We’ve said this a few times in the last twelve months but we’ll keep at it as long as it’s still true. East Central running back Larontae Clayton Larontae Clayton 6'1" | 205 lbs | RB East Central | 2024 State OK is one of the more underrated playmakers in the state’s 2024 class. Clayton first got on our radar around this time last year and he’s been there ever since. We’ve watched Clayton on film quite a bit but last month was the first chance to see him in person and really spin in the open field. He’s an incredibly strong runner with speed and acceleration. He checks a lot of the boxes for us and there’s no real reason why more schools shouldn’t be on him in recruiting. He definitely belongs among the state’s best at the position. He checked all the boxes on film and then backed it up when we got a chance to see him in person at the Rejoice team camp. Clayton is nearly impossible to bring down in a 1 on 1 situation and the combination of strength and speed seems like it’s only continuing to improve. He’s definitely one of the more underrated offensive weapons in the 2024 class coming into this fall.

We’ve written about East Central 2024 running back Larontae Clayton Larontae Clayton 6'1" | 205 lbs | RB East Central | 2024 State OK a few times over the past year after watching his film last spring. But Tuesday was our first chance to see Clayton in person and he performed incredibly well. It looks like East Central is going to be somewhat raw up front on the line of scrimmage and there were a few times where Clayton had to make something happen out of the backfield. But we saw in person what we’ve seen on film in the past. Clayton does a really good job of absorbing contact and not just going down on the first hit. He’s an explosive runner and when he does get into the open field, he has the ability to turn a small play into a touchdown in the blink of an eye. We’ve mentioned that Clayton is underrated as a playmaker in the Tulsa area and that remains the case.

East Central running back Larontae Clayton Larontae Clayton 6'1" | 205 lbs | RB East Central | 2024 State OK continues to be one of the more underrated prospects in the state’s 2024 class. Clayton had another strong season in 2022 despite East Central struggling on the scoreboard. Clayton is a very strong runner that has good size and the speed and quickness is very impressive to watch. The first step is very quick and there are a lot of times when East Central was in a pistol formation, it felt like Clayton was going to get the snap from the center despite being lined up behind the quarterback who was snapping it. That’s how quick those first few steps are. Another impressive part of Clayton’s game is his ability to absorb contact and either go through a defender or fall forward for a few extra yards. Throughout the film we watched, we didn’t see many occasions when Clayton was stopped and pushed backwards. It was always forwards for a few more yards.

East Central standout junior Larontae Clayton Larontae Clayton 6'1" | 205 lbs | RB East Central | 2024 State OK is another example of a prospect that could end up playing a few different positions. After watching his junior film, we were convinced he was a running back prospect. But after watching some film from him this season, he’s starting to show out a little bit as a linebacker. But until we see a little more production on that side of the ball, we’re keeping Clayton here at running back. Regardless of his position, Clayton is a 2024 prospect that is flying under the radar and should be getting more attention moving forward. As a running back, Clayton is a straight-forward runner and doesn’t do a lot of dancing in the backfield, running over 20 yards just to gain a couple. Clayton explodes through the line of scrimmage and is a tall and physical runner with the ball in his hands.