Pokes Offer Under The Radar Tail Back Out Of The Lone Star State
The coronavirus may be limiting face to face recruiting right now but it is slowing down the Oklahoma State recruiting staff from finding talent around the country.
The staff extended an offer to 2021 Frisco Lone Star High School running back Jaden Nixon late Wednesday night. Nixon is not yet ranked by most major recruiting sites although he does hold 15 offers, Oklahoma State being his highest-profile offer out of the group.
Nixon at 5’10” 170 pounds is a slashing style tailback that is very quick on his feet and lethal once in the open field. Most of Nixon’s carries are outside of the tackles so that he can utilize his speed and shiftiness but when he does go between the tackles, he does so with ultimate efficiency. Yards after contact are a frequency currency for Nixon.
His best tool on the field is certainly his speed, self-reporting a 4.37 40 yard dash and 10.6 100 meter dash, both of which are blazing times for any level.
Although Nixon was the primary ball carrier for the Rangers, he was not the leading offensive playmaker. His reps were limited due to Lone Star having the state of Texas’ all-time leading high school receiver, Oklahoma signee Marvin Mims garnering most of the attention.
Nixon was only handed the ball 90 times his junior season but did the absolute most with it. He totaled 821 rushing yards, good for 9 yards a rush, a truly remarkable number, even in high school. He had 14 touchdowns on the ground to go with this, meaning he scored every 6.4 touches, a level of efficiency not found often.
Nixon was also used in the passing game himself at times, catching 18 passes for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was primarily used in the screen game but ran downfield at times too, showing his versatility from the backfield, a much-needed skill in today’s style of football.
Lone Star has a championship pedigree, contending for a Texas 5A state championship seemingly every year. Nixon will likely be the biggest piece for them on offense as they try to reach AT&T Stadium in Dallas once again.
With Nixon in line to receive more touches, his already impressive numbers will most likely skyrocket. I expect him to post some of the best numbers in the state for his position during his senior season.
Running Back is a position of need for the 2021 class and Oklahoma State running back coach John Wozniak is finding the best talent in the country. Jaden Nixon is a player who fits that mold.
“Well honestly I was shocked and surprised.”, Nixon told me just after he received his offer. “Since today was April first I thought it was a joke but at the same time, I was hype. Not something everyone gets so it’s truly a blessing. Coach Wozniak just called me up and let me know after what the deal was. Definitely can’t thank him enough.”
Although Nixon won’t be able to visit campus for a couple of months, luckily for the coaching staff he has already visited before for a junior day event at the beginning of February. “It’s truly a beautiful campus, not too big and not too small. Everything’s convenient to get around to which is good in case I need to grab something. I’ve been a lot of times and every year it gets better and better. The facilities are definitely the best of the best.”
Nixon said he isn’t sweating anything as far his recruitment and that he is “just living day by day and looking into the opportunities that present themselves.”
I have a feeling Oklahoma State will be a major player for Nixon over the few months and throughout his recruitment. With his skill set and the need for his position, Oklahoma State will be after Nixon hard.