Tag: Lee’s Summit North

‘They’re still recruiting me’: Oklahoma isn’t finished pursuing 5-Star DE Williams Nwaneri

Speaking to media members after his Lee’s Summit North squad scrimmaged with Union, Williams Nwaneri shared that Oklahoma is still in pursuit.

In a high-profile defensive recruitment that’s become more and more commonplace for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners, OU lost out to (former) Big 8 foe Missouri in the battle for five-star defensive end [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag].

But as Lee Corso might say, “Not so fast, my friend,” Nwaneri’s recruitment could be ramping up all over again.

Let’s be reasonable before we get into what Nwaneri said after his Lee’s Summit North team took part in a scrimmage with Union in Tulsa Thursday night. It’s difficult to flip a commitment.

Oklahoma did so with [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] in the 2023 recruiting class when he opted for the Sooners after committing to Notre Dame and then Oregon before ultimately signing with the Sooners.

That’s the exception, not the rule.

But Nwaneri’s comments Thursday evening seemed to open the door a smidge for the Sooners to pull off another late-cycle recruiting flip.

Speaking to media members after the game, Nwaneri said, “Oh yeah. They’re still recruiting me and all that. But I’m gonna let everything play out. I’ll let the whole season play out. I don’t know. I’m committed to Mizzou, though. Just having fun with it. Showing love. All that.”

Nwaneri still has an affinity for the Sooners, in particular co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates and defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis.

“I probably had one of my best relationships with them,” Nwaneri said of his relationships with Oklahoma’s staff. “It was always love with the coaching staff. And I like the scheme there and all that.”

Earlier in the interview, Nwaneri shared that his comfort level with Missouri and his coaching staff played a big part in his decision to commit to the Tigers.

“Really, I felt like I was just most comfortable with that coaching staff and it’s close to home and all that,” Nwaneri said. “So I felt like it was just the right decision for me at the time.”

Williams Nwaneri is committed to Missouri. And that may not change. Though there’s always the possibility, it’s not something you’d want to bet on.

It’s easy to read into the words of a high school kid. Perhaps the door is open for Oklahoma. Perhaps it’s not. This simply could be a kid having fun ahead of his final year of high school ball. However, in all of this, the key is that Oklahoma hasn’t let off the gas in their pursuit of On3’s No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

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Missouri gets commitment from No. 1 ranked DL recruit in class of 2024

33 other programs made Nwaneri offers, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Alabama.

Missouri had been quiet throughout the 2024 recruiting cycle. However, on Monday, they got a commitment from the best defensive line prospect in a class that is positively stacked with them.

Here’s how Lee’s Summit North (Mo.) five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri announced that he’s staying in-state and committing to Mizzou.

Nwaneri (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) is not only ranked No. 1 at his position, he’s first overall in the state of Missouri and No. 3 nationally in his class behind Dylan Raiola and Jeremiah Smith.

According to Hayes Fawcett at On3, Nwaneri says he has a good relationship with the coaches at Missouri.

“Really how comfortable I was with the coaching staff. Knowing that I’ll have the opportunity to come in and have a chance to play as a freshman was also big and to do it at home makes it even better… I’m pretty close with Coach Drink and Coach Peoples. We talk often, almost everyday. They see me fitting into the defense rushing off the edge and maybe drop me into coverage sometimes.”

Thirty-three other programs made Nwaneri offers, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Alabama.

The Tigers’ class of 2024 now has 12 hard commits, of which Nwaneri is the only five-star recruit so far. This group ranks No. 55 in the nation.

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Prospects react to time with Oklahoma at latest recruiting event

It’s a big recruiting week for the Oklahoma Sooners with a pair of events. Here’s how recruits reacted to “Sooners under the Sun.”

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the final stretch of their summer recruiting efforts with a pair of recruiting events to close July.

First up was the Sooners under the Sun event for prospects from 2025 and beyond in Norman.

The event already yielded results: The Sooners earned the commitment of 2025 defensive tackle Ka’Mori Moore. Moore, out of [autotag]Lee’s Summit North[/autotag], is the latest from the Kansas City area high school to join the Sooners.

With four-star commits Kevin Sperry and Gracen Halton in attendance, the future Sooners went to work recruiting for the Sooners. With three commitments in the 2025 class, there’s a chance this event moves the needle with several other prospects enough to earn a commitment before we get to 2024’s national signing day.

Brent Venables and his staff have proven in their 20 months in Norman that they can recruit. With early returns on the 2025 class, that’s continuing to bear out. Before we get to the Party at the Palace, here’s a look at how prospects from the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes reacted to their time spent in Norman.

Lee’s Summit North DT Ka’Mori Moore predicted to land with Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners look like the early favorite to land 2025 DT Ka’Mori Moore out of Lee’s Summit North.

The Oklahoma Sooners are building quite the pipeline out of the Kansas City area. In the 2023 cycle, Brent Venables and his squad brought in five-star defensive end [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] and four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag]. In the 2024 recruiting cycle, they look like the frontrunners for five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag].

Nwaneri plays at the same Lee’s Summit North High School that Cayden Green came out of, and the Sooners look to be dipping back into that well for the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Oklahoma recently offered defensive tackle [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag]. He’s currently an unrated prospect out of Lee’s Summit North, but someone who will be highly regarded by the end of the 2025 cycle.

Just a few days after his offer was made public, Parker Thune of OUInsiders issued a Rivals FutureCast favoring the Sooners in his recruitment.

Moore stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 321 pounds, according to Rivals. It’s early in his recruitment, but he holds offers from Nebraska and Iowa State as well. And as more programs become aware of Moore, expect his offer sheet to grow.

A legit nose tackle, Moore will be a force at the point of attack and give the Sooners someone to play over the center in Brent Venables’ defense in three or four-man fronts.

While it’s early in the 2025 recruiting cycle, Oklahoma’s making progress to build that class. They’ve already received commitments from four-star quarterback Kevin Sperry and four-star wide receiver Gracen Harris. The Sooners’ two commitments have them No. 5 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings for the cycle.

It looks like Todd Bates and the Sooners have made a significant impression in the recruitment of Moore. A prediction not long after an offer bodes well for the Sooners prospects of landing the defensive tackle out of Lee’s Summit.

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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 John on Twitter @john9williams.

2024’s No. 1 DL set to visit Georgia

5-star Williams Nwaneri, the No. 1 DL in 2024 will visit the Bulldogs…

5-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri out of Lee’s Summit North, Mo., will visit Georgia on March 17.

Nwaneri (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) is rated as the No. 1 defensive lineman, the No. 1 player in the state of Missouri and the No. 3 recruit overall in the 2024 class, per 247Sports.

Check out Nwaneri’s junior highlights here:

The Bulldogs currently hold the No. 1 ranked class for the 2024 cycle.