-
Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star running back Jonathan Hatton decommitted from Oklahoma Monday night, he told ESPN, pulling his pledge from the Sooners hours after the program announced the hiring of Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
Hatton, the Class of 2026 6-foot-1 rusher from Cibolo, Texas, is ESPN’s fourth-ranked running back and the No. 61 overall prospect in the ESPN Junior 300. Committed to Oklahoma since Oct. 2023, Hatton was the top-ranked member of the Sooners’ 2026 class prior to pulling his pledge, leaving Oklahoma with commitments from four-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal (No. 63 in the ESPN Junior 300) and three-star tight end Ryder Mix in the upcoming 2026 cycle.
Hatton’s decommitment follows a pair of departures from the Sooners’ 2025 class over the past 24 as four-star wide receiver Marcus Harris (No. 138 in the ESPN 300) and three-star pass catcher Gracen Harris each pulled their pledges from Oklahoma, exiting the program’s incoming class days before the start of the early signing period on Wednesday. The Sooners enter the three-day signing window with the nation’s No. 13 recruiting class, led by five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi (No. 9 in the ESPN 300).
The flurry of recruiting departures at Oklahoma arrives as the Sooners closed their offensive coordinator search Monday with the hiring of Arbuckle, the 29-year-old player caller who led the nation’s 12th-highest scoring offense in his second season at Washington State this fall.
Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Arbuckle, who will also coach quarterbacks at Oklahoma, will join the Sooners on a three-year contract. Arbuckle arrives to Oklahoma with a track record for developing productive quarterbacks having coached national passing yards leader Austin Reed at Western Kentucky in 2022 before unleashing Cam Ward and 2024 breakout star John Mateer in his two seasons at Washington State. He replaces former Sooners offensive coordinator Seth Littrell — who was fired in October — at the end of a season that saw the Sooners finish 121st in total offense among FBS programs.
Arbuckle’s hiring and the success of the Sooners’ recruiting efforts will be critical for third-year coach Brent Venables, who holds a 22-16 record across three seasons at Oklahoma following a 6-6 finish this fall in the program’s first campaign as a member of the SEC.