2022 Rankings: New Faces Pt. 1

<strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong> On Monday, we had our final prospect ranking update as we updated the 2022 Top 150. Now, we start diving into those rankings and identifying some of the biggest movers and new faces within the ranking update. In this post, it’s part one of a two part feature looking at some of those new faces that were not in the rankings back in June. But they find themselves there now. For a complete look at the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2022-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Top 150, Click Here</strong></a>. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"] - Running Back - Lawton MacArthur</strong></span> The first new face on this breakdown is Lawton MacArthur running back [player_tooltip player_id="219244" first="Isaiah" last="Gray"]. We knew that the running back position in the 2022 and 2023 classes were special but they just continue to get deeper and deeper with playmakers. Gray is the latest running back prospect who we feel like is not only a breakout star but he should be considered one of the better running backs in this class. He went from being somewhat unknown to jumping up into the Top 40 overall and is right now the fifth best running back in the current senior class. We’ve seen the numbers that he’s put up and then we finally got a chance to see him in person a few weeks ago in a big road game against Noble. The Highlander standout could not be stopped and was a workhorse that night for Lawton Mac in the win. He also starred in special teams as he took a kick back for another touchdown. Gray is not only a breakout star but a running back prospect that should be high on the list of colleges that are recruiting Oklahoma hard over the next few months. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="182545" first="Jaxon" last="Perry"] - Offensive Lineman - Ringling</strong></span> Anytime we update the rankings, another prospect soon emerges and we are left slapping our foreheads wondering how we missed another one and here’s a perfect example of that. We updated the rankings in June and soon-after, we saw that Ringling had one of the better offensive linemen in the class with big man [player_tooltip player_id="182545" first="Jaxon" last="Perry"]. A guy who should definitely be on the overall list and on the short list when it comes to his position. He’s a legitimate D1 talent and has flown somewhat under the radar because he’s playing at a small school in the middle of nowhere. However, he’s certainly got the talent and he more than likely will have a big stage to showcase his talent going into the next two months. Ringling is currently the favorite to win the Class A state championship and with Perry paving the way up front, he’ll have plenty of eyes on him and his teammates as they head into the playoffs. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="197082" first="Montre" last="Samuels-Parker"] - Athlete - Jenks</strong></span> In some ways, this evaluation is tough and in other ways it’s not. It just depends on what type of evaluator you are when it comes to college prospects. Looking at Jenks standout [player_tooltip player_id="197082" first="Montre" last="Samuels-Parker"], we have him listed as an athlete and to be more specific, that would be jumbo athlete because he’s a big man and can be moved around in the typical big man positions. What is his natural position at the next level? We’ve seen him in person a few times this year and we still don’t know. However, we know he’s what you would consider an "X-Factor" and a big reason why Jenks is a heavy favorite to win another state championship. On offense, he helps clear the way for Jenks’ two-headed monster at running back. On defense, he adds another element to the front seven that absolutely terrorizes opposing offensive linemen. We’re not sure what Parker is at the next level, but he is a next level prospect. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="188149" first="RJ" last="Wilson"] - Defensive Lineman - Union</strong></span> The majority of the time when we’ve written about Union, it’s been about their offensive line and their running game. However, one of the bright spots in this team and a new addition to the 2022 rankings has been a defensive lineman in [player_tooltip player_id="188149" first="RJ" last="Wilson"]. Physically, Wilson just looks the part and appears to be strong prospect for the defensive line at the next level. We got a chance to see Wilson early on this season and came away impressed with the big man. He certainly has some talented players around him on the Union defense but he can hold his own. Coming into this season we didn’t know much about Wilson but we found out fast that he was a prospect that deserved to be evaluated more and get some more recognition. He’s certainly a hidden gem among the defensive line prospects. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="51882" first="Virgil" last="Yates"] - Athlete - Del City</strong></span> A prospect that is almost in the same position as Samuels-Parker at Jenks is Del City standout [player_tooltip player_id="51882" first="Virgil" last="Yates"]. This season, Yates is running the Eagle offense and is without a doubt a run-first quarterback and the Del City offense has dominated opponents with their rushing attack. Even in games they lost, they still rack up the yards on the ground and Yates is the one leading it all at the quarterback position. However, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Yates will not be a quarterback at the next level and will end up playing a different position. But what that position is could still be up for debate. Clearly he has the ability to make plays with his legs and he could transition into a running back. We’ve seen that here recently with former Moore quarterback Daniel Hishaw, who signed with Kansas and has transitioned into a running back for the Jayhawks. Perhaps that will be the easiest path for the Del City standout. But just like with Samuels-Parker, we know Yates belongs at the next level after the breakout season he’s had this fall.