Cushing Tigers OK 2026 Team Preview

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   It's the month of August and we're continuing our preview series! Throughout the month of July and now into August, we are publishing well over 100 of the most in-depth team previews that you'll find anywhere to get you completely ready for the 2026 football season. This is something that began for us at PRZ-Oklahoma in 2021 and it continues to get bigger and better every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state in every class. From defending champions, to the top contenders and plenty of dark horses and other teams to know, we'll have complete coverage every single day. There will be multiple previews dropping every single day! In this post, we take a look at the Cushing Tigers!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/vVtRarGERMI" type="link" id="https://youtu.be/vVtRarGERMI">- Cushing Video Preview With HC Rusty Morgan</a>   Cushing Tigers    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #3 In Class 4A   Head Coach: Rusty Morgan - 9th Season - 67-28 Record At Cushing   2025 RESULTS (11-2 Record - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals)   Aug. 29th - Beat Berryhill 24-23 Sept. 5th - Lost To Bristow 35-31 Sept. 12th - Beat Perkins-Tryon 38-12 Sept. 26th - Beat Skiatook 41-7 Oct. 3rd - Beat Grove 42-35 Oct. 10th - Beat Oologah 49-21 Oct. 16th - Beat Wagoner 35-14 Oct. 24th - Beat Miami 34-7 Oct. 31st - Beat Fort Gibson 35-31 Nov. 7th - Beat Catoosa 48-0 1st Round - Beat Hilldale 63-34 Quarterfinals - Beat Ardmore 49-43 Semifinals - Lost To Elgin 52-6   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 38.9 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 24.2 Points Per Game   The Cushing Tigers once again exceeded all expectations during the 2025 football season. They came into the year as a borderline top ten team in Class 4A and then they would go on to win a district championship and they were part of the final four in a top-heavy Class 4A. They opened the season with a non-district slate against 3A opponents and went 2-1 with wins over Berryhill and rival Perkins-Tryon but they lost to Bristow. However, that would be their only loss in the regular season. They went into a district that looked like it would be competitive from start to finish and it played out like that. They took care of business, including close wins over Grove and Fort Gibson. They also smashed district rival Wagoner and would cap off the regular season with a 9-1 record and a perfect 7-0 record in district play. The Tigers would go into the playoffs with plenty of momentum and their offense would also hit another gear in the first couple rounds. They opened the playoffs with a first round win over Hilldale, where they scored a season-high 63 points. They would face Ardmore in the quarterfinals and a shootout broke out, with the Tigers prevailing 49-43 to punch their ticket to the semifinals for the first time since they played for the 2022 state championship. That's where the season came to an end as they ran into Elgin and fell 52-6. The reality of the 2025 football season in Class 5A was that everyone besides Elgin and Tuttle were playing for third place at best. Those two were on a crash course for one another and they ultimately played for the title and Tuttle won. But after Cushing had back to back first round exits, the 11-2 record was a great bounceback season and the Tigers are hoping that it's a springboard into an even better 2026 campaign.    2026 OUTLOOK   Cushing comes into the 2026 season as a top five team in our 4A preseason rankings. They are knocking on the door of being the top team in this class but they'll have to prove it on the field. Cushing brings back half of their starters from last year's team but the offense has the potential to lead the way once again. Last season, their offense improved by 10 points per game and while we're not sure they can make that kind of jump again, we do believe that they could end up being better than last season, where they averaged nearly 40 points per game. The Tigers bring back seven starters from last year's team, including the majority of their offensive line and the majority of their production at the receiver position. A new quarterback will look to lead this squad but he's already shown a lot of promise in this offense. Defensively, the Tigers only bring back three starters from last year's team. So that's clearly a side where Cushing is going to be inexperienced and they'll lean on the offense to take care of business while those new faces get used to playing in new roles this season. As a whole, Cushing has the potential to be that contender for the 4A state championship this season but they are going to have to take care of business in the regular season, to set themselves up for a favorable run in the playoffs. The schedule looks nearly identical to last year as they'll play a non-district slate against the same 3A programs early on. The district schedule is also similar with the exception of one new opponent. It's been a few years since the Tigers contended for the state championship in 2022 but they have a team that could replicate that run and make the trip to Edmond in December.   KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Bryce Ward - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back (2025 All State Honorable Mention) Kellen Fry - Running Back/Linebacker (2025 All State 3rd Team Selection) Roman Tucker - Quarterback/Defensive Back (2025 All State 2nd Team Selection)   PLAYERS TO WATCH    2028 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='2182305' first='Erick' last='Garrido'] is a prospect that got on our radar back in May at our second Oklahoma showcase camp. We didn't know much about him coming into the event but he ended up being one of the better edge rushers in attendance. His number one attribute is his quickness off the edge and that was a problem for bigger offensive tackles. We mentioned earlier how the Cushing defense was going to be pretty inexperienced coming into this season. Garrido has the chance to be one of the breakout players on the defensive side of the ball for the Tigers. There is no doubt that he has put the work in and earned an opportunity this offseason.     Quarterback was going to be one of the bigger question marks heading into the 2026 season but they got their answer in the spring. 2029 signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='1704522' first='Gabe' last='Gurley'] moved into Cushing after spending his freshman year at Ada. Gurley looked really good this spring when we watched him with his new squad. He's a 2029 QB prospect that is already on the radar of college coaches but still has to go out and prove that he's that guy on Friday nights in the fall. He's in a good position to do just that when you look at what Cushing brings back in the skill departments. And based on the production Cushing quarterbacks have had in the last decade, Gurley could be that next guy.     2028 wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1837330' first='Gage' last='Sharp'] is one of those wide receivers that could make Gurley's job easier this fall. Last season was a breakout year for Sharp, as he emerged as one of the better two-way players on this Cushing squad, full of outstanding two-way players. As a sophomore, Sharp finished with 40 catches for nearly 700 yards and eight touchdowns. He also turned around and had over 80 tackles on the defensive side of the ball. Similar to Garrido, Sharp came out to our May showcase camp and he ended up being one of the top players at his position. He could end up being one of two 1,000-yard receivers in the Cushing offense this fall.    (2025 All State Honorable Mention)     2027 offensive and defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1831093' first='Justice' last='Elliott'] is an interesting player to watch for the Tigers this season. At this time last year, Elliott was more of a tight end and defensive end. Cushing needed him to move inside and become an offensive lineman to go along with D-Line duties and Elliott didn't blink. He had a solid season on both sides of the line of scrimmage during his junior season and now, he has a full year of experience going into 2026. When we got a chance to watch the Tigers back in the spring, Elliott was incredibly impressive during the offensive and defensive line work. Offensively, he'll be an anchor to the line and defensively, he'll be a terrific pass rusher to watch.     At this time last year, we were writing about 2028 wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1633137' first='Lane' last='Simpson'] being a potential breakout star for the Tigers in 2025. Well, he certainly lived up to that preseason hype and then some as he would go on to earn All State 3rd Team honors as a sophomore. Simpson finished with nearly 50 catches for just shy of 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. Simpson would then go on to be one of the top ball hawks in the state, finishing with eight interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. The production that Simpson had on both sides of the ball made him one of the best two-way players in the state, regardless of class. So now, as he heads towards his junior season, we're fired up to see what Simpson does for an encore.    (2025 All State 3rd Team Selection)    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1839113' first='Drew' last='Wood'] - 2028 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1837325' first='Hunter' last='Joiner'] - 2027 Linebacker Isaac Delong - 2029 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1831098' first='Logan' last='Ford'] - 2027 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1719590' first='Max' last='Hoover'] - 2027 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1831099' first='Nathan' last='Mojica'] - 2029 Running Back/Linebacker Saylor Rackley - 2029 Tight End/Linebacker   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 28th - Berryhill - Cushing will open the season against Berryhill for the third consecutive season and it's also the 13th consecutive year that these two teams have met in non-district play. It's been a relatively even series since they started meeting in 2014, with Cushing holding a 7-5 record but they have also won six straight, including last year's 24-23 win.  Sept. 4th - Bristow - Cushing will host Bristow in week one and this is a series that the Tigers have played consistently, whether it has been in district play or non-district play. And there's no doubt that this will be a game that the Tigers have circled on the calendar. They lost 35-31 to the Pirates last season and it snapped a five-game winning streak in the series.  Sept. 11th - AT Perkins-Tryon - Cushing goes on the road for the first time in 2026 with the annual rivalry game against Perkins-Tryon in week two. That game will wrap up non-district play and the Tigers will look to continue momentum in this series. The Tigers beat the Demons 38-12 last season and it was their second straight win and the fifth win in the last six meetings with Perkins-Tryon. Sept. 25th - AT Skiatook - District play opens up for the Tigers after a week off with another road game against Skiatook in week four. The expectation is that the Bulldogs will be much improved this season but Cushing has also dominated this series since they started playing in district play in 2022. They've won all four meetings and each win has been 30-plus points. Oct. 2nd - Miami - Cushing returns home to play Miami and with the way the schedule lays out, this will be their first home game in nearly a month. This is another district series that began in 2022 and the Tigers have had the edge. They are 3-1 in the last four meetings, including last year's dominant 34-7 victory over the Wardogs, who will have a first year head coach this fall.  Oct. 9th - AT Oologah - Cushing goes back on the road in week six to kick off the second half of the regular season with a road game against Oologah. The Tigers have taken care of business in this series since the two teams began playing in district play in 2022. They are 4-0 in the series, including last year's 49-21 victory over the Mustangs. It was another 20-plus point win in the series. Oct. 15th - Cleveland - On a Fall Break Thursday night, it will be a battle of the Tigers as Cushing hosts Cleveland in week seven. Cleveland is back on the schedule as they've bumped back up to Class 4A and it's the first meeting since these two were district opponents in 2022 and 2023. Cushing won both of those meetings by 50-plus points and have won five of the last six in the series. Oct. 23rd - AT Grove - In week eight, Cushing begins a three-game stretch that could make or break their district championship hopes. They'll travel to Grove in week eight to face the Ridgerunners for the third straight year. Grove beat Cushing by a touchdown in their 2024 meeting but Cushing bounced back last season and knocked off the Ridgerunners 52-35. Oct. 30th - Fort Gibson - Cushing returns home for the final two games of the regular season and it starts with Fort Gibson in week nine. Based on all preseason thoughts, this game could end up deciding the district championship. Cushing has won the last two meetings but last year's contest was much more competitive with Cushing escaping with a 35-31 victory.  Nov. 6th - Wagoner - The regular season comes to a close in week ten with a home game against district rival Wagoner. Cushing took care of business last year, beating the Bulldogs 35-14 for just their second win in the last six meetings. Wagoner brings back a lot of their starters from last year's team and they are hungry to get back to the top of this district.    NOTABLE   Class 4A has been dominated and headlined by programs like Tuttle and Wagoner since the turn of the decade. But it's time to start including Cushing in that conversation as one of the elite programs in 4A this decade. Head coach Rusty Morgan is getting ready for his ninth season as head coach of the Tigers. They struggled in his first two seasons but there haven't been many struggles ever since. Cushing went 8-14 in his first two seasons as head coach. But in the last six years, Cushing has gone 57-16 and that is one of the best records in Class 4A during that timespan. There have been two semifinal appearances and the 2022 Runner Up finish. And as they start looking ahead to the 2026 season, there is reason to believe that the Tigers will be right there in the conversation to contend for the 4A state title. The door could be open for Cushing to make a run to Edmond. The top two teams in the 4A preseason rankings are Broken Bow and Tuttle. If they both win their districts, they'll be on the same side of the bracket. If Cushing takes care of business in the regular season and wins the district, they will actually be in a favorable position to go on a run to the state championship game.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 11-2 - Lost In Class 4A Semifinals 2024 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round 2023 - 8-3 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round 2022 - 13-1 - Class 4A Runner Ups 2021 - 9-2 - Lost In Class 4A 1st Round   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   2 State Championships   1961 - Beat Harding 15-14 1958 - Beat Ada 9-7

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