Five-star defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, the No. 5 overall recruit in the ESPN 300, has committed to the Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday.
Brownlow-Dindy, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive end out of Lakeland (Florida) High School, had narrowed his choices down to Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
"[Oklahoma] treated me like family," Brownlow-Dindy said. "When I first started talking to them, they were like, we're not going to be talking football with you, we're just going to get to know you as a person. That drew me towards them, because at this time, my life is mainly about football because that's all anybody wants to talk about with me, so it drew me closer to Oklahoma."
Brownlow-Dindy said he didn't fully come to a final choice until last weekend and only told the coaches where he would be going on Monday.
"This was one of the hardest things to do, because both schools showed me love and that's why the decision came so close to the commitment," Brownlow-Dindy said. "... I thought so much about both of these schools. They've treated me like family, and I've got to know them, built some relationships and I really enjoyed it."
Brownlow-Dindy said his conversation with Sooners coach Lincoln Riley played a big part of the decision.
"Lincoln Riley, he called me, talked to me to see how I was doing," Brownlow-Dindy said. "Him as a head coach knowing that he has all those things to take care of being a head coach, and he still made time for me meant a lot. I've been recruited by almost every college and he's literally the only head coach that's been talking to me. He's a recruiting coordinator basically."
Another factor was defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and the improvement that the Sooners have made on defense. Brownlow-Dindy said Grinch told him he'd fit in on the edge along the line, but could be a versatile player depending on the situation.
Brownlow-Dindy brings the Sooners' total to nine ESPN 300 commitments, including defensive end Derrick Moore, who is ranked No. 21.