Oklahoma is banking on their 2024 coup of defensive linemen to be historic. If Oklahoma can pull off what they are attempting to do by landing six top 150 defensive linemen, the Sooners will ride into the SEC with a tidal wave of momentum.
While the 2024 class is the immediate task at hand, the seeds have to be sewn for whatever the follow-up will be.
In this case, the 2025 class may not be as deep along the defensive line as the 2024 group, but there are still some highly talented defenders.
One of those 2025 defensive line prospects that has caught the eye of Todd Bates is 2025 DL prospect Darrion Smith.
Smith, a defensive lineman out of Baltimore, Maryland, stands 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. He plays inside and out for St. Frances Academy but looks like a prime candidate to slide inside and eventually play 3-technique in college.
Smith is being recruited by a bevy of Big 10 schools like Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and the home state school Maryland Terrapins. Oklahoma’s offer is the first from any Big 12 school. The most recent Sooner to hail from Maryland is Oklahoma’s likely No. 1 option at wide receiver this year, [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].
Bates has a level of comfort recruiting that area of the country. Bates led the charge for the Clemson Tigers to land the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, Bryan Bresee. A defensive tackle, Breese was a first round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
