{"id":48426,"date":"2023-05-02T13:00:39","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=48426"},"modified":"2023-05-02T12:45:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T16:45:38","slug":"zion-kearney-commits-to-oklahoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/05\/02\/zion-kearney-commits-to-oklahoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Zion Kearney Commits to Oklahoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One week after landing its highest-ranked commit for the 2024 class, Oklahoma has one-upped itself again.<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/04\/24\/jaydan-hardy-commits-to-oklahoma-commitment-spotlight\/\" target=\"_self\"> Last week, four-star safety Jaydan Hardy committed to the Sooners.<\/a> This week, they added another talented name as <strong>Zion Kearney<\/strong> also announced his commitment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zion Kearney Commits to Oklahoma<\/span><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Four-Star WR Zion Kearney tells me he has Committed to Oklahoma!<\/p>\n<p>The Top 60 Player in the \u201824 Class chose the Sooners over LSU, Arkansas, &amp; others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m cashing it in!\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/24K?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#24K<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cXnUO5A6S7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/cXnUO5A6S7<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VbRKnoqBJW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/VbRKnoqBJW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hayesfawcett3\/status\/1651617216536907776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With Kearney\u2019s commitment, Oklahoma currently possesses the 24th-ranked recruiting class in the country, per the<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 247Sports Composite. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wide receiver commit is joined by the aforementioned <strong>Jaydan Hardy<\/strong> (safety), <strong>Kelly Daniels<\/strong> (wide receiver), <strong>Isaiah Autry<\/strong> (offensive tackle),<strong> Michael Hawkins<\/strong> (quarterback), and <strong>Jeremiah Newcombe<\/strong> (cornerback).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kearney is a four-star prospect in the<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 247Sports Composite<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rankings. He\u2019s listed as the 63rd-ranked player in the nation. He was the 12th-ranked player in the state of Texas and the 12th-ranked player in his position for his class. The talented wide receiver also held offers from Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Michigan State, and Tennessee, among others. However, on April, 27th he announced his intention to play for the University of Oklahoma.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last season, the Missouri City, Texas native enjoyed a breakout season as a junior. The Fort Bend Hightower Hurricanes finished with a 10-3 record as they made the third round of the 6A D2 state playoffs in Texas. Kearney finished the season with 39 receptions for 765 yards and 8 receiving touchdowns, per 247Sports.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Zion Kearney Player Information<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Position: Wide Receiver<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High School: Fort Bend Hightower<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">City, State: Missouri City, Texas<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Height: 6\u20193<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weight: 195<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Kearney\u2019s Three Best Traits<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Speed &#8211;<\/strong> The four-star wide receiver is a multi-sport athlete also specializing in track and field. Turning on the film, it\u2019s clear to see how that pays off. Kearney gallops by opposing cornerbacks with seeming ease. He makes it look effortless, even when opposing teams are playing soft coverage. He\u2019s already posted multiple sub-11-second 100-meter times as a junior. At the next level, this is a guy who will be able to take the top off the defense regardless of who he plays against.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Frame\u00a0 &#8211;<\/strong> Kearney is a dose of double trouble as not only does he have the speed, he can beat you with his size too. As a junior, he already stands at 6-3 and nearly 200 pounds. Turning on the film, he\u2019s dominated the competition with primarily his speed. But with this frame, something that you can\u2019t teach, the potential is there to be a big-bodied outside receiver in college.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Special Teams &#8211;<\/strong> It should be no surprise that a prospect with this set of wheels can also play some special teams. Ultimately, Kearney is a weapon. The second the ball touches his hands, no matter what else is going on around him, he\u2019s a threat to take it all the way. If he can\u2019t find playing time immediately as a wide receiver, look for Kearney to earn some special teams reps quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Zion Kearney\u2019s Areas for Improvement<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Limited Route Tree &#8211;<\/strong> While this may not be entirely his fault, Kearney has a very limited route tree as a wide receiver. Watching the film, he handles opposing defenses with post patterns, go routes, and screens. That\u2019s really it. While for now, he dominates with that arsenal, that won\u2019t hold up forever. Offensive coordinator, <strong>Jeff Lebby<\/strong>, should have a fun time creating a route tree for this young man, considering the intangibles he already brings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>High Pointing the Ball &#8211;<\/strong> Kearney is so good with his speed, he hasn\u2019t had the chance to show off his other athletic traits. So often, he burns by people and is hit in stride for a touchdown. One thing he has yet to show is how he high-points a football. Considering his size, this is something that will be asked of him frequently at the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A week after <strong>Jaydan Hardy<\/strong> became the top commit on Okahloma\u2019s 2024 class, <strong>Zion Kearney<\/strong> supplants him. Kearney is an exceptionally quick and athletic outside receiver who will translate very easily to the next level due to his freakish frame. His special teams experience will allow him to see the field very quickly for the Sooners. <strong>Brent Venables<\/strong> has been on a recruiting tear post-Spring Game. The once lackluster recruiting class has quickly risen to a near top-20 class in the nation, thanks to Venables and the commitment of the Fort Bend Marshall wideout.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Current Verdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Five Oklahoma Sooners were recently selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Now, Venables and company keep the good luck coming with the commitment of Kearney. While Venables has done a nice job recruiting defensive players since he came to Norman, Kearney becomes the highest-ranked wide receiver commit since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/mario-williams-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mario Williams<\/a> in the 2021 class. The four-star wide receiver should be a nice weapon for five-star commit Jackson Arnold as the future of Oklahoma, looks bright.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"184\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-48429\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20504589_168400536_lowres-300x184.jpg\" alt=\"Zion Kearney\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20504589_168400536_lowres-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20504589_168400536_lowres-1024x629.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20504589_168400536_lowres-768x471.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20504589_168400536_lowres-1536x943.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20504589_168400536_lowres-2048x1257.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Photo courtesy: SARAH PHIPPS\/THE OKLAHOMAN \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One week after landing its highest-ranked commit for the 2024 class, Oklahoma has one-upped itself again. Last week, four-star safety Jaydan Hardy committed to the Sooners. This week, they added another talented name as Zion Kearney also announced his commitment. Zion Kearney Commits to Oklahoma BREAKING: Four-Star WR Zion Kearney tells me he has Committed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4553,"featured_media":48429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7316],"tags":[1486,9991,9989,8272,9993,9990,9992,10026],"class_list":["post-48426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-big12","category-recruiting","tag-brent-venables","tag-isaiah-autry","tag-jaydan-hardy","tag-jeff-lebby","tag-jeremiah-newcombe","tag-kelly-daniels","tag-michael-hawkins","tag-zion-kearney"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}