Though Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon RB Jaxsen Stokes has several Power 4 offers, Oklahoma was of immediate and particular interest to him when the Sooners came calling in January. Soon after he received the offer, Stokes made plans to attend OU's Future Freaks recruiting event on March 8.

And after the dynamic running back's very first taste of the football atmosphere in Norman, Oklahoma is cemented as a top contender in the race for his services.

“It was incredible, man," Stokes proclaimed. "I liked everything. The first thing I heard was NFL. They really hone in on talking to their guys about that, and they’re like, ‘If you come to OU, we’re going to prepare you for the next level.’ And they have all the tools to do it. A guy like Coach Murray, he’s awesome. He cares about the players. He really teaches their running backs. A lot of these coaches out here, they think once you get to that level, you should be ready. But he really hones in on the details, and as we were in the running back room, I could hear all of those things. So it was really awesome to hear that.”

Murray's NFL background piqued Stokes' curiosity from the jump, but it was his personable nature that stood out on Saturday to the nation's No. 21 running back in the 2027 cycle.