Sooners land four-star defensive tackle Gabriel Dindy
There’s no doubt Oklahoma has had tons of momentum in recruiting, but you have to put a qualifier to that.
When it comes to the 2023 #CHO23N class, absolutely. But for the 2022 group, well, it had been some rough sledding lately.
That might be changing - and changing in a hurry. The first sign occurred Tuesday afternoon as Lakeland (Fla.) High defensive tackle Gabriel Dindy committed to the Sooners, picking OU over Texas A&M and numerous other top-tier offers.
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This is what OU fans have been waiting for. This is what OU coaches have been trying to accomplish in the last two or three years. It’s slowly been happening, winning a battle here or there when it wouldn’t have happened before.
But never has it gone down at such a massive position of need in all of college football like an elite high school defensive tackle and where none of the big boys backed off. It wasn’t like Dindy, ranked No. 39 in the Rivals100, wasn’t wanted by the likes of Alabama and Ohio State, among others.
The Sooners kept fighting, though. Give the credit to Lincoln Riley, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and DL coach Calvin Thibodeaux for putting in the work. And give credit to the staff for never flinching when there were times it felt like Dindy was destined for College Station instead of Norman.
Dindy becomes the commitment No. 15 for #ChampU22, but strangely enough, the first one for the group since July. Again, the five-star barrage that has gone down has been with 2023.
The Sooners have been patient. September was a monster month of elite official visits, Dindy being included in one of those weekends. The Sooners stressed their family atmosphere, and even though A&M was still lurking, OU put itself firmly in the driver’s seat at that point.
An injury has limited Dindy this season, and it remains to be seen if he’ll get another chance to play again this season. It’s of little consequence in the grand scheme of things, but OU knows how disruptive and effective he can be at his size in the middle.
Dindy becomes the first Rivals 100 defensive commitment for the Sooners, but it might not be long until the second one arrives. Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington defensive back Gentry Williams has OU in his final four, with a decision coming Monday.
Add in a 6-0 start for OU, including the incredibly dramatic 55-48 win over Texas in the Red River Showdown, and now Dindy and it has been one heck of a start to October for Riley and his staff.
If you’ve felt like in years past the Sooners were one defensive lineman away from making the charge that logic might go out the window once Dindy arrives in Norman.