Michael Fasusi, No. 9 prospect for '25, picks Oklahoma Sooners

Brent Venables and Oklahoma secured a 2025 class cornerstone Wednesday, edging Texas and Texas A&M for the commitment of five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi.

With his pledge, Fasusi -- a 6-foot-6, 295-pound blocker from Lewisville, Texas, who is ESPN's ninth-ranked prospect in the 2025 cycle -- becomes the Sooners' top-ranked prospect in 2025, the program's first cycle as a member of the SEC.

The No. 2 prospect at his position in 2025, per ESPN rankings, Fasusi is Oklahoma's highest-rated offensive tackle commit of the ESPN rankings era (since 2006). If Fasusi inks with the Sooners later this year, he'll become the third top-10 signee of the Venables era in Norman, following quarterback Jackson Arnold and defensive tackle David Stone.

Oklahoma sat at No. 12 in ESPN's latest team rankings for the cycle prior to Fasusi's pledge. With his late-August commitment, the Sooners dive into their first fall in the new conference with a major recruiting win over SEC foes Texas and Texas A&M, and a dose of positive, late-cycle energy on the trail.

"Me and my family, we sat down, prayed about it and came up with the right answer," Fasusi told ESPN. "With Oklahoma, there was no 'but.' It was the only option that had no 'but' to it. The process was hard, but it became really easy for me to make this decision in the end."

With a ceremony inside the auditorium at Lewisville High School, Fasusi wrapped up one of 2025's most hotly contested recruitments. As Fasusi celebrated alongside family wearing a red Oklahoma hat, the occasion also marked a milestone in the Nigerian-born tackle's family story.

Wednesday marks five years from the day Fasusi and his family arrived in the United States from Ondo State, Nigeria, eventually landing in Lewisville, roughly 40 minutes north of Dallas.

Fasusi's parents, Ebenezer and Olayemi, moved their family to the United States in search of educational opportunities for their children. Football came later and then became a pathway for Fasusi. At the time of his commitment, he held nearly 40 scholarship offers from Power 4 programs.

"My parents worked hard to make this happen," Fasusi said. "It was a really weird experience at first. I didn't get to see why until now. But this opportunity is what we came here for."

Fasusi's football journey began as a freshman at Lewisville High. The next fall, the Dallas Morning News named him its 6-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year after his breakout sophomore season in 2022. Soon, Power 4 programs were circling the towering tackle who demonstrated elite athleticism and raw potential still only three years into his football career.

Nearly two years later, Fasusi took official visits in the spring to Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as LSU and Missouri. By August, Fasusi narrowed his finalists to three.

Duke was the second major program to make an offer to Fasusi in the fall of 2022, and Mike Elko maintained a deep relationship with him across his move to Texas A&M late last year. Aggies offensive line coach Adam Cushing was heavily involved in Fasusi's recruitment. At Texas, Fasusi was drawn by the resources the Longhorns offered, and he clicked with Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood.

In-state ties tugged heavily on Fasusi, but in the final weeks of his recruitment, Oklahoma -- situated only 165 miles from home -- separated itself from the pack. Sooners offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh was central in Fasusi's recruitment, selling an Oklahoma unit that has produced 13 NFL draft picks since he arrived in 2013, including back-to-back first-round offensive tackle selections in Anton Harrison (2023) and Tyler Guyton (2024).

Fasusi also noted Venables' pedigree and vision for the Sooners in the SEC, as well as the program's proximity to home, as other factors in his decision.

"He's a great man," Fasusi said of Bedenbaugh. "He's done an amazing job recruiting me and my family, keeping us reaffirmed every single time. Oklahoma is the right place from a development standpoint -- they can get me to where I want to be as a player and a person."

With Fasusi in the fold, Oklahoma now holds two top-100 commitments in the 2025 class with four-star in-state defensive end C.J. Nickson (No. 97 in the ESPN 300) also bound for the Sooners in that cycle. Fasusi is Oklahoma's 11th ESPN 300 pledge in 2025, and he now headlines an offensive line class set to include four-star offensive tackle Ryan Fodje (No. 206 in the ESPN 300) and three-star guards Darius Afalava and Owen Hollenbeck.

Fasusi's pledge leaves only three uncommitted recruits among the top 10 prospects in ESPN's 2025 rankings.

Five-star linebacker Jonah Williams, No. 8 in the ESPN 300, is set to announce his decision this weekend, with Texas, Oregon, Texas A&M, LSU and USC in the mix. Top defensive tackles Elijah Griffin (No. 5 in the ESPN 300) and Justus Terry (No. 7) are expected to take their recruitments into the fall.