2023 Season’s Top Freshmen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 football season is in the books and throughout the last few weeks, we've been taking a look back at some of our favorite moments and some of the top storylines in Oklahoma. Earlier this week, we announced the ten finalists for this season's <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/12/2023-player-of-the-year-finalists/">PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year award</a></strong>. Earlier today, we crowned Jenks standout [player_tooltip player_id='478124' first='Semaj' last='Stanford'] as this year's <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/12/freshman-of-the-year-semaj-stanford/">PRZ-Oklahoma Freshman Of The Year.</a></strong> In this post, we're putting the spotlight on some of the other top freshmen across Oklahoma that caught our eye throughout the 2023 season. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more postseason content, including the unveiling of our All State Teams next week!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["473879"],"_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":"Washington freshman linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='473879' first='Case' last='Alexander'] is going to be right there with Stanford as the top prospects in the state's 2027 class and he could be the top guy. He already looks the part physically and it's scary what he's going to evolve into when his high school career is over. Alexander was one of Washington's leading tacklers this season and he also has the ability to play tight end on the offensive side of the ball. But for now, we'll look at Alexander just on the defensive side of the ball and he has a nose for the ball. He was really impressive in their championship win over Millwood and finished the year with well over 100 tackles.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["696152"],"_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":"Owasso has two players on this breakdown so the future is bright for the Rams and specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Freshman defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='696152' first='Cole' last='Campbell'] was a breakout player for the Rams this season in the secondary. He eventually earned a starting role and was considered one of their top young prospects. Campbell is a fantastic athlete and it's not a surprise that the Rams found a way to get him on the field throughout the 2023 football season. Campbell is also a standout on the baseball field and has legit track speed. It's going to be fun to watch him develop over the next few seasons with the Rams.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["807020"],"_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":"The state's 2027 class already has a few players at the wide receiver position that have emerged as significant playmakers. Salina freshman [player_tooltip player_id='807020' first='Cooper' last='Hooker'] is one of those prospects and he is coming off a fantastic 2023 season. Hooker was the team's leading receiver in 2023 and was also a dynamic threat in the return game. You throw on the tape and see a player that looks like he's faster than just about every other player on the football field. He already looks to have a solid understanding of angles and finds the right lanes. Multiple coaches have already told us to look out for him moving forward because he's special.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1035135"],"_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":"The other Owasso standout on this breakdown is freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1035135' first='DaWayne' last='Jones'] along the defensive line. We wrote about Jones back in October when we were putting a spotlight on some of the top freshmen. And Jones really impressed us in the season opener this season. The Rams fell to Bixby but Jones was one of the bright spots against a Bixby offense that was one of the best in the state and had arguably the state's best offensive line unit. Jones followed that season opener up with a strong freshman campaign and just like Campbell, Jones has a really good chance to have a special career moving forward with the Rams.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["492378"],"_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":"Stillwater freshman wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='492378' first='Deakon' last='Jones'] is right there with [player_tooltip player_id='807020' first='Cooper' last='Hooker'] among the best wide receivers in the state's 2027 class. Jones found his way into the Stillwater lineup this season and had several games where he showed his game-changing ability. He was also part of a receiver group that had three experienced seniors that were leading the way but Jones still found a way to get playing time and made the most of his opportunity. So now, as we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, it's expected that Jones is going to be one of, if not Stillwater's top offensive weapon returning. We should see his production explode.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["473952"],"_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":"Booker T Washington had a season full of growing pains and a rare occurrence of the Hornets missing the playoffs. But there is reason to be optimistic moving forward and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='473952' first='Joseph' last='Graves'] is one of the bigger reasons. Graves is one of several freshmen that got significant playing time this fall and the Hornets also have some talent in the current sophomore class. Plus, they're dropping down to Class 5A in 2024. Graves was an absolute monster on the defensive line this season for the Hornets. From early on in the year, it was evident that he was going to provide Booker T Washington with a beast on the line of scrimmage.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1084102"],"_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":"Way out in the panhandle of Oklahoma featured Hooker making a run to the Class A state championship game. And buy stock in them now because they bring back the majority of their playmakers and one was a freshman. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1084102' first='Justin' last='Palacios'] was the most productive player at his position in the state's 2027 class. With over 1,500 yards on the ground, Palacios had a breakout season and he's going to be hungry for more moving forward. In the state title game, they had to settle for silver after falling to district rival Fairview. But Palacios was a bright spot and had a solid performance from start to finish.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["1030447"],"_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":"The first of two Lincoln Christian standouts on this breakdown is [player_tooltip player_id='1030447' first='Kailib' last='Dillard'] in the secondary. Dillard was one of the better defensive backs in the state's 2027 class that we watched this season. Simply put, Dillard did not look like a freshman this season. And it's going to be fun to watch him develop moving forward. His older brother Malikai enjoyed a breakout sophomore season and both of them are going to be big names to watch with Lincoln Christian next year and beyond. Now, we've talked with a few people that have watched the Dillard boys for a while now and the belief is that Kailib could be the best one.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["891992"],"_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":"Union freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='891992' first='Kason' last='Delgado'] was thrusted into the starting lineup when their star QB went down for the second half of the regular season. Delgado entered high school with some hype but it was also understood that he would be sitting early on in his career. That was the case until October. And when Delgado came into the lineup, he really impressed us when we got a chance to see him play. He put the ball into some windows where his receiver was the only player that could make a play. He played within the offense and made some really impressive throws. He lived up to the hype this season.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["1035134"],"_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":"Another Lincoln Christian standout to make this breakdown is [player_tooltip player_id='1035134' first='Rain' last='Ragland'] along the defensive line. Ragland immediately started for the Bulldogs this season on a defense that was supposedly rebuilding. They just reloaded and Ragland was apart of that, alongside Dillard in the secondary. Ragland was one of the team's leading tacklers and also led the team in sacks during the 2023 season. He helped lead the Bulldogs to a perfect 14-0 season and a Class 3A state championship. Ragland, like Dillard, was also pointed out to us very early on in the season. He started producing early on in 2023 and never really slowed down.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_10_player":["473873"],"_player_evaluations_10_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_10_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_10_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"Our final freshman from this season was Mustang's [player_tooltip player_id='473873' first='Tyson' last='Pogi'] at the quarterback position. And just like Delgado at Union, Pogi wasn't necessarily projected to start for the Broncos this season but was put into that role after an injury. Coincidentally, Delgado and Pogi each got their first significant playing time against each other when Mustang faced Union in early October. Pogi finished off the season incredibly strong. Now, he's tearing up the basketball court and has a very bright future on the hardwood. But it will be interesting to see what Mustang does next season with Pogi and Mustang's original starting QB returning in 2024.","_player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":11,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658f408291a92"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->