Bixby's Presley played his best against the best
BIXBY — It took Braylin Presley a while to get through all of the notifications on his phone when he got back in the locker room.
The junior running back at Bixby had just put on a show on national television. The Spartans' Week 10 contest against Tulsa Booker T. Washington was aired on ESPN, and Presley was no stranger to the big stage.
He torched the Hornets to the tune of 413 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. He had a 92-yard touchdown reception on a slant. He had 19 carries for 201 yards while his five receptions went for 155. He also had a 41-yard kickoff return.
When he got back in the locker room, he quickly saw the results of his national performance. Presley had numerous tweets from friends, family and college fans wanting their teams to offer him. He had emails from college coaches and complete strangers. He even had some text messages from foreign countries.
“That was a once-ina-lifetime opportunity,” Presley said. “It wasn't out of the ordinary for my phone to do that after a game, but with that game being on the national stage, I was getting texts, tweets and emails from people I've never heard of.”
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Presley's performance was just another in a long line of standout games on the big stage during his incredible junior season.
In Week 5 against Class 5A state champion Carl Albert, Presley had 25 carries for 302 yards and six touchdowns in a 56-14 win. In the state championship game, he had 33 carries for 206 yards and a touchdown in a 17-14 win against Choctaw.
On the season, Presley rushed for 1,744 yards on 222 carries and caught 57 passes for 727 yards. He finished with 37 total touchdowns.
Against the top competition, Presley played his best. He was the most dynamic offensive player in the state.
Presley is The Oklahoma n' s 108 th AllState football team' s Offensive Player of the Year.
“Coming into the year, I set the bar pretty high for myself,” Presley said. “I wasn't really surprised with my season totals, but some games did shock me.”
Heading into Presley's senior season, Bixby has won 36 straight games and three consecutive Class 6A-II state championships.
It's safe to say he has been a key piece to the Spartans' success. College coaches are starting to figure that out, too.
Following his performance against Tulsa Washington, Presley's recruiting gained major traction. He soon received an offer from Oklahoma State, where his older brother and 2019 All-State Offensive Player of the Year, Brennan Presley, plays.
More Power- 5 offers followed. Texas Tech, Nebraska, Louisville, Baylor, West Virginia, Missouri. And more are soon to come.
“Going into those big games, you're going to have to have great performances from your best players,” Bixby coach Loren Montgomery said. “Braylin has always embraced that role. He's just special like that.”
Special doesn't quite describe Presley's season and his potential. Many college coaches are tentative to offer him because of his height.
But at the end of the day, those same coaches would be hard pressed to find one player who impacts a game more than Presley every time he steps onto the field.
“He has always been electric, as everyone knows,” Montgomery said. “He was somehow a step faster this year and had the ability to break even more of those shoe-string, shirt-grabbing type tackles.
“Part of it is the commitment he has made to our strength and conditioning program, putting himself in the best position he can to make those plays when he has the opportunity.” Reporter Cameron Jourdan covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Cameron? He can be reached at cjourdan@oklahoman. com or on Twitter at @ Cam_Jourdan. Support Cameron's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at oklahoman.com/ subscribe or by using the link at the top of this page.