What’s Next for Sooners on the Defensive Line?

On Saturday afternoon in Southwest Oklahoma the Sooners lost out on defensive line offer Xadavien Sims, who chose Oregon over the Sooners after a considerable battle. While Sims is a tough loss for defensive line coach Todd Bates and Oklahoma, there’s still plenty out there for the Sooners.

David Stone – Photo by Chad Simmons/On3

Obviously the headliner for Oklahoma on the interior of the defensive line is Oklahoma native, and current Bradenton (Fla.) IMG star David Stone. The big man has been to Norman over and over through the last year and a half and has talked about his strong relationship with Bates.

Oklahoma has an edge in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine at 80.6-percent though Oregon, Michigan State, Miami, and Florida all seem to be legitimate contenders.

A Texas Two-Step for Oklahoma

A pair of defensive linemen from the Lone Star State who could play in a lot of roles along the defensive line and have been to Norman frequently as of late are Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and Nigel Smith.

Jonah-Ajonye came away from his Oklahoma Red-White game visit acknowledging the Sooners as his leaders but quickly followed it up with Oregon who impressed him as well. Now the big man is on campus at Georgia who he recently told SoonerScoop.com was his ‘dream school’.

In short, the Sooners may be in great standing but there are plenty of battles ahead. The RPM currently favors the Sooners with 93.2% of it’s prediction model.

Meanwhile Smith has been to campus as much as any defensive lineman not named ‘Stone’ and the Sooners seem to be in strong-standing. however Ohio State, among others, can not be overlooked.

The Sooners are currently a 78.3-percent favorite, according to RPM, to land Smith.

Capable of Winning Outside their Comfort Zones?

While Stone, Jonah-Ajonye, and Smith are all from areas that Oklahoma has lengthy tradition of recruiting at an elite level, two other key targets are less so. In Louisiana the Sooners haven’t really beaten LSU for a prospect since eventual Oklahoma All-American, and current Oklahoma staffer, Rufus Alexander. They are working to change that in 2024 with Oklahoma putting a full court press on Lafayette (La.) Acadiana five-star Dominick McKinley.

Not surprisingly LSU is a heavy-favorite according to RPM at 82.5-percent.

While success has been far more frequent, and recent, in Kansas City, it’s still very much a battle ground state for Oklahoma and many others. And there is no player the Sooners are more ready to do battle for than Lee’s Summit North five-star Williams Nwaneri, currently the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect.

While Nwaneri figures to spend his time at defensive end his massive frame makes him a possibility to play a number of roles during his college career. A career that Miguel Chavis and the Sooners are working hard to ensure is in Norman. Currently the Sooners stand as an 80.2-percent favorite though Tennessee is making a big run at the talented pass rusher.

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