Editor’s Note: This is Part 8 of a 14-part collection on Oklahoma’s early enrollees within the 2023 recruiting class.
Many occasions, graduating highschool early and launching one’s faculty soccer profession pays off. Many occasions, it doesn’t.
While early enrollees are navigating new realms of ache and dedication, a lot of their pals are again house — enjoying basketball, working observe or simply hanging out and taking full benefit of the affliction often known as “senioritis.”
In Oklahoma’s case, 14 newcomers have chosen to make that sudden transition from boys to males. Jerry Schmidt’s winter exercises might sound unimaginable at first, after which the summer time grind is even more durable. In between, the teaching employees takes over, and spring soccer apply places them forward of their summer time counterparts.
In this collection, AllSooners examines every of the 14 newcomers and initiatives their impression on Brent Venables’ soccer group in 2023.
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Jasiah Wagoner was at all times a candidate to graduate highschool early and get a head begin on his faculty soccer profession.
Yes, the 4-star cornerback most likely wants so as to add a little extra mass to his 170-pound body, and Oklahoma’s winter weightroom routines will accomplish that.
But for Wagoner, it’s deeper than simply his physique.
“I’ve always said, he’s one of the brightest kids on the field and in the classroom that I’ve worked with,” stated Wagoner’s highschool coach, Cameron Robak. “He’s been ready. He likes to be challenged, and I don’t think high school was challenging enough for him.
Jasiah Wagoner
Jasiah Wagoner via Twitter
“He likes to be challenged on the football field as well, so I think he wanted to get to that environment where he’s challenged every day academically — and to be pushed every day in the weight room with those caliber type of guys.”
Robak coached Wagoner at Spanaway Lake, a Seattle suburb. There he noticed a considerably undersized defensive again and huge receiver play massive — and make massive performs.
“I don’t know if you watched the All-American game down in (San Antonio) Texas,” Robak stated. “ … But on TV, he definitely looked like probably one of the smallest guys out there, but you can’t tell by the way he hits. I mean, he’s not afraid of anyone. He flies around, he has a natural instinct to find the ball, whether it’s in the air or in somebody’s hands. He just plays nasty.”
Wagoner excelled on one of highschool soccer’s largest levels identical to he did on fields round Washington: with a broad understanding of the opposing scheme, an instantaneous response to the offensive play, and a fearless end. He relishes contact, performs behind his pads, arrives with drive and performs with a bodily nature that belies his body.
Another factor: Wagoner’s versatility helps him — and can drive the Oklahoma coaches to search out a place for him.
“The first three years for us, he played corner and he set the edge,” Robak stated. “Nothing ever got outside him. And we loved that about him. Then this last year, actually, we had a pretty decent corner rotation and we moved him to safety a little bit, which allowed him to get more into the run. And he loved that. He played in the box. And then obviously in the all-star game, he played in the box a little bit, played some nickel, played some safety. And he loves contact.”
CB Jasiah Wagoner
- 5-11, 170
- Spanaway, WA
- 247 Sports: 4-star, No. 289 total, No. 33 CB
- Rivals: 4-star, unranked total, No. 41 CB
- On3: 3-star, unranked total, No. 64 CB
- ESPN: 4-star, No. 200 total, No. 26 CB
Background: Wagoner was the top-rated recruit within the state of Washington, ranked as excessive as No. 26 at cornerback by ESPN. Wagoner performed three seasons on varsity and was arguably Spanaway Lake’s greatest participant on offense and protection, main the group all three years with 85 receptions for 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns and likewise compiling 68 tackles in 15 video games over his closing two seasons, with three interceptions, seven passes defensed and one pressured fumble. Wagoner performed within the Adidas All-America Game in San Antonio and picked OU over provides from Arizona State, Cal, Notre Dame, Washington, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and others.
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2023 Projection: No one could profit extra from Jerry Schmidt’s offseason weight coaching than Wagoner, who comes on this spring at round 170 kilos. He’ll must bulk up shortly to play for the Sooners this yr, particularly together with his fearless fashion of play. A redshirt season is perhaps so as, as OU has loads of expertise on the place in three-year starters Woodi Washington and Jaden Davis, plus promising backups Kani Walker, Gentry Williams and Jayden Rowe.
That’s not all. Like many highschool defensive backs, Wagoner additionally performed huge receiver at Spanaway Lake. But in contrast to many prep DBs, he was actually good at it.
Wagoner caught 24 passes for 412 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore, 34 for 521 yards and 6 TDs as a junior, and 27 for 288 and one rating throughout his senior yr.
Over three seasons, he caught 85 passes for 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns — elite numbers for an undersized nook.
Could he even lend a hand to the offense in Norman?
Oklahoma’s 2023 early enrollees
“I think he could,” Robak stated. “I don’t know how that coaching staff would feel about that. But in our division, in our state, he definitely was a top-tier guy at the receiver position. Just another intangible that he has.”
At his National Signing Day press convention, OU coach Brent Venables included Wagoner amongst “lots of guys who can play on either side of the ball” but additionally talked about him with OU’s six (now seven) defensive backs who’re “long and fast and instinctive” who’ve “intelligence, instincts and ball skills.”
More urgent for Wagoner is his versatility within the secondary. He’s a pure cornerback with elite protection expertise and uncanny instincts. But Robak is assured he may very well be developed into a good faculty security.
“I’ve talked to him a little bit about it,” Robak stated. “I think he might start out in that slot position. But I’m not positive.”
In a video saying his verbal dedication to Oklahoma, Wagoner credited his religion in addition to his mother and father for placing him in place to succeed.
Jasiah Wagoner
Jasiah Wagoner by way of Twitter
“I thank God, because I think everything stems from Him,” Wagoner stated. “You know, He gave me — He blessed me with two parents in the household. My dad, you know, instilled hard work in me. And then my mom, just taking care of me and being there for me. And then all my friends and stuff, they supported me a lot, you know, just let me know that I was doing good, that I should keep going down this path and not going down the wrong path.”
Whatever path Wagoner’s profession path takes him, Robak thinks he’ll excel.
“I think his x-factor is he’s gonna do whatever the coach, whatever the program needs him to do,” Robak stated. “If they told him, ‘We need you to be the best wide receiver,’ he’s gonna do that. If they said, ‘We need you to play linebacker,’ he’s gonna do that. He’s gonna do whatever is best for the team and whatever the coaches want him to do.
“He’s always had a swagger about himself that he wants to line up against the best player and prove that he can hang with ‘em and also beat ‘em. I think that’s the thing I’m most excited for: unfortunately over here on the West Coast, we don’t have multiple of those guys on one team, so I’m excited for him to be able to compete with top-tier talent daily and see where that can really take him.”
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