Oklahoma high school football predictions: Why this OU commit is the state's best. Plus, could Bixby's dynasty really end?

Oklahoman high school sports reporter Jordan Davis previews the season.

Those Friday night lights will soon blaze across Oklahoma. 

Yes, the high school football season is upon us, and around here, it promises to be a year with as many great, blue-chip players as ever. But it also will be a year of change, with expanded classifications and more champions. 

There’s lots to discuss, and no one better to break it down than Oklahoman high school sports reporter Jordan Davis. 

We’ll get right to it on The Jenni Carlson Show.

You can find all my video content at YouTube, and you can listen to all my shows on your favorite podcast app.

Episode highlights

1:22: Oklahoma is splitting 2A, A and B in two for football, crowning three more state champs. What’s the vibe about the change?

3:35: What will be the toughest classification this season?

5:30: What team is the surest thing to win a state championship?

7:23: Is there an under-the-radar team that could be a surprise state champion?

9:28: Why did OU commit and Carl Albert defensive back Trystan Haynes get the top spot in The Oklahoman’s Super 30?

11:40: How does the out-of-state transfer of Jaden Nickens, No. 5 in the Super 30, reshuffle things?

13:59: What position is most stacked with talent?

16:50: What’s the must-see scrimmage coming up?

18:10: What Week 0 or Week 1 games are peaking interest?

Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove

Creative Director: Michael Lane

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Transcript

Jenni: Well, Jordan, thanks for joining me. First time guest, and I'm really happy to have you on the show.

Jordan: Yeah, thank you for having me on. I'm always excited to come give a helping hand and just give a little bit more insight on high school sports because everything is starting to ramp up now. It's starting to be a crazy time of the year.

Jenni: Boy is it. No doubt. Before we jump into looking at some of these high school players, some of these teams, this is obviously a different season for high school football in Oklahoma with the expanded classifications. You've got split classes now in 2A, A, and B like we have seen in 6A for the last few years. What's your sense of just how people are feeling about crowning three more champions in Oklahoma?

Jordan: Yeah, there are mixed opinions on it, obviously. Like, there are some people that are all for it. They're like, some of these top teams, like obviously in 2A, when you look at 2A, when you look at Washington and Millwood who been at the top of 2A for the past 10 years, past at least five years, you look at teams like that and they're like, ‘OK, this is our chance to actually get a chance to compete for championships.’ And with Millwood and Washington in the same side, they're both in 2A-I, there will be opportunity for other teams. Even Kiefer is still in 2A-I. These are the three top teams in 2A last year, and they'll just be in 2A-I. So that means 2A-II is open, up for grabs now. …

I’ve heard mixed things. I've heard people who, like I said, are open to the idea of it and want to see how it goes. And there's obviously people that just don't like change. They are saying we’re going to be we're giving out participation trophies or whatnot. So I've heard both sides of it, but I personally think it is for the better. I mean, why not? Why not give a lot of these small-town teams, especially, the opportunity to win a state championship? Especially with the transfer portal and whatnot and everything that's going on with Rule 8. It gives just more opportunities for people to call themselves champions and compete and even get scholarship offers as well. So, I think it's a good thing. I don't know how everybody feels about it, but like I said, I've seen mixed opinions on it.

Jenni: Well, it's going to make for an even bigger and better championship weekend or weekends at UCO. So that's going to be fun. Even more games for people to go watch teams win championships. 

Speaking of, as we think about that end game, the champions that will come in December, is there a class out there, a classification, that you feel like is the toughest, the most stacked? The class that whoever comes through it is going to have really proven themselves?

Jordan: Yeah, in my opinion … I think Class 6A-I. Like it has been for the past few years, but especially this year, we just look at the talent and look at people that have transferred around and seeing big moves … obviously, Bixby has been the best team in the state for at least the last five years, and they're the top of 6A-I. But you look at the rest of the teams now, Jenks, I feel like is … I don't think people are sleeping on Jenks, but I believe they transferred in 10 players. At least half of them offensive and defensive linemen. And then they now have some additional help in a secondary. On top of that, they have who I think is the best running back in the in the state with Kaydin Jones back there, and now, you give him some offensive lineman and they could really go, in my opinion, this year.

So you look at Jenks. You look at Deer Creek who's returning Grady Adamson, who now has Lemar Davis back, who originally started at Deer Creek then went to Millwood and he's back there. Moore. Tulsa Union. Owasso. Norman North. (Edmond) Santa Fe. I mean, these are some really good programs. I really think that 6A-I, it's just stacked top to bottom. 

And I've talked to other schools and other people that are in different classes or even the different division of 6A. And they're like, ‘Man, I'm glad that I'm not in 6A-I because it's some really tough competition, especially at the top.’ So, yeah, of course, Bixby is the favorite like they always have been. But this could be a year we might see another team really push them and give them some troubles to be able to take those state championships away, at least for now.

Jenni: That leads to my next question because Bixby has been such a sure thing to win a championship no matter what class they've been in. So maybe they don't fit the answer to this question anymore, but who's the team you're most sure will be a state champion by the end of this year?

Jordan: I mean, it's always easy to say Carl Albert. You just look at Mike Dunn's dominance. I mean, we're going to talk about later in the show some of the Super 30 guys, but they had by far the most Super 30 guys out of the Oklahoma Super 30 this year. And they usually tend to have some really good guys, especially with the Carl-Albert-to-OU pipeline over there. But yeah, it's really easy to say Carl Albert. 

But when you look at elsewhere, in my opinion, it's not that easy. Carl Albert probably is the easiest guess. Or even, like I said, Bixby. Those two, again, have been powerhouses for the last five to 10 years in Oklahoma. So it's always gonna be easier for them. But when you just look at the landscape everywhere else, 3A, you don't know what's gonna happen there with Heritage Hall. They've been kind of the powerhouse there, and now Andy Bass is gone. Their top receivers, Jordyn Harris and Rashaud Smith are gone. So, you never know what's going to happen in 3A with Lincoln Christian coming back, looking for more. 

2A, same thing with the split with Millwood and Washington. And I'm not too familiar on the top teams in 2A-II yet. Same thing with 4A; it's always Wagner and Blanchard there. 6A-II also as well, it's a toss up there, too. 

So like I said, short answer, Carl Albert.

Jenni: It's safe after the amount of championships they've won in the last decade and overall, too. You mentioned earlier Jenks … don't sleep on Jenks. But is there a team maybe even that is even more under the radar that you think might surprise? Who you think might be a surprise champion?

Jordan: I don't know if Putnam City is going to win it all, but I am big on Putnam City this year. I went to their practice a few days ago. Coach (Willis) Alexander there, and they have some really good talent on the defensive side of the football. They have a transfer now, Mykel Ford who plays defensive back for them who committed to Nevada recently. Talking to Coach Alexander, you know, we've spoken a lot over the past few weeks, and he's … been really hyping up the addition of (Ford). Practice has only been going for a week. But he's been there since, I believe, February, January. So he's been in the weight room with them and been building chemistry with his teammates. And (Alexander) says he's going to be the defensive captain for them this year. 

So you have a guy like that to pair alongside of Brayden Knox, who's going to play edge rusher for them this year that's committed to Tulsa. They have a lot of high flyers and playmakers in that secondary. Gabriel Osborne. Elijah Asberry. Savion James. I mean, they just have a ton of names and Coach Alexander's son, Tripp who's basically going to be the middle linebacker, starting middle linebacker, for them this year with Brayden Knox moving the edge. You just look at their schedule. They play Choctaw in Week 4 or 5, and they could easily go into Choctaw on the road and be undefeated by that time. Kust the way that their schedule lines up, 6A-II not being as hectic as 6A-I is, they have a really good chance to, I believe, turn some heads. 

I did a 6A-II storylines preview the other day, and I wrote about Putnam City a lot in that and just the fact that I feel like they could really turn a lot of heads by the end of the year. We could see them with seven wins and be one of those top three teams in 6A-II. I don't think that that's crazy to say, and I do think that they're being overlooked by a lot of teams right now.

Jenni: You mentioned earlier Carl Albert and their greatness, and they do have a ton of individual talent. You guys at The Oklahoman did your summer Super 30, which every year I know has its challenges, but man, there's a lot of really good players in the state this year. But several Carl Albert guys and Trystan Haynes is at the top of the Super 30, the cornerback who's committed to OU. Why did he elevate to the top instead of some of these other great players that are out there in the state?

Jordan: So obviously Super 30 is based on recruiting, and some of the offers that you see him and CJ Nickson have … they're kind of in a class of their own. These two guys are getting multiple SEC offers besides Kaydin Jones again, who I feel like is the best running back in the state, after this year might be the best player in the state. But specifically about Trystan Haynes, this is a guy with multiple SEC offers. He's getting offered by some of the best programs in the country. Alabama. Georgia. OU. Oklahoma State. For him to be a defensive back and to have the wherewithal and be able to choose wherever he wants to go to school, I think that that's what separated him. 

And then, like I said, him and CJ Nickson kind of were up for grabs for that top spot. CJ Nickson was second, but just his impact on both sides of the football. Trystan Haynes was dominant on both sides of the ball, too, even in the kick returning space, returning kicks for touchdowns and multiple defensive touchdowns, and offensively had over 900 yards receiving for them. Over 40 catches for them. I felt like he was the guy. He’s the clear, clear No. 1 player in the class this year. 

And yeah, like you said, for the rest of the Super 30, Carl Albert, Marcus James, Trynae Washington, those type of guys, they really make a difference for Carl Albert. To have that amount of top-tier talent, all three of them going to OU, it really does make a difference.

Jenni: One of your top guys, Jaden Nickens, No. 5 in the Super 30, was at Millwood, then was at Douglass. And I'm sure within the time that you guys started the series and finished it was when news started to come out that he was transferring. He's moved to a school in California. But what a great talent. What's the impact of his move and how does that sort of reshuffle things as it relates to this great class of individual talent?

Jordan: So, obviously, Jaden was one of the few four-star recruits that we have in football here. And I think by the end of the year, obviously, I feel like we're going to have a lot of players who have already committed … by at least October or November will decommit, open the recruiting back up because just truth be told, we have so much talent in Oklahoma that a lot of these players might go from three-star to four-star. The two players we just talked about, Trystan Haynes and CJ Nickson, they might go from four stars to five stars. So who knows? 

But specifically with Jaden, I look at the impact that it has on program like Millwood. I was at Millwood's practice yesterday, got a chance to see Xzavier Thompson, who was also on our Super 30. He was No. 30 there. And now, they added a receiver from Atlanta, Georgia named Gabriel Bivines. I walked into the practice yesterday, and I'm like, ‘Who is that guy?’ You know, I'm seeing him run these certain routes and make diving catches. And this is inside. They were inside the facility because it was raining and whatnot. He was going 100%. So I'm like, ‘Who is this guy?’ 

Initially, (Nickens leaving) does kind of impact Millwood, but they have so many playmakers over there that who knows? It might not leave that big of an impact. Even though he's a great player, both on the football field and on the basketball court. … We'll have to see what the impact will be.

Jenni: As you've talked about some of these great players, we've talked about cornerback, defensive end, running back, wide receiver. There's been a lot of different positions as we've talked about some of those top guys, but The Oklahoman did a look at top players at each position. Was there a position that was most difficult, most stacked to pick who those best were in this year?

Jordan: I did the running backs. Along with Nick Sardis, we divvied up the responsibilities for that, and I got a chance to pick the running backs and first I thought it would be kind of easier because you kind of know who the top talent is. But you go through and just actually look and see like so-and-so had X amount of rushing yards and X amount of touchdowns and X amount of yards per carry. It’s really hard to do because there’s a lot of talented people. This list is only 10 players, but I probably had about 20 running backs that we chose from for this list. 

All 10 of these running backs are guys that not only have produced in the past and are looking to produce some more, but some of these guys are transferring schools are going from one place to another or I guess you could say lesser-known school to one bigger known school. So their impact will be big. Most notably for me is PJ Wallace, who's going from Bartlesville to Muskogee, and obviously Muskogee is the defending 6A-II champion. But then you add a guy now who was running for 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. 

You add a guy like LT Simmons to Carl Albert from Choctaw. Another guy who had 11 touchdowns last year, catching out the backfield and as a pass catcher as a wideout in the slot. Had 11 total touchdowns last year. At least 500 rushing yards. But then you add in receiving.

And then, I already talked about Kaydin Jones from Jenks. Caden Knighten from Pauls Valley, who's committed to Baylor. He's a guy who ran for 2,000 yards last year. Demarius Robinson, Edmond Santa Fe. Just the depth, like I said, at running back that we have here in Oklahoma, it really surprised me, shocked me when you actually … put them by beside each other. I do think running back is the deepest.

Jenni: You mentioned Carl Albert getting a transfer. I was going to ask you about Kevin Sperry, the quarterback committed to OU, leaving Carl Albert, but I'm not even going to go there because they got so many guys talented. I know they got a transfer quarterback, too. So I'm not even, we're not even going to talk about that because I don't think anybody's worried about the Titans this year. 

As we sit here though, Jordan, we're getting ready to have scrimmages. It's a heavy scrimmage week and then obviously we'll transition right into Week 0 and actual games. Tell me from your perspective, if you were going to tell somebody, if you want to see a bunch of teams, you want to see a bunch of talent, is there a scrimmage happening that people might want to get on their radar?

Jordan: Yeah, Jenks. Jenks is having scrimmages Friday. There's a lot of Eastside talent over there. I believe Union will be there. I know for a fact Choctaw will be there. Obviously, Jenks will be there. And I believe Edmond Santa Fe will be there. So those are four of the top teams in 6A-I and 6A-II that will be just in one spot scrimmaging against each other.

Obviously there's a few others. I know that Carl Albert is having a tournament on Friday. We're doing a schedule release for all the scrimmages throughout the rest of the week, so we'll report on that more so this upcoming week. But like I said, Jenks … I think that is probably the top scrimmage with those four teams being there at once.

Jenni: Sounds like a scrimmage that people might want to make the drive for. Make a night of it over in Tulsa and go check out some really great football. 

People can find all kinds of high school stuff at the in The Oklahoma at Oklahoman.com. There's a high school tab. But tell people, Jordan, just give us your social handles. Where can people follow you and find your stuff that way?

Jordan: I'm mainly on Twitter or X as they call it now, jdavis34_ . You can go there, find our stuff. I'm tweeting pretty much every day now with practice content and just a lot of content that we're putting out ahead of the season. We're doing a bunch of lists of rankings and district previews. You can go to our website at the Oklahoman.com. All of our content will be there. We're pushing out stuff every single day. Like I said, I've been running around every single day. Just check in with me on Twitter and X:  jdavis34_. And that's how you can find me.

Jenni: And that's where people can lodge all their complaints about their rankings being too low, right?

Jordan: (Laughs.) Yes, yes you can. I'm open to all criticisms. If you have any questions or you're curious on how one person is ranked over another and how we do about it, my DMs are open. My email is in my bio or is on my page on our website as well. So if you have any quarrels with me, you can come directly to me and talk to me about them.

Jenni: I love it. Hey, Jordan, thanks for coming on and I hope this is just the first time, not the last time.

Jordan: Thank you, Jenni. Anytime.