Hoops Standouts Hitting The Gridiron Pt. 1

The 2022 football season is about to kick off across Oklahoma. Be sure to check out PrepRedzone.com/Oklahoma for all your Oklahoma high school football coverage. Here on Prep Hoops, we're taking a look at some of the best dual-sport athletes in Oklahoma. For some, they'll have brighter futures on the gridiron, for others, they'll shine brighter on the hardwood. This is part one of a five part series, breaking down some of the top dual-sport athletes in Oklahoma as we get closer to the start of the 2022 football season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1211249' first='Avrey' last='Payne'] - 2023 Guard - Marlow   On The Court: Early on in his high school career, it looked like Marlow. 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1211249' first='Avrey' last='Payne'] was primed to be one of the better basketball prospects when it came to small school standouts. While he's emerged as a better football prospect, Payne has still been a consistent presence on the basketball floor. Whether it was in the offseason or during the school ball year, Payne has impressed our team of writers over the last several seasons. But when it comes down to the next level, it looks like it'll be on the gridiron.   On The Gridiron: Payne helped lead the Outlaws to the Class 2A state championship in 2021. Marlow is now moving up to Class 3A and look to contend in the larger class immediately. Payne is going to be just one of a few starters that return from last year's title team. Payne became one of the top wide receivers in Class 2A and he used his big frame to become a playmaker in the Marlow offense. He made several big plays in the state championship game and continues to be a wide receiver prospect to watch in the '23 class.   [player_tooltip player_id='1031291' first='Bai' last='Jobe'] - 2023 Forward - Community Christian   On The Court: The Community Christian standout helped lead CCS all the way to the state championship game earlier this year. They fell short to Millwood as the Falcons escaped with a buzzer beater. But 2023 standout [player_tooltip player_id='1031291' first='Bai' last='Jobe'] was one of the best players on the floor. There's no doubt that his highest ceiling is in football. You can't get higher than his ceiling in football. But in basketball, Jobe is a dominating and freaky presence in the paint. If he stuck to basketball, he could eventually have D1 potential.   On The Gridiron: Jobe has only played about one and a half seasons of football but that was enough for him to earn his spot as the top overall prospect in the 2023 rankings for Oklahoma. Jobe is a freak athlete and you could tell while watching him play basketball that the athleticism would go hand in hand with his success in football. Jobe is a violent pass rusher who can also help out the offense as a tight end and he even participated in special teams by returning kicks. Jobe has committed to Michigan State for football.   [player_tooltip player_id='967377' first='Jacobe' last='Johnson'] - 2023 Guard - Mustang   On The Court: Arguably the top dual-sport athlete in Oklahoma's 2023 class is Mustang's [player_tooltip player_id='967377' first='Jacobe' last='Johnson']. In fact, you can just throw at that qualifier. He is the top dual-sport athlete in the class. He's been a top ten prospect in both basketball and football over the last three years. On the basketball court, Johnson is a legit scorer and defender at the guard position and has earned opportunities to play D1 basketball. While his future appears to be on the gridiron, we're curious to see if he graduates early or if he plays one more year with Mustang this winter.   On The Gridiron: Over the weekend, Johnson announced his commitment to play college football at Oklahoma. OU was one of the first schools to offer Johnson on the gridiron and that relationship has continued to grow. On the football field, Johnson is a playmaker on offense but he's a shutdown corner on defense and that's where he'll play at the next level. Johnson has routinely been a top ten prospect in every single ranking update in both sports. We just don't see that very often in Oklahoma.   [player_tooltip player_id='1495345' first='Lathan' last='Boone'] - 2023 Guard - Booker T Washington   On The Court: Booker T Washington was one of the best teams in the state last year and it was all because of their standout guards. They had arguably the best backcourt in the state and we're interested to see how they look moving forward as 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1495345' first='Lathan' last='Boone'] will be the lone returner. Boone became one of the top on-ball defenders in Class 6A last season and did a lot of the "dirty work" for the Hornets to have success. With another strong season this winter, Boone could see his recruitment pick up.   On The Gridiron: While Boone was one of the top role players in the state on the hardwood, Boone has been an absolute star on the gridiron. In our opinion, Boone is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the state's 2023 class. He has a legit canon of an arm and can also beat defenses with his legs but he's always been a pass-first quarterback. He's also helped by having some of the top pass catchers around him. Like on the court, Boone should see his recruitment pick up after a strong senior season.

The 2022 football season is about to kick off across Oklahoma. Be sure to check out PrepRedzone.com/Oklahoma for all your Oklahoma high school football coverage. Here on Prep Hoops, we're taking a look at some of the best dual-sport athletes in Oklahoma. For some, they'll have brighter futures on the gridiron, for others, they'll shine brighter on the hardwood. This is part one of a five part series, breaking down some of the top dual-sport athletes in Oklahoma as we get closer to the start of the 2022 football season.