Sheridan’s freshman RB ‘somebody to watch’
Sheridan football Coach Tyler Turner has played two freshmen on the varsity level. One was the nation’s top 2022 prospects and the other is running back Isaiah Stephens.
Stephens, 5-8, 146 pounds, was dominating on the Yellowjackets’ junior varsity squad before being moved up to varsity last week for the El Dorado game.
“Isaiah played five or six game and had over 1,600 yards rushing,” Turner of Stephens’ junior varsity play. “He just dominated. He was the best player on the field pretty much every week. So you look at that and think he can do that here. He can help us out for sure.”
Turner spoke with Stephens and his father about the possibility of moving up to the varsity level after his third game on junior varsity.
“I talked to him and his dad, and I said, ‘Listen, I want him to be able to play with his friends, but when you’re ready to move up we’ll be waiting on you.’ He came up to me a couple weeks ago right after we played [Little Rock] Catholic and he said he was ready. I talked to his dad about it.”
Stephen’s performance against El Dorado proved Turner right. The freshman, who has drawn interest from Arkansas State, rushed 12 times for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns while also having 133 yards on kickoff returns. He followed that up with 11 carries for 72 yards in one half of play Friday against Marion.
“He has great vision. He follows his block,” Turner said. “His natural ability for a guy that young is just insane. He sets up everything and just that with the speed that he has, he’s just a smart football player.”
Turner spent three seasons as the head coach at Olive Branch (Miss.)High School, where he coached Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen in 2019. Nolen was rated the No. 1 prospect in the nation by three of the four major recruiting services for the 2022 class.
As a freshman, Nolen moved up to the varsity level for one game.
“I usually don’t move freshmen up,” Turner said. “I coached a freshman at Olive Branch [and] when his last game of his freshman year over, we brought him up and that was Walter Nolen. He was the No. 1 recruit in the country.”
As an eighth-grader, Stephens was timed at 11.61 seconds in the 100 meters. He also long jumped an impressive 21 feet, 6.75 inches.
“There are some guys that are fast, but they don’t play very fast. He plays his speed,” Turner said. “When he hits the second level, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, it’s hard to catch him.”
Turner also said he believes Stephens would’ve given the Yellowjackets some scoring power earlier in the season.
“There’s some runs we’ve been hitting this year that if he had been in, it would’ve been touchdowns because of his second gear,” Turner said.
“He’s going to be somebody to watch over the next few years.”
Stephens also checks all the boxes when it comes to his character.
“First off, he’s an outstanding kid,” Turner said. “He has great parents that definitely keep him grounded and stay on him. Just like how you want a parent to be among your players. You’ve never heard a bad word about him. Good friend. Just a great teammate.”