Oklahoma earned the commitment of offensive lineman Darius Afalava on Friday. He becomes the 19th commitment to the Sooner's 2025 recruiting class.
The 6-foot, 5-inch, 320-pound interior offensive lineman is rated a three-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, but OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh believes Afalava is underrated by some analysts, and Rivals agrees with the Sooner assistant, rating him a four-star prospect, No. 25 at his position nationally and No. 1 in the state of Utah.
The Sooners offered Afalava in April, and he made an official visit to OU on June 7. He chose Oklahoma over Michigan State, Utah and Washington.
"They're all about family and football," Afalava told the staff writer Ashton Slaughter of the Tulsa World, " and that all I'm about so that's why I chose Oklahoma."
BREAKING: Class of 2025, four star IOL Darius Afalava has committed to The University of Oklahoma, he tells me. 💥
— Leyton Roberts (@LeytonRoberts_) June 28, 2024
He chose the Sooners over schools such as, Washington, Utah, and MSU.
Darius is the #1 RANKED PLAYER in the state of Utah! 👀
He also is currently a top 25 IOL in… pic.twitter.com/XV1hIrSVDA
Afalava is a true guard, but OU might also try him at right tackle as Bedenbaugh and Co. go about the business of replacing the loss of all five offensive line starters.
Utah was favored for a long while in Afalava's recruitment because of its proximity to home, but the Sooners ostensibly made up a lot of ground following his visit to Norman in early June.
Afalava, who hails from Lehi, Utah, helped lead his high school team to the 6A state championship game last year in his junior season.
At Oklahoma, he joins four-star offensive tackle Ryan Fodge and three-star interior offensive lineman Owen Hollenbeck as members of the Sooners' 2025 class. Prior to Afalava's commitment Oklahoma ranked No. 5 in both the 247Sports and Rivals class rankings.