Tank Carrington committed to Florida State in June, and that was that. The Seminoles had been the only official visit destination over the summer for the 6-foot-2, 272-pound defensive tackle. His recruitment seemed pretty cut-and-dried, and definitively over. But Todd Bates never gave up the fight. And in the end, the Sooners' revered defensive tackles coach won.
Tank Carrington committed to Florida State in June, and that was that.
The Seminoles had been the only official visit destination over the summer for the 6-foot-2, 272-pound defensive tackle. His recruitment seemed pretty cut-and-dried, and definitively over.
But Todd Bates never gave up the fight. And in the end, the Sooners’ revered defensive tackles coach won.
Bates and Oklahoma landed a commitment from Carrington on Saturday, some 48 hours after he’d decommitted from FSU. And in an exclusive interview with OUInsider.com, Carrington dished on why he made the decision to become a Sooner. Unsurprisingly, he cited Bates first and foremost.
“It was probably just the dedication of Coach Bates after I committed,” remarked Carrington. “He still kept in contact with me, with good relations and everything. The reason I didn’t take that official visit was because they got a new front office out there in Oklahoma, so I wasn’t able to take the official visit at the time I wanted to. But Oklahoma was always a school that showed interest in me, and I showed interest in them. So it’s just great to finally commit there.
“Really, it was just my connection with Coach Bates,” Carrington continued. “He’s been recruiting me since I was a freshman, texting every day daily. So I really felt like I had a big connection with him, and he’s definitely coached a lot of great guys who have ended up in the NFL. So I really felt like I could go there and learn a lot from him.”
Though Bates was the most prominent factor in Oklahoma’s successful flip effort, one of the Sooners’ recent commits had a hand in sealing the deal.
“Somebody who reached out to me on Instagram was Jake Kreul,” Carrington disclosed. “He reached out to me, just wanted to reassure where I was going and put Oklahoma back on my mind.”
Carrington’s high school career has been nomadic, as he’s played one year apiece in Maryland, Georgia and Nevada. This fall, he’ll play his senior year at Crean Lutheran High in California. But after the meandering that’s marked his high school years, he’ll have a long-term home in Norman.
“It’s a great town to just be in,” said Carrington, who had taken a couple of previous unofficial visits to Oklahoma. “Lots of things to do as I grow. It’s a place the coaches will push me on and off the field, so that was always big for me. I’m not just a football player. So that was really like a stand-alone thing for me… the environment and everything, going out there and really putting my talents towards a championship team. I really think I could go there and learn a lot. I’m excited for that, learning from Coach Bates with the [resume] he has and how many defensive linemen he’s put in the league. I’m very excited to learn from him and get to know him more.”
Carrington joins fellow three-star DT Brian Harris in the Sooners’ defensive tackle class. He’s the seventeenth total scholarship commit of the 2026 cycle for Oklahoma. And now that he’s locked in with the Sooners, Carrington’s ready to put in the work this fall to prepare for a potential early impact.
“Some things would be just working on my craft, getting my weight up,” Carrington acknowledged. “I’m currently 272 right now, so I want to be that guy who’s able to play on the inside as a 3-tech and move outside to D-end. So just getting my weight up while maintaining my speed and get-off would be my main thing.”
And with the versatility that Carrington can bring to the table in the Sooners’ scheme, he sees enormous potential for production.
“Really just that four-down defensive front,” he noted. “It brings a lot of opportunity toward the defensive line, just staying out of that double team and everything. So having a defensive-minded coach definitely helps towards that. Defense wins championships. So I’m excited to go down there and learn from everyone, and just grow myself individually as well as the team.”
With Carrington now on board, Oklahoma awaits an Aug. 26 decision from three-star DT target T-Ron Richardson. Should Richardson choose the Sooners, Bates and Miguel Chavis will have combined to land a half-dozen 2026 commits on the defensive line.
Carrington is currently ranked No. 50 nationally among defensive linemen, according to the Rivals industry rankings. He’s the No. 487 overall player in the 2026 cycle, and the No. 42 prospect in the state of California. You can check out his junior tape by clicking here.
Category: General Sports
