5-star Oklahoma DL Target Commits to Missouri

After months of supposedly leading for the nation's top defensive lineman, the Sooners were unable to land a commitment from Williams Nwaneri on Monday.

LEE’S SUMMIT, MO — When it comes to big-time defensive linemen, Oklahoma continues to be the bridesmaid. 

Williams Nwaneri, a consensus 5-star recruit from Lee's Summit North, continued the Sooners' heartbreak when he committed to Missouri on Monday.

The Tigers beat out Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee and Oregon for the highly touted in-state prospect.

The Sooners' latest disappointment adds to a growing list of recent defensive linemen who went elsewhere after flirting with Oklahoma for months, if not longer. Last year, it was defensive tackle David Hicks, who was "leaning" toward OU but apparently changed his mind at the last minute and went to Texas A&M. Also last year, local 4-star edge rusher Bai Jobe chose Michigan State. Then over the summer, Durant's Xadavien Sims was "leaning" toward the Sooners but instead announced he would attend Oregon.

Nwaneri's sting probably tops all of those because the OU coaching staff had poured so many resources for so long into landing him. That and his Lee's Summit North coach, Jamar Mozee, played at OU under Brent Venables, and his former teammate, Cayden Green, is a Sooner freshman. Also, current teammate Ka'Mori Moore is verbally committed to the Sooners, and it's widely presumed that LSN wideout Isaiah Mozee will be a Sooner.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Nwaneri is the No. 1 player in the nation according to On3, and is a top-three prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports. All three services rate the Kansas City-area product as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the nation.

He's the kind of player that could make OU's transition to the SEC a little smoother. Instead, the Sooners will likely play against him at Mizzou starting in 2024.

Nwaneri's recruitment seemingly went back and forth between the Tigers and the Sooners, with each program reportedly making a very strong push for the 5-star d-lineman late in his recruitment.

Recently, insiders from both the Oklahoma and Missouri beats reported that the school they cover was in the lead for Nwaneri, who's seen as a program-changing prospect. That resulted in more confusion and anxiety than usual out of the OU fanbase.

In the end, Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers came out on top, earning a commitment from the elite local prospect during a ceremony at his high school.

While losing out on Nwaneri is certainly a blow to the Sooners' 2024 recruiting class, Oklahoma fans shouldn't lose hope just yet. National Signing Day is still months away, meaning that Venables and company could still end up securing a commitment from the 5-star recruit later in the year as they keep up the full-court press down the stretch.

OU is also heavily in the mix for 5-star defensive lineman and Oklahoma City native David Stone

Stone will announce his commitment on Aug. 26 when IMG Academy takes on St. Joseph's Prep on ESPN 2. The talented interior d-lineman is close friends with OU 2024 defensive back commit Mykel Patterson-McDonald, and is deciding between the Sooners, Michigan State, Florida, Texas A&M, Oregon and Miami. 

Currently, Miami and Michigan State appear to be Oklahoma's biggest contenders for the elite defender. 

Additionally, Venables and company are still in contention to land 4-star edge rushers Nigel Smith II and Danny Okoye, as well as 5-star defensive tackle Dominick McKinley. If OU is able to land a few of the aforementioned players, it would quickly ease the spirits of Sooner fans after missing out on the nation's top defensive lineman.



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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.