Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting: 2021 DL Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge commits to Oklahoma

Jamar Cain continues to be a recruiting force for the Oklahoma Sooners on the defensive side of the ball.

Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge (NRK), an academically-inclined defensive end and power forward from Portland, Ore. was thought to be a Stanford lean. However, he has announced he’s committed to the Oklahoma Sooners and is expected to be a two-sport athlete.

Rawlins-Kibonge also chose the OU over schools such as USC, Washington and Tennessee.

NRK is a true defensive end in Alex Grinch’s defensive scheme and certainly has the frame at a towering 6’7, 240 lbs. When one looks at NRK’s film, he’s very raw, but he’s a four-star prospect despite playing his first year of organized football as a junior in high school. That should tell you something.

He’s certainly more polished as a power forward in basketball, which is something Lon Kruger will certainly take advantage of, but NRK will definitely be better served once he gets on campus and is under the tutelage of Jamar Cain. He shows quick twitch ability, a rapid first step, and of course incredibly long limbs at his stature of nearly 6’8— I would expect him to grow from 240 to 280 pretty easily in this Speed D.

Rawlins-Kibonge is now the ninth commit of the 2021 recruiting cycle. He’s also a testament to how good Cain is at establishing relationships with players shortly after his arrival in Norman. Currently, NRK is rated as the No. 20 SDE, the No. 2 player in Oregon, and the No. 315 player nationally— an incredible feat after playing just his first year of organized football. Jamar Cain has certainly proven to be valuable on the recruiting trail, and only time will tell if he’s able to make that translate to the gridiron as well. Having said that, signs seem to point to ‘yes’.