Tag: Dominick McKinley

Oklahoma in a good spot for two of Rivals remaining uncommited 5-star prospects

Rivals has 13 uncommitted five-stars and the Oklahoma Sooners appear to be in a good spot for two of the nation’s best.

The month of July is finally upon us, and we should start to see commitments funnel in favor of the Sooners.

Depending on where you look or who you talk to, the Sooners could see six to 10 commitments this month.

Rivals has 13 uncommitted five-stars, and Oklahoma sits in a really good spot for two of them, according to national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

The first is defensive lineman [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag]. Rivals ranks him the No. 3 overall player and the highest-rated player without a home.

Oklahoma has been the front-runner here for some time, but in recent months Georgia has made significant in-roads in this recruitment and it could come down to the wire for the five-star defensive end. Nwaneri has more connections to the Sooners especially with former teammate Cayden Green recruiting him there, but the success of the Bulldogs’ defensive linemen and development into the NFL – plus back-to-back national titles – cannot be understated. Tennessee, Missouri and others are also in this one. – Gorney, Rivals

What was long thought to be an Oklahoma versus Tennessee Volunteers race has turned into the Sooners battling the back-to-back defending champion Georgia Bulldogs.

This one could go all the way to signing day, but signs are pointing to a decision being made as early as this month. Gorney is predicting the Sooners to win out in the end.

The next on the list is defensive tackle [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. Stone is the 10th overall player in the nation and second-best player at his position, behind Justin Scott, who committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday.

Stone has long been thought of as an Oklahoma lean since he is from Oklahoma, and his family still lives there even though he plays at IMG Academy in Florida.

There is going to be talk about Michigan State and Stone really likes Miami with Florida also trying to get in this thing with the five-star defensive lineman, but everything here comes back to Oklahoma. He’s from the state, any comments about his mother not wanting him at Norman were a little misguided and taken out of context and the Sooners have done everything possible to convince the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout that he could shine in their system. – Gorney

Stone would be a huge get for Oklahoma as it heads to the SEC. He would bolster a defensive line that greatly needs elite defensive tackle play. Gorney also predicts the Sooners to be his choice in the end.

While there’s not been a date set for Stone’s commitment, there is a belief he wants to be done with it before his season starts in August. But we’ll have to wait and see.

If you are wondering about [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], he’s not listed as a five-star with Rivals. But he’s someone Oklahoma feels confident with as well, although the LSU Tigers and Texas Longhorns are lurking. The long-held belief has been it would be difficult to lure McKinley away from the hometown Tigers. That Oklahoma is in the race for McKinley is a credit to Brent Venables and Todd Bates.

Ultimately, if Oklahoma lands Nwaneri and Stone, it would be the greatest defensive line recruiting class in a long time. It’s exactly why you bring in Brent Venables to be your head coach and why Miguel Chavis and Todd Bates came with him.

The Sooners have needed a bunch of game wreckers along the defensive line for years, and the they look to be on the verge of heading to the SEC with at least a pair of the best defensive line prospects in the 2024 recruiting class.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Who is next at defensive end for Ohio State in the 2024 recruiting cycle?

Which top defensive end target do you think lands in Columbus? #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] missed on one of its main defensive end targets when Illinois prospect Marquise Lightfoot committed to Miami (Florida).

Many, including myself, thought the 6-foot, 5-inch, 220-pound edge rusher would end up in Columbus. It was a recruiting loss for sure, especially since the coaching staff really put significant resources into getting Lightfoot’s attention.

The good news is the spot he would have taken frees up for another high-level prospect. Find out who the Buckeyes are still actively recruiting at the position and my guess as to how likely each will end up in Columbus on a scale of 1 to 5. (All rankings are from the 247Sports composite.)

Where do the Sooners stand in On3’s team recruiting rankings after recent commitments?

The Oklahoma Sooners have picked up several commitments in the last couple of weeks. Where do they stand in On3’s team recruiting rankings?

The Oklahoma Sooners have picked up momentum on the recruiting trail with the recent commitments of Xavier Robinson, Wyatt Gilmore and Ivan Carreon. That makes back-to-back weeks the Sooners have landed pledges from multiple prospects, three of which were four-star prospects.

The rest of the summer could be even bigger as the Sooners await decisions from five-star prospects [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag], [autotag]Kobe Black[/autotag], [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag] and [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag]. The Sooners appear best-positioned for Nwaneri and Stone, but their efforts have given them an outside shot at the other three.

The Sooners are also awaiting decisions on running backs [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], a pair of players that have been trending toward Oklahoma for some time. And we know [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and Oklahoma will add several more offensive linemen to the class.

With what’s still to come, the Oklahoma Sooners appear heading toward another top-10 class in the [autotag]2024 recruiting cycle[/autotag].

Here’s a look at how the top 25 stacks up in On3’s team recruiting rankings as of July 2. Interestingly, the SEC is very prominent in the rankings: 13 of the 16 teams that will make up the conference in 2024 are inside the top 25.

Sooners in the hunt for several high-profile 2024 recruits 

As the month of July gets underway, the Oklahoma Sooners are still in fantastic position for five of 247Sports top 20 prospects in 2024.

The 2024 recruiting cycle is in full swing. Several of the top players are already off of the board and have made their commitments known. But not all of the top recruits have made their decision and Oklahoma is still in a great spot for several of the class’ top prospects.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still in the running for five of 247Sports’ top 20 uncommitted prospects.

Those recruits are five-star defense lineman Williams Nwaneri, five-star defensive lineman David Stone, five-star wide receiver Terry Bussey, five-star defensive back Kobe Black and five-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley.

Of those five, Oklahoma sits in a really good spot for four of them. Let’s take a look at where the Sooners stand in their recruitment of these top 247Sports prospects.

Is LSU’s lack of top-200 recruits a problem?

Is LSU’s lack of elite recruiting at the top in 2024 a concern?

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is off to a good start in the class of 2024.

LSU’s already locked down several of Louisiana’s top recruits along with some national guys for a total of 17 commits. It’s a strong class that’s already addressed a few of LSU’s needs.

Right now, the top rated commit is tight end [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag]. He’s a four-star and consensus top 10 at his position. But he’s the only LSU commit to rank in the top 200 of the 247Sports composite rankings.

Georgia’s class has 14 of those guys. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag], who has Florida trending up, has eight top 200 commits. Ohio State has nine and Michigan with six.

Despite having a top 10 class, LSU ranks 17th in average recruit rating.

As it stands right now, LSU’s 2024 class isn’t equipped to compete with the programs it hopes to compete with. It’s only June, so there’s no reason for any panic yet, but this is something to watch moving forward.

Some schools already have their two or three five-stars set. LSU doesn’t, which means the pressure is on to land the bigger fish down the stretch.

The good news is plenty of targets are still out there.

Most notably defensive linemen [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag]. He’s the best recruit in Louisiana and LSU needs defensive tackles in its next class after falling short in that area last year.

With the likely departures of [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Wingo,[/autotag] that position needs a reload.

Another top 100 recruit LSU is well positioned with is corner [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag]. He’s another Louisiana guy, also at a position of need.

Outside of those two, On3’s Prediction Machine doesn’t favor LSU to land any other top 100 guys. LSU’s in the mix with running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] and EDGE [autotag]Colin Simmons[/autotag], but is by no measure the favorite with either.

There are plenty of guys in the 100-200 range that LSU’s after. The Tigers are sure to land a few there, but it still won’t put the top of LSU’s class up there with Georgia’s.

LSU’s 2024 class will be one of the nation’s best because of how well Kelly has recruited Louisiana this year. Almost every top player in the state will head to Baton Rouge.

But there needs to be some progress made with national five-stars if LSU wants to keep up with the playoff contenders every year. And that is the expectation at LSU.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1389]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Oklahoma Sooners 2024 commitment tracker

Which players are committed to the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 recruiting class and what do they bring to the football field?

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to follow a pair of top-10 recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023 with another in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Sooners’ 6-7 season didn’t affect the finish to the 2023 recruiting class, which finished No. 4 in the nation according to 247Sports.

Brent Venables and his staff are hoping to have a repeat of that success or better and have themselves well-positioned to be near the top of the rankings when it’s all said and done in 2024.

Much of the success of this class will be determined by how well the Oklahoma Sooners recruit the defensive line ahead of their move to the SEC in 2024. In a strong defensive line class, the Sooners are in a good spot with a number of highly-coveted prospects. They finally broke the ice on their defensive line recruiting with the addition of Wyatt Gilmore, the No. 2 player in the state of Minnesota and a four-star prospect.

All eyes turn to players like [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag], [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag], [autotag]Jayshawn Ross[/autotag], [autotag]Joseph Jonah-Ajonye[/autotag], and [autotag]Zina Umeozulu[/autotag].

They will not land all of their targets, but Venables, [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag], [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Chavis[/autotag] have made a strong impression on an impressive group of defensive line prospects.

Still just over five months out from the early signing period, here’s a look at who is committed to the Oklahoma Sooners as of July 1, 2023.

Recruits react on Twitter to time with the Oklahoma Sooners at ChampU BBQ

Recruits react on Twitter to time spent with the Oklahoma Sooners at the ChampU BBQ.

The Oklahoma Sooners completed arguably their biggest non-game day weekend of the year. The ChampU BBQ is their preeminent recruiting event each year, and this year Lee Davis and the on-campus recruiting staff pulled out all the stops to put the Oklahoma Sooners’ best foot forward.

Oklahoma hosted a number of prospects in the 2024 recruiting cycle and they made substantial headway with Caden Durham, Mykel Patterson-McDonald and Xavier Robinson. That trio had a number of recruiting predictions issued in favor of the Sooners landing their commitments.

Additionally, Oklahoma hosted five-star defensive tackle Dominick McKinley alongside David Stone. The Sooners have made the defensive line a point of emphasis this recruiting cycle, and they’re not holding back in their pursuit of top-tier defensive line talent. Stone and McKinley were on campus a week after five-star edge Williams Nwaneri made his official visit.

If the Sooners are able to land Stone and another highly-regarded defensive tackle or two, like McKinley, it would go a long way to laying the foundation of Brent Venables’ defense for years to come.

Where Oklahoma’s 2024 5-Star targets landed in the latest On3 rankings update

Where did Oklahoma’s 2024 five-star targets land in the latest rankings update from On3?

The Sooners are in the midst of their biggest month on the recruiting trail. Last weekend they hosted five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri and a number of other prospects on an official visit. The process doesn’t slow down for Brent Venables and his staff this weekend with the Champ U BBQ.

At this year’s Champ U, the Sooners are hosting three of On3’s five-stars: David Stone, Terry Bussey and Dominick McKinley.

The Sooners are hoping their efforts can help them build upon what was a top-five recruiting class in 2023. If they’re able to land Stone and another five-star player, it will be a great start. But they’ve got to hit these official visits out of the park this weekend in Norman.

As the Oklahoma Sooners put their best foot forward for their highly regarded prospects this weekend, let’s take a look at where the Sooners’ five-star targets landed in On3’s most recent rankings update.

ChampU BBQ Visitor List: Who’s coming to Norman this weekend?

A look at who’s coming to town for the ChampU BBQ this weekend.

Oklahoma’s future looks bright. Less than a day ago, they received news of their first slate of SEC opponents when they begin play in their new conference in 2024. It’s a compelling slate and something that gets the competitive energy flowing.

If they plan to make an impact when they get there, the class of 2024 will have a profound hand in that. This class will be the first class that hits the ground and is immediately thrown into the fire that is the SEC. They’ll spend their whole careers being molded by the best football conference in the country. For the Sooners to compete for the top, this 2024 class must be unique.

It’s only fitting that Oklahoma has its premier recruiting event, the ChampU BBQ this weekend, right after the SEC opponents were revealed.

The Sooners can use the SEC to their advantage, selling the appeal of playing in an elite conference to any athlete unafraid of competing against the best in the country.

Last year’s ChampU BBQ had attendees signing with the Sooners and are now on campus with the current roster. Here’s a running count:

  • OT [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag]
  • LB [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag]
  • ATH [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag]
  • RB [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag]
  • CB [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag]
  • WR [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]
  • OT [autotag]Logan Howland[/autotag]
  • QB [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]

In short, a nice chunk of OU’s 2023 class came to the event. Arnold was already committed before the BBQ, but having him there helped Oklahoma recruit and, ultimately, the remaining players committed in the months after.

The visitor list for the event is long, with well over 20 official visitors already confirmed.

This weekend in Norman will be jam-packed with an extensive amount of talent. David Stone, a consensus top-10 recruit, is the headliner. He’s a hometown kid who grew up a Sooner fan. A commitment from him would be massive. He’s at the top of the Sooners’ recruiting board and a must-have in this cycle.

[autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] are two talented four-star running backs Oklahoma would be delighted to have.

Oklahoma has four 2024 commits in the building this weekend, and aside from them enjoying their officials, they can and will likely be used to recruit some of their uncommitted counterparts. [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Autry[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] are the four commits who will enjoy their officials as Oklahoma Sooners.

[autotag]Joseph Jonah-Ajonye[/autotag], [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], and [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] join David Stone as highly touted defensive linemen in Norman this weekend. Aside from landing Stone, can Oklahoma at least snag two of the remaining three? This weekend of visits could go a long way in determining that.

This weekend will have ripple effects for the 2024 cycle and help lay the foundation for Oklahoma’s future in the SEC. Last year’s event netted Oklahoma seven commits in the weeks and months after. The Sooners will be thrilled if the same happens this year.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1367]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Here are the 2024 football prospects visiting Texas A&M the weekend of June 9

The summer of official visits continues to roll along as Texas A&M will welcome a handful of high-profile prospects from the 2024 cycle this weekend.

With the summer season having officially kicked off it can only mean one thing: the top prospects of the 2024 cycle will descend upon various campuses for official visits. As we officially turn the page to the second weekend of June, the 2024 recruiting cycle will only continue to heat up from here.

Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher’s busy month of June continues to move along as the Maroon and White welcome close to double-digit visits from a handful of top football prospects. The coming weekend of June 9 will see some of the best recruits on both sides of the ball get a preview of Aggieland, with the hope that they see College Station as their next home for the future.

While a handful of this weekend’s visitors are still taking their time through the decision process, there are at least two current commits making their way to Aggieland.

Here’s the list of the top 2024 football prospects visiting Texas A&M this weekend, June 9: