Friday Film Review Part One (Feb. 24th, 2023)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every Friday during February through April, we're going to throw on the tape and break down athletes across Oklahoma. Earlier this month, we put out a tweet asking prospects in the 2024-2026 classes to send us their film for our Film Review feature. Over 150 responses later and we're off to the races. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every Friday for more breakdowns on athletes across Oklahoma. This week, we put out not one, but two Film Reviews and this is part one! <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/02/friday-film-review-part-two-feb-24th-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to check out part two</a></strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you're not featured this week but have sent us your film, don't worry! You're on the list and will be covered in the future. Now, all of these breakdowns are based on the film we have access to. And this isn't just a puff piece. While the majority of the breakdowns will be positive, it will also include areas to improve, question marks and more for the prospect to work on as we head into the spring and summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["670654"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"We don't discriminate on the Friday Film Review series and even if you don't have varsity film, we're still going to check it out and give a review. That leads us to our first prospect in Lawton MacArthur 2026 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='670654' first='Aivan' last='Locklin'] following his freshman year playing JV ball. From what we watched, Locklin has a good arm and on one of the early plays on his highlight, he put a ball on a rope to his receiver in stride and in between two defenders. It was a pretty pass and we were impressed with the accuracy he showed on this highlight. But as we'll mention with several 2026 prospects on this breakdown who are still looking for their first break on varsity, we're going to wait to see more from Locklin before we do a true evaluation of what he can be as a prospect. But the future is bright for Lawton MacArthur as Locklin showed quite a bit of athleticism in the backfield.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["670652"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Union junior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='670652' first='Ashton' last='Fowler'] was one of the rare defense-only prospects that we watched this week. In fact, he was the only one and his film from the 2022 season was impressive. At cornerback, Fowler was out there on an island a lot of times and he seemed to excel in that position. Fowler is one of the harder hitting cornerbacks that we've watched this month. He will come up and hit someone immediately and that definitely stood out. He's also part of a very talented Union secondary and they were challenged this season. But some of Fowler's production came against their toughest opponents. One thing that we definitely want to see more of from Fowler moving forward is watching him in straight man to man coverage. There was a lot of zone coverage and run support in his film but we want to watch what he can do in those 1 on 1 situations against a wide receiver.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["670655"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Owasso 2026 lineman [player_tooltip player_id='670655' first='Ben' last='Duggins'] played on the offensive and defensive line in 2022 for Owasso but like Locklin at Lawton Mac, Duggins doesn't have any varsity film to break down. But what we did watch was a freshman lineman that impressed on both sides of the ball. On offense, Duggins had some really quick feet and seemed to be at his best when he was lined up as a pulling guard. He got out of his stance quick and would look for someone to hit. And then you turn around and watch him on defense and those quick feet allowed him to get a good first step on the line. He did a really good job of exploding out of his stance and pushing his opponent into the backfield and causing problems for the offense. So the film definitely showed some good traits but like we mentioned with Locklin, we're going to wait for Duggins to do it at a higher level before we talk about him as a prospect.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["670653"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"We stay on the line of scrimmage and head to southern Oklahoma with Durant 2024 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='670653' first='Carson' last='Allivand'] for our next spotlight. Allivand is an example of another prospect that we didn't know coming into this process but then we tossed on the tape and it was pretty good, especially on the offensive side of the ball. From the film that we watched, Allivand lined up primarily at left tackle within the Durant offense last season. He has an incredible first step and he is so quick out of his stance that a lot of times it looks like he's moving before the ball is snapped. He's not, he's just that quick. He has very physical hands and once he gets his clamps on you, it's bad news. We saw him play some defense but the offensive side of the ball is where he stood out the most. But at 6'2 and 270 pounds, a move to the interior of the line might be in his future as a prospect.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["215203"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"We've mentioned this a few times this offseason already but we really like Blanchard as a state championship contender going into the 2023 season. And the passing offense that they have returning is a big reason why. 2024 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='363852' first='Carson' last='Cooksey'] will be returning to lead that passing attack and he has some serious weapons around him that will make them one of the tougher passing offenses to slow down in Class 4A this fall. You throw on the tape from last season and you see a quarterback that takes care of the football and does a great job of keeping his eyes down field and working through his progressions. There were quite a few plays where opponents got pressure on Cooksey but you just saw him move out of the way but he kept his stance and fired a strike. He didn't just tuck the ball and take off immediately. That was impressive and will stick with us.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["670656"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Our next 2026 prospect that tore it up at the freshman and JV level is Mustang's [player_tooltip player_id='670656' first='Derek' last='Straughn'] at the wide receiver position. The first thing that stood out when we watched Straughn's film was his physicality. And that's talking about his frame at 6'2 and then how he plays the game at wide receiver. One thing that always impresses us when we watch wide receiver highlights is how often you see the clips of the wideout blocking down field or in the run game. It's so important to the offense and it can really separate good and great wide receivers. Now, it's still too early to tell on whether or not Straughn is going to be at that level. But the physicality was impressive, the speed was impressive as well as he is a very smooth runner in the open field and he has a strong upper body and isn't easy to bring down. We think Straughn could be a breakout player for Mustang this fall.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["670657"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"This week's feature is full of 2026 prospects! Weleetka standout [player_tooltip player_id='670657' first='Isaiah' last='Drake'] is next up on this breakdown and we were really impressed with the 8-man standout in his first year of play. Drake played quarterback for Weleetka last season and he was incredibly efficient with the ball. The numbers back that up as he only threw one interception all season and he was a true dual-threat at the quarterback position. But the thing that stood out the most with his film was his size and athletic ability. He simply doesn't look like a freshman on film. Especially when you compare him to other players that are lined up near him. And then when it's time to flip that switch and turn into an athlete, he does it and can make plenty of plays with his legs. Like we say with all freshmen, it's early. But Drake is off to a great start and we want to see more of him moving forward to figure out what his natural position would be.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["587265"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Valliant freshman [player_tooltip player_id='587265' first='Kenny' last='Golston'] gets this week's u0022best filmu0022 award. Each week, we break down ten prospects and one has to have the best film and this week, it's Golston. The Valliant freshman is an absolute monster to watch and we've made multiple comments already that he just doesn't look like your typical high school freshman. Golston is already ripped and passes that u0022eye testu0022 you always hear about with recruiting. Then you watch him with the ball in his hands and you see that strength on full display. But the thing that stood out to us was that he's not just a power runner that was just stronger than everyone. You see some pretty quick jump cuts in the running lanes and he can move laterally a lot quicker than you would think. The acceleration and burst is outstanding but the one thing we wonder is if colleges will like him more as a linebacker in the future. The very distant future.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["595685"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Norman North sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='595685' first='Owen' last='Eshelman'] is one of the toughest prospects to break down this week. Because based on his film, we love him as an overall athlete and defensive back. We know he's also very talented on the basketball floor so the athleticism is there. But moving forward, Eshelman appears to be Norman North's next QB1 and there just isn't much quarterback tape to break down. So we're just going off what we've seen and what we know about the Norman North standout. He is a big play guy and made some of his biggest plays last season against some of Norman North's toughest opponents. At safety, he took some very good angles to make tackles in the open field and did a good job reading opposing offenses. He did that because there is a tremendous amount of on-field IQ with him. But we're very curious what Eshelman the QB prospect looks like.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["360157"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Millwood 2025 speedster [player_tooltip player_id='360157' first='Xzavier' last='Thompson'] is our final prospect on this edition of the u0022Friday Film Reviewu0022 series. We threw on the tape of Thompson not knowing much about him going into it. We knew the name and we knew that speed was a big part of what made him special last season and then the tape showed the exact same thing. Thompson is incredibly dangerous and slippery when he gets the ball in the open field. One game in particular that stood out was in the playoffs with snow on the ground. Footing wasn't exactly going to be easy and that actually made Thompson even harder to bring down. Thompson did quite a bit of damage on end arounds and in the return game. We're interested to see what else he can do on both sides of the ball. We also want to see him in person to get a good idea about his size and how he stacks up to prospects similar to him.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f92c76b1f01"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->