Tag: Owen Hollenbeck

Oklahoma Sooners get prediction for 2025 3-Star offensive lineman

The Oklahoma Sooners continue their work on the recruiting trail, this time earning a prediction for a 2025 offensive lineman.

The 2023 regular season has come to an end for the Oklahoma Sooners. While they wait to find out their bowl game fate, the Sooners continue their work on the recruiting trail.

The early signing period is less than a month away for the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag], and the Sooners have that class pretty much set, barring any last-minute changes. So, OU continues to put in work on their already impressive [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag].

This time they have received a prediction from Collin Kennedy of Sooners Illustrated at 247Sports for three-star offensive lineman out of Melissa, TX, [autotag]Owen Hollenbeck[/autotag]. Hollenbeck is listed as a 6-foot-3, 310-pound interior offensive lineman. He also plays at the same high school as 2024 commit, [autotag]Nigel Smith II[/autotag].

He got his offer back on Aug. 4, 2023. He was also named a Texas 7-4A-I first-team all-district selection as a freshman back in 2021. It’s clear he’s been a priority for [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and Oklahoma. This year will be a big year when it comes to offensive line recruiting. The Sooners missed out on a lot of their high-end targets in 2024.

Oklahoma currently has eight commits and the No. 4 overall ranked class. They do not have any offensive linemen committed as of now. Hollenbeck, [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and [autotag]Lamont Rogers[/autotag] are just a few of the names to watch along the offensive line for the 2025 class.

Hollenbeck currently doesn’t have a commit date set but as of right now, Oklahoma is in a very good spot.

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Four-star DL Nigel Smith II chooses Oklahoma Sooners over Texas, Texas A&M

Oklahoma is the choice for four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II. Smith commits to the Sooners over Texas, Texas A&M, and Penn State.

Oklahoma landed another defensive lineman from the state of Texas, earning a commitment from consensus four-star defensive lineman Nigel Smith II. Smith represents its fourth defensive line commitment of the 2024 cycle. He picked Oklahoma over Texas, Texas A&M and Penn State.

Smith has been in Oklahoma’s sights since the summer of 2022. The Sooners made an early significant impression on the talented defender. Since their offer, the Sooners continued building a rapport with Smith and making him a priority in this recruiting cycle.

Smith’s decision came at the opening of his Melissa High School’s new stadium. The talented prospect shut his recruitment down nearly a month ago. Since then, Oklahoma has remained the overwhelming favorite to land his commitment.

Smith was once considered a five-star prospect. He has the requisite size and weight and versatility to star in Brent Venables’ defense, which employs both three and four-man defensive fronts. His power jumps off the tape, but he’s fleet-footed enough that he can win with his lateral agility as well.

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This is a massive recruiting win for Oklahoma, and one it could not afford to lose. The Sooners have multiple defensive linemen who will have no eligibility or will graduate following this season. Hence, Smith’s pledge to the Sooners is even more critical. There’s a chance he could earn a role as a freshman out of pure necessity.

That’s another conversation for another day.

However, as Oklahoma continues to try and transform this roster into one capable of winning in the SEC, securing the pledge of a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defender is a big step in the right direction.

Adding Smith to the Sooners’ class vaults them inside the top 10. It is ranked eighth, according to the 247Sports team recruiting rankings. The Sooners are less than a point behind Tennesseee for the seventh-ranked class in the nation.

Smith becomes the fifth highest-ranked prospect in this Oklahoma recruiting class at No. 83 on 247Sports’ composite and No. 115 on 247Sports’ rankings.

Oklahoma isn’t done adding across its defensive front, though. It is the trending choice for one of the Sooner State’s best, four-star edge Danny Okoye.

Oklahoma also may not be done at Melissa High School. One of Smith’s teammates is also being recruited by the Sooners: Owen Hollenbeck. Hollenbeck is a 2025 interior offensive line prospect who was at Oklahoma on an unofficial last week for their first game of the year. He’s a name to watch over the next few months as well.

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