Defensive Stars

Melissa, Texas – There are few more clear differences in the new era of Oklahoma recruiting in going to games and watching a pair of highly regarded defensive recruits. North of Dallas recently the Sooners saw two key names square off when Oklahoma Rivals250 linebacker commitment Samuel Omosigho and his Crandall Pirates went to Melissa to meet up with Rivals100 defensive line offer Nigel Smith.

On the night the Oklahoma pledge ran into something of a buzz saw in the form of Melissa. That said offensively, he did manage some highlight reel catches at receiver and was the majority of the early offense thanks to some downfield throws. Even when the pass wasn’t completed Omosigho’s speed and size were enough to stress and challenge the Cardinals defense vertically.

Defensively that same speed took Omosigho to the ball time and time again. Though he’s still learning on the job as a linebacker his athleticism can help him overcome many issues as he continues that growth.

While he is still putting it all together at the position, one thing that stands out considerably is how much Omosigho is starting to fill out a frame that not so long ago looked more like a receiver than a future linebacker. These days he looks to be somewhere around 6-foot-3, and 210-pounds.

Speaking of filling out, the Cardinals star defensive lineman, Nigel Smith, continues to get bigger and more powerful each time we see him. A big part of his appeal for a lot of programs will be his versatility along the defensive line. His brightest future figures to be as something of a shade or three-technique where his speed and power will be an impressive combination that isn’t to say that he can’t shine as a defensive end in the right situations or schemes.

The big man was rarely challenged as Crandall tried to play the majority of their game on the edges of the Melissa defense. However, he got consistent push and even with play moving away from him consistently demanded considerable blocking attention.

While Oklahoma has only landed one of the two, they are a legitimate contender for Smith and both seem an indicator for a change in Oklahoma’s ability to recruit elite defensive talent around Texas and elsewhere.

*Melissa also has a pair of 2023 defenders that are worthy of a lot of attention. Those are San Diego State linebacker commitment Caleb Otlewski and Louisiana Tech defensive back pledge Jacob Fields. Otlewski is a twitchy edge defender who could be phenomenal in the Aztecs three-down scheme. Fields is an explosive athlete who can change direction with ease. Both seem likely to see their offer lists grow in the coming months.