2024 Rankings – Defensive Linemen Spotlight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 football season is right around the corner and at the conclusion of spring practices across Oklahoma, it's a perfect time to update the prospect rankings! We're wrapping up our ranking updates this week with the state's 2024 class and it went from a Top 125 to a Top 150. If you missed that update,&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2024-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">you can check that out right here!</a></strong>&nbsp;Throughout the week, we're diving deep into the rankings with prospect breakdowns. We're discussing why these players are already on our radar and already on the radar for the next level. Keep it locked in throughout the week as we break down more 2024 prospects. And if you missed any of our other ranking updates, you can check those out now!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this breakdown, we're putting a spotlight on the defensive line position with five of the top prospects in the state's 2024 class. This group features the best of the best with the top two overall prospects and three of the top five coming from the defensive line. This class is absolutely stacked at the top and that's not including Del City native David Stone, who's not included because he goes to IMG Academy in Florida. Had we included him, the top three overall prospects would all be on the defensive line. Keep it locked in for more prospect breakdowns and check out all of the ranking updates and various prospect breakdowns from the different classes ONLY on Prep Redzone Oklahoma!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["215195"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Holding on to the top overall spot in the state's 2024 rankings yet again is [player_tooltip player_id='215195' first='Daniel' last='Okoye'] out of the Tulsa NOAH program. Okoye is off the charts with his overall athleticism and he's he definition of a freaky athlete that can do so many things incredibly well. We've mentioned this a few times and we really don't take this statement likely but Okoye looks like the type of football prospect that will end up being drafted in the NFL in a few years. There's still a lot of football to be played between now and then for the homeschool star but Okoye is a very unique blend of size, speed and strength that we just haven't seen very often come through Oklahoma in the last decade. Whether he has his hand in the turf and is coming off the edge or is standing up, he is a massive problem for opposing offensive linemen and a lot of them have no chance of containing Okoye. In 1 on 1 situations, Okoye is going to win just about every single time.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["344123"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"It was around this time last year when defensive lineman Xadavien Sims moved up to Oklahoma from Texas and landed in Durant. We said it then and nothing has changed. With Sims now in Oklahoma's 2024 class, he immediately becomes a top five overall prospect. And in another ranking update, Sims holds on to the #2 spot behind Okoye as the two defensive linemen have headlined this class for a few ranking updates now. Sims has been an impressive looking prospect since early on in his high school career. Like Okoye, he hasn't looked like a high school football player for a few years. He's always one of the more physically impressive looking athletes on the football field and when he's lining up at defensive tackle, he can absolutely wreck shop up front and cause a lot of problems for opposing offensive linemen and the running game as a whole. A little over a month ago, Sims announced his commitment to Oregon after several visits this offseason.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["291011"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Choctaw defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='291011' first='Will' last='Smith'] is a unique talent and is similar to Okoye when you consider players that are that big should not be as explosive as Smith is. We've mentioned the story before about how the first time we saw Smith was on the basketball floor during his sophomore year. He looked like the best athlete on the floor because he was the best athlete on the floor. Now, as we look ahead to the 2023 football season, Smith has the ability to be one of the top game-wreckers on the defensive side of the ball. With Choctaw losing a D1 talent at defensive end to graduation, Smith can fill that role and be an All State-caliber player at the position. Smith committed to Oklahoma State this offseason but reopened his recruitment recently. He's hoping that more programs will start taking notice with a dominant season this fall. And don't overlook his ability to be a fantastic athlete on the offensive side of the ball as a hybrid tight end.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["154212"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Casady lineman [player_tooltip player_id='154212' first='Ace' last='Hodges'] is definitely on the short list of 2024 prospects that we've known about since their freshman season. We first saw Hodges over two years ago at a camp down in Texas and we've liked the Casady standout ever since. Granted, we've always liked him on the offensive side of the ball and specifically as an interior offensive lineman. In a class that's dominated by offensive tackles, we think Hodges separated himself as a center or guard prospect. But last season, Hodges really stood out on the defensive side of the ball and we saw that first hand at our camp back in April. Hodges was able to battle a deep position group and was the MVP for the defensive line group. He has also earned an opportunity to play at the next level at Oklahoma. The Sooner coaches like him specifically for the defensive side of the ball so we went ahead and made the switch on Hodges' profile from offensive line to defense moving forward.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["154213"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Rounding out this positional breakdown is Edmond Santa Fe's [player_tooltip player_id='154213' first='Bergin' last='Kysar'] at the defensive end position. Kysar has been on our radar since the end of his freshman season and he was one of the early standouts during our prospect camp series. Just like Hodges, Kysar emerged early on as an impact player on the line of scrimmage and just like Hodges, his recruitment has been steadily improving over the last 18 months. Now, as he gets ready to go into his senior season, we expect big things from the Santa Fe rush end and the Wolves as a whole. Last season was a struggle for Santa Fe but we think that Kysar definitely has shown he can help lead an experienced defense and we think they bounce back in a big way. In addition to his recruitment having a steady incline, we think that his play on the football field has continued to improve as he is one of several prospects in this class that takes the offseason seriously with outside training.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649cb5a277d24"} /-->