Brent Venables has Oklahoma leading a recruiting battle Clemson or Georgia were destined to win

The Oklahoma Sooners had plenty to keep them down in the recruiting battle for 2028 four-star linebacker Jay Schell, but still, here they are on top.

Despite Schell being a Clemson legacy and right in Georgia’s own backyard, Rivals director of recruiting Chad Simmons still just logged an expert prediction for the Sooners to land Schell. Rivals gives OU a 68% chance of getting Schell, with Clemson second at 5.9% and Georgia at 4.3%.

As far as contested battles go, it would be one of Brent Venables’ greatest recruiting feats if the latest projection comes true. It also certainly helped that the Sooners had legendary linebacker Brian Bosworth around Norman when Schell visited.

Sooners on track to land Jay Schell in midst of SEC-loaded recruiting race

According to the 247Sports Composite, Schell is the No. 8 linebacker in the 2028 class and No. 142 overall player. He’s also the 17th-best prospect in the state of Georgia out of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School, where last season as a sophomore he recorded 77 tackles, 14 TFL, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble return.

Just now starting his junior year, Schell already has SEC size, listed at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, which has influenced his recruiting race to be flooded by OU’s conference rivals.

So far, he has offers on the table from powers like in-state Georgia, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Clemson, where his father, Matt, played quarterback in 1998-2001 before the Tigers were a relevant power.

Schell’s obvious talent and connection to Clemson made him one of head coach Dabo Swinney’s top priorities in the 2028 class. Georgia has also been pushing hard as one of the best local prospects for the Bulldogs. Still, though, the Sooners are evidently the team to beat as it’s becoming clear that Venables, a former Clemson defensive coordinator, was the secret sauce to Swinney dominating on the field and on the recruiting trail.

This recruitment is still far from finished, though, and it's one that OU should never get comfortable in. Schell hasn’t released any kind of final schools list yet, so that means a decision is still a ways away, even if there’s already a prediction in. Expect him to make his unofficial visits throughout the college football season before confirming a decision.

OU's 2028 recruiting class on verge of exploding

So far, the Sooners have one commitment from the 2028 class in four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri. The floodgates should open soon, though, with expert predictions in for Oklahoma to eventually add four-star wide receiver Dedrick Kimbrough, three-star wide receiver Kenyon Sweat, three-star offensive lineman Gavin Wilson, four-star defensive lineman Logan Lokey, four-star running back Jayshawn Mitchell and four-star athlete Kamieon Compton-Nero.

That right there, plus Schell, shows the Sooners are on the cusp of another top-5 recruiting class for 2028.

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