BREAKING: Nation’s Top-Ranked Player, Edge Rusher Zane Carter, Decommits from Ohio State, Chooses Oklahoma
In a recruiting earthquake that shook the foundations of college football, Zane Carter, the consensus No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025, announced his decommitment from Ohio State University and pledged his future to the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday afternoon. The stunning reversal, revealed on the *College Football Recruiting* podcast, delivers a program-defining talent to Norman and marks the most significant recruiting victory of the Brent Venables era.
Carter, a 6’6″, 260-pound defensive end from Denton, Texas, had been the crown jewel of Ohio State’s top-ranked class, viewed as the next generational pass-rusher in Columbus. His sudden change of heart is a monumental testament to the relentless pursuit and cultural pitch of Coach Brent Venables and defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis, who never wavered in their recruitment even after his initial commitment.
“My heart and my gut kept leading me back to Oklahoma,” Carter said during the announcement. “The relationship I have with Coach Venables and Coach Chavis is about more than football. It’s about building men of character and warriors on the field. What they’re building defensively in the SEC, and the opportunity to be a cornerstone of that, is a mission I want to lead. I’m coming to Oklahoma to help bring championships back home.”
For Oklahoma, this is a landmark, identity-affirming acquisition. Securing the nation’s premier player—a dominant, physical defensive force from the heart of Big 12 territory—as they enter the Southeastern Conference is a thunderous statement. It validates Venables’ defensive philosophy and proves the Sooners can not only compete with, but beat, the sport’s elite recruiting juggernauts for the very best talent in the country. This flip signals that Oklahoma’s SEC transition is being built with championship-caliber players from day one.
For Ohio State, the loss is profound. Losing a player of Carter’s caliber, especially from a key recruiting footprint, is a major setback and underscores the fierce, unpredictable nature of modern recruiting battles, where no commitment is safe until signing day.
On the field, Zane Carter is a transformative talent. Evaluators laud his rare combination of explosive get-off, advanced hand technique, powerful frame, and a non-stop motor that draws comparisons to recent NFL Draft top picks. He is projected as an immediate impact player who could start from the moment he steps on campus in Norman.
“This is the signature win Brent Venables needed to prove Oklahoma belongs in the SEC’s top tier,” said 247Sports National Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong. “To go into Ohio State’s backyard and take the best player in America isn’t just a recruiting win; it’s a declaration of war. Zane Carter is the type of alpha defensive player that changes a culture and a conference. This tells every elite recruit that Oklahoma, under Venables, is a destination for defensive greatness.”
Carter’s commitment instantly launches Oklahoma’s 2025 recruiting class into the national top five and injects rocket fuel into the program’s momentum as it prepares for its inaugural SEC season. In landing the nation’s top player, Brent Venables has not only secured a future star but has issued a resounding message: the Oklahoma Sooners are arriving in their new conference with championship aspirations and the elite talent to achieve them.
