When five-star softball phenom Makenna Vaughn, the #1-rated infielder in her class out of Riverside, California, announced her verbal commitment to UCLA last spring, the softball world nodded in agreement. A Southern California native choosing the historic Bruin program — it made perfect sense.
But what happened next didn’t.
Just six weeks after her announcement, Vaughn shocked the recruiting world again: she flipped her commitment to Oklahoma — without an official visit, without a press conference, and without a single word to the media.
Until now.
In an exclusive interview featured in the upcoming OU docuseries “Sooner Sisters: The Untold Story,” Vaughn opens up about the life-changing 21-minute phone call that made her abandon her dream school — and choose the crimson and cream instead.
“I was packing for my UCLA visit when my phone buzzed. It was a FaceTime from Jayda Coleman,” Vaughn recalls.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I froze.”
Coleman, a former five-star herself and one of the most decorated players in OU softball history, didn’t waste time on hype.
“She didn’t talk about championships,” Vaughn says. “She asked me who I wanted to be when no one was watching.”
According to sources close to the program, Coach Patty Gasso had been quietly in contact with Vaughn’s family, heartbroken to lose her to a West Coast rival but never pushing. Gasso, known for her integrity and faith-first philosophy, had long believed that if OU’s culture was meant for a player, that player would eventually find their way back.
And Vaughn did.
“Jayda told me, ‘This isn’t a program — it’s a sisterhood. We don’t just train here. We grow here.’”
Within 48 hours of that call, Vaughn withdrew her UCLA commitment and asked for a second unofficial visit to Norman. Gasso didn’t host a media day or roll out red carpet treatment. Instead, she asked Jennings, Coleman, and several current players to simply talk with Vaughn in the locker room — no cameras, no coaches, just raw truth.
What Vaughn heard made her decision final.
“One of the freshmen told me she didn’t have gear when she arrived. And Tiare Jennings gave her half her own stuff. No one even knew. That was it for me.”
Vaughn made her flip official just 3 days later. She posted only three words on social media:
“Coming Home. #Boomer”
OU fans lit up the internet. Thousands shared the story of the flip. Some called it recruiting luck. Others called it divine alignment. But one thing was clear:
Patty Gasso didn’t win back a five-star recruit with fancy promises or million-dollar NIL deals.
She won her back with the voice of someone who had lived the legacy.
“Jayda reminded me who I wanted to become,” Vaughn says. “And only Oklahoma could make that happen.”
