Nelson Mbanasor Discusses Verbal Commitment to OSU

Mike Gundy and the gang picked up a big commitment earlier last week from Nelson Mbanasor, a standout defensive end prospect from Pflugerville, Texas, who chose the Cowboys over offers from Texas Tech, Houston, Tulsa and a slew of others.

Following his commitment, I caught up with him to discuss his decision and he talked about what OSU meant to him and why he picked the Cowboys.

“The fact that they didn’t sign any defensive lineman in the 2016 class was a big factor in my decision,” he told PFB. “That along with the depth at d-line, and the relationship with the coaching staff.”

Mbanasor is the younger brother of PJ Mbanasor, who plays defensive back at the University of Oklahoma. So I had to ask — what were his thoughts on playing against his brother down the road in the Big 12?

“That’s going to be pretty cool,” he said. “You know we’re both really competitive, and him being my older brother growing up looking up to him, it’ll be fun trying to go against him for the first time.”

The Cowboys signed only one defensive end in the 2016 class: junior college prospect Tralund Webber. Jonathan Marshall, a standout from Sheperd, Texas, was a long-time commit to OSU but flipped his pledge to Arkansas just days before signing day.

The 6-3, 250-pound Mbanasor is the second defensive lineman in the 2017 class and first defensive end, joining defensive tackle Brendon Evers of Bixby, Okla.