Tag: Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy

In the immediate aftermath of losing their best recruit for the 2022 class, what’s next for Oklahoma’s roster?

After the Sooners lost their highest-ranked commit from the 2022 recruiting cycle Monday night, it begs the question. What’s next?

It’s going to be alright. That’s the first thing any Oklahoma Sooner fan should be telling themselves after the last 10 days. It’s going to be alright.

A head coach pulled a very heavy rug from under the whole program which led to a head coaching search that somehow led to a rumor that included Dabo Swinney. It was chaotic but the Sooners found their guy and they brought him back home to Norman, Oklahoma where he first became a star.

Brent Venables is the new Sooners head coach and after a warm, warm welcome he’s immediately put his Jordans on and has gone straight to work recruiting the 2022 class.

Here’s the thing: The 2022 class is looking extremely frail right now. In the week between Lincoln Riley’s departure through yesterday evening, the Sooners lost 9 commitments combined between their 2022 and 2023 classes. We’ve got a running thread for the 2022 recruits that have left the class and are going elsewhere right here.

The biggest gut-punch the Sooners have to get up from is the one that came when their most decorated, and most highly touted recruit, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy flipped from Oklahoma to Texas A&M Monday evening.

That’s a tough pill to swallow and it may feel like swallowing a rock when you also consider that Gentry Williams was visiting Arkansas recently as well. At this point, all bets are off.

Any recruits that haven’t publicly reaffirmed their commitments could very well be candidates to get flipped as Early Signing Day looms. Maybe, they flip some of these recruits back. Maybe they don’t.

And again, that’s okay Sooners fans.

While it sucks, this happens at almost every school when they experience changes at head coach. It’s only exacerbated by the fact that the Sooners lost their coach and gained a new one less than a month before a signing day.

So now what? Well, it’s time to realize the 2022 recruiting class is going to be a combination of the remaining kids that didn’t de-commit, a surprise commit or two (possibly current Clemson commits), and a whole lot of transfers.

Yes, a lot of transfers.

Oklahoma is going to see a lot of new faces next year with guys leaving for the NFL, the guys that have transferred or are planning to transfer, and then there’s graduation.

Someone get Venables and his staff memberships to any store that sells in bulk.

There will be quite a bit of portal shopping over the next two months for Oklahoma. That’s okay. It will allow the Sooners to remain competitive while not completely giving up on a season. The stability that comes from those more seasoned players will allow the Sooners to hit a hard reset on the 2023 class and recruit for 2023 and beyond the way Venables wants.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Will the Sooners be signing a few more three-stars than they’d like to admit? Probably. Between those and the number of transfers that will enter the portal, they’ll be able to at least patch up the holes created by players they will lose over the next month or two.

Part of this equation that should be considered is who does Venables get to fill out his staff? There’s currently no offensive coordinator and not a single staff member on the defensive side of the ball is likely to be retained. Once that picture becomes more clear, it can really give us better insight into how Oklahoma puts together a scholarship roster as they head into spring ball.

Breathe. 

You’ve got your guy and he made it loud and clear he plans to carry this team at least a decade-plus into the SEC. He embraces the challenges that come with coaching at one of the premiere programs in college football. Given his pedigree and the success he’s had at Clemson and in his previous stint at Oklahoma, all you can do is trust the process.

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’22 5-star defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy flips commitment from OU to Texas A&M

As the new era of Oklahoma Football begins, the Sooners lose 5-star defensive tackle commit to Texas A&M.

It’s been a whirlwind of changes for the Oklahoma Sooners over the last nine days. Since the initial news broke of the coaching change, OU has had players de-commit, reaffirm their commitments, and pick up new targets on the recruiting trail.

With Brent Venables coming on board, it would seem the Sooners would have been able to hold on to some of their defensive commitments, but all bets are off at this point.

After Raleek Brown flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to USC a few days ago, the Sooners have now lost their only other five-star commit for the 2022 class, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy.

Brownlow-Dindy announced yesterday via Hayes Fawcett of On3 recruiting that he’ll be playing his college ball at Texas A&M.

OU’s most significant competition came from A&M until the big-time defensive tackle committed to Oklahoma back in October.

It was inevitable that the Sooners would see a dip in their recruiting classes, but it’s disappointing to see a player like Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy drop off the commitment ledger. Venables has a strong track record of getting interior defensive linemen into the NFL. Gerald McCoy, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins were each first-round picks who played under Venables at Oklahoma and Clemson.

The Sooners still have time to recover their recruiting class in 2022 before national signing day, but it appears it won’t reach the top seven status it once was.

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

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5 recruits Brent Venables’ can secure as he becomes Oklahoma’s next head coach

As he starts to settle in, who are the 5 recruits that Brent Venables and the current staff should focus on?

After an agonizing week filled with rumors, misinformation, smokescreens, de-commitments, and borderline scandals, the Oklahoma Sooners have found their man. The name is familiar in Oklahoma as Brent Venables takes the reigns as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. From 1999 to 2011, Venables coached at Oklahoma, where he served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach for the Sooners under legendary head coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops is currently serving as interim while things are sorted out for Venables and the rest of the potential new staff.

For Venables, the bit of mess he walked in isn’t catastrophic, but it’s worthy of note. They are less than two weeks away from the Early Signing Day, and their 2022 class is currently 17th on 247Sports team rankings after being 7th just a week ago.

They’ve lost four 2022 recruits since news of Riley’s departure to USC, and Venables will have his work cut out for him to regain those commitments, add others, or bring guys from Clemson’s recruiting class.

Who are the five players that Brent Venables and the current staff should look to close the deal on?

Chronicling the Sooner recruits who have reaffirmed their commitments

Despite the uncertainty in the program, multiple Oklahoma recruits have stood by their commitments as they wait for a new head coach.

While we have spent plenty of time discussing the guys that are decommitting from Oklahoma, not enough attention has been paid to the guys who have stood in the face of a major storm and let the world be known they are still on board with the Crimson and Cream.

Bob Stoops, Joe Castiglione, and Oklahoma’s school president Joseph Harroz Jr. all met with the football team in an attempt to soothe concerns and acknowledge that, despite the recent upheaval in the program, they would do whatever is possible to ensure the show goes on and that the future of this program was in great hands. The message seemed to resonate with current players where some took to social media to voice their support and belief in the program.

While they did this, recruits across the country became consumed with massive decisions to make. Some have already decided to open up their recruitments and look elsewhere. We have chronicled that for the 2022 class here and a list of guys for the 2023 guys here.

With those names out there looking to leave, the Sooners still have verbal commits in both classes. A few have stood out and announced that even without a head coach they plan to stick by the school and their commitment and proceed forward. Some remain mum. The outspoken ones are:

 

 

ESPN names this defensive player the key recruit for the Oklahoma Sooners

With early signing day just five weeks away, ESPN takes a look at the key recruit for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have changed the narrative of their defense during the Alex Grinch era. They’ve made a jump from one of the worst in the country before Grinch arrived to 56th in the nation in scoring defense in 2021, allowing 24.22 points per game.

Statistically, the defense hasn’t been as good as last year, but it has been a big part of the Oklahoma Sooners remaining undefeated while playing without key contributors Woodi Washington or Jalen Redmond for a large stretch of the season.

While perhaps underwhelming at times, it’s important to note this team is attracting more and more talent each year. And that’s evident by the Oklahoma Sooners commitment from five-star defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. Ahead of the early signing period, ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren took a look at the key recruit for the top teams in college football, naming Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy the key piece for the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class.

Brownlow-Dindy, the No. 2 tackle in the class, is a 6-foot-3, 280-pound prospect out of Lakeland, Florida. The knock on Oklahoma over the past few seasons has been the defense, but coordinator Alex Grinch has done a nice job improving it on the field and in recruiting.

Brownlow-Dindy is Oklahoma’s highest-ranked commitment in the class, and he’s one of four defensive ESPN 300 commitments in the Sooners’ class. Having a five-star defensive tackle lead the class is never a bad thing, and he will only help Oklahoma’s defense get better. – Tom VanHaaren

Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class ranks seventh according to 247Sports team rankings with the early signing period looming in December. While most years are headlined by offensive skill players, the defense is taking the lead for Oklahoma’s 2022 cycle. Four of its top six commits are on the defensive side.

While it hasn’t been perfect this year, the identity of the Oklahoma Sooners is becoming more balanced from the early days of the Lincoln Riley era. As Grinch begins to get head coaching interviews, first with Texas Tech, it’s evidence of the impact Grinch has had on the defensive culture of the Oklahoma Sooners. [listicle id=45952]

Recruiting roundup: Checking out the 2022 recruiting class and other notes

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand with certain players in the 2022 recruiting class?

The Oklahoma Sooners are riding a lot of momentum as the calendar has flipped to November. They are undefeated, ranked in the top eight of every major ranking, and can currently boast a top 10 recruiting class.

While the on-field product has been good and still has the potential to be great this season, great programs don’t just neglect the other part of the team. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college sports. Especially college football despite what Florida head coach Dan Mullen might suggest.

It’s a 365 days a year job and it never stops.

Despite some hiccups, the Sooners are closing in on another top 10 class for the 2022 recruiting cycle. We would seriously be talking about a top 3 class had they not lost a top 10 national recruit in Luther Burden earlier this year. They also lost Jordan Hudson and Talyn Shettron as well.

However, the Sooners picked up the slack in terms of sheer star power and talent by their October run landing two of this senior’s class best talents in Gabriel Brownlow Dindy and Gentry Williams according to the USA Today Sports High School Composite Player Rankings.

With an early signing day of December 15th, the Oklahoma Sooners can put pen to paper and close the deal for good by having many guys sign and send in their National Letters of Intent.

As it currently stands, Oklahoma’s well on its way to locking down their 2022 class as no one currently looks like a surprise flip to somewhere else at the moment with a month to go.

However, there are a few recruits who could still jump on board namely guys like Jovontae Barnes, Hero Kanu, Marvin Jones Jr., Azareyeh Thomas, and Chris McClellan.

Jovontae Barnes, a running back from Las Vegas is set to visit Oklahoma for the Iowa State game. He plans to silently commit and announce his decision at one of the winter All-Star games in January. The Sooners are in an excellent spot here if you’ve followed our coverage over the months.

Hero Kanu, a defensive lineman originally from Germany, but playing football in California, is another huge possibility for the Sooners here. Judging things right now, this seems like it may be down to Oklahoma and Ohio State, which may be a theme for Oklahoma over the next few months on the recruiting trail.

Marvin Jones Jr. plays with 2023 Sooners commit Brandon Inniss. The chance is there for them to play in college as well. Jamar Cain is on the prowl and is positioning Oklahoma to be right in the thick of it over the coming months in a battle with Alabama and Florida State for the highly talented edge rusher.

Azareyeh Thomas popped onto the scene after a visit a few weeks ago and Oklahoma is trending well enough to have garnered multiple crystal ball predictions on 247’s site. Thomas is listed as an athlete but looks to be playing safety if he plays for the Sooners.

Most, if not all of these guys will be names to monitor in the coming months as letters of intent begin to get signed and as players end their high school seasons, allowing them to focus solely on their recruiting journeys as their senior football seasons come to an end.

October was full of treats for Sooners recruiting: How Oklahoma won the month

On3 recruiting dubs Oklahoma winners in recruiting for the month of October.

While Halloween has passed for this year, the Sooners found themselves with a lot of treats as they enter the month of November. On the field, they made a switch at QB and their offense has seen a massive uptick.

Off the field, recruiting efforts of two years or more paid off in a big way as the Sooners landed two of the top 50 players in USA TODAY Sports’ High School Composite Player Rankings.

Gentry Williams and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy both have ties to the Sooner state. Dindy is an Oklahoma legacy, the son of two former Sooners who then moved to Florida, where he’s spent the majority of his life. Williams is an in-state star from Tulsa, Oklahoma who grew up rooting for the Sooners. Both are major defensive additions for a Sooners team flipping the script on the narrative of how the Sooners play defense in Norman these days.

On3 recruiting put together a list of a few teams that won the month of October in recruiting and Oklahoma’s efforts landed them in the company of recruiting juggernauts like Alabama and Georgia.

Chad Simmons of On3 wrote this on Oklahoma:

Lincoln Riley wants to keep the best of the best at home and he did that with Gentry Williams. Schools like Arkansas, Florida and USC gave the four-star athlete something to compare the Sooners to, but he committed to the in-state school.

Williams wasn’t the only highly-touted defender to commit to the Sooners last month. Oklahoma went into Florida to land five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. The No. 3 player in the country chose Oklahoma over Texas A&M. Dindy’s parents graduated from Oklahoma. – Simmons

Both are massive headliners for a consensus Top 8 class across all recruiting services. With the way Oklahoma’s depth chart projects for the next year, it’s very likely both players see the field early as well.

On top of the pledges of Williams and Brownlow-Dindy, Oklahoma hosted Nicholas Anderson over the Halloween weekend. If the Anderson name raises your eyebrows, it’s because he’s the younger brother of former Sooners running back Rodney Anderson. The familiarity, the fact that Oklahoma had no commits at receiver all led to a perfect storm. Anderson joined the 2022 class on Nov. 1 but his Halloween visit proved more than enough to flip the former Oregon commit.

So taking into account Anderson’s visit and commitment, the Sooners seemingly landed three commits at three important positions in need of talent over the course of October. It was a month full of treats, king-size candy if you must. The Sooners head into November with a mountain of recruiting momentum and look poised to add more over the next few months.

What does Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy’s commitment mean for the Oklahoma Sooners?

What does the commitment of five-star defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy mean for the Oklahoma Sooners?

Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy is so similar to the most recent five-star defensive linemen that have come through Norman it’s kind of scary. The comparisons look the part on the field and off. For any long-time recruiting enthusiasts like myself, the Oklahoma Sooners closing on Brownlow-Dindy is a feat that’s been quite rare in Norman for the last decade or so. Just looking at 247Sports recruiting rankings history, Brownlow-Dindy is the first five-star defensive linemen since 2006.

Gerald McCoy, a legendary Sooner and the last five-star defensive tackle the Sooners landed, is the most natural comparison for him. Tommie Harris, another former five-star, also fits as a comparison. Both had stellar Oklahoma careers before being first-round NFL draft picks. And both grew up with families heavily involved in the church.

It remains to be seen what Brownlow-Dindy will do as a collegiate player, but the Sooners will be anxious to find out. They won’t have to wait long as Brownlow-Dindy plans to enroll early. His senior season was cut short after a torn ligament in his hand during a game.

The impact of landing Brownlow-Dindy is immense for Oklahoma’s defensive recruiting efforts. Yes, the Sooners had a leg up as Brownlow-Dindy is the son of Sooners alumni. However, their efforts should not be downplayed. They had to fight tooth and nail for his services while in a state dominated by SEC and ACC powerhouses.

The Sooners will have to land more defensive linemen of his caliber as they make their move to the SEC, where games are won and lost in large part due to the seismic gap in talent in the trenches.

Will the Sooners land every five-star defensive line prospect? No, but they need to show the ability to snag one when given the opportunity, and the same goes for getting close with other top 100 defensive line recruits. Brownlow-Dindy is a top 20 player across most recruiting rankings, including the USA TODAY High School Sports Composite Player Rankings, which averages the grades from the three biggest recruiting services: 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals. Closing on Brownlow-Dindy was Oklahoma’s announcement to the college football world that they are legitimate competition for elite defensive talent.

Furthermore, this commitment may signal a significant development in the caliber of assistants on Oklahoma’s roster. Calvin Thibodeaux, defensive line coach at Oklahoma, has been the subject of a lot of chatter with his previous inability to bring in top 100 talent on the interior since he’s been at OU.

It reached such a point that people began to speculate if head coach Lincoln Riley would eventually let him go in favor of someone capable of landing four and five-star talent. After his two-year recruiting efforts on Brownlow-Dindy, culminating in a recruiting win over Texas A&M, it’s probably safe to assume unless a better opportunity comes knocking, Thibodeaux will not be leaving Oklahoma.

In the immediate future, Brownlow-Dindy looks to be a day one contributor for Oklahoma next year, with the likelihood of at least three Sooners on the defensive line heading to the NFL in the spring. Brownlow-Dindy has 4.7 speed, and his background as a state champ in the discus while training using mixed martial arts all but likely point to him being a perfect fit as a defensive end with the ability and versatility to slot inside ala Isaiah Thomas and Jalen Redmond. He and Kelvin Gilliam are the foundational pieces of this defensive line for years to come.

2022 Five-Star Defensive Lineman commits to Oklahoma

2022 five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy commits to the University of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners continue their white-hot recruiting efforts from the past few months by landing yet another five-star talent. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, a 2022 five-star defensive linemen from the state of Florida has pledged his commitment to Oklahoma over Texas A&M. Dindy is a five-star on 247 Sports, ESPN and is ranked in the top 20 for the USA Today High School Sports composite rankings.

We chronicled the last few months of his recruiting here at Sooners Wire. The five-star defensive tackle is a huge get for Calvin Thibodeaux and a defensive staff that has started collecting talent at every level of the defense.

Southeast Recruiting Analyst Andrew Ivins had this to say about the newest Sooners commitment.

Fires out of his stance with a lethal first step. Constantly in control of his body and doesn’t lose his balance or bearing easily. Understands how to bend and find leverage while crashing gaps. Keeps feet pumping and plays with a steady level of energy. Mauling tackler with the grip strength to corral ball carriers and make stops outside of the the hashes. Wins more times than not with a simple bullrush, but knows how to swim his way past blockers and is equipped with a few different pass-rushing moves. Lightning-quick hands, which were developed during Mixed Martial Arts training as a youngster, might be his best attribute. – Ivins

Gabriel Brownlow Dindy is the No. 15 player on USA TODAY Sports’ Top 100 players in the 2022 class.

He joins fellow top 100 player from the 2022 recruiting cycle Derrick Moore to form a formidable tandem along the Sooners defensive line.

With the commitment of Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, the Oklahoma Sooners now boast the No. 8 recruiting class in the 2022 cycle. Pretty good considering the losses of Jordan Hudson, Talyn Shettron and Luther Burden.

With the No. 8 recruiting class in the 2022  cycle and the No. 1 class currently in the 2023 cycle, the Oklahoma Sooners are shaping up to stay amongst college football’s best for years to come.

Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247Sports 5 3 2 1
Rivals 4 39 6 5
ESPN 5 5 2 2
247 Composite 5 10 4 2
USA TODAY Top 100 – 15 – –

Vitals

Hometown Lakeland, Florida
Projected Position DT/DE
Height 6’3
Weight 285

Recruitment

  • Offered on June 20th, 2020
  • Official visit on September 17th, 2021

Offers

  • Oklahoma
  • Texas A&M
  • Ohio State
  • Tennessee
  • Florida State
  • Clemson
  • USC
  • Florida
  • USF
  • LSU

Crystal Ball

Film

Twitter

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Recruiting Update: Sooners gaining ground with top recruits

A look at the Sooners and updates on their pursuit of two homegrown talents and an out-of-state talent with strong Oklahoma ties.

The Oklahoma Sooners have not had an easy go of it this season but they’ve found ways to win games and still impress recruits. The Sooners on-field product hasn’t been the most aesthetically pleasing to watch but it’s getting results. Underneath those results, they are still finding ways to impress possible Sooners.

The Sooners recruiting has hardly taken a dip although their current product as a whole does not remotely resemble what they’ve been known for. However, recruiting goes on and the only way to remain relevant and near the top of college football as long as they have is to continue recruiting at a high level.

As it stands, the Sooners have the 12th ranked recruiting class in the country for 2022. They’ve hosted some significant targets on their recruiting big board over the last few weeks with names like four-star corner Gentry Williams, four-star defensive lineman Chris McClellan and five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. The Sooners have landed some excellent players in the 2022 class but a bonafide top seven recruiting class became increasingly hard when they lost commitments from their three receiver commits in Jordan Hudson (now committed to SMU), Talyn Shettron (now committed to Oklahoma State to play with his brother) and Luther Burden (likely a future UGA or Missouri commit.)

Those commitments over the summer took the steam out of a class that was shaping up to be elite. Good things come to those who wait and those who close in recruiting. The Sooners are closing in on the likes of Williams, McClellan, and Dindy as the fall rolls on.

Gentry Williams, a homegrown Oklahoma talent has had the Sooners and the USC Trojans jockeying back and for the most part due to his relationship with cornerback and interim head coach Donte Williams. USC’s future is very uncertain and that level of stability has not gone unnoticed as new crystal balls at 247Sports  have forecasted Williams to Oklahoma and a Rivals’ future cast has the Sooners as the landing spot now.

Another in-state star Chris McClellan was in town for the West Virginia game. The Sooners have been fighting off Florida and Ohio State the heaviest for his services. In the last week, he’s received a few crystal balls to classify him as an Oklahoma lean as it stands.

Last but certainly not least, another player with organic ties to the state of Oklahoma, five-star Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. His parents are Oklahoma Sooners alums and the connection has been there since the beginning for Oklahoma.

They enter this final stretch in a heated battle with Texas A&M who employs his father as well. They are not to be counted out but a crystal ball from Steve Wiltfong (director of football recruiting for 247Sports) is absolutely nothing to scoff at. Dindy plans to make a decision soon as he has plans to be an early enrollee.

Just playing a bit of a guessing game but commitments from these would be more than enough to take Oklahoma from 12th into the top 10 of the 2022 rankings. That is not taking into account any receivers Oklahoma may try to flip or the possibility of running back Jovontae Barnes or Marvin Jones Jr who the Sooners are also in hot pursuit of.

The Sooners despite their troubles keeping three excellent receivers in the fold are well positioned to finish with at minimum a top ten recruiting class. As long they remember, recruiting is always about how you finish and not always how you start.