Texas still in the picture for OU running back commitment Jase McClellan

Class of 2020 running back Jase McClellan committed to the Oklahoma Sooners in July of last year, meaning it will be well over two full years between the time he made his verbal commitment and the time he signs his letter of intent. That long window between committing and signing has McClellan keeping an open mind, and the Texas Longhorns are one of the programs he continues to evaluate. In fact, McClellan was in Austin in April to watch the Longhorns’ Orange-White game.

“They didn’t get their running backs a lot of action, but when they did I was very impressed with the way the running backs hit the hole. I liked to see the whole team play,” McClellan said. “It was good the way the quarterbacks threw the ball around and the wide receivers caught it and made some good plays. They were looking good.”

The standout prospect from Aledo remains committed to the Sooners, but said schools like Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and LSU are showing significant interest. The Longhorns are a program McClellan continues to monitor closely despite his early pledge.

“Texas is one of my top schools. I’m still looking at other schools but right now I’m still committed to Oklahoma,” McClellan said.

The 5-11, 190-pound McClellan said he’ll likely continue to take visits to “get the feel” of some other places and compare and contrast each trip. A return stop in Austin this summer is a possibility.

“I did talk to coach (Tom) Herman and coach (Stan) Drayton (during his recent UT visit). They want me to come down this summer,” McClellan said. “They said any time, come down and watch film, watch plays with them.”

During the UT spring game visit, McClellan got quite a bit of time with Drayton, who stressed to McClellan that the Longhorns are going to continue to actively recruit him.

“After the game, I got to talk with him, catch up with him. I hadn’t been there for a long time so we were just catching up,” McClellan said. “His message is just telling me not to forget about them, they’re still there and they’re still pushing for me.”

McClellan said he feels very comfortable with his Oklahoma commitment at this state of the recruiting process. As for what it would take for a school like Texas – or anyone else – to pull him away from the Sooners, he said it would pretty much come down to a gut feel.

“I’ll know when it hits me, if I get down there and feel the environment, feel it’s a great place and have a great connection with the coaching staff. If it just feels like home,” McClellan said.

A four-star prospect, McClellan is a Rivals100 member for the 2020 class.