Oklahoma flips 2026 safety Markel Ford from SMU

Lancaster (Texas) Horn three-star safety Markel Ford has flipped his commitment from SMU to Oklahoma.

Pledged to the Mustangs since April 25, Ford is now headed to Norman after the Sooners got him to campus for an official visit this month. He’s also a former Texas A&M commit.

Ford is the No. 814 overall prospect and No. 78 safety in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 112 recruit in Texas.

The 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back continued to keep communication with the OU staff this fall and he returned to campus to watch it defeat Mizzou. Arrows continued to point toward the SEC program from there, and with National Signing Day just a week away, Ford is now in the fold.

He’s the latest flip for the Sooners, who also re-added four-star running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. to the fold on Monday, flipping him away from Texas A&M. Oklahoma is working to ink a top-15 class and is also after four-star wide receiver and Wisconsin commit Jayden Petit, among others.

Another addition for the Sooners

Standouts on the offensive side of the ball account for a bulk of OU’s top commits, but the highest-ranked prospect in the class remains IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star EDGE Jake Kreul. The No. 46 overall recruit in the cycle chose the Sooners on Aug. 12.

Celina (Texas) four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley was one of nine June commitments for the program and he’s continued to see his stock rise as a senior. The 6-foot-1 state champion is now the No. 70 recruit and No. 6 QB in the cycle. Bentley, Kreul and Hatton form an impressive trio at the top of the class.

There’s also four wide receivers in the mix. Bear (Del.) Appoquinimink four-star Jahsiear Rogers quickly locked in after decommitting from Penn State this fall. Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco four-star Daniel Odom has been pledged since January. Lafayette (La.) Christian Rivals four-star Brayden Allen flipped from Tulane in October, while Owasso (Okla.) Rejoice Christian three-star Zizi Okwufulueze committed in September.

On the offensive line, Windsor (Colo.) four-star Deacon Schmitt is a top-200 prospect and the No. 13 IOL in the Rivals300. He and Midlothian (Texas) three-star IOL Noah Best are the lone listed O-linemen in the fold to date.

Oklahoma’s entire 2026 class can be seen here.