Oklahoma Sooners commit earns 5-star status in Rivals Industry Ranking

Bixby 2027 four-star OL Kaeden Penny lines up to block against Choctaw. Penny is committed to OU. Photo Credit: Brandon Drumm - OUInsider.com/On3.com

Oklahoma saw a budding star in Bixby (Okla.) offensive tackle Kaeden Penny back when the Sooners extended an offer in October 2024.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has been among the nation’s best developers at that position for some time and has also shown a penchant for finding hidden gems before other programs do. Penny proved him right again, as the local standout is now a five-star prospect, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

His move comes after the latest Rivals300 update and the expansion of the industry ranking to include 32 players as five-stars — matching the first round of the NFL Draft. The massive 6-foot-4, 270-pounder now checks in as the No. 32 recruit in the country, No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 2 player in the Sooner State.

OU was the fifth Power 4 school to offer him back in October 2024, joining Boston College, Kansas, Texas Tech and Arkansas. That early identification and recruiting push paid off when he committed last September. His decision came the same day as the Sooners flipped fellow five-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett away from Texas Tech.

The duo didn’t plan their decisions together, but now have the best offensive line pair in the country heading to Norman.

“No, it was kind of crazy,” Hackett told OUInsider at the time. “We were talking at the [Auburn] game. He said, ‘Yeah, I think I’m planning on committing soon.’ He didn’t tell me where, but I was like, ‘He’s gonna commit soon. I kind of want to commit soon too.’ It just happened to line up on the same day. I was about to text him ‘come home,’ and he texted me and committed like five minutes after me. It was pretty crazy.”