"From Norman and not going to OU is crazy": CFB fans baffled by four-star WR Mason James' decision to ditch Brent Venables' program

College football fans were surprised that four-star wide receiver Mason James didn't commit to Oklahoma and instead chose Washington.

James is from Norman, Oklahoma, where the University of Oklahoma is located. Many expected James to commit to the Sooners, but he has decided to go to Washington and play in the Big Ten.

"From Norman and not going to OU is crazy the Sooners may be cooked," a fan wrote.

"We know oklahoma can't afford no 4 star," a fan added.

Although some fans were surprised that James didn't commit to Oklahoma, the Sooners did cool their interest in the receiver throughout the recruiting process.

"How does OU miss on a kid from Norman lol this program is broke," a fan added.

"Over Oklahoma??," a fan wrote.

James is the 25th-ranked receiver in the Class of 2026 and the 180th-ranked player, according to 247Sports.

"He'll decommit and end up at Oklahoma," a fan wrote.

"Even Norman guys don’t trust BV and his staff," a fan added.

James recorded 56 receptions for 1,233 yards and 17 touchdowns in his junior season in high school in 2024. It included a monster 11-catch, 256-yard, 5-touchdown game against Owasso.

Brent Venables is calling defensive plays for Oklahoma amid firing rumors

Brent Venables hasn't lived up to expectations at Oklahoma, and his name has been mentioned on the hot seat.

Amid rumors of growing uncertainty over his future, the Sooners coach announced that he would call the defensive plays this season.

“Why am I going to call the defense? Because I’m good at it,” Venables said at a press conference, via Yahoo. “And I’m confident at it. And we’ve got a great staff. If I’m going to be successful, the players are going to be successful, the product is going to be what we want it to be, it’s going to be because of all of us.

"And somebody’s got to lead it. I did that in 2023, we made improvement, in some areas not as much as we wanted, so I know what that looks like and managing gameday and in-season, out of season, the meeting room, practice field, all those things, I know what that looks like.”

Venables and Oklahoma are coming off a 6-7 season where the defense gave up 4.9 yards a play and allowed 21.5 points per game.

Venables is 22-17 as the coach of Oklahoma.