Pair of Cowboys Signees and Several Offers Make Oklahoman All-State First-Team

STILLWATER – The Oklahoman in Friday’s print edition announced the first-team of the paper’s 108^th edition of their All-State football team. The rest of the honors, including second-team, honorable mention, and local All-Big City and All-Little City teams will come out on Sunday, Feb. 14. With Oklahoma State having signed a high number of in-state recruits with seven new Cowboys from within Oklahoma’s borders you would expect virtually all of those names to appear on the Oklahoman All-State team. This is the case that again proves that high school honors and accomplishments are not always the predictors of recruiting interest and college potential. 

Pokes Report

Aden Kelley is an All-Stater and All-American for certain and a future college star in my opinion.

There are two Oklahoma State signees on the All-State team from The Oklahoman. Jenks offensive tackle Logan Nobles was there. Nobles is a huge lineman that had a strong season for the Class 6A-Division I Champion in Jenks.  The other signee on the team is Thomas’ Aden Kelley. Kelley was a national All-American as a defensive tackle. The Oklahoman had the 6-3, 285-pound Kelley on their offensive line. That is okay, but he will play defense in college and was a wrecking ball for offensives in high school. 

Frankly, I thought The Oklahoman did a good job on their selections for their team. Bishop McGuinness quarterback Luke Tarman deserved the honor and Oklahoma State has offered him as a preferred walk-on. He would be a great addition. Super Bixby junior Braylin Presley was on there and Oklahoma State and much of the recruiting world offered him after his electric performance on ESPN against Tulsa Washington. Choctaw defensive end Desean Brown was on the team and he is very deserving and has an Oklahoma State scholarship offer. 

Stillwater’s own sensational running back Qwontrel Walker was on it as well. 

OU was represented with Choctaw defensive back Jordan Mukes and 2022 wide receiver commitment Talyn Shettron of Edmond Santa Fe. 

Now as for the Oklahoma State signees not on the team, all but Santa Fe linebacker and defensive end Collin Oliver have an excuse. Oliver should have been on this team as he was as strong force for the Wolves run at the state championship game. 

Here is out thoughts on the others:

Jaden Bray, WR, Norman - Bray’s statistics were down dramatically because the quarterback play at Norman was different. The Tigers no longer had a strong thrower and the offense was geared more toward running the football. Bray’s abilities at 6-3, 190-pounds and explosive athletically haven’t changed. 

Marshall Levenson

Makale Smith had a strong season playing both ways.

Makale Smith, DB, Midwest City - Smith played both ways and posted good numbers, even had a kickoff return for a touchdown. He may have split himself too much to get that kind of notoriety to make the team but he was productive.

Donovan Stephens, Saf., Del City - Stephens moved positions to a kind of, rover or nickel in the Del City secondary. It kept him from being really noticed enough and Del City, while making the playoffs, where not as good as expected. 

Ty Williams, Saf., Muskogee - The Roughers dealt with more injuries than coach Rafe Watkins said he had ever seen in coaching. That included Williams, who had 14 interceptions over the previous two seasons, as he played in only one game all season because of a hamstring issue.  

I’ve always said recruiting is all about the future, the potential of an athlete to have success at the college level. All-State teams are about the success that an athlete has had at the high school level and one really doesn’t impact the other although an athlete certainly can have both.