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Oklahoma Adds Blue-Chip Linebacker to Class of 2028, per Report

Jay Schell recorded 77 tackles and 14 tackles for loss as a high school sophomore, and now he's committed to the Sooners.
Carson Field|
Oklahoma linebacker commit Jay Schell poses for a photo with Brian Bosworth and Brent Venables.
Oklahoma linebacker commit Jay Schell poses for a photo with Brian Bosworth and Brent Venables. | Jay Schell via X/Twitter

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Oklahoma Sooners

While the first few weeks of OU’s 2026 season haven’t been ideal, the Sooners have earned a win on the recruiting trail.

Class of 2028 linebacker Jay Schell of Rabun Gap, Ga., committed to Oklahoma on Tuesday, per a report from Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 214 pounds, Schell is a consensus 4-star prospect. He is the No. 142 overall player and the No. 8 linebacker from the Class of 2028, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

As a sophomore at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School in 2025, Schell registered 77 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Schell, a blue-chip prospect, earned offers from dozens of major programs, including Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia and Michigan.

On Aug. 26, Fawcett reported that Schell had narrowed his list of schools down to Oklahoma and Clemson.

Schell took unofficial visits to Michigan and Clemson in the first two weeks of the college football season. He took a gameday visit to Oklahoma for the Sooners’ game against New Mexico on Sept. 19.

And while the Sooners didn’t necessarily put together a dominant performance against the Lobos, Schell’s experience at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium evidently convinced him to pledge to the school.

Schell’s commitment marks a recruiting win for OU coach Brent Venables over his former school. Venables served as Clemson’s defensive coordinator for a decade and helped the Tigers win two national championships.

With Schell’s pledge, the Sooners are up to three commitments for the 2028 recruiting cycle. The other two commits are tight end Connor Arant and quarterback Trey Tagliaferri.

Arant is graded as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports, and he hails from Bixby, Okla. Tagliaferri is a 3-star recruit in 247Sports’ rankings, and the Oradell, N.J., product committed to OU during the summer.

OU’s 2028 recruiting class is ranked No. 9 nationally in 247Sports’ team rankings. The Sooners have been similarly successful with the 2027 class, as they are ranked No. 6 with 27 commits in that cycle.

As for Oklahoma’s 2026 squad, the Sooners are 2-1. OU opened the season with a 51-0 win over UTEP before losing 17-10 to Michigan on the road. Oklahoma then escaped against New Mexico with a 14-6 win on Saturday.

The Sooners will battle Georgia on the road as 14-point underdogs on Saturday.

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Carson Field
CARSON FIELD

Carson Field has worked full-time in the sports media industry since 2020 in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming as well as nationally, and he has earned degrees from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University. When he isn’t covering the Sooners, he’s likely golfing, fishing or doing something else outdoors. Twitter: https://x.com/carsondfield

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