Moments after news broke of Bob Stoops' retirement as head coach at Oklahoma, four-star 2018 commit T.J. Pledger reacted how most of the college football world did.
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Pledger, the nation's third-ranked all-purpose back and 43rd-ranked overall prospect in the class (247Sports), quoted a Bleacher Report tweet with one character:
— TJ Pledger IV (@uno_tj) June 7, 2017
The 5-foot-8, 190-pounder from IMG Academy committed to the Sooners in March, picking them over Florida, Michigan, Ohio State and others.
"Great relationship with coaching staff, opportunities to come in and make impact early, top three in the nation in my major," he told 247Sports of the reasons for his pledge.
Pledger is one of nine 2018 recruits committed to Oklahoma, and the lone four-star prospect. The class is headlined by five-star offensive tackle Brey Walker from nearby Moore, Okla. At 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, he's a gigantic lineman who's the state's top-ranked player, third-ranked offensive tackle and 18th-overall prospect. Walker gave a verbal commitment to Oklahoma way back in November 2015 and remained firm since, passing up offers from every notable program in the country.
Pledger and Walker headline a good class, but they lost a quarterback in the spring and could take a hit with the retirement of Stoops. Four-star quarterback Cameron Rising flipped from Oklahoma to Texas in April. The other seven recruits are all three-star prospects, including quarterback Tanner Mordecai from Waco, Texas.
The nation's 14th-ranked dual-threat signal-caller committed just six days before the Stoops' announcement. He was reportedly one of Lincoln Riley's top targets in the class.
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Mordecai, Pledger and Walker did not return a request for comment on the news.
Though Riley has a good reputation as a coach and recruiter, will he and an undetermined staff be able to hang onto their 2018 recruits? It's something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks as opposing coach will undoubtedly use the unexpected transition against the Sooners.
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