His prayer answered, Xavier Okwufulueze becomes Sooners' first in-state 2026 commit
Despite a bevy of P4 offers, Xavier ‘Zizi’ Okwufulueze held off on his commitment decision for a long, long time. He knew what he wanted; he knew who he wanted. It was only a matter of whether he’d get the opportunity he awaited.
Thus, when Emmett Jones finally called Monday to offer him a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, Okwufulueze wasted no time. He committed immediately.
Barely 24 hours later, Okwufulueze (oke-uh-fuh-LAY-zay) has announced his commitment, and becomes the first in-state pledge of the 2026 cycle for Oklahoma. The Owasso (Okla.) Rejoice Christian School wide receiver chose the crimson and cream over Oklahoma State, Arkansas and TCU. And it was a choice he never second-guessed, because the OU offer was quite literally an answered prayer.
“I prayed about it,” Okwufulueze told OUInsider.com. “I prayed Friday — this was like the day before I went on the game-day visit. I was like, ‘If it’s in Your will, have them offer me soon, and I’m gonna commit if they offer me.’ And they offered me yesterday, so I just knew it was in the Lord’s plan for me to commit. My parents love the school; I love the school. Everything they do for the players outside of football, their S.O.U.L. Mission program, all of that — we just definitely knew it was the place.”
Okwufulueze’s commitment comes just three days after he was on hand to watch the Sooners dispatch Illinois State 35-3 in their season opener. John Mateer headlined the evening for Oklahoma with 392 yards and four total TD’s, which thrilled Okwufulueze.
“They said it was just a little sneak peek,” he laughed, “but John Mateer throwing for 400 yards in his debut? When a receiver sees that, he gets pretty excited to know he’s gonna get the ball. So just their whole scheme fit, I think I fit in pretty well. I know they have a couple tall receivers, but they don’t have that many like me. So I think I’ll be able to go in and put in work early.”
The No. 10 player in the state of Oklahoma according to Rivals, Okwufulueze is verified at 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds. He didn’t play football until his junior year at Rejoice, as he’s a basketball player by trade. But it took him no time to acclimate, as he posted 46 catches for 901 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Last Friday, he kicked off his senior season with 11 catches for 236 yards and three TD’s in Rejoice’s season opener.
Even so, he’s focused on further improving his game as he prepares for his future in Norman.
“The first thing I need to work on as a receiver is definitely my route-running,” Okwufulueze remarked. “I’m gonna be facing way better DB’s, so I need to learn how to get in and out of my breaks better just so I can compete. But that’s definitely number one on my list, and then just physically getting ready.”
Above all, Okwufulueze is simply thankful for the chance to commit to a staff he trusts, and for the chance to play college football in his home state.
“It’s the world to me,” said Okwufulueze of the opportunity to be a Sooner. “It’s just a big blessing to be able to play two hours away from my parents and my high school. Everybody can come support me and watch me play on the biggest stage. It’s a blessing.”
“The experience working with OU and [Jim] Nagy has been first-class,” added Okwufulueze’s agent, Amber Mathurin of the Mathurin Sports Agency. “From start to finish, the process was smooth, which is great since we are all working for Xavier right here in Oklahoma. Staying in-state makes this moment even more special for him — getting the chance to represent Oklahoma while chasing excellence at the next level. OU truly feels like the right place for him to grow on and off the field.”
Okwufulueze is the nineteenth scholarship commit of the 2026 cycle for Oklahoma, and the second wide receiver. He joins four-star California native Daniel Odom, who’d been the Sooners’ lone WR pledge since January.
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