2025 Rankings: Top Five Spotlight
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Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! On Monday, our ranking updates continued with the 2025 class. You can check out the Top 65 sophomores in Oklahoma RIGHT HERE. Throughout the week, we’ll take…
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On Monday, our ranking updates continued with the 2025 class. You can check out the Top 65 sophomores in Oklahoma RIGHT HERE. Throughout the week, we’ll take more of a look at the 2025 class with breakdowns on various prospects throughout the rankings. In this post, we’re taking a look at the best of the best in this class right now. These are the top five prospects in the state’s 2025 class. It’s headlined by a new number one overall prospect with Newcastle’s Carlsheon Young Carlsheon Young 6'5" | CG Midwest City | 2025 State #83 Nation OK and it also features a newcomer to the rankings with Nathan Hale’s breakout star big man Damario Adams Damario Adams 6'7" | PF Nathan Hale | 2025 State OK . Keep it locked in to Prep Hoops Oklahoma this week for more 2025 prospect breakdowns and throughout the rest of the month for more ranking updates!
In our last ranking update back in September, Newcastle guard Carlsheon Young Carlsheon Young 6’5″ | CG Midwest City | 2025 State #83 Nation OK was knocking on the door of taking over the top spot in the class. Fast forward to this latest update and Young has indeed landed in the top spot at number one. Young is a dynamic guard that continues to improve just about every part of his game. Young is one of the more efficient and dominant guards in the state this season. He does a great job of driving to the basket and finishing but he also continues to develop his shooting and becoming more and more dangerous as a scorer. And as we’ve seen multiple times so far this season, Young has the ability to be a game changer on the defensive end of the floor. Quick hands and size have made Young a problem for opposing guards so far this season. Young’s ceiling as a prospect feels like it keeps getting higher but we definitely want to see that growth continue this spring and summer. It could be a very busy six months for Young coming up.
Weatherford standout CJ Nickson CJ Nickson 6’6″ | SF Weatherford | 2025 State #309 Nation OK is such a unique prospect already because he doesn’t seem to have a “natural” position or role he fits in right now. But when you watch him play, you see one of the best basketball players in the state. You can definitely make the argument that he’s on the short list for any “Player Of The Year” debates in the state this season, regardless of class. Nickson’s athleticism is off the charts and that’s what is making him a unique prospect in two sports. While he’s one of the best players in the state on the basketball floor, he’s also becoming one of the top football prospects in the state. His recruitment has exploded in football but that doesn’t take away from what he’s been able to do on the court. At the high school level, Nickson is an absolute beast in the paint but he’s also continued to show improvement in his game outside of the paint with his jumper. Another aspect of Nickson’s game we love is his performances in some of the biggest games.
Millwood standout Jaden Nickens Jaden Nickens 6’3″ | CG Douglass | 2025 State OK finds himself in the same discussion as Nickson at Weatherford. Like Nickson, Nickens first emerged in Oklahoma as one of the top basketball prospects in the state. Before his freshman season began, he already had several D1 offers in basketball. However, nine months ago, Nickens joined the Millwood football team and in about six months, he became not only one of the top football prospects in the state, but he’s emerged as a true national prospect on the gridiron at wide receiver. But on the basketball court, Nickens is still one of the more dynamic athletes in the class. We’ve gotten a chance to see Nickens in person a few times over the last two months on the court. It’s hard not to be impressed with the raw athleticism that Nickens has. The Millwood standout is more than just an outstanding athlete and he’s showed that in plenty games this season. But right now, it’s hard to see him having a higher ceiling in basketball than football strictly as a prospect.
After having his freshman season hampered with because of injuries, Nathan Hale big man Damario Adams Damario Adams 6’7″ | PF Nathan Hale | 2025 State OK was hungry to not only get on the court but he wanted to dominate. Adams has been that guy on both sides of the floor for the Rangers, who are having one of the best seasons in recent memory. Adams is a very special talent on the defensive side of the floor. He is a dominant player in the paint but he’s also shown the ability to step outside of the paint and shut down guards with his long wingspan and quickness. Then you flip the floor and look at Adams on the offensive end of the floor and there’s a lot to like there. He can shoot the ball but because he’s a big man, and because the Rangers have some very capable guards around him, he spends the majority of the time in the paint. Adams is a prospect that has a very high ceiling as he continues to develop. It’s not a bold statement to say he’s one of the biggest breakout prospects this season in Oklahoma.
Right behind Adams is Putnam City West’s Kaidon Rayfield Kaidon Rayfield 6’8″ | PF Putnam City West | 2025 State #122 Nation OK and there isn’t much that separates the two big men at this point in the process. Rayfield moved over to PC West from rival PC North in the offseason and became an immediate contributor for the Patriots earlier this season. The Patriots took their lumps in the first half of the regular season when they played a true national schedule against top out of state competition. Despite playing a tough schedule, Rayfield was one of PC West’s top standouts and played very consistent basketball. Rayfield is a big man that certainly has caught plenty of attention this season for his abilities on the defensive end of the floor. Rayfield is a double-double machine and the Patriots are definitely a dangerous team in the Class 6A state championship picture as we get closer to the playoffs opening up. Rayfield’s ceiling is incredibly high and as he continues to grow his game and fill out, he could truly contend for the top spot in the class.