OU Football: 5-Star Cornerback Enrolls Early

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley announced standout cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles as the 18th member of the Sooners' 2018 recruiting class Tuesday after the freshman signed a financial aid agreement and attended classes on the first day of OU's spring semester.

Nicknamed "Bookie" (BOO-kee), Radley-Hiles is regarded by Rivals as a five-star prospect and the country's No. 17 overall 2018 recruit (fourth-best cornerback). He is rated 48th overall by 247Sports (seventh-best cornerback) and 164th by ESPN (16th-best athlete).

"Bookie is a dynamic player, a dynamic personality," said Riley, who went 12-2 in his first year as OU head coach and directed the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. "He's going to bring a lot to our program. He's a leader who has a lot of confidence and a lot of ability. He's been a very versatile player. He's great in the defensive backfield, is very active, and he's been a very good returner up to this point in his career. He was one of the most highly recruited defensive backs in the country, and we're excited he chose OU."

From Inglewood, Calif., the 5-10, 185-pound Radley-Hiles registered five interceptions as a senior this past season playing for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and broke up an additional four passes while forcing two fumbles. The 2017 U.S. Army All-American chose OU over programs such as Clemson, Florida State, Nebraska, UCLA and USC.

Radley-Hiles is one of eight 2018 signees who are already enrolled in classes at OU and will participate in spring practice. The others are cornerback Starrland Baldwin, receiver Jaqualyn Crawford, cornerback Miguel Edwards, safety Patrick Fields, defensive end Ronnie Perkins, running back T.J. Pledger and defensive end Jalen Redmond.