Under the Radar Prospects Primed To Blow Up Soon

The months of January and February are vital to the recruiting cycle. This is the time of year where a massive amount of evaluation takes place for the incoming class (right now 2022) and the class in the near future (2023). The top prospects, or most developed to that point, have already seen their recruitments take off but this is the kind of year where most prospects see their recruitments grow exponentially.

Part of my job is to monitor not only recruits that Oklahoma State has offered but also ones they may offer/evaluate in the future. I have a list of six prospects, in ‘22-‘24, some of which have most likely crossed the board in the West End Zone, but I will hit on them regardless.

Landon Samson

2022 - Wide Receiver - 6’1 - 185 - Soutlake Carroll HS

Southlake Carroll is always a goldmine of division one talent and their 2022 class might be the best of them. They are home to the nation’s No. 1 2022 prospect Quinn Ewers and national 2022 prospect and Oklahoma State offer, Avyonne Jones. One of the lesser-known names but higher amounts of production on the team though has not really garnered much attention publicly. His name is Landon Samson. In his junior season, where he just finished as a state semifinalist, he was named the 2020 District 4-6A Offensive Player of the Year. He caught 74 passes for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has also reported a 4.40 forty-yard dash time. He holds three offers as of now. He actually picked up his first power 5 offer today, being Baylor. I was able to watch Samson in action this season during the playoffs, although his teammate and Minnesota signee, Brady Boyd, happened to be the one to go off that day with 200+ yards and 4 touchdowns.

Landon Samson Junior Season Highlights

RJ Maryland

2022 - Tight End - 6’4 - 210 - Southlake Carroll HS

The Southlake offense is really just unfair, when you throw RJ Maryland in the mix. This is a guy that on Jan. 25, had zero offers. Now, on Jan. 29, he holds nine offers, two being power 5, Kansas State and Miami. In this 2020 season, he caught 30 passes for 736 yards and 13 touchdowns. That is a whopping 24.5 yards per reception. Although he is listed as a tight-end, he can easily be a jumbo receiver type player. He is a mismatch against the secondary. No one can guard him, no one can tackle him, no one can catch him. He is dangerous. A massive skill in his game is that he is a willing blocker in the run game and he has shown good ability to stick with his blocks. He missed several weeks in the playoffs, which happened to be one of the weeks I was on hand to see the Dragons play. 

RJ Maryland Junior Season Highlights

Kyle Lofye

2022 - Offensive Line - 6’4 - 280 - Frisco Lone Star HS

Lone Star has always been known for producing skill players but Kyle Lofye (Low-fee) is a dominating offensive lineman that will get major college looks. He just picked up his first offer from Dartmouth. He is an overpowering body that has great hand placement and technique. I believe his future is at guard but he has some great film at tackle. He went head on with 5-star Texas signee Ja’Tavion Sanders and utterly dominated him. He is what you would describe as “country strong” and he plays with a level of nastiness that you love to see. He does not hold any offers yet but he has heard from SFA, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Colorado State and University of New Mexico. Someone close to him has told me “he wants to be a Big 12 lineman”.

Kyle Lofye Junior Season Highlights

Devin Turner

2022 - Defensive Back - 6’2 - 185 - Frisco Lone Star HS

If you read my work or see my Twitter, you know that Turner has been on my radar for a few weeks now. He is a lengthy and very physical body in the secondary. His size looks like it would translate to the safety position, but with his length, he could be valuable at cornerback against bigger receivers. In most of his film, he starts at the top of the play but quickly diagnoses plays and explodes to a spot. His football IQ speaks for itself. He has polished ball skills and is able to read where a ball is going before it goes there. He is a great open field tackler and shows a knack for physicality at the point of attack. He did not hold any offers until Jan. 26, when he picked up an offer from Arizona. He has also picked up Minnesota and Kansas over the past two days. 

Devin Turner Junior Season Highlights

David Stone

2024 - Defensive Line - 6’5 - 255 - Del City HS

Stone was only a freshman this year, but he has already proven he is a division one talent. He is physically enforcing on the line and bullies guys at the point of attack. He is a tackle for loss machine. He has shown some position versatility, playing both inside and out. From both spots, he has shown to have an impressive arsenal of pass rush moves, which is rare for a guy that is only 15 years old. He picked up his first three offers all today, Memphis, Iowa State, and Texas Tech.

David Stone Freshman Season Highlights

Isaiah Crawford

2023 - Outside Linebacker - 6’4 - 215 - Post HS

Crawford is an extremely lengthy outside linebacker/edge rusher prospect that is about to see his recruitment take off. He picked up his first power 5 offer today, his second offer overall. In his sophomore season, he accounted for 106 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He also had a pass deflection and two forced fumbles. His production will catch the eyes of many coaches, but his frame and his playstyle will help seal the deal for most. He is an extremely high energy and high effort guy. Landing his first power offer will certainly help him blow up. 

Isaiah Crawford Sophomore Season Highlights