IOL Darius Afalava commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma lands Rivals four-star interior offensive lineman Darius Afalava out of Utah.

Bill Bedenbuagh has struck again. This time, his efforts netted Rivals four-star interior offensive lineman [autotag]Darius Afalava[/autotag], who committed to the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday.

Afalava is an incredibly gifted offensive line prospect who is probably even better than his ranking suggests. He’s a three-star prospect on the 247Sports composite, but Rivals considers Afalava a four-star prospect and the No. 230 prospect in the country. When you cut on the film, he looks and plays like a kid deserving of that fourth star.

Afalava chose the Sooners over Utah, Washington and Michigan State offers. Utah had the heavy home-state advantage, but it’s been clear that proximity to home wouldn’t dictate this recruitment throughout the process. Washington’s staff had an incredible relationship with Afalava as they recruited him when Jedd Fisch and his staff were at Arizona.

Oklahoma entered the race late, offering in April. They quickly closed the gap and became a real contender for the talented blocker in a few months. Afalava told (subscription required) Blair Angulo of 247Sports earlier in June why he liked Oklahoma so much.

“Meeting with coach Brent Venables was great and I felt really comfortable around the whole staff,” Afalava said. “Coach Bill Bedenbaugh is a straight-up dude. He’s very real and I really like that about him. Off the field he’s really nice but on the field and in coaching you, he’s going to be hard on you to get the best out of you.

“I don’t want a coach that’s my friend, so if I went there, I know I’d get honesty, and that would bring out the best in my game. I really enjoyed getting to know him.”

Darius now gets that opportunity, as Bill Bedenbaugh’s development is widely recognized. With Afalava on board, the Oklahoma Sooners remain steady at number five in the 247Sports team rankings.

Afalava is a true guard in every sense. He could slide out to the right tackle slide in a pinch, but with his strength, hand placement and base, he seems like a seamless fit as a guard who can not only handle the size in the SEC but also make a difference in the trenches.

More: SEC Recruiting rankings after recent commitments.

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