2025 Rankings – Top Five Linebackers

<!-- 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>The 2023 football season is right around the corner and at the conclusion of spring practices across Oklahoma, it's a perfect time to update the prospect rankings! We started this week with the state's 2025 class and went from a Top 100 to a Top 125. If you missed that update,&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/oklahoma/rankings/2025-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">you can check out the list right here</a></strong>! Throughout the week, we're diving deep into the rankings with prospect breakdowns. We're discussing why these players are already on our radar and already on the radar for the next level. Keep it locked in throughout the week as we break down more 2025 prospects. And check back each Monday this month for a new ranking update! Next week, we'll be updating the 2024 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this breakdown, we're putting a spotlight on the top five linebackers in the state's 2025 class. A few of these prospects have been on our radar for a while now while a couple others have popped up in the last six months. This is a position group that feels like it's getting deeper and deeper every time we do a ranking update. There are some very reliable and versatile linebackers in this class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["294262"],"_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":"It was around this time last year that we first watched Wagoner linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='294262' first='Alex' last='Shieldnight'] and heard about him from some of Wagoner's coaches. They said he was the next top prospect to come out of Wagoner on the defensive side of the ball and he has certainly lived up to that hype. Think about that for just a second with all the strong prospects and specifically on the defensive side of the ball that have come out of Wagoner. Shieldnight might be the highest rated and most recruited in the last decade. His recruitment has exploded and he's continuing to get interest from top programs all over the country. As Wagoner looks to defend their state championship this fall, we anticipate Shieldnight to have a big junior season and that attention will only grow.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["571111"],"_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":"Millwood linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='571111' first='Cameron' last='Carter'] was one of the top individuals that we watched during the state championship weekends in Edmond last year. He's definitely near the top of the list when you just talk about defensive players only. Carter was an absolute monster as the Falcons came up short in the state title game against Washington. Carter led the team in tackles and it seemed like he was in the backfield causing problems on every single play. Carter did a really good job of containing the run and then was terrorizing the quarterback. We think that Carter was just scratching the surface on the type of game-wrecking linebacker he can be in the middle of a defense. Millwood has a few 2025 prospects that are special so the future is bright in OKC.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["211549"],"_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":"While the first two linebackers were somewhat new names to us last season, Beggs linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='211549' first='DJ' last='Strother'] has been on our radar since he was a freshman. By the time it's all said and done, Strother is going to be a four-year starter for Beggs and he's part of a 2025 class that has some serious talent. Similar to Carter and Millwood, Beggs also has two prospects in the Top 25 and Strother is one of them along with a standout two-way player that will be covered with the defensive backs. Strother is incredibly productive and while he might not have the prototypical size to some of the other linebackers on this breakdown, it simply hasn't mattered. Strother is a heat-seeking missile and he's proven that he can be productive against some of the top competition.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["215030"],"_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":"Now at Owasso, [player_tooltip player_id='215030' first='Cooper' last='Auschwitz'] is a two-way player that we really like and are interested to see how he transitions from Class 2A ball at Rejoice Christian to playing in the state's largest class. We think he belongs and is going to fit in just fine and it will be interesting to see how the Rams use him this fall. Last year, Auschwitz lined up at wide receiver as well as a roving linebacker for Rejoice and only time will tell if he ends up playing on both sides of the ball for Owasso. After talking to a few coaches this offseason, it sounds like Auschwitz is a pretty strong baseball prospect as well, which makes the move to Owasso make even more sense when you throw in the baseball component. We'll definitely be watching him closely this fall.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["595746"],"_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":"Similar to Carter, we didn't know much of anything about Norman's [player_tooltip player_id='595746' first='Behrett' last='Boyd'] at this time last year. But he got on our radar quickly this offseason when he ran away with the MVP award for linebackers at our camp in January. We then put on the tape from his sophomore year and were very impressed with the productivity. Then Boyd came back and attended our last camp in late April and went back to back as linebacker MVP and that's something we haven't had on our camp circuit since running events in Oklahoma. Boyd is a compact backer that should have a big season. We really like some of the young talent that the Tigers have on this team and think that Norman could end up surprising quite a few teams in Class 6A-1 this season.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6495fc1c61592"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->