BYU wins battle for 4-star Uhila Wolfgramm over new in-state recruiting nemesis: the Oklahoma Sooners?

BYU fans were thrilled at the announcement that Uhila Wolfgramm, a four-star talent and the No. 105 prospect nationally per 247 Sports, committed to Kalani Sitake and the BYU Cougars.

What made the announcement even that much sweeter was BYU's ability to stick it to the Oklahoma Sooners, the program's most recent and unexpected nemesis for top talent coming out of Utah.

You see, Oklahoma recently beat out the Cougars for the No. 1 prospect in the state, Davis' Bode Sparrow, and the state's No. 3 player, edge rusher Krew Jones from BYU's backyard in Orem. Those were devastating blows for BYU fans. BYU was in Sparrow's final four list along with Oregon and Utah before he chose the Sooners. BYU heavily recruited Jones and had the benefits of proximity with him playing so close to Provo, but they still lost out.

And BYU lost out to...Oklahoma? What the flippin' heck?

And the losing streak nearly continued with defensive end Uhila Wolfgramm, the No. 2 prospect in the state of Utah, sandwiched right in between Sparrow and Jones.

Wolfgramm's final two schools were BYU and Oklahoma. Fortunately for BYU fans, the Sooners didn't make a clean sweep of the top three prospects in the Beehive State. Thanks to the Cougars, Wolfgramm will stay in-state.

Oklahoma's growing foothold in Utah

And more recruiting battles between BYU and Oklahoma for the top talent in Utah is only going to grow. The Sooners had been relatively invisible when it came to poaching top Utah talent until the class of 2025 when they landed the state's No. 6 prospect, Skyridge's Darius Afalava. Sure, Oklahoma had previously offered a number of eventual top-end BYU commits, but so did other major programs. Many Utah athletes said, "Thanks, but no thanks" to Oklahoma and chose Provo.

But now Oklahoma suddenly has a foothold in Utah, and they are doubling down on their recruiting efforts. Shortly after Wolfgramm's announcement committing to BYU, Oklahoma announced the hiring of former Cougar Manaia Brown to their recruiting department.

So why are some of the top prospects in Utah suddenly leaning toward Oklahoma. Frankly, the answer Bode Sparrow provided gave me some chills. Based on an article from the Deseret News, Sparrow chose Oklahoma for the opportunity to play in the SEC:

“I think I just get excited when I think about Oklahoma. Playing at the highest level, playing at Georgia, at Alabama and that’s just who I’ve always been. I’ll be the best, and I want to play the best. That’s just what’s got me excited to go play for Sooner Nation.”

While we as BYU fans are thrilled about the Cougars inclusion and quick ascension in the world of Power Four football, there is really a "Power Two" of the SEC and Big Ten. The exposure, resources, and even the history an SEC team like Oklahoma can put in front of a top-flight recruit is hard for Big 12 and ACC teams to compete with, BYU included.

The Big 12 doesn't have an Alabama or a Georgia to offer up to recruits.

That's a compelling pitch from the Sooners, and it's going to resonate with future Utah recruits as well.

But we'll worry about upcoming BYU vs. Oklahoma recruiting battles at a later time. For now we'll just bask in the Cougars getting a commitment from Uhila Wolfgramm and keeping the top talent in the Beehive State where it belongs.

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