. He doesn’t want them going out there and not know what they’re doing before they even go out there for practice.”

Venables has impressed Autry as well.

“The main thing he was making sure of was that parents knew that I was going to be taken care of up there,” Autry said. “… They would make sure of everything. When we were talking to him, he just took it away. He’s not a quiet talker, a chill guy, laid-back. He’s an active person. On the practice field, he was doing push-ups with the o-line and d-line whenever they messed up.”