Cornerback has been a revitalized position since Brent Venables was hired. Oklahoma has changed the caliber of athletes and the type of cornerbacks they have recruited.
Venables’ hire of Jay Valai to take over as the cornerbacks’ coach has paid off in spades. The depth and talent in the room have been elevated tremendously in just a couple of years. This upcoming year may be the biggest test yet as this proves to be year three in this defense. Not only do the Sooners have talent, but they also have depth and multiple guys with real game experience.
Their 2025 recruiting efforts have not been fruitful at cornerback, but they expect that to change soon.
In the 2026 class, things have barely materialized in terms of their prospect board, but one name has popped out enough that Josh McCuiston of Sooners Scoop has placed an On3 prediction favoring the Sooners to land 2026 prospect Evenson Malaska out of Bethany, Oklahoma.
Malaska has ties to the Sooners. Malaska’s brother, Jocelyn, transferred to Oklahoma this winter after beginning his college career with the Utah Utes.
The older Malaska cited his relationship with Jay Valai as essential in transferring back to his home state to play for the home team. Valai’s influence and connection have moved on through the bloodline and resonated with Evenson.
Evenson camped with Oklahoma last summer and received his first college offer after showing out. He played his freshman season with 2023 Oklahoma signee Taylor Heim, too. So Oklahoma has a plethora of influences that are pulling the athletic sophomore defender to Norman.
Things have yet to progress enough to a commitment, but it’s hard to imagine that Oklahoma won’t be a leading contender for Malaska’s services until he commits.
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