Sooner7 Defensive Standouts (Jan. 22-23)
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Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! The offseason has begun and that means 7v7 tournaments are in full swing. The first major tournament took place in Plano, Texas over this past weekend…
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The offseason has begun and that means 7v7 tournaments are in full swing. The first major tournament took place in Plano, Texas over this past weekend and Sooner7 was in attendance. With some of the best players in the state all coming together on several teams under the Sooner7 program, it was a great chance to see individuals shine. In this post, we take a look at some of the standouts from the defensive side of the ball. Several of these players not only played but shined on both sides of the ball but it was on defense that they seemed to make the most impact. In case you missed it, check out our quarterback breakdown RIGHT HERE. And if you missed our spotlight on the offensive standouts, you can check that out RIGHT HERE.
Ce’alm Kilpatrick II Ce’alm Kilpatrick II 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Sallisaw | 2023 State OK – 2023 DB – Sallisaw
We’re starting this list off with the Sallisaw standout because we do this list alphabetically but it was also hard to find another player who had a better weekend on defense than Ce’alm Kilpatrick II Ce’alm Kilpatrick II 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Sallisaw | 2023 State OK . Better known as “Sim”, the Sallisaw standout has really grown on us over the last five weeks or so. From the first time we saw him in person at the Sooner7 tryout, to his performance at our camp earlier this month to this weekend, Kilpatrick has impressed. We didn’t know about Kilpatrick before the tryout but we’re confident in saying that he’s one of the better lockdown cornerbacks in the state today and he showcased that skillset throughout the weekend. We have our next ranking update coming up in February and Kilpatrick will go from unranked to one of the top DB’s in the 2023 class.
Eric Peterson – 2025 ATH – Victory Christian
The lone 2025 prospect to make this list is Victory Christian 2025 athlete Eric Peterson. Based on size alone, Peterson can be overlooked but then once the tournament began, he was arguably the most productive player for Sooner7’s 15U squad throughout the weekend. He made an impact on both sides of the ball as a slot receiver on offense and a cornerback on defense. We have him on the defensive standout list but he could have gone on either, or even both. But strictly speaking from the defensive side of things, Peterson was bringing it every single play and every single possession. His form is very advanced for his age and he reminds us somewhat of Coweta 2023 DB Mason Ford Mason Ford 5'11" | DB Coweta | 2023 State OK , who is another Sooner7 product. It’s obviously still early but Peterson could be a name to watch.
Michael Barnett Michael Barnett 6'0" | ATH Catoosa | 2023 State OK – 2023 LB – Catoosa
It’s pretty hard for linebackers to really standout during 7v7 tournaments going against non-traditional offenses but we have two that made the list. We start with the older linebacker prospect with Catoosa 2023 linebacker Michael Barnett Michael Barnett 6'0" | ATH Catoosa | 2023 State OK , who suited up for the Sooner7 blue squad. Barnett is another Sooner7 returnee and had a strong 7v7 season a year ago and is back at it again this year. Barnett absolutely controlled the center of the field throughout the weekend and we caught him making several plays throughout from deflecting passes, coming up with interceptions or just reminding wide receivers that they don’t get a free pass going over the middle. Barnett also looks bigger than what we saw last year and he certainly used that to his advantage. Barnett is a linebacker to keep an eye on this offseason.
Teyton Chandler Teyton Chandler 6'1" | 200 lbs | LB Victory Christian | 2024 State OK – 2024 LB – Victory Christian
The second linebacker to make the list came from Sonner7’s 15U team with Victory Christian 2024 linebacker Teyton Chandler Teyton Chandler 6'1" | 200 lbs | LB Victory Christian | 2024 State OK . Better known as “Tot”, the Victory standout had a very busy weekend down in Texas. He also chipped in on the offensive side of the ball but we have him slotted on defense as a standout after his work on that side of the ball. Like Barnett, Chandler did a great job of controlling the middle of the defense and keeping opposing receivers in front of him when they would go out on crossing routes. He was almost an extension of the secondary as that squad had a few safeties that had really good games and Chandler added a great mix of speed and size. And we should mention that he would also get some reps on the offensive side and would showcase some reliable hands, working as a tight end.
Tyson Williams Tyson Williams 6'1" | DB Bixby | 2023 State OK – 2023 DB – Bixby
Here’s a defensive back prospect that we first got a chance to see last season with Sooner7. Bixby 2023 cornerback Tyson Williams Tyson Williams 6'1" | DB Bixby | 2023 State OK picked right up where he left off during the last 7v7 season and was one of Sooner7’s top cornerbacks from the tournament in Plano. Teams had a hard time throwing the ball on Sooner7’s blue team as they had Williams on one side and Kilpatrick on the other. Both are outstanding 2023 cornerbacks and one thing that really stood out to us about Williams was his physicality. He appeared to one, be bigger and two, be much more physical with opposing wide receivers. We didn’t see much of that from him last years as he relied on his cover skills. This year, he’s not afraid to put his hands on a receiver and make them work to get any kind of separation from the Bixby product.