Fact or Fiction: Oklahoma will sign the best defensive line class in 2023
Rivals national recruiting analyst Nick Harris, national recruiting director Adam Gorney, Josh McCuistion of SoonerScoop.com and Cole Patterson of Orangebloods.com tackle three topics and determine whether they think each is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Oklahoma will sign the best defensive line class in the country in 2023.
Harris' take: FACT. It was assumed that Brent Venables’ hire at Oklahoma would help bolster the Sooners' recruiting efforts, and that’s exactly what’s been happening early on in his tenure in Norman. However, bringing defensive line coach Todd Bates with him has proved to be invaluable, as the Sooners have hauled in commitments from Adepoju Adebawore and Colton Vasek while remaining in the lead for Jordan Renaud and David Hicks Jr. If the Sooners can close with those top targets, I could see them securing the top class at the position group with ease.
McCuistion's take: FICTION. Schools like Clemson, Miami, and of course Alabama, will be in the mix, and what the Tide could do down the stretch makes it hard to argue against them taking this honor in 2023. However, the fact that this is a conversation that's currently happening is fairly hard to believe.
Oklahoma's defensive line recruiting was probably its strength on the defensive side of the ball over the last four to five years, but the potential of landing the players they already have being possibly joined by names like Hicks and Renaud is something that I don't think even the most optimistic Oklahoma fan would have dared dream of six months ago. When you throw in that it's very likely that Oklahoma's class will be made up of the state of Texas, Florida and Missouri it says a lot about the time and effort that Venables and his staff have put on some less-familiar recruiting regions.
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2. Javien Toviano is the five-star prospect with the most to prove this season.
Harris' take: FACT. In the most recent rankings update, Javien Toviano came in as the lowest-ranked five-star at No. 20 overall, and I think that’s for good reason. While he is arguably the most technically sound defensive back in the country, I question whether his speed can keep up with some of the speedier deep-ball threats at the next level, or if he’s a better fit at safety. Toviano has been very vocal about being a true corner, so I’d like to see him prove it this season.
Gorney's take: FICTION. This might sound strange, but No. 1 Arch Manning has the most to prove this season because he was one of the elite players in this class that we saw very little of this offseason. He had a fine junior year, but not a completely dominant one, and was off the radar during the important spring and summer evaluation months. He certainly has five-star ability, there’s no doubt about that, but Manning will have to prove on this field this season that he’s the best player in the entire class, especially with a quarterback crop that’s so loaded.
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3. Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M will all finish in the top 10 of the team rankings in 2023.
Harris' take: FACT. All three programs have built a strong foundation for their respective 2023 classes, as Oklahoma and Texas used strong summers to move into the top 10, while Texas A&M has a few big names at the top of the class that could help the Aggies bring in more down the stretch. Following the decommitment of Bravion Rogers, I would say Texas A&M is the one I would be most worried about making the top 10, but I’m still betting on Jimbo Fisher closing strong.
Patterson's take: FACT. Texas and Oklahoma are both on their way to landing top 10 classes. Five-star quarterback Arch Manning headlines the haul for the Longhorns, while borderline five-star passer Jackson Arnold does the same for the Sooners. Additionally, Steve Sarkisian and Brent Venables have each done great jobs of filling out the class around them. Texas A&M won't sign as big of a class as usual due to numbers, which could keep the Aggies out of the top 10, but the quality will still be there. Five-star linebacker Anthony Hill is the gem of the class, with 6.0 cornerback Jayvon Thomas, 5.9 athlete Dalton Brooks and 5.9 offensive tackle Colton Thomasson also committed to the Aggies. Fisher and his staff have opportunities to add more talent in the cycle, including the likes of five-star lineman TJ Shanahan Jr. and five-star receiver Hykeem Williams, among others.
There's a long way to go until signing day, but I like the chances of all three rivals inking top 10 classes in 2023 - especially if the Aggies are able to hit on their top remaining targets.