2025 Rankings: Top Ten Spotlight
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This week on Prep Redzone Oklahoma, we’re continuing our ranking update with a spotlight on some of the top 2025 prospects in the state. On Monday, we released our updated 2025 rankings. Throughout this week, we’ll be breaking down different position groups and overall standouts in the state’s 2025 class. In this post, we’re putting the spotlight on the best of the best. This is the top ten spotlight and we’re looking at the top ten prospects in the state of Oklahoma according to our latest ranking update. Keep it locked in throughout the week for more breakdowns on 2025 prospects. And check back next Monday for our final prospect ranking update when we look at the 2024 class!
Taking over the top spot this time around is Washington tight end Nate Roberts Nate Roberts 6’4″ | 235 lbs | TE Washington | 2025 State OK but you can make the argument for any of the prospects in the top five and really even expand that out a bit. But Roberts is about as automatic as it gets and he’s shown that from last year on. As a sophomore, he led the team in receiving and caught what would be the game-winning touchdown in the state championship game. This season, Roberts is once again the team’s leading receiver and is an absolute nightmare for opponents when Washington gets into the red zone. Roberts is a very physical prospect that thrives with the ball in his hands. He committed to Notre Dame in the summer but reopened his recruitment this fall.
The first of several Carl Albert Titans on this breakdown so get ready. Athlete Trystan Haynes Trystan Haynes 6’2″ | 165 lbs | ATH Carl Albert | 2025 State OK absolutely exploded during the offseason as his sophomore film made the rounds and some of the top college programs in the country started extending him offers. Haynes might have the highest ceiling in the state’s 2025 class when you consider where he’s at right now and what he can be in a few years. On offense, Haynes is absolutely explosive in the passing game for Carl Albert. He can take a short screen pass the distance and he’s shown that a few times. Then you look at what he can do on defense and can’t help but be impressed. He’s probably a DB in the future but he is outstanding on both sides of the ball.
Highlights
Millwood wide receiver Jaden Nickens Jaden Nickens 6’4″ | WR Douglass | 2025 State OK is once again in the top five and when you’re talking about traditional wide receivers, he’s at the top of the list and this is an incredibly deep and talented class at that position. Nickens committed to OU back in August and that was just 14 months after earning his first D1 offer for football. The story of Nickens has been well documented with him starting as a basketball prospect before exploding in the last 12 months as one of the best wide receiver prospects in the country. Nickens is just scratching the surface on what he can be as a football player but it’s hard not to be incredibly impressed with what he’s able to do to come down with a catch when the ball is up in the air.
Wagoner head coach Dale Condict has had some very special players and prospects in the last two decades while he turned this program into a perennial powerhouse. But he believes Alex Shieldnight Alex Shieldnight 6’3″ | 230 lbs | DL Wagoner | 2025 State OK is the best prospect that his program has produced during that time. Shieldnight began as a linebacker and tight end and while he still plays some tight end, he’s mostly known for his devastating pass rush coming off the edge as a defensive end or an edge defender. We moved Shieldnight from LB to DL on this update because that’s where he’s projecting at this point for the next level. Shieldnight earned his spot on the PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year watchlist and has over ten sacks on the season.
June was the last time we did a ranking update for the 2025 class and it came out on the same day that OU quarterback commit Kevin Sperry Kevin Sperry 6’2″ | 190 lbs | QB Denton Guyer | 2025 TX moved to Oklahoma and enrolled at Carl Albert. We didn’t include Sperry in the last update but he debuts here at the #5 overall spot and the top quarterback in the class. Sperry has done nothing but impress us since taking over the QB1 job for the defending 5A champs. There’s no doubt that he has some serious talent all around him but he’s done some things this fall that you can’t help but be impressed by. He’s also coming off arguably the grittiest performance we’ve seen in person this year as he battled injuries to throw the game-winning touchdown against Guthrie on the road.
When we look at the top ten rankings this time around, Weatherford standout CJ Nickson CJ Nickson 6’6″ | ATH Weatherford | 2025 State OK is without a doubt the most intriguing prospect of the bunch. Because based on football alone, Nickson is right there with just about anyone in the class. The ceiling is incredibly high and he’s being recruited by some of the top college programs in the country. But, Nickson is also arguably the best basketball prospect in the state’s 2025 class and there is no doubt that he loves hoops and he also has next level opportunities on the hardwood. While we think that Nickson is a better football prospect, it won’t surprise us if he ends up playing college basketball. Either way, he is a very fun athlete to watch, no matter what sport he’s playing.
Highlights
We were told about Checotah standout Elijah Thomas Elijah Thomas 6’0″ | WR Checotah | 2025 State OK before his freshman season and how he had this kind of potential. And we’re talking about the potential to be a top ten overall prospect in a loaded class, one of the best playmakers in the state and a player that only continues to move up the rankings. Thomas joins Nickens on this breakdown as wide receiver commits to OU. He got on everyone’s radar this summer when he camped at OU and absolutely tore things up in Norman. This fall, he has Checotah as a team to keep an eye on with the playoffs around the corner. He’s also on the PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year watchlist along with Shieldnight from Wagoner because of his abilities in all three phases.
We can’t help but wonder what could have been this fall for Wynnewood and junior Caden Knighten Caden Knighten 6’1″ | 180 lbs | RB Pauls Valley | 2025 State OK at the running back position. Knighten was one of our finalists for PRZ-Oklahoma Player Of The Year last year after he had an absolutely monster season. He won a track state championship in the spring despite nagging injuries but those injuries caught up to him this fall. Knighten was hurt earlier in the year and will miss the majority of his junior season because of an injury. Already committed to Vanderbilt, Knighten had a monster sophomore season and then backed it up with a very strong offseason at various camps and 7v7 tournaments. He’s still the top running back in a very impressive 2025 class.
Highlights
Wide receiver Trey Washington Trey Washington 6’3″ | WR Carl Albert | 2025 State OK is the third Carl Albert Titan to make the top ten and it’s no secret that Carl Albert has an incredibly special 2025 class. Washington has been a 2025 prospect that we’ve liked from Carl Albert since his freshman season. He was the team’s leading receiver two years ago and has only continued to grow from there. We mentioned it a few times this offseason but the physical transformation from Washington has been notable as he’s filled out his 6’3 frame and looks much stronger. He’s once again one of Carl Albert’s leading receivers and last week in the win over Guthrie, he was their most reliable target in the passing game, making catch after catch in a massive 5A clash.
Rounding out the top ten this time around is Beggs standout Ryan Grayson Ryan Grayson 6’0″ | 160 lbs | DB Beggs | 2025 State OK at the DB position but he could also be considered under the ATH umbrella. There’s no other way to describe it, Grayson has been one of the best players in Oklahoma this season. From his dynamic abilities on the offensive side of the ball to his abilities as a ball hawk on defense and then throw in what he can do in the return game and you have a special player. Beggs has leaned on the junior standout to make play after play this season while some of their other top players deal with nagging injuries. Not only has Grayson answered the call but he’s done so and put up some of the best numbers we’ve seen from a two-way player this season.