Fort Smith Area OL Kobe Branham Includes OSU Among Final Five Schools

Class of 2024 offensive line recruit Kobe Branham, unranked in the class but probably not for much longer given how much interest he has generated in recent months, announced on Saturday that he has trimmed his list of options and is down to five schools: OSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, SMU and Texas A&M. The list lops off more than a half-dozen other schools who reportedly offered including Memphis and UNLV.

Branham is listed as a 6-foot-5, 320-pound interior offensive lineman who has really garnered attention of late during a spring tour. He’s visited Ole Miss, Memphis, Arkansas, OU, SMU, OSU and others in recent months, with OSU’s offer being reported in February just weeks before he made the trek to Stillwater to see the campus and facilities.

OSU offensive line coach Charlie Dickey and running backs coach John Wozniak appear to be tag-teaming the recruitment of Branham in tandem with Mike Gundy and Zach Allen. Branham earlier this year shared a personal note from Wozniak, who sent snail-mail to him telling him it’s a “special time to be a Cowboy.”

Branham isn’t expected to commit any time soon — he has official visits lined up in the summer months, including a visit to OSU in June — but OSU’s inclusion in his final five is a big step as OSU moves in on securing a potential big commitment from a big offensive lineman. Thus far OSU does not have a commitment from an offensive lineman in the 2024 class, though the five-man signing group is still in its early stages.