2024 Comeback Player Of The Year – Caden Knighten

<!-- 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>Our postseason content has been in full swing all month long on Prep Redzone Oklahoma and we're not slowing down anytime soon! Today, we're putting the spotlight on this year's Comeback Player Of The Year. Unfortunately, injuries happen in football but it opens the door for a comeback story. And we had several players that missed most of, if not all of the 2023 season and they came back with a vengeance in 2024. But when it came down to it, there was no doubt who this year's winner was. If you asked us back in August who it would be, our answer would be Pauls Valley running back [player_tooltip player_id='353410' first='Caden' last='Knighten'] and after a healthy 2024 season, he backed up the hype as one of the top players in Oklahoma. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Knighten was a sophomore at Wynnewood, he was literally one of the best players in the state. We had him as one of the ten finalists for Player Of The Year following the 2022 season. In 2023, Knighten would see his junior season come to an end with a leg injury and after playing only a few games, not nearly at 100 percent, the Baylor signee would have to watch from the sidelines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 2024, not only did Knighten return to the field but he had new surroundings. In the offseason before his senior season, Knighten would move to Pauls Valley and instantly made the Panthers, a team with nearly ten starters back on both sides, a team to watch in Class 3A. Knighten backed up the preseason hype coming into the year and helped the Panthers make it back to the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall, Knighten would finish the season with a little over 1,800 yards on the ground and 26 touchdowns. But he was also a threat as a receiver and he finished the season with a little over 500 yards and six touchdowns receiving. Knighten was certainly right back to where he expected to be and that was as one of the most dynamic running backs in the state. We got a chance to see Knighten in person during the offseason and it seemed like only a matter of time before he reintroduced himself to the rest of the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knighten is already on campus in Waco, Texas as he prepares to start his college career as a Baylor Bear. He's been one of the top athletes in Oklahoma over the last several years. He was also a standout on the track. We're looking forward to what the future holds but he's the perfect definition of a comeback player after having to fight through some adversity during the 2023 season, he came back in a major way in 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->