What are the biggest questions heading into the 2023 Oklahoma high school football season?

The days until the start of the high school football season can be counted on two hands.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

By this time next week, actual football games will be played in Oklahoma. Even though the Week 0 schedule doesn’t offer a full slate of games, there are dozens of games and several intriguing matchups.

But truthfully, even if the games were few and the matchups stunk, we’d still be fired up because, you guessed it, football is starting.

So, in anticipation of the fun and games that are about to get under way, here are 23 questions that we’re looking forward to getting answered during this 2023 high school football season in Oklahoma.

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Will Bixby win another title?

The Spartans moved up to the state’s biggest classification last season, and they just kept winning. Five state titles in a row. Eight in nine years. Bixby football winning state feels as inevitable as death, taxes and blazing Oklahoma summers.

But will Bixby get back to the business of going undefeated?

There was a blemish on the Spartans’ record last season, a loss to Jenks that snapped a 58-game winning streak.

Is there a Westside team that will be in the Class 6A-I mix?

Nary a Westside team made the semifinals last season. It’s difficult to see someone challenging that Eastside dominance, but maybe a team like Norman North or Mustang is up to the challenge.

What transfer will have the biggest impact?

High school football doesn’t have a transfer portal, but there are lots of new faces in new places. Most notably, OU commit Kevin Sperry has moved from Texas to Carl Albert and will quarterback the Titans.

How loaded is Carl Albert?

Speaking of the Titans, they were already looking formidable with running back Xavier Robinson, tight end/linebacker Marcus James, and receivers Trystan Haynes and Trynae Washington. Robinson has committed to OU and all the others have OU offers, in addition to others. Add Sperry, and Carl Albert, winner of six of the last seven state titles in Class 5A, is the favorite again.

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But what about Del City?

Carl Albert’s biggest challenger in Class 5A looks to be 15 minutes away. Already expected to be tough, Del City added quarterback River Warren from Bishop McGuinness as well as cornerback LaDaninian Fields (TCU commit) and running back RJ Fields (OSU commit) from Southeast.

What is the toughest district in the state?

Gotta go with 5A-2. Carl Albert is the head of the class, but Guthrie, McGuinness and Piedmont are in the district, too. All four teams made the quarterfinals last season. Yikes.

How about the toughest class in the state?

Hard to find one more stacked than Class 4A. Let’s see: Bethany, Blanchard, Clinton, Cushing, Elk City, Newcastle, Poteau, Tuttle and Weatherford are all contenders. Of course, so is Wagoner, the defending state champ that beat undefeated Cushing in the state final last season on a field goal as time expired.

Can we dial up some more exciting state finals?

Wagoner-Cushing took the prize for best state championship game a year ago, but it wasn’t the only good one. Washington beat Millwood 17-14 in Class 2A, Stillwater beat Choctaw 26-21 in 6A-II and then there was Heritage Hall’s 72-56 win over Tulsa Metro Christian in 3A. Wild games. Fun games. Let’s have more of that.

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Are Millwood and Washington on a collision course again?

Sure feels that way in Class 2A. For smaller-class teams, both are loaded with big-time talent. Washington has a pair of tight ends being recruited by major colleges while Millwood’s stars are headlined by Jaden Nickens, the receiver who recently committed to OU. But 2A has other contenders. Watch out for Jones, Tulsa Victory Christian, Idabel and Beggs.

Will Stillwater repeat?

Last season, the Pioneers won a football state title for the first time since 1967. But head coach Tucker Barnard left and quarterback Gage Gundy graduated. With longtime assistant Chad Cawood taking over as head coach and several major-college commits remaining, Stillwater should still be in the 6A-II mix.

Will defenses rise?

Four of the top five players in our Super 30 are defensive guys: Tulsa NOAH defensive lineman Danny Okoye; Durant defensive lineman Xadavien Sims; Tulsa Union defensive back De’Von Jordan; and Westmoore safety Mykel Patterson-McDonald. Maybe it’s a sign that defenses are on the comeback.

Where will Danny Okoye commit?

He is widely regarded as the top player in the state, and he scored 30 scholarship offers from college recruiters. He recently cut his list down to 10, including OU, Georgia and Alabama. Where the 6-foot-5, 255-pound rush end lands is worth watching.

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Isn’t it impossible not to root for Elijah Green?

The wide receiver/defensive back is a big-time talent, ranking 16th on our Super 30. But the most awesome thing about him is that he has stayed at Classen SAS, a program that has historically struggled and is on its fourth head coach in four years. At a time high-level prepsters often leave for greener pastures, Green remained loyal.

Will Xavier Robinson rush for 3,000 yards?

The Carl Albert running back racked up 2,594 rushing yards a year ago, most in program history. But if he gets to 3,000, he’ll be only the 14th player in Oklahoma history to reach that mark. It’s believed he’ll become the first to do so at a Class 5A school or higher classification, too.

Who will establish himself as the front-runner for best in the 2025 class?

The junior class is stacked with high-level talent. Five players have been ranked as four-star recruits by 247 Sports, which ranks Weatherford edge rusher CJ Nickson as the state’s top player in the class. But Washington tight end Nate Roberts, Millwood receiver Jaden Nickens and others will have something to say about that.

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Will we celebrate our final year with a reasonable number of state champs?

Next year, Class 2A, A and B will all split in half, adding three more champs to our already outsized total of nine state champs. These things are supposed to be tough to win, but instead, we’ll have three eight-man champs. It’s an outrage.

Are we ever going to have a season without Mike Snyder at Seminole?

Here’s hoping it doesn’t happen soon, but the legendary coach is starting his 44th season as head coach at Seminole. An amazing run.

How many more Oklahoma prepsters will OU land?

Right now, the Sooners have three commitments from seniors and three from juniors. Add one or two more from either class, and it will have been many moons since we can say we’ve seen so many Oklahomans sign with OU.

What about Oklahomans committing to OSU?

The Cowboys have just two in-state commits in the Class of 2024, Stillwater tight end Josh Ford and Del City running back Rodney Fields Jr. But OSU has long gotten more Oklahomans than that.

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Who will take the mantel of best quarterback in the state?

Kevin Sperry at Carl Albert has already committed to OU and might be viewed as the top signal caller, but Edmond Memorial star and Kansas commit David McComb, Tulsa Union’s Shaker Reisig, Muskogee’s Jamarian Ficklin and Del City’s River Warren are likely to insert themselves into the debate.

What about the top running back?

You’ll be hard pressed to find one better than Xavier Robinson at Carl Albert. Be on the look out, though, for Rodney Fields Jr. at Del City and Red Martel at Beggs.

Will we have a surprise team?

Last season, Choctaw made it all the way to the state title game in Class 6A-II; until the past few years, the Yellowjackets have been an afterthought. It’s fun to consider who might be this year’s breakout team. Westmoore seems a good candidate, with MJ Graham transferring in from Southeast to play quarterback and OU commit Mykel Patterson-McDonald anchoring the defense at safety.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok or on Threads at jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school football: Biggest questions entering 2023 season