By Clay Horning
The Norman Transcript
NORMAN — Wednesday is the day most high school student athletes’ dreams will begin to feel much more real.
It will be some time before they put their first college uniform on or even move away from home. Still, that does nothing to subtract from what’s come to be known as national signing day.
Some area athletes have already signed in early signing periods or with non-Division I NCAA programs that have different rules about when a scholarship agreement may first be entered into, but Wednesday is still a busy and big day.
Over the previous week, The Transcript has enlisted the help of coaches, athletic directors and coordinators,
principals and anybody else who might answer the phone at any of its 11 area high schools — Norman High, Norman North, Community Christian School, Moore, Westmoore, Southmoore, Noble, Little Axe, Purcell, Lexington, Washington — to put together a list of expected signees, expected-yet-still-undecided signees, athletes who have already signed and even walk-ons who will not be signing but have the understanding they will soon become collegiate student athletes.
It would appear to be a banner year.
In all, The Transcript’s list includes 45 high school athletes expected to sign with particular schools on Wednesday, 17 more who may sign Wednesday, but are believed to be undecided with their choice, 19 more who have already signed letters of intent and four who are planning to walk on to collegiate athletic programs.
A few headliners stand out.
D.J. Ward, a Southmoore defensive end, is considered the state’s top football prospect and has been a long-term verbal commitment to Oklahoma.
Jordan Evans, the Norman North linebacker and return specialist, who led the Timberwolves to the Class 6A state title game, hasn’t been a Sooner commit as long as Ward, but verbally accepted his scholarship invitation following North’s state semifinal victory over Owasso.
Other prospects staying in-state to play FBS (previously Division I) football include Norman High’s Zac Uhles and North’s Redford Jones, both expected to sign with Tulsa.
In Southmoore’s Jackson Stallings, expected to sign with Yale, there is one future Ivy Leaguer.
Other Division I prospects include North’s Trent Laffoon, headed to Oral Roberts to play soccer, as well as two of his teammates, Ashton Bray and Curtis McCrae, headed to Central Arkansas.
Four area athletes have already signed Division I letters: NHS Bethany Cox is going to Lamar to play basketball; Southmoore’s Tre Edwards is going to Arkansas to play baseball; Southmoore’s Kayla Tucker is headed to Alabama State to play basketball; and Little Axe’s Andee Frazier, after pitching the Indians to three straight state championships, is headed to Missouri-Kansas City, to play softball.
Many more will fill football and volleyball and softball and wrestling and golf and track and field rosters below the Division I level, within the state and beyond.
Transcript Sports Writers Corbin Hosler and Michael Kinney contributed reporting to this story.
THE LIST
National signing day, the day most high school student athletes agree to scholarship agreements to play college sports, is Wednesday. More than 70 area athletes from 11 Transcript area high schools are expected to sign or have already signed on to become collegiate student athletes, and still more may have options on Wednesday. The following list may not include every future collegiate athlete in the area, but with the help of area coaches, athletic directors, principals and school secretaries, three days before the big day, The Transcript has compiled a list that may not be completely exhaustive, but is likely very close.
NORMAN HIGH
Expected to sign Wednesday
Zac Uhles, football, Tulsa
Imond Robinson, football, Arkansas Tech
Mackenzie Wahpepah-Harris, track and field, Oklahoma City University
Haley Gee, track and field, St. Gregory’s
Already signed
Bethany Cox, basketball, Lamar
Summer Leitka, softball, Northern State
NORMAN NORTH
Expected to sign Wednesday
Jordan Evans, football, Oklahoma
Redford Jones, football, Tulsa
Jake Higginbotham, football, Central Oklahoma
Jaxon Uhles, football, Pitsburg (Kan.) State
Evan Cols, football, East Central
Beau Proctor, football, Northeastern Oklahoma
Lavonte Doxey, football, Northwestern Oklahoma
Trent Laffoon, soccer, Oral Roberts
Ashton Bray, soccer, Central Arkansas
Curtis McCrae, soccer, Central Arkansas
Katelyn Dollard, softball, Southwestern Christian
Morgan Wardlow, softball, Seminole State
CCS
Expected to sign Wednesday
Andrew McClung, football, Southern Nazarene
Ellen Deal, volleyball, Oklahoma Baptist
Already signed
Nikki Davidson, softball, Oklahoma Christian
MOORE
Expected to sign Wednesday
Kylie Gaither, softball, Southwest Christian
Tianna Gutierrez, softball, Bacone College
Hannah Lynch, softball, Hendrix (Ark.) College
Jazmine White, softball, Northern Oklahoma
Taylor Gretman, golf, St. Gregory’s
Victoria Freeman, volleyball, Oklahoma Baptist
Derek Sivertsen, wrestling, Oklahoma Christian
Kenady Maynard, soccer, Mid-America Christian
Cindy Ramos, soccer, Southwestern Oklahoma State
WESTMOORE
Expected to sign Wednesday
Josh Morgan, football, East Central
Zack Clark, football, Oklahoma Baptist
Jerritt Moore, football, Northeastern Oklahoma
Maddi Dobbs, soccer, Northeastern State
Alexander Svetgoff, baseball, Northwestern Oklahoma
Cameron Knight, baseball, Butler (Kan.) CC
SOUTHMOORE
Expected to sign Wednesday
D.J. Ward, football, Oklahoma
Jackson Stallings, football, Yale
Terrance Bonner, football, East Central
Cody Earp, football, Colorado State-Pueblo
Johnathan Martin, football, Southern Nazarene
Karltrell Henderson, football, Southwestern Oklahoma State
Alyssa Glitzke, soccer, Southern Nazarene
Kenzie Bice, soccer, Oklahoma Baptist
Bobby Pierce, baseball, Ft. Scott (Kan.) CC
Braeden Bradshaw, softball, Seminole State
Already signed
Tre Edwards, baseball, Arkansas
Kayla Tucker, basketball, Alabama State
Cassidy Herbster, golf, Southern Nazarene Univeristy
NOBLE
Already signed
J.E. Bailey, wrestling, Oklahoma City University
Bailey Ames, softball, University of the Ozarks
Paige Williams, softball, Ottawa (Kan.) University
Taylor Kelly, softball, Seminole State
LITTLE AXE
Already signed
Andee Frazier, softball, Missouri-Kansas City
Sammy Leisinger, softball, Oklahoma Baptist
Reagan McDoulett, softball, St. Gregory’s
PURCELL
Already signed
McKenna Eubank, softball, USAO
Kaylin Taylor, softball, USAO
Jazmine Koerner, softball, Southwestern Christian
WASHINGTON
Already signed
Taylor Howard, softball, Mid-America Christian
Jacie Stephens, softball, Emporia (Kan.) State
Tiffany Winchester, softball, Northern Oklahoma
LEXINGTON
Expected to sign Wednesday
Dalton Duke, football, Northwestern Oklahoma
Colton Langford, football, Northwestern Oklahoma
Already signed
Tia Parker, softball, Neosho (Mo.) College
UNDECIDED
May sign Wednesday
Blake Dean, Norman High, football
Michael Beard, Norman High, football
Ayo Oyesanyo, Norman High, football
Aerion Hines, Norman High, football
D.J. Hicks, Norman North, football
Corbin Cleveland, Norman North, football
Jack Davis, Norman North, football
Justin Martin, Norman North, football
Bryan Payne, Norman North, football
James West, Westmoore, football
Addison Staggs, Westmoore, football
James West, Westmoore, football
John Finn, Westmoore, football
Chris Ong, Westmoore, soccer
Nick Ward, Southmoore, football
Dapree Carson, Southmoore, football
Jack Spradling, Southmoore, football
Expected walk-ons
Nick Hardaway, Westmoore, football, Oklahoma
Alex Borgerding, CCS, football, Oklahoma
Nate White, football, CCS, Central Oklahoma
Cannon Coy, football, CCS, Central Oklahoma
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