Brent Venables seals the deal with Jay Schell to win recruiting battle over Clemson and Georgia

The Oklahoma Sooners won’t be in Georgia until Saturday, but it’s Tuesday, and Brent Venables already got a win in The Peach State.

Fresh off a visit to Norman, Rivals national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett just reported that 2028 consensus four-star linebacker Jay Schell, from Rabun Gap, Georgia, has committed to the Sooners. He’s the third addition so far to OU’s 2028 clas and the news comes right before the Sooners play Georgia on Saturday in Athens.

Schell had been leaning toward the Sooners for some time and had even narrowed his options between OU and Clemson, where his dad played. He ultimately confirmed his decision after taking a visit to Oklahoma over the weekend, as the Sooners slipped past New Mexico 14-6. He had visited Clemson the week before.

It was a disappointing performance by OU from a fan’s perspective, but only because of the offense. The defense was still lights out and the reason the Sooners avoided a catastrophic upset.

The defense’s showing was apparently enough to not only seal the deal with Schell, but also win over five-star defensive tackle Kellan Hall, who was just recently predicted to eventually commit to OU.

The recruiting battle for Schell seemed to initially belong to either Georgia or Clemson. The Bulldogs had the benefit of having Schell in their own backyard. He’s also a Clemson legacy, and Dabo Swinney had made Schell a top priority for the Tigers.

Schell also had a lengthy list of nearly 50 offers that included Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and more.

Ultimately, Clemson no longer has Venables, and no one else has ever had The Boz, who was an integral piece in recruiting Schell during his trips to Norman.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Schell, listed at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, is the No. 8 linebacker in the 2028 class and No. 142 overall player. Last season as a sophomore for Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School, he tallied 77 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 12 games.

Sooners' 2028 class on cusp of exploding after Jay Schell commitment

Schell becomes the third 2028 commitment the Sooners have landed so far and the first defensive addition. The class got started in July with a pledge from four-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri. Last week, four-star tight end Connor Arant joined the group.

After Schell's commitment put the Sooners at three total commits, their recruiting class instantly jumped to being No. 3 in the country behind Alabama and Ohio State. OU could soon top that list with a number of blue-chip targets on the verge of making a decision in the Sooners' favor, with most being on the defensive side of the ball.

The offense is an obvious problem that needs to be fixed ASAP, but it's clear Venables' defense is still elite and should stay that way with the talent it's attracting with its success.

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