Elite Oklahoma DL Target David Hicks Ready to Commit Wednesday Afternoon

The highly-touted defensive line target will be deciding between Oklahoma and Texas A&M among others on Wednesday.

Wednesday has the potential to be a day for Oklahoma recruiting.

It marks decision day for David Hicks, a 6-foot-4 defensive line prospect from Katy, TX, who is rated a 5-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.

Not only is Hicks rated a 5-star, but 247Sports and Rivals both have him as the No. 1-overall defensive lineman in the country, the kind of recruit Oklahoma has only dreamed of landing over the last decade.

Since taking over the program at the end of December, OU coach Brent Venables has sparked recruiting on the defensive side of the ball for the Sooners.

Oklahoma already has verbal pledges from 5-star pass rusher P.J. Adebawore, 4-star defensive linemen Derrick LeBlanc and Colton Vasek, 4-star defensive backs Jasiah Wagoner, Makari Vickers and Jacobe Johnson and 4-star linebackers Samuel Omosigho and Lewis Carter.

Pair that haul with 5-star quarterback Jackson Arnold and talented wide receiver commits Jaquaize Pettaway and Anthony Evans, and OU currently ranks No. 6-overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.

The Sooners will have to beat out SEC recruiting juggernauts Texas A&M for the commitment of Hicks, but a recruiting win would propel OU’s 2023 class even further.

A commitment from Hicks would take the Sooners from the No. 6 class all the way up to the No. 2-ranked class in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.

The Aggies would rise from No. 24 to the No. 18-ranked class if Hicks instead decides to head to College Station.

Oklahoma hasn’t often landed players the caliber of Hicks out of high school.

With an individual player rating of .9951, Hicks would be the seventh-highest rated recruit the Sooners have landed in the modern recruiting era.

Hicks would be the third best defensive lineman OU has landed, slotting in behind Tommie Harris (.9966) in 2001 and DeMarcus Granger (.9964) in 2005. He’s even rated higher than Gerald McCoy (.9937) from the 2006 class.

Recruiting rankings are by no means a guarantee of production on campus, but landing elite prospects year after year is one of the key steps Oklahoma has to take if it wants to compete with the likes of Alabama and Georgia in the SEC.

OU’s 10 highest-rated recruits in the 247 Sports database include running back Adrian Peterson, quarterback Rhett Bomar, quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, Harris, Granger, running back Jermie Calhoun, quarterback Spencer Rattler, defensive end R.J. Washington and McCoy.

Hicks’ commitment is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and he will be committing live on ESPN2. 

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