Two archrivals on the field, Texas and Oklahoma went toe-to-toe in a recruiting battle over Bryson Washington. The four-star safety knew which schools he wanted to go to and when he wanted to make a decision.

On July 4, the Rivals250 defensive back announced it.

Washington committed to Oklahoma over Texas on Independence Day, another colossal piece for first-year Sooners defensive coordinator Alex Grinch to plug and play as he looks to turn around his unit. Washington detailed his very difficult decision with Rivals.

Washington was a longtime Texas lean, routinely making the trek from Houston to Austin, though he maintained an open mind when it came to other schools showing interest. Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M and Oklahoma were all schools in contact with the four-star dating back to the spring, but they were all second to the Longhorns.

Washington took his official visit to Norman in April for the spring game, which completely shifted momentum in his recruitment. His eyes were opened to the energy and optimism and opportunities available to him at Oklahoma.

The Sooners overtook Texas for the lead in his recruitment and he admitted that going into his official visit to Austin in June, he had Oklahoma on his mind. However, by the end of that official visit, he was wrestling with the two Big 12 schools. Depending on when you spoke with Washington, he was leaning toward a different school.

Once he returned home, Washington was able to adequately break down his decision and eventually settled back on Oklahoma.

"Out there at Oklahoma, I felt like a lot of my hometown boys are balling out there and they're doing it for a reason. It's a great community and a great place. I want to shine with my boys and have a good one for my family. I can do something special out there and do something great there."

"The staff is crazy. I've known Coach Grinch for a minute, dating back to his time at Ohio State. I've talked to him ever since. We're gonna make some plans happen. When he got to Oklahoma, it was an even greater thing. I have a great connection with everybody over there. I'm close to the players going back to our time in Los Angeles and I know I can't go wrong with that opportunity. It's really such a great place."

"It was about 70-30 (between Oklahoma and Texas). I went back and forth a lot. Even through the official visit at Texas, during the official visit, I had Oklahoma on my mind. Then, going through the official visit, I loved Texas. They both have a lot of good qualities on both sides. I couldn't go wrong picking either one."

At 6-foot-3 and just over 190 pounds, Washington is a physically imposing strong safety that single-handedly will bring a unique physicality to the Oklahoma defense. At the Rivals Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas, he clocked a 4.5-second 40.

Washington has the size and the speed and it shows on tape. He's a physical defender that will rough up receivers making catches in the middle of the field. He's still equally as outstanding in coverage downfield and shows great anticipation of routes in 1-on-1 settings.

The four-star safety is going to be a jack-of-all-trades for Grinch, who can be creative using Washington as an in-the-box defender or a blitzer off the edge. He's a strong run-stopper and is dynamic on special teams as well.

Washington has all the tools to play multiple positions in the secondary, but more importantly, he brings a Jamal Adams-esque mentality to his team. He's a field general, making the majority of his big plays close to the line of scrimmage and in coverage in center field.