Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting: Four-star DT Michael Thompson picks Oklahoma over Missouri

Well, the future of Oklahoma’s defensive line certainly looks bright.

The Oklahoma Sooners were in need of an elite defensive tackle in the class of 2018, and they got just that when four-star DT Michael Thompson picked OU on National Signing Day. The St. Louis (MO) Parkway North product chose the Sooners over the home-state Missouri Tigers.

For Oklahoma fans who have longed for elite interior talent on the defensive line, Michael Thompson certainly checks that box. The big kid out of Parkway North High School is strong enough to cause serious disruption up the middle, but he’s also fast and agile enough to get into the backfield and make a big play once he’s there. In other words, the kid is pretty close to being the total package at defensive tackle. The likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, LSU and USC all came calling during his recruiting process for a reason. The Army All-American is an incredible athlete for a kid of his size, and he has demonstrated that on both sides of the ball.

Oklahoma has a fair share of DTs on its roster heading into 2018, but the addition of an elite prospect such as Thompson seemed like a necessity after so many instances of swinging and missing with blue-chip high schoolers at the position. Ronnie Perkins, Ron Tatum, Jalen Redmond and Jordan Kelley were already a part of Oklahoma’s stout 2018 class, but landing Thompson on the inside is a fantastic finishing touch. This has to be Oklahoma’s best DL class since the middle of the Stoops era, and OU fans should be more than pleased with the efforts of Ruffin McNeill and Calvin Thibodeaux in this cycle.

Thompson is listed as the No. 72 overall player and No. 4 DT in the 247Composite Rankings.