High-End DL Will be Back
In recent years Oklahoma has fought some impressive battles in Houston but the wins for some of the city's elite prospects have been few and far between. They'll hope to rectify that in their pursuit of several 2024 prospects and one who made his way to Norman this weekend is Conroe Oak Ridge Rivals250 defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye.
The impressive pass rusher took in Oklahoma's campus for the first time and, unsurprisingly, came in without a lot of knowledge about the Sooners.
"To be honest, I really didn’t know much, I really didn’t know anything about the program or their culture until I got up there," Jonah-Ajonye said.
"(As far as what stood out) we watched the players practice and their discipline and they didn’t mess around, they were focused on finishing drills and just the discipline of the players stood out."
During his visit he had some time to talk with a number of Sooner players but two young standouts who had a number of options during their high school careers in particular.
"I did, I spoke with PJ Adebawore, the new defensive end, Savion Byrd, McKade Mettauer, I talked to another player one of the defensive ends, Ethan Downs," he recalled.
"I asked Savion, he was a really high recruit and could have gone anywhere, 'why Oklahoma?'. He said it was about the culture and how he trusts coach (Brent) Venables to make him a great player and a great man.
"PJ said the exact same thing and they were kind of teaching me about the process and what I should know."
Though Oak Ridge has a pair of elite prospects in the class of 2024 in Jonah-Ajonye and linebacker Justin Williams but the big defensive lineman says he's largely learning as he goes with the exception of input of one former teammate.
"KC Ossai, he went through this, I don’t know anybody else, but other than KC, I’m just really friends with some high recruits, Bennett Warren went to Oklahoma with me and we just kind of talk about it," he explained.
During his time in Norman he spent most of his time around Todd Bates and Venables and Jonah-Ajonye had a question for Oklahoma's head man when he arrived.
"I talked to coach Venables, (I asked) why did he offer me and where does he see me playing. He said he offered me because he loved my film and that they could move me around. They could put me at 2, nose, they could put me at end," Jonah-Ajonye explained.
"That’s (actually) the same thing that Jimbo Fisher said."'
Speaking of the Aggies, it's pretty clear that they've done some impressive work in the early going of his recruitment with Jonah-Ajonye hoping to take two more trips on the short drive up to College Station, Texas.
"A&M, I’ll be there on the 15 for the spring game, and then I’m going to try and make it again, I’m going to try and go twice," he said.
"I’m trying to go somewhere like Texas or Baylor too.
"I’m going to take a couple more official visits in the summer, take a couple this spring and I’m going to have my list before I’m done with my official visits."
Jonah-Ajonye said the Sooners would be one of his summer time officials, a point in time where Oklahoma saw many of their star-studded 2023 commitments visit Norman officially.
And though he has hopes of taking some other trips this spring it's the Aggies that may have something of an edge with one member of his household, though Jonah-Ajonye is clear that a final decision will be his.
"My mom, she really doesn’t want me to go far but I just told her I’ll go wherever I feel like develops the best – the best DE or DT in the nation, she doesn’t want me go to that far though," he explained.
Though it's early he already had an idea of his top five schools.
"As of right now (my top five) it’s Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, and Oregon," he said.
"With OU it’s definitely my relationship with the staff and bonding with some of the players, a lot of the players really, and I love the facilities.
"Tech, it’s my relationship with the coaches and I haven't been up there yet but I’ll get to see it myself this summer."
"A&M, it’s my relationship with coach (Elijah) Robinson and the defensive ends coach (Terry) Price, sort of my relationship with coach Fisher.
"(Steve) Sark(isian) and Bo Davis and Texas, what they say really makes me feel good."
"And then Oregon, is part of my top five, I feel like my teammate Justin is going to go there, and that’d be my top five."
Are there any schools he'd still like to hear from?
"Definitely Miami and Florida, I just like their history and their style of defense and they play, and also (I'd like to hear from) Clemson.
"I don’t really know Clemson (now), but before my recruitment even started, I liked to watch Clemson because of what coach Venables was doing with his defense and the defensive line they made.
"Also, Alabama and Georgia."