Former Oklahoma Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting J.R. Sandlin is on the move to the DFW as he’s taken a new job. He will be taking his talents to the ACC along with SMU as he joins the program as the school’s Assistant Athletic Director and General Manager, which was reported by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Monday.
Sandlin first joined the program late in 2021, arriving in Norman at the same time as current head coach Brent Venables. He helped the Sooners to a top-five recruiting class in the 2023 cycle and has worked with programs like Jacksonville State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Alabama.
In his role, Sandlin provided plenty of help to Oklahoma’s program behind the scenes as the director of recruiting. As mentioned, the program’s 2023 class was ranked top-five, but their 2024 recruiting class was ranked top-eight. His efforts were a big help for a Oklahoma program that seemed to have an uncertain future.
While Sandlin won’t be entering the SEC with the Sooners, he will be taking on a big challenge as SMU is making the leap to the ACC to compete with some storied programs like Florida State, Clemson and Miami. Taking SMU to a conference loaded with talent will be a difficult task, but could easily prove Sandlin’s value with the program.
For Oklahoma, there’s another support staffer Venables and the program will have to replace. Moving into the juggernaut of a conference that the SEC is, recruiting will be as important as ever with both the transfer portal and incoming high school recruiting classes will have to be near the top of college football for the program to consistently.
Sandlin played tight end for UCF during his college football playing days, and he’s spent time as a high school football coach before getting into the college football scene.
READ MORE: Jackson Arnold, Nic Anderson Listed as Top Ten Quarterback, Wide Receiver Duo
Want to join the discussion? Like SoonerPulse on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Bookmark SoonerPulse.com to stay informed about all things Sooners.
