Oklahoma Middle School Combine – Defensive Spotlight

<!-- 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 Prep Redzone Next Middle School Combine series continued this weekend in Oklahoma and middle school standouts brought it on Saturday. We had some outstanding talent all across the state of Oklahoma and even some of the surrounding states. We have a ton of coverage from the event dropping on Prep Redzone Next! In this post, we're putting the spotlight on the defensive side of the ball. While the defensive line position wasn't as deep, we saw some great competition from the linebackers and defensive backs and we're breaking them down here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1167272' first='Cimone' last='Smitherman'] - 2028 Linebacker - Bixby</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bixby 2028 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1167272' first='Cimone' last='Smitherman'] was right there at the top of the list in terms of top performers this weekend. Smitherman was one of the more physically impressive prospects in attendance and it was a close race between him and the eventual winner of MVP at the linebacker position. Smitherman has a lot of what you're looking for from an athletic linebacker. And we know firsthand how good Bixby has been at producing talented players at the linebacker position. With Smitherman going into high school this fall, it won't be surprising to see him earn playing time sooner rather than later. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1167273' first='Elijah' last='Smitherman'] - 2028 Defensive Back - Bixby</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second Smitherman from Bixby to once again show up at a PRZ-Next camp was [player_tooltip player_id='1167273' first='Elijah' last='Smitherman'] at the defensive back position. And just like Cimone, Elijah was a standout at his position. We first watched Elijah back in January at our first PRZ-Next camp this year. And just like on that day, Elijah was one of a few campers that were wanting to work only on the defensive side of the ball. And Elijah did a great job throughout the morning and afternoon. He wasn't the biggest camper in attendance but he has a lot of the tools and skills to make him a cornerback to know moving forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1164619' first='Jackson' last='Miller'] - 2028 Linebacker - Deer Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the second straight camp, Deer Creek had a solid showing at various positions. And for the second straight camp, 2028 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1164619' first='Jackson' last='Miller'] performed well and there's a lot about his game that is promising moving forward. He was in that group with Smitherman and the other linebackers that showed a lot of potential as he heads into the high school level. Miller moves well already and as he continues to grow and mature physically, we think he has potential to be one of the more productive linebackers for the Antlers. Deer Creek is in a new era now, playing in the state's largest class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1164626' first='Jonathan' last='McCorvey'] - 2028 Defensive Back - Mustang</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final defensive standout is Mustang 2028 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1164626' first='Jonathan' last='McCorvey'] and for the second straight camp, McCorvey ended up shining on the defensive side of the ball. At our camp in January, McCorvey ended up walking away with the MVP award for the defensive backs. This time around, he was right there at the top of the list at that position but the competition was deep on Saturday. We like McCorvey's game and a lot of what stood out back in January stood out again this weekend. Mustang is not lacking young talent and McCorvey could be one of the better guys in their 2028 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->