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Oklahoma Lands Another Elite 2024 Defensive Line Pledge

Brent Venables' coaching staff continued its strong 2024 recruiting cycle by landing a major defensive line commitment on Friday night.

Ryan Chapman

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Oklahoma continued to add to its future defensive line on Friday night.

Defensive end Nigel Smith II verbally committed to Oklahoma over Ohio State, Penn State and Texas A&M, yet another defensive recruiting win in the 2024 class for Brent Venables.

Rated a 4-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and On3, Smith is a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end from Melissa, TX.

Smith is also rated the No. 83-overall player in the country by the 247Sports Composite Ranking, and is the 12th-ranked defensive lineman in the country.

Across a busy June, Smith visited Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, with his trip to Norman coming on June 16.

Smith is the 23rd verbal pledge in OU’s 2024 recruiting class, and yet another talented piece to help the Sooners rebuild along the line of scrimmage.

He joins 5-star defensive lineman David Stone, 4-star edge rusher Wyatt Gilmore and 3-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson in Oklahoma’s 2024 d-line class.

Last year, Oklahoma finished with the the No. 5 overall class in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. Smith’s commitment pushes the Sooners' 2024 team ranking from No. 11 to No. 8. OU is now No. 7 according to the Rivals team rankings and No. 9 according to On3.

Smith and the 2024 recruiting class will join 2023 signees in P.J. Adebawore, Ashton Sanders and Markus Strong as the Sooners look to stack strong recruiting cycles to build the depth necessary to compete in the SEC.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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