Three-star DB Niko Jandreau commits to Oklahoma, details his decision

The Sooners' drought on the recruiting trail is over, as they've landed three-star safety Niko Jandreau out of Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defender is the fifth verbal commit of the 2026 cycle for Oklahoma, and the first since four-star WR Daniel Odom committed all the way back on Jan. 28. Jandreau announced his pledge via social media on Tuesday night.

“These spring visits, they were kind of like OV’s in a sort of way," said Jandreau of his decision to commit to Oklahoma. "I could kind of see everything I wanted out of all these programs, comparing and contrasting to what has been said and what has been seen. Out of all the places I went, there wasn’t a place like OU.”

Jandreau's pledge to Oklahoma comes after just one visit to campus, an unofficial back on Mar. 29. He's scheduled to return to Norman for an official visit on June 20, but he saw all that he needed to see on his only trip to OU thus far. A couple of in-person visits from the OU staff further nurtured the seed of a decision that had been planted in Jandreau's mind for some time. He told OUInsider that his mind was made up on a Monday evening in late April, when Brandon Hall and Nate Dreiling came to Arizona to share a meal with him and his family.

“After that night when we had dinner with them, it was like… okay, this is where I want to be," Jandreau remarked. "I think I can play early; I think I can succeed early. My goal is to play in the NFL, and I think we’re going to succeed as a program and a defense. I think just being a part of that, what Coach Hall and Goodwin and BV bring to the table — I think I can have success in that system.”

Though Jandreau had been unofficially settled on the Sooners for a couple of weeks, he waited to inform the Oklahoma staff until Tuesday, when Hall made his way down to Arizona for another visit. Upon Hall's arrival at Hamilton High, Jandreau broke the news to him in person.

“I told him I closed down my recruitment,' said Jandreau. "And he was kind of giddy a little bit, and then I just told him I want to come be a Sooner. And then it was just hugs and laughs. I wanted to do it in person, kind of get a reaction and see what it was like.”

And in making the decision to commit to OU, Jandreau had the full support of his parents, who were all but sold on the Sooners from the moment they stepped on campus.

“They wanted us to go there right after [the first visit]," Niko laughed. "When I asked them, they were like, ‘We’re at peace with it. If you want to go there, we fully support it.’ Everybody’s down-to-earth; it’s genuine. Especially with Coach Venables, everybody is down-to-earth. The humility is there; the family aspect is there. It’s just different. Out of all the places I went, they were the most in-contact, from the head coach to the assistant coaches. It’s been nonstop, and they just show love. It feels genuine.”

Jandreau had recently announced a top five of Oklahoma, Missouri, Washington, USC and Georgia Tech, but it had long been clear that he was leaning in the direction of being a Sooner. Now the decision is final and official, and he's the first defensive commit of the entire recruiting cycle for OU. Remarkably, he's also only the second Arizonan of the Brent Venables era to commit to the crimson and cream (Jeremiah Newcombe was the first).

The obvious question that arises in the aftermath of Jandreau's commitment is whether his twin brother Beau, a three-star LB in the 2026 cycle, will follow his lead. Beau also holds an offer from the Sooners, and accompanied Niko to campus for the March unofficial visit. Like Niko, he'll return to campus on June 20 for an official visit at the ChampU BBQ — and he'll have his brother heavily encouraging him to commit.

“I want to get some more defensive players — obviously, starting with my brother," Niko proclaimed. "I want to get him, and just try to build this class and compete. We don’t need four or five-stars. We just need players who want to win, who want to play.”

Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Sooners will be in prime position for Beau's commitment given their addition of his twin, but a litany of other schools are involved. Beau's offer sheet includes Texas, USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Nebraska, among others.

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