The 2022 NFL draft has come and gone and with the start of college football still four months away, attention turns to the recruiting scene for the Oklahoma Sooners and the rest of the country. Coaches are out on the trail visiting schools and building relationships with coaching staffs as they check out players they’d like to add to their program.
Over the next few months, the Sooners will be working to secure commitments of 2023 prospects prior to those players going into their senior season. Many players don’t want the decision lingering over them as they look to put their best foot forward for their teams in their final season in high school ball.
One target that the Oklahoma Sooners are working to get a commitment from is 2023 five-star defensive lineman [autotag]David Hicks[/autotag] out of Katy, Texas. Hicks is the No. 4 overall player on the 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 6 player on their Top247.
247Sports recently released a list of five prospects they’d bet on to be first-round picks in future NFL drafts, and the Oklahoma target was one of the players mentioned.
David Hicks looks like a college player right now. He’s a rocked out 6-4, 250 pounds with the versatility to play inside or outside at the next level. He’s a physical player with a motor and is a natural pass rusher coming off the edge or playing inside. He’s very quick off the ball, uses his hands well and has the athleticism to run down plays from behind. He’s strong at the point of attack and projects as an every down lineman who can play in any scheme. He has the multi-sport background that we like and he’s someone who should test extremely well at the NFL combine after playing three years of college ball. – Greg Biggins, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst
247Sports currently gives the edge in the recruiting battle to Texas A&M, but according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Oklahoma is out in front with a narrow prediction percentage. The last crystal ball from 247Sports was issued in August of last year. A lot has likely changed since then. In particular the hiring of [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] as head coach and Todd Bates as defensive tackles coach.
Brent Venables has had as much success as anyone at getting his defensive line talents drafted in the first round. Whether it was [autotag]Tommie Harris[/autotag] or [autotag]Gerald McCoy[/autotag] or [autotag]Christian Wilkins[/autotag] or [autotag]Dexter Lawrence[/autotag], Venables’ defense is gold for defensive linemen looking to make it to the next level.
If the Sooners are able to secure a commitment and signing for Hicks, it would be a huge win for their recruiting class that has just four players committed at the moment and zero five-star players.
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