Oklahoma Sooners are 1 of 2 finalists for an elite 2028 playmaker who has the size to play in the SEC right now
The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the last two teams that 2028 linebacker Jay Schell is interested in.
The Oklahoma Sooners are in the final two for four-star linebacker Jay Schell, one of the top defensive prospects in the 2028 recruiting class. Schell, a 6’3, 215-pound linebacker out of Georgia, has narrowed his list to Clemson and Oklahoma, as Hayes Fawcett reported. Landing Schell would be a significant boost for a 2028 class that currently has just one commitment in quarterback Trey Tagliaferri.
The Sooners have landed a few predictions to secure pledges from other recruits, but none of those have materialized yet. There’s still plenty of time. The 2028 recruiting class doesn’t have to be finalized until Feb. 2028. But Schell would immediately raise the class’s profile.
Schell’s rankings paint the picture of an elite prospect
Schell is ranked the No. 9 linebacker in the 2028 recruiting class. According to Rivals’ industry rankings, he’s a top-120 player nationally. ESPN has him even higher at No. 97 overall and the first-ranked linebacker in the country. He’s also the No. 13 player in the state of Georgia.
Being from Georgia is probably why Clemson is considered one of the favorites right now. Schell took six visits to Clemson, which is much closer than Oklahoma. He only took two visits to OU. However, Rivals predictions tell a different story, giving Oklahoma a 68% chance to land Schell while Clemson sits at just 6%.
Those predictions don’t mean anything definitive. Schell can decide whatever he wants to decide, and nobody truly knows what’s going on in his head as he approaches one of the biggest decisions of his young career. Both finalists offer him something valuable, though: two coaches you want to play for in Dabo Swinney and Brent Venables.
Venables’ linebacker track record speaks for itself
If you want to play linebacker in the SEC, you go to Brent Venables. Look at the linebackers Venables has put on the field at Oklahoma. Kip Lewis is probably going to be one of the best linebackers in the country this year and could see himself getting drafted next year. Owen Heineke is right there with him as one of the best at the position nationally. Then there are all the guys from the last few years who have found their way onto NFL rosters and carved out roles at the next level.
That’s something Venables sells to the recruits he brings on visits, and Schell could be one of those guys. He’s got the size to be an elite linebacker and the frame to potentially contribute as soon as he gets on campus. If he’s 6-foot-3, 215 pounds right now in 2026 as a 2028 recruit, he could certainly have the size to play right away when he arrives in Norman.
That’s not me saying he’s going to be a starter the moment he steps on campus. That’s me saying if he needs to come into the game, he can hold his own. But who knows, maybe he would be a starter.
Venables and the Sooners are off to a hot start in the 2028 recruiting class. Sure, they only have one commitment right now, but the players they’re going after, the players they’re in these tight battles for, are elite prospects. You’d love to see it. Now we just have to wait and see whether Schell ends up being an Oklahoma Sooner or not.
