2021 Rankings: Defensive Linemen Breakdown

Prep Redzone Oklahoma has updated our 2021 Prospect Rankings for the final time. The list now stands at 150 players, ranging from the top tier D1 prospects, all the way down to small college recruits. You can check out the full rankings <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2021-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RIGHT HERE. </a></strong>Today we will be highlighting five defensive linemen who were among the best in the state. Oklahoma has some really good defensive linemen in the state right now and the 2021 class was loaded with them. These five were the best of the best. Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma over the next few days as we close out our evaluations for the class of 2021! <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38500" first="Ethan" last="Downs"] - Weatherford (Ranked #2 Overall)</strong></span> Weatherford's [player_tooltip player_id="38500" first="Ethan" last="Downs"] has been on the radar for about four years now. While the other prospects on this list took some time to become dominant, it seems like Downs was dominant from the first time he stepped on the Weatherford High campus. Whether it was offense or defense, Downs was a critical part of their success over the last four seasons, including making it to the state championship game in 2019. But when it comes down to what makes this Weatherford standout so special, it's what he does when he puts his hand on the ground on the defensive side of the ball. He didn't have some of the stats that the others had in 2020, but he was dealing with double and triple teams all year. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38508" first="Isaac" last="Smith"] - Wagoner (Ranked #15 Overall)</strong></span> Whenever Wagoner head coach Dale Condict mentions that a player has the chance to be one of the best recruitable athletes he's ever had, you not only listen but you write the name down and circle it three times. That's what he said about defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="38508" first="Isaac" last="Smith"] before his senior season. That senior season, Smith helped lead the Bulldogs to another state championship in dominating fashion. Similar to the other prospects on this list, Smith was one of the best at his position and it wasn't even close. After transferring to Wagoner before his junior season, Smith became one of the state's best pass rushers at the defensive end position. Condict said he was special and the 2020 season backed that up. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="51177" first="Joe" last="Maytubby"] - Shawnee (Ranked #18 Overall)</strong></span> Out of the five prospects on this list, Shawnee's [player_tooltip player_id="51177" first="Joe" last="Maytubby"] was the biggest riser out of the group. Coming into the 2020 season, Maytubby looked like a good athlete but was still looking to put some "wow" performances out there. It didn't take long but Maytubby was one of the more dominant defensive ends in the state. He finished his senior season with well over ten sacks and was an absolute force up front for Shawnee. Maytubby would sign with UCO to play his college ball and UCO got an absolute steal because Maytubby played like a Power 5 defensive end during his senior season. He was without a doubt the top available defensive prospect over the last few weeks and UCO got a great one. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38533" first="Owen" last="Ostroski"] - Holland Hall (Ranked #17 Overall)</strong></span> The first of two prospects that were some of the most dominant players in the state of Oklahoma. Holland Hall's [player_tooltip player_id="38533" first="Owen" last="Ostroski"] helped lead the Dutch to their first ever state championship. Like [player_tooltip player_id="38502" first="Solomon" last="Wright"] below, Ostroski was a one man wrecking force this season. There is plenty of film to back up this claim and we got a chance to see it in person on more than one occasion where Ostroski absolutely bullied his opponent. Ostroski transformed from a solid defensive lineman to one of the best overall players in Oklahoma. he was a finalist for our Player Of The Year award and rightfully so after the dominating season he had. He was one of the more fun players to watch when he was at his best in 2020. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38502" first="Solomon" last="Wright"] - Vian (Ranked #12 Overall)</strong></span> To this day, one of the best prospect films that we've broken down was Vian's [player_tooltip player_id="38502" first="Solomon" last="Wright"] following his junior season. The Vian big man absolutely rag-dolled every team he went up against. Even in the state championship game against eventual champ Metro Christian, Wright was dominant all night long. I personally have made the comment that Wright's combination of size, speed and quickness shouldn't be allowed at the 2A level because he's not only bigger than most opponents but he's also quicker and faster. The rest of 2A football, especially's Vian's district opponents have to be happy that Wright is graduating and headed off to play college ball at Arkansas instead of terrorizing 2A football.