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Former Oklahoma LB Announces Transfer Destination

Clayton Smith came to OU as an edge rusher and played inside linebacker before entering the transfer portal on Dec. 6.

John E. Hoover

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Former Oklahoma linebacker Clayton Smith has found a new home.

Smith announced Thursday on Twitter that he’ll be playing college football this year at Arizona State.

Smith entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Dec. 6.

The 6-foot-4, 232-pound Smith came to OU as an edge rusher but switched inside linebacker. He played in four games in 2021 and four games in 2022, with his best game coming at Nebraska, when he played 35 snaps and made four tackles.

Smith was a 4-star prospect, according to 247 Sports, and was the No. 2 edge rusher in the nation, according to the 247 Sports Composite. He was ranked as the No. 38 overall player in the nation coming out of Texas High School in Texarkana, TX, as a member of the 2021 recruiting class.

Rivals and On3 both rated Smith as a 5-star prospect.

Smith originally picked OU over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Kansas State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Washington and others.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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