Friday Film Review – January 26th

<!-- 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 offseason is officially here and for the third consecutive year, we'll have a special series from now until the end of May. It's the Friday Film Review series and every Friday, we'll take a look at prospects from all over the state. We'll break down their film from last season. What stands out about the prospect, what can they improve, how do they project, all of those questions answered in these breakdowns. As we say each year, these aren't just puff pieces. The majority of the review is positive but we also get into what can be improved for each individual prospect. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma each Friday for another Film Review!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["378285"],"_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":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cemu003eu003cstrongu003eFilm Watched - u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10143365/655c44ae02bc3812a010145du0022u003eCLICK HEREu003c/au003eu003c/strongu003eu003c/emu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnMeeker 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='378285' first='Ajay' last='Lynch'] was one of the best playmakers during the 2023 season. Recently, Lynch announced his commitment to Oklahoma Baptist and the Bison are getting a versatile weapon at running back. First off, you can't argue with the production. Lynch accounted for well over 2,000 all purpose yards and was a dangerous player in the run game and pass game for Meeker last season. Then you throw on the film and several things stand out right away. First, Lynch's vision was outstanding. There were several plays during his senior season where he looked like he was bottled up, defenses had the angle and Lynch found a way to navigate his way out of danger and take it to the house. His vision was outstanding and he also has a great ability to start and stop on a dime. When those defenders are closing in, Lynch puts them on ice skates with his ability to stop, shift gears and take off up field. And when a defender is able to get his hands on Lynch, he has the strength to toss him to the ground. The strength in the open field was impressive to watch. And finally, Lynch has a deep bag of tricks at the running back position. Between his vision, moves and overall agility, it's not a surprise that he was one of the more dangerous playmakers. There's no doubt that he has a bright future as he heads to the next level.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["268307"],"_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":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eFilm Watched - u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15015482/6581d6cedfd96d0cd423569au0022u003eCLICK HEREu003c/au003eu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnBlanchard had a season to remember as they captured the state championship. 2025 standout [player_tooltip player_id='268307' first='Brayson' last='Carter'] ended up becoming one of the best overall players in the state during their title run. Carter was a complete player and impacted the game in all three phases. On offense, Carter was a dynamic wide receiver and was part of a three-headed monster of Blanchard's high-powered passing attack. On defense, Carter made a big jump as a defensive back at the safety position. And in special teams, Carter made an impact as a kick returner and also made key plays like blocking a field goal in the memorable regular season meeting with Tuttle. Watching the film, it backed up what we thought about Carter after watching him in person. The Blanchard standout is a magnet to the big play. It seemed like every time there was a big play, it was Carter making it. Coming into this season, we knew that he was a playmaker but that's really evident when you see him in the open field and you see him showcase that speed. He's incredibly shifty and he also has a really good understanding of angles. And that goes for all three phases of the game. He knows where to be and he gets there in a hurry. Now, the only question moving forward is what is he at the next level? He's a next level player but we don't know what position right now.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["994657"],"_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":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eFilm Watched - u003ca href=u0022https://twitter.com/moroney_elijah/status/1734276949093048530u0022u003eCLICK HEREu003c/au003eu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnAnother senior on this week's breakdown is Guthrie's [player_tooltip player_id='994657' first='Eli' last='Moroney'] and he's coming off an All State season. Guthrie ran multiple defenses in 2023. When they were in a traditional 4-3, Moroney was a defensive end. When they moved to a 3-4, Moroney was an outside linebacker. Either way, Moroney projects to the linebacker position. We put on the film but we also had the benefit of seeing Moroney in person a couple times during his senior season. There were few linebackers that were better tacklers in space than Moroney and that showed out on the film. Moroney was incredibly productive and earned his spot as an All State member. Early on in the season, the Guthrie standout was one of the state's absolute best at getting to the quarterback and dropping him. You can tell that Moroney has a background in wrestling because of his ability to wrap up and drive through the ball carrier. He's one of the hardest hitters that we saw in 2023 and when you combine that with his tackling ability, you see why offenses tried to avoid him at all costs. Another thing that stood out when we put on the film was his ability to absorb a block, read the backfield and shed it at the perfect time to make a play on the ball carrier. He uses his strength in a variety of ways. We're not sure where he ends up but he's definitely a linebacker to watch in college.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["587272"],"_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":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eFilm Watched - u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17677649/656f9d974205fc089c1dc95cu0022u003eCLICK HEREu003c/au003eu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnJones linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='587272' first='Luke' last='DeBusk'] was a player that we covered around this time last year. He was coming off a breakout season as a freshman and when we turned the film on from his sophomore season, we were blown away. The leap that DeBusk made was the first thing that jumped off the screen. As a freshman, DeBusk looked like a natural out there and was reading and reacting. This season, the Jones standout still has those same gifts but his on-field IQ has gone up, making him more dangerous at the linebacker position. DeBusk is your prototypical middle linebacker at the next level. He's a hard hitter and we like the size that he plays with. It's crazy to think that he still has two more years of high school. We're not sure what the tackle record is at Jones but DeBusk will threaten it fairly soon. In addition to his size and strength, it also looks like DeBusk has improved his quickness and can get from Point A to Point B in a hurry. The film was impressive and DeBusk is certainly going to be a linebacker to watch in the state's 2026 class. In the last decade, the Longhorns have been known for studs on offense but they have a defensive star with DeBusk. Moving forward, there isn't much to critique. We just can't wait to see what kind of improvement the Jones linebacker has from 2023 to 2024 when this fall rolls around.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["587295"],"_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":"u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnu003cemu003eu003cstrongu003eFilm Watched - u003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17712145/654fbd6f64ea2a0c180a6d66u0022u003eCLICK HEREu003c/au003eu003c/strongu003eu003c/emu003ernrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ernrnEach week, there's usually one athlete's film that ends up being our favorite to watch. It's hard not to give the nod to McLoud 2026 standout [player_tooltip player_id='587295' first='Zaylun' last='Matlock'] this week. We put on the film and immediately we saw SPEED. Matlock appeared to be faster than everyone on the field in every single clip. So needless to say, there were a lot of big plays from the McLoud standout. And similar to Carter at Blanchard, Matlock had a great ability to impact the game in all three phases. On offense, Matlock was a standout wide receiver and he turned around and was a lockdown corner on defense. Matlock would also make plays as a kick returner. As a wide receiver, there were quite a few plays were Matlock would take a simple screen pass and with his ability in the open field, he turned a small play into a big play. The McLoud standout showcased a great ability to change direction without sacrificing that top-end speed. On defense, he used that overall quickness, speed and fluid hips to always be in a right position. It allowed him to keep his eyes in the backfield and then make a play. In addition to Matlock always seeming like the fastest player on the field, it also seemed like he was starting a play a second before it began because of his lightning quick get off. As Matlock continues to get stronger, he's going to explode this fall.rnrnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65b538fe0e1df"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->