2024 Five-Star Williams Nwaneri Picks Mizzou Over Oklahoma, Georgia
As recently as a week ago, it seemed that Oklahoma would finally have some good news when it comes to landing a five-star defensive lineman on August 14, something that it hasn’t done in years.
The Sooners were the perceived frontrunner for Williams Nwaneri, the No. 1 overall player and five-star defensive end out of Lee’s Summit North High School, located just outside downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
However, when it was time for Nwaneri to make his decision, it was the hometown Missouri Tigers that won the day, not the Sooners. If you’re curious about just how big a recruiting win this was for the Tigers, check out the reaction from the coaching staff.
Nwaneri is listed at 6-5, 250 pounds and draws comparisons to former Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders. So, yeah, this was a big one.
Missouri earned the No. 1 DE commitment over Oklahoma and Georgia in the end, with the combination of proximity to home and a substantial NIL package helping put the Tigers in the driver’s seat for the coveted defensive target. In all, Nwaneri held offers from nearly 40 programs, and will certainly be the crown jewel of Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class.
Although the Sooners missed on this one, they’re still in the hunt for several of the nation’s top defensive linemen, with five-stars David Stone and Dominic McKinley still in play, as well as four-star edge Danny Okoye.
