DL Xavier Ukponu announces his Top 9 schools

Denton (Texas) Guyer defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu has national offers and he has taken his time with the recruiting process, but he is now ready to take that first major step and eliminate some schools from contention.

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound three-star has cut his list to nine and Arkansas, California, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas A&M, USC and Washington have made the cut.

Each of these schools reaches out multiple times a week. Some are in contact with Ukponu daily and he sees a lot of what he is looking for in these programs.

“All nine of these schools check the boxes for me,” Ukponu told On3. “They show the most love, they have what I want and each has built relationships with me. The coaches develop their players too. A lot of the schools on this list can develop me as a great player and get me where I want to be. They offer a great education and culture to be in too.”

Ukponu has already made a successful official visit to Oklahoma State. Next up is an official visit to California on May 23. Arkansas will host him on May 31, then he goes to USC on June 7 before finishing up with official visits to Oregon June 14 and LSU on 21.

“I should be ready to commit in July after my official visits,” Ukponu said. “I could visit Texas A&M officially during the season, but I plan to commit in the summer.

“My official visits will be very important. I will get to spend multiple days on campus and around the coaches. It will come down to culture, development and academics.”

Ukponu has visited each school on his list outside of USC and Washington.

The Cowboys set the bar high.

“It was a great experience,” Okponu said. “It was my first official visit, so I didn’t know what to expect. They showed me a great time. It was my second time there and the coaches showed love. I also got to interact with the players and I really liked it.”