Tag: Xavier Ukponu

On3 logs prediction for LSU to land 3-star defensive tackle

LSU is picking up steam with one of its defensive tackle targets.

Rebuilding the defensive tackle room is a top priority for LSU head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag].

Kelly has stressed the Tigers’ need at interior defensive line on multiple occasions. LSU signed a good high school class and brought in a couple of transfers, but [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] is the lone returner with significant experience.

As LSU looks to add more talent to the room in its 2025 class, On3’s Chad Simmons logged a prediction for LSU to land three-star defensive tackle [autotag]Xavier Ukponu[/autotag]. Simmons is the second On3 analyst to predict LSU as the winner after Billy Embody logged an LSU pick last month.

Along with LSU, Ukponu’s shown interest in Arkansas, Texas and Florida throughout his recruitment, but the Tigers appear to be in a good spot.

Ukponu is 6-foot-2, 390 pounds and has three stars from all major recruiting services. Rivals is the highest on Ukponu’s talent, ranking him as the 33rd-best defensive tackle in the class.

LSU’s 2025 class ranks second in the country, according to On3. The Tigers have 11 commits, including [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], the top-ranked recruit in the country. The class has some offensive firepower, but the staff is hoping to make a few key additions on defense.

Continuing the in-flux of talent into the defensive tackle room is critical for LSU to get back to the standard it once had on the defensive side of the ball.

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LSU makes final 9 for top 150 defensive lineman in 2025 class

LSU made the top nine for a 2025 defensive tackle.

LSU made the cut for 2025 three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Xavier Ukponu[/autotag].

Ukpuno released his top nine, which included LSU along with Arkansas, Oregon, Cal, Texas A&M, Florida, USC, Oklahoma State and Washington.

According to On3, Ukponu is the 69th-best defensive lineman in his class and 140th-rated player in the state of Texas. The On3 Prediction Machine has Texas in the lead, but the Tigers are a close second.

Ukponu would be the first defensive tackle addition to LSU’s 2025 class. It’s a position of need as head coach Brian Kelly and defensive line coach [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag] look to rebuild LSU’s interior defensive line.

LSU’s 2025 class is among the best in the country, sitting second in On3’s rankings and third at 247Sports.

Ukponu isn’t the only defensive tackle on LSU’s radar. [autotag]Trajden Odom[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Dilan Battle[/autotag] are all set to take official visits next month.

With LSU chasing DTs in the portal, it’s critical to land some high school guys too, creating year-to-year consistency in the room.

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Florida hosting Texas defensive lineman on official visit

Florida will host Texas-based defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu on an official visit as the calendar turns from May to June.

It’s the time of year when football recruits begin loading up their spring calendars with official visits. Florida is preparing to host a ton of recruits over the coming cycle, including Guyer (Denton, Texas) defensive tackle [autotag]Xxavier Ukponu[/autotag].

After stopping by The Swamp in February for an unofficial visit, Ukponu has locked in Florida as one of his upcoming official visits, according to 247Sports. He’ll be in Gainesville from May 31 to June 2.

Oklahoma State (April 12) and Texas A&M (June 21) will also host him on official visits. LSU, Oregon and Texas are all likely to arrange visits, too.

Defensive line coach Gerald Chatman is the lead recruiter for Florida on Ukponu now that Kali James is gone. Ukponu says the Gators are trending up, but the clock is ticking with a preference to sign before his senior year.

Ukponu is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, On3 and Rivals.com. ESPN hasn’t graded him, but the On3 industry ranking, which considers all four services, has him at No. 763 overall and No. 64 among defensive linemen in the class.

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Tennessee offers 2025 defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu

Tennessee offers 2025 defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu.

Tennessee offered a scholarship to 2025 defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu.

“After a great conversation with Levorn Harbin, I am blessed to receive an offer from the University of Tennessee,” Ukponu said.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive line prospect is from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas.

Ukponu is the No. 630 overall prospect in the class of 2025. He ranks as the No. 53 defensive lineman and No. 100 overall prospect in Texas, according to 247Sports.

The Vols are one of seven Southeastern Conference schools to offer Ukponu.

Ukponu has scholarship offers from Tennessee, Miami, Texas State, UTSA, California, North Texas, SMU, Texas A&M, Oregon, Baylor, Kansas, Buffalo, Liberty, Arizona State, Northwestern, Arizona, Oklahoma State, USC, Indiana, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Tulsa, LSU, Florida, Missouri, Sam Houston State, Pittsburgh, Houston, Penn State, Duke, Oklahoma and Texas.

Miami was the first school to offer Ukponu on Jan. 16, 2023.

LSU offers 3-star defensive lineman from Denton, Texas

The Tigers will try to beat out Texas and others for Lone Star State prospect Xavier Ukponu.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is working on bolstering his defensive line in the 2025 recruiting class. That search has led him to Denton, Texas, where he found a three-star defensive lineman that could make a difference at the next level.

[autotag]Xavier Ukponu[/autotag] is a 6-foot-2, 275-pound, three-star defensive lineman from Denton, Texas, where he plays for Guyer High School. The Guyer Wildcats finished the 2023 season 7-4 with a loss to the Coppell Cowboys in the first round of the 6A D2 playoffs.

Ukponu has no Crystal Ball projections at this time but Texas is a 34% favorite to land him per On3.

Film Analysis: Ukponu is a powerful defensive end that does a great job using his hands to shed blocks.

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Several talented 2025 prospects will make their way to Texas A&M this weekend

Texas A&M and head coach Mike Elko are off and running, set to host multiple 2025 prospects during the Aggies’ annual junior day this weekend.

Texas A&M’s 2025 class is in its early stages with just one commit. Still, under new head coach Mike Elko, expectations for the 2024 season have steadily risen after landing 21 players through the transfer portal

The 2025 cycle should see a slew of visitors make their way to College Station in the coming months. And that gets started this weekend with the Aggies’ annual junior day

In the wake of the news that 2025 four-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett, who holds deep connections to Texas A&M, will make his way to College Station this weekend, we’ve learned several other 2025 prospects will join him. Among them are four-star linebacker Kelvion Riggins (No. 26 at the position), five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi (No. 2) and three-star defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu (No. 51). All of the visits were confirmed by Rivals’ Landyn Rosow.

This is a big step for Elko and his staff as they build their first official recruiting class with the program. They are sticking to the same principles that led the Aggies to the third-ranked transfer portal class this cycle.

Creating lasting relationships is vital going into the all-important summer recruiting stretch, leading up to Texas A&M’s annual recruiting pool party during the last weekend of July.

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Oklahoma set to host a number of prospects for season opener vs. Arkansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners are hosting a number of prospects over the next few recruiting cycles for their season opener. Who’s will be in attendance?

Oklahoma’s first game of the season comes against Arkansas State in what could be a blistering day in Norman, Oklahoma. Aside from the pageantry of the first game and the excitement it’ll generate, the Sooners will also be playing host to a number future Sooners and other OU targets.

With the summer dead period officially over, athletes can revisit schools. Oklahoma has already established a nice little list of visitors of both the official and unofficial variety.

We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of all the visitors we know now.

PHOTOS: Texas A&M Football welcomes Class of 2024 and 2025 recruits over the weekend

It was a big weekend for Aggies football as they welcomed a number of recruits from the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes to College Station.

It may have been April Fool’s weekend for most of us, but it was no joke for Texas A&M as the Maroon and White were hard at work hosting a number of talented football recruits at College Station over the last few days.

A number of players from the Class of 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes descended upon Aggieland over the weekend with the hopes of getting a feel for the football program after already receiving offers from A&M. For a handful of players it marked a return visit, while others were able to don the Maroon and White for the first time as a potential preview.

From the looks of it, they all enjoyed their time at Aggieland as the players took to social media to share their experiences. Check out the photos below, and here’s to hoping we see some of them don the Maroon and White permanently in the future!

Sooners circle back to Denton Guyer with an offer to 2025 DL Xavier Ukponu

Oklahoma heads back to Denton Guyer for another prospect. This time it’s 2025 DL prospect Xavier Ukponu.

Oklahoma has become quite familiar with Denton over the last year. Two of the three five-stars Oklahoma signed in their 2023 class hail from Denton and played at Guyer High School. They also signed four-star running back Kalib Hicks out of crosstown Denton Ryan.

It only makes sense then that the Sooners would continue their pursuit of Denton Guyer in pursuit of talent for the future. That’s why Oklahoma offered 2025 DL prospect Xavier Ukponu on Tuesday.

Ukponu is a defensive line prospect and was part of a Guyer team that pushed its way to the Texas 6-A semifinals this past season. Their success in landing both Arnold and Bowen, plus the relationships they’ve formed with the Guyer’s coaches, should give the Sooners’ staff confidence they can go to Guyer and land another target. Additionally, the Sooners are a factor in Eli Bowen’s recruitment, a 2024 prospect at Guyer. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

 

Ukponu looks to be on the inside track to being an interior force for Guyer over the next couple of years.

He was named the DL MVP at the Next Level Athlete Texas Top 100 Showcase in Dallas. He also earned second-team All-District honors this past season.

Ukponu is lightly recruited, but with offers from Miami and Oklahoma already on his plate, it’s only a matter of time before Ukponu is swimming in other Power Five offers. As his recruitment wears on, no other team will have the level of recruiting aces up their sleeve like Oklahoma due to Jackson Arnold and Peyton Bowen, so Oklahoma should remain a factor in this race for the foreseeable future.

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