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    Danny Saili

    Oklahoma Adds Massive Juco DL Transfer

    Just days after the Sooners lost freshman defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc to the transfer portal, Brent Venables and company received a commitment from a junior college lineman.

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    Oklahoma Sooners
    Oklahoma Sooners

    Danny Saili, an interior defensive lineman from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, committed to Oklahoma on Wednesday night. 

    After incoming freshman Derrick LeBlanc announced his intention Monday to enter the transfer portal, the Sooners made an offer to Saili, who spent his freshman year at Hutchinson CC after graduating from Topeka (KS) High School in 2022.

    Listed at 6-foot-2 and 389 pounds, Saili will bring a presence to OU's d-line group that Norman hasn't seen in years. In his lone season of juco competition, the massive trench player recorded 18 tackles and one sack. 

    Less than a week ago, the Maryland Terrapins extended an offer to Saili, marking his second of the spring. Once the Sooners' offered Saili, however, the Kansas native made his commitment. 

    Saili joins former Kansas and Tennessee d-lineman Da'Jon Terry as well as former Michigan and Utah State defensive tackle Phillip Paea as summer transfers along the interior defensive line. With Oklahoma's upcoming transition into the SEC, adding multiple players with size up front will help Brent Venables and company compete while adding an element that OU's defensive front was missing under former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

    While Saili's raw power will likely get him on the field in certain situations early on in his Sooners' career, the rising sophomore still has multiple seasons to grow his game under Todd Bates. While he likely will not play at his current weight, Saili is still the heaviest defensive lineman OU has had in years and should serve as a good run stuffer who can occupy offensive lineman and allow Oklahoma's speedy linebackers to fly downhill and make plays.

    If the Sooners' staff is able to mold Saili into a solid contributor, they will have found a gem just a few hours north of home. Believed to have three years of eligibility remaining, Saili has plenty of time to develop under Bates and company.

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