Oklahoma lands second On3 prediction for 2023 five-star defensive lineman David Hicks

On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons issues prediction for the Oklahoma Sooners to land 2023 five-star defensive lineman David Hicks.

Brent Venables’ hiring of Todd Bates has already yielded positive results for the Oklahoma Sooners. Bates has been an excellent interior defensive line recruiter and coach for years. He’s a draw for prospective defensive tackles. The Clemson Tigers regularly landed recruiting victories for top defensive line targets with Venables and Bates leading the charge.

His efforts, along with defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis, helped the Sooners land seven defensive linemen in their 2022 recruiting class and the transfer portal, and they should reap huge rewards for the 2023 recruiting class.

On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons issued a prediction for five-star defensive lineman David Hicks for the Oklahoma Sooners. This is the second prediction that On3 Recruiting has issued in the Sooners’ favor. Back on Jan. 21, Gerry Hamilton predicted Hicks to land with the Oklahoma Sooners.

With a year until 2023’s national signing day and Texas A&M also in the mix, it seems significant that the Sooners are out in front on this recruitment. In August, Steve Wiltfong last issued a 247Sports crystal ball projection that had Texas A&M out in front of the battle for David Hicks. It appears that the tide is turning in favor of the Sooners and relationships with the coaching staff might be the difference.

Here’s what On3’s Jeremy Crabtree had to say about Hicks’ recruitment:

Hicks talks a lot about how relationships and family will be important to him in his decision-making process. That’s why Oklahoma and Texas A&M have gotten out to the early lead in this recruiting battle. David Hicks was on campus at both schools in late January, and the Sooners have done an outstanding job building a bond with him. That bond is really strong with co-defensive coordinator/defensive tackles coach Todd Bates. He was recruiting Hicks heavily when he was at Clemson. – Crabtree, On3

According to a story from Chad Simmons (On3+), Hicks doesn’t plan to decide until January when he plays in the Under Armor All-American game. He plans to take several recruiting visits out west and in Big Ten country. They mentioned visiting USC, setting up a potential battle between the Sooners and former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

Simmons spoke with Hicks’ father, David Hicks Sr., who indicated the Sooners have a strong relationship with the five-star defensive lineman. He told Simmons, “That coaching staff is out of this world. They are really good people, very positive, and Venables is bringing the same principles from Clemson to Oklahoma. The new staff at Oklahoma helped them tremendously. The relationships are strong.”

Bates, Venables, Chavis, and even Jay Valai from his time at Alabama, have strong relationships with David Hicks Jr. that could serve the Sooners well over the next 11 months as the recruiting battle for the talented junior will heat up.

Early in the recruiting cycle, anything can happen and the Oklahoma Sooners will be up against the top schools in the nation for the top five 2023 prospect. However, the Sooners look to be in a solid position to bolster their defensive line with a consensus top-10 talent in the 2023 class.

David Hick’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
ESPN 5 10 2 2
Rivals 5 2 1 1
247Sports 5 6 1 1
247 Composite 5 4 1 1
On3 Recruiting 5 7 1 2
On3 Composite 5 4 1 1

Vitals

Hometown Allen, TX
Projected Position DL
Height 6-4
Weight 250 lbs

Recruitment

  • Offered on Jan. 18, 2021
  • Unofficial visit Jan. 22, 2022

Notable Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Texas A&M
  • Alabama
  • Clemson
  • LSU
  • Texas
  • Oregon

Film

Highlights available via Hudl

Twitter

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