Cowboy Running Back Commit Jaden Nixon Explodes In Three Touchdown Performance; Talks Future At Oklahoma State
I am going to be completely honest when I say 'Friday Night Lights' in Texas is one of the best brands of football there is to offer.
No disrespect to Oklahoma high school football, because there are certainly some great matchups, Stillwater vs. Bixby being No. 1, but in Texas, those matchups occur on a weekly basis.
This past week, I travelled down to my old stomping grounds of North Texas to watch No. 6 ranked 5A-2 Frisco Lone Star Rangers take on the No. 2 5A-1 Aledo Bearcats.
Lone Star is home to Oklahoma State running back commit Jaden Nixon and quarterback offer Garret Rangel. On the Aledo roster, you will see LSU commits JoJo Earle and Bryan Allen Jr as well as some very talented underclassmen who will be playing power five football in a few years.
Jaden Nixon (5) and Garret Rangel (13)
Aledo is the reigning state champions while Lone Star is a yearly state title contender in one of the most competitive leagues in the country. So on par with the matchup, the game was a back and forth chess match driven by the division one prospects on each side. Aledo would 34-32 as it came down to the wire but Jaden Nixon had one of the best games you'll see from a running back in that league this year.
In the game, he scored three touchdowns, all rushing, but in very different fashions.
The first touchdown was a rushing touchdown, taken out of the wildcat formation, as he sped to the edge and dove over his own teammate, hitting the pylon with the ball. The score was able to take the lead over the Bearcats in the second quarter.
The second touchdown came on a 50 yard run, as he sidestepped, juked, jumped, and outran the Aledo defenders. This play showed nearly every one of Jaden's skills he brings to the field. He showed vision, agility, balance, strength, and speed, which is exactly what the Oklahoma State staff is asking him to bring when he arrives on campus next year.
The third touchdown, to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, was a 2-yard rushing touchdown that seemed rather easy for Nixon.
Nixon and the Rangers took the loss in the nail biter but I was able to catch up with him after the game to talk about his night and his future with the Cowboys.
The first thing he said in the interview was, "I couldn't have done it without my offensive line." This simple line just shows where his head is at and what kind of person Jaden is. He is for others first and then himself.
After watching Jaden exhibit multiple skills throughout the game, I asked him what he thought his best skills were and how he goes about playing the game.
"I just play wherever they want me to play honestly and just go out and ball no matter what position I am whether its returning," said Nixon. "If I have a chance to return it, Im gonna take it all the way, I'll go out and catch balls, I'll run the ball, wherever they want me, I'm gonna play my best to just help the team win."
Jaden told me the Oklahoma State coaches and staff all reach out to him quite often to show support and show love. "I'm truly blessed to be a part of the Oklahoma State family and I can't wait to get there."
I also talked to Jaden about, what was in my opinion, the best play of the game, which was his 50 yard touchdown run. Although it wasn't the actual run that was my favorite... it was the celebration.
As Jaden came running down the sideline to celebrate the score with his teammates, he broke out the 'cabbage patch' celebration, just as Thurman Thomas used to do and LD Brown broke out in the game celebrating Thomas.
I asked Jaden if he knew going into the game that he was going to use that celebration and he told me that he was actually at the game last weekend when Thurman Thomas was put into the new 'Ring of Honor'.
"I was actually at that game, so I was like "yeah.. yeah, I'm gonna hit that for sure."
Jaden Nixon celebrating with the 'Cabbage Patch' dance
Jaden has some time before he gets to Stillwater and he says he is certainly excited but he is trying to keep his priorities on his team right now and the larger goals they have in mind.
Lone Star will have no problem winning their district, where they will begin to make a run at a state title. There are some very talented and proven teams at the 5A-2 level but if Nixon can keep playing at the level he is, he is going to give his team a chance to go all the way.
It is weird for me cheering for him and the Lone Star team as it actually my highschool's, Frisco Wakeland, arch rival, being just one mile down the road. It also happens to be where my girlfriend graduated from so I had ties to Lone Star before Jaden ever committed. I used to hate Lone Star but now, I hope when he walks into the West Endzone in Stillwater for the first time as a player, he does so with a state championship ring on his finger.