Oklahoma’s Green Country: A Haven for JUCO Football
Written by Michael Gambill
Twitter: @MichaelGambil10
There are certain parts of the United States where football is ingrained into the culture and psyche of the local society. When football fans think of Texas, the usual and often immediate response is “Friday Night Lights.” High school football is interwoven into the fabric of life in the south-central part of our country.
This football phenomenon also extends north into the northeastern part of Oklahoma known locally as Green Country. For decades, high schools in an area from Tulsa east to the Arkansas state line have produced outstanding football players who have gone on to play at different colleges and universities as well as the NFL. A specialty area that Green Country is famous for is producing on an annual basis is a bumper crop of outstanding players to keep junior college (JUCO) football programs around the region well-stocked with budding talent. While the 2020 college recruiting season fell victim to many restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Green Country athletes will still find themselves heading off to colleges and fall football camps come this August.
Many of the top-flight high school football programs in Green Country are pipelines to local JUCO programs and the Class of 2020 is no exception. Jenks High School, a suburb of Tulsa, has a natural connection to powerhouse JUCO programs like Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (popularly referred to as NEO.) Jenks players such as WR/TE Bo Estes will make an immediate impact at NEO. The 6’3”, 190-pound, Estes finished up the 2019 season at perennial powerhouse Jenks with 42 receptions for 796 yards and nine touchdowns.
Estes will be heading off to NEO surrounded by familiar faces such as Maximum “Max” Johnson (6-3, 290) who split his time between guard and center. Johnson will make his physical presence known quickly in fall camp. Another top-notch Jenks receiver who also worked on the defensive side of the ball as an outside linebacker is Justin Murphy. Murphy is another large receiver at 6’4”, 195-pounds, and made an impact on the Jenks Trojans offense this past year with 54 receptions of 909 yards and eight TD catches.
The NEO connection in Green Country extends into other leading football programs as well, 2019 Oklahoma Class 6AI champion Owasso will be sending Omarr Barker to NEO as well. Barker, a 5’10”, 181-pound, defensive back/receiver helped lead the Rams defense on their way to the state championship last year and will be united with his Jenks opponents at NEO come this fall.
Another major high school football factory in the Tulsa area is Bixby, which is a southern suburb. Bixby has dominated the Oklahoma Class 6AII division since its creation and 2019 was no exception as they claimed another state football title. NEO will be getting a top-notch offensive lineman in Kobe Williams. Williams, a 6’4”, 250 pounder, and an Oklahoma All-State player who played both guard and tackle, will no doubt help with his presence on the NEO O-line.
Muskogee is another storied high school football program in Green Country, and the Roughers are sending two of their best players off to NEO this fall. Jordan Bradley played both QB and QR at Muskogee and the 6’0”, 185-pound, offensive star is looking to make his mark on the Golden Norse roster come this season. Bradley will be joined by Muskogee teammate Devion Williams. Williams comes highly regarded as a DT/NG and at 6’0” and 280 pounds. He will compete for a starting position on the NEO D-line come this fall as well.
Smaller schools in Green Country have become a JUCO pipeline as well. Spiro (OK), near Fort Smith (AR) and the Arkansas state line, after an 8-3 season in 2019 with a playoff run, are graduating players such as All-Stater and Spiro team captain Malik Roberson, who is ready to make the transition to college football. Roberson, a 5’8’, 185-pound, running back/defensive back combination player will also be heading off to NEO where he will be joined by teammate Kwame Sey, who also split his playing time at linebacker, running back, and receiver.
While it seems that NEO has garnered the lion’s share of JUCO football signings this year in Green Country, players will also be heading off to other junior colleges joining multiple programs this fall. The following is a list of all known Green Country players who have signed Letters of Intent with JUCO programs through May 11, 2020:
Player’s Name High School College Attending
Adonis Ballard Broken Arrow Independence CC
Omarr Barker Owasso NEO
Jordan Bradley Muskogee NEO
Trevor Burckhartzmeyer Broken Arrow NEO
Damon Caine Coyle NEO
Ryan Chapman Broken Arrow NEO
Tanner Daniels Quapaw NEO
Clayton Ellick Stroud NEO
Bo Estes Jenks NEO
Stefan Forbes Union Independence CC
Max Johnson Jenks NEO
Jaylen Moss Broken Arrow Hutchinson CC
Justin Murphy Jenks NEO
Gage Parrick Stroud NEO
James Pruitt Jenks NEO
Xavier Richards Edison Maricopa CC
Malik Roberson Spiro NEO
Amos Satepouhoodles Hominy NEO
Kwame Sey Spiro NEO
Kobe Sixkiller Jay NEO
Dakeyshaun Steele Spiro NEO
Devion Williams Muskogee NEO
Kobe Williams Bixby NEO
Source: Barry Lewis, Tulsa World, May 11, 2020
Photo credit: NEOAthletics.com