Oklahoma DT Nigel Smith II ‘Learning Fast’ After Offseason Position Change

After starting his career in Norman on the edge, Nigel Smith II will play his redshirt freshman season in the middle.

Smith, a former consensus 4-star prospect, made the transition from defensive end to defensive tackle in the offseason. The redshirt freshman d-lineman is another depth piece in OU’s prolific defensive tackle room.

“He's got a really good understanding pretty fast,” defensive tackle Markus Strong said.

Smith was the No. 105 recruit in the Class of 2024, per Rivals, and every major recruiting outlet had him as a top-300 player.

As a true freshman in 2024, Smith’s only appearance came in OU’s season opener against Temple, when the Sooners won 51-3. Smith didn’t record any stats in the game.

After the 2024 campaign, Smith moved to the interior, joining a defensive tackle room that also includes Gracen Halton, Damonic Williams, David Stone, Jayden Jackson and Strong.

Throughout high school and his first season at OU, Smith only played on the end, making for a tough transition.

But if there have been any growing pains, Strong hasn’t seen them.

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“Going to a new position is tough, but he’s learned,” Strong said. “He picked it up fast. He knows a lot about our position, just having D-line knowledge in general.”

Late in spring ball, as he was continuing to learn his new position, Smith suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. OU coach Brent Venables described it as a “degenerative issue” that didn’t cause him to miss any time during fall camp.

Venables has been impressed with Smith’s resolve in both learning a new spot and fighting through an injury.

“Nigel Smith’s coming on there,” Venables said. “He’s done a nice job transitioning inside.”

In addition to OU’s group of returning standouts at defensive tackle, the Sooners have plenty of talent on the edge with R Mason Thomas, Adepoju Adebawore, Marvin Jones Jr., Danny Okoye and Taylor Wein.

Between the veteran talent on both the inside and the outside, OU’s defensive line has to be the best in the SEC and the entire nation.

Because of this depth, Smith likely won’t see first-team reps. He has only one college game under his belt and doesn’t have the same level of experience as his teammates on the line. 

But between Smith’s quick learning at defensive tackle and his experience at defensive end, Strong sees him as someone that can be a key contributor — at both defensive tackle and defensive end — when he’s called upon.

“The switch that he's had, is just like, 'OK, I see you're smart, you're learning,’” Strong said. “Now it's just getting those reps and he's getting them. He's really understanding what he's going to do, working his body, you know, things like that.”

OU opens the 2025 season against Illinois State on Saturday, Aug. 30.