Originally Appeared on Vype

By signing his National Letter of Intent after donning a crimson "OKLAHOMA" cap on Early Signing Day on December 19, Marcus Stripling etched his name into Mayde Creek High football lore.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end picked the Sooners over LSU, Alabama and Texas A&M to become the fourth football player from Mayde Creek to sign with a Power 5 conference over the last 20 years.

"He means a lot. He brought a lot of attention," Mayde Creek head football coach Mike Rabe said. "While we've been here, we've progressively gotten a little bit better because football's gotten more important here because of his notoriety. Everybody sees he came from our feeder schools and he's made it to the next level. These guys believe they can do it now, too, and it just creates a whole different energy around your football team."

Making it to Oklahoma while wearing the green and white of the Rams made it more special for Stripling. Stripling said each of his 20 offers meant more and more as they came in because of where he's from.

"I want to set a platform for all my teammates and coaches here," Stripling said. "It shows they can do it themselves, too. It doesn't matter what school you go to, it can be done."

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