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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