Oklahoma Attempting new Swipe at Alabama with Pursuit of 4-Star Recruit
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The Oklahoma Sooners sparked a sudden rivalry with Alabama the moment the former joined the SEC. OU and head coach Brent Venables claimed two massive wins over the Crimson Tide in launching this new series. Although Kalen DeBoer and ‘Bama ended the Sooners’ season in round one of the College Football Playoffs in Dec. 2025, in Norman too.
Now these heavyweights have carried their battles to the recruiting trail.
Oklahoma features the more loaded 2027 class as of Aug. 7; owning 27 hard commits and ranking No. 6 nationally per 247Sports. Alabama sits far lower at 42nd, but owns a current No. 1 spot for the 2028 cycle.
However, OU is attempting to take one more swipe at Alabama. By trending upward for a four-star recruit who hails from the Crimson Tide’s backyard.
The 4-Star Alabama Native Oklahoma is Pursuing
Brendan Sonnone of 247Sports calls OU the “team to beat” for four-star wide receiver Dedrick Kimbrough, who stars at Alabama prep powerhouse Thompson High in Alabaster.
Oklahoma pulled off a strong impression for Kimbrough, which now features multiple visits on deck per Sonnone.
“The Sooners offered the Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson product in mid-June and have relentlessly recruited him ever since,” Sonnone writes. “It’s resulted in Kimbrough tentatively setting three unofficial visits to the Norman this season, with game-day trips planned for Sept. 19, Nov. 14, and Nov. 21.”
That means Kimbrough won’t be within the Alabama state lines for when Florida State heads to Tuscaloosa. He also won’t be in the building at Bryant-Denny Stadium when Alabama faces non-conference foe Chattanooga.
But he’ll watch Mountain West Conference power New Mexico battle the Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for his September visit. Kimbrough also will make back-to-back trips for two major heavyweight battles in Norman: Ole Miss (Nov. 14) and Texas A&M (Nov. 21), which is bound to carry SEC title game and postseason implications.
How Oklahoma is Winning Over the Dynamic 4-Star Wideout
So how did OU rise as the frontrunner over a prominent in-state talent for Alabama?
Kimbrough peeled back the curtain on how the Sooners are trending up.
“I feel like just the way they’ve been recruiting me, not just talking to me, talking to my parents as well,” Kimbrough said of Oklahoma to Sonnone. “I feel like a lot of our coaches up here have a good relationship with their staff as well, and they’ve really been doing a great job with just being open and honest with my family about this whole process. So that’s really the main thing I love about them.”
Venables isn’t alone on running point for Kimbrough. The wideout cites offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and even offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh as the primary recruiters to land him.
Alabama could take Massive Blow Here
So Alabama is now facing a possible closet third defeat against Oklahoma. Only this time involving an in-state talent.
However, the Tide’s momentum in the 2028 class is impossible to ignore. Alabama and DeBoer hinted that it would have more NIL money to spend for that class anyway compared to 2027.
Kimbrough would become the first wideout commit for 2028 and form a potential explosive tandem with four-star quarterback commit Kingston Preyear, who hails from Alexander City.
But now DeBoer and his staff must dig deeper to prevent this Yellowhammer State talent from landing at a growing thorn on Alabama’s side in Oklahoma.
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