Joshua Bates: 'Staying 100%' committed to Oklahoma Sooners
After hemorrhaging commitments because of a coaching change, the Oklahoma Sooners received positive news on Wednesday from interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates.
Bates tweeted that he’s “staying 100% committed” to Oklahoma football.
Bates originally committed to the Sooners on July 13 and was a big part of the Sooners’ early 2023 success. He is widely considered one of the top junior interior offensive line prospects in the country. Bates is also one of the best overall players in Colorado.
While other junior prospects – like Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson of Los Alamitos, Calif., and his four-star receiver teammate Makai Lemon – have dropped the Sooners for USC or opened things back up, Bates is staying true to his original word.
In many ways, the news feels like a commitment for the Sooners.
When news first emerged that Lincoln Riley was departing for USC, Bates was one of the first players to react on social media to the departure.
OU has foundation with Joshua Bates on board
With the reaffirmation from Joshua Bates, the Sooners remain with two commitments in the 2023 class.
Bates is joined by DeAndre Moore Jr., who is Nelson and Lemon’s teammate. However, Moore is originally from Las Vegas. He has indicated he plans to do his own thing when making a final decision.
Moore ranks as the No. 50 overall player in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
With the start of the early signing period one week away, Oklahoma has 12 commitments in the 2022 class. Despite losing some players in the senior class, including five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, the Sooners still have the 12th overall class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.
The top commits in the OU 2022 class are four-star cornerback Gentry Williams and four-star running back Gavin Sawchuk.