Oklahoma’s renewed recruiting focus in the southeast is tied to Brent Venables’ time at Clemson. While at Clemson, Venables and the rest of the defensive staff dominated recruiting in the Carolinas by landing some of the best defenders in those states. They went on to win national championships with some North Carolina-bred defenders playing key roles.
With the relationships built and the reputation they have amongst North Carolina high schools, it should come as no surprise that Oklahoma is circling one of NC’s best high school programs for talent.
Grimsley High School is one of the state’s best programs and is loaded with Power Five players.
One rising junior stands out as he looks destined to be a national recruit; Defensive end Bryce Davis. Davis recently received an offer from Oklahoma and is beginning to see his recruitment take off after a stellar sophomore season. In 2022, he recorded 92 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 27 hurries, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two blocked kicks.
He teamed with four-star Georgia early enrollee Jamaal Jarrett to anchor one of the state’s best defenses.
While Davis still has two more years of high school remaining, his ascension in the recruiting world is impressive. He doesn’t show up on many recruiting rankings like much of the 2025 class. However, based on his offer list alone, it’s a good bet that he’ll end up as a four or five-star prospect when his initial evaluations come out.
When speaking with Bryce about his Oklahoma offer, he said the staff he spoke with “seemed really genuine and straight up and that’s very important for me. So I’m looking forward to building the relationship and seeing where it goes from there.”
Venables coached former Clemson Tiger turned Cincinnati Pro Bowl nose tackle DJ Reader, who also went to Grimsley. There are connections aplenty for Oklahoma to use in pursuit of the 2025 star.
Davis currently has no leader yet, as the influx of offers this winter has taken his recruitment to another level. He’s just beginning to mull the possibilities. Georgia offered in the fall and offers from notable programs like Alabama, Florida State, Penn State, and Tennessee have trickled in since the season ended.
While it’s unlikely to see any movement in the near future, it’ll be interesting to see how this recruitment moves forward. The Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff wants to be a formidable recruiting presence in the region, especially with their impending move to the SEC in July of 2024.
Bryce Davis’ Recruiting Profile
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