ESPN names this defensive player the 'key recruit' for the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have changed the narrative of their defense during the Alex Grinch era. They’ve made a jump from one of the worst in the country before Grinch arrived to 56th in the nation in scoring defense in 2021 allowing just 24.22 points per game.

Statistically, the defense hasn’t been as good as they were last year, but they’ve been a big part of the Oklahoma Sooners undefeated while playing without key contributors like Woodi Washington or Jalen Redmond for a large stretch of the season.

While maybe underwhelming at times this season, it’s important to note that this is a team that’s attracting more and more talent each year. And that’s evident by the Oklahoma Sooners commitment from five-star defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. Ahead of early-signing day, ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren took a look at the key recruit for the top teams in college football, naming Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy the key piece for the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class.

Brownlow-Dindy, the No. 2 tackle in the class, is a 6-foot-3, 280-pound prospect out of Lakeland, Florida. The knock on Oklahoma over the past few seasons has been the defense, but coordinator Alex Grinch has done a nice job improving it on the field and in recruiting.

Brownlow-Dindy is Oklahoma’s highest-ranked commitment in the class, and he’s one of four defensive ESPN 300 commitments in the Sooners’ class. Having a five-star defensive tackle lead the class is never a bad thing, and he will only help Oklahoma’s defense get better. – Tom VanHaaren

Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class ranks seventh according to 247Sports team rankings with early signing day coming in December. While most years are headlined by offensive skill players, it’s the defense taking the lead for Oklahoma’s 2022 cycle. Four of their top-six commits are on the defensive side of the football.

While it hasn’t been perfect this year, the identity of the Oklahoma Sooners is becoming more balanced from the early days of the Lincoln Riley era. As Alex Grinch begins to get head coaching interviews, first with Texas Tech, it’s evidence of the impact Grinch has had on the defensive culture of the Oklahoma Sooners.

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By: John Williams
Title: ESPN names this defensive player the 'key recruit' for the Oklahoma Sooners
Sourced From: soonerswire.usatoday.com/2021/11/06/oklahoma-sooners-recruiting-espn-names-this-defensive-player-the-key-recruit-gabriel-brownlow-dindy-alex-grinch-2022-recruiting-cycle/
Published Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2021 17:00:04 +0000

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