4-star DL Xadavien Sims sets Vanderbilt official visit

Durant (Okla.) four-star defensive lineman Xadavien Sims announced Wednesday night that he is taking an official visit to Vanderbilt. He will be seeing the Commodores from June 23-25.

Sims, who is announcing his commitment on May 20, recently included Vanderbilt as one of his top five schools. Oregon, TCU, Michigan State and Oklahoma are his other finalists.

⚓️ @VandyFootball pic.twitter.com/bn3OPML9pk

— Xadavien Sims🌟🌟🌟🌟 (@XadavienS) May 11, 2023

Sims is the No. 199 overall prospect and No. 22 defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 2 player in Oklahoma.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound recruit went to his other top schools in the spring and fall. He saw Oregon on April 30 and April 22, Michigan State on April 15 and March 14, TCU on Jan. 29 and Oklahoma on Sept. 3.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Michigan State has a commanding lead for his commitment at 89.9%. At the moment, the Commodores’ 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 55 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 15 in the SEC.

Head coach Clark Lea and his staff have commitments from five players, but no defensive linemen. Vanderbilt’s group is led by Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie School three-star quarterback Jeremy St. Hilaire, the No. 862 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking.

Sims breaks down visits to Michigan State and Oregon

One of Sims’ most recent visits came two months ago to Michigan State. He spent a lot of time with new defensive line coach Diron Reynolds while in East Lansing. 

“I was looking at the defensive line working and coach Reynolds coaching them up,” Sims told Jason Killop of SpartanMag on March 16. “After that I sat down with him in his office. He was showing me pass rush moves and reaching me up. I learned a lot talking to him in that 30-45 minute talk.”

Meanwhile, Sims spoke with Justin Hopkins of Scoop Duck about his interest in Oregon following two visit to the Ducks. The Oklahoma native went April 22 with a friend before returning the next weekend with his mother. 

“I really like the development they offer at my position there,” Sims said. “I really like coach (Dan) Lanning too. He’s got one of the biggest buyouts in college football, which tells me he plans on being there for a long time. He’s committed to Oregon.”