Jaden Nickens Commitment

  • last year
Millwood (OK) wide receiver Jaden Nickens committed to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon, bolstering the Sooners' 2025 recruiting class.
Transcript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to the men above.
00:19 If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have the ability to even think about a sport.
00:23 I thank you my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for sacrificing your son and
00:26 giving me the strength and opportunity to play the game I love at the highest
00:29 ability that you let me reach.
00:31 Second, I would like to thank my parents, my sisters, my uncles, my grandma and
00:36 everyone who have led me and guided me to reach this journey.
00:39 Dear my twin and mom, I just wanna say and give you a special thanks.
00:43 I love you and that it wasn't for you, nothing would be possible.
00:46 You broke your back and you gave me your last.
00:48 You took battles and hits from me all my life and had no stop since.
00:51 I love you mom.
00:52 I'm gonna give you every piece of body around I got to repay you.
00:55 >> I'm working on buying baby X.
00:58 [MUSIC]
01:23 >> With that being said, I'd be committed to the University of Oklahoma.
01:28 >> [APPLAUSE]
01:38 >> Yes sir.
01:42 >> Yes sir.
01:45 >> Yes sir.
01:45 >> Let's go.
01:46 >> Yes sir.
01:47 >> [INAUDIBLE]
01:51 >> Yes sir.
01:52 >> Hello baby.
01:53 >> All right.
01:54 >> Yes sir.
01:55 >> It's only one.
01:55 >> [APPLAUSE]
01:59 >> Yes sir.
02:00 >> [INAUDIBLE]
02:06 >> 6'3", 190, state runner or state runner up.
02:11 First year in football since sixth grade,
02:19 top offensive player in the state of Oklahoma.
02:24 Amazing feet.
02:27 You're an amazing kid.
02:30 The one thing that you have that a lot of these kids don't have,
02:36 even when I had you, peewee ball, was you were coachable.
02:42 You're one of those kids that soaks up knowledge.
02:49 And you're gonna need it in the next level even more.
02:53 But I got every confidence in you.
02:55 >> [INAUDIBLE]
02:59 >> Hear all that background noise,
03:01 I just figured, been a while since you've been out on the peewee field.
03:07 And I'd take a walk, show you where it all started, bring back some memories.
03:17 So take a look around.
03:19 >> All right.
03:21 >> [LAUGH]
03:23 >> Amazing feet.
03:26 >> [INAUDIBLE]
03:32 >> Tramping.
03:33 >> [INAUDIBLE]
03:35 >> Many a touchdown.
03:37 >> [LAUGH]
03:37 >> Many touchdowns scored on this field.
03:40 >> Amen.
03:42 >> Many players after you, many players before you.
03:46 I've had five, count them five, that I could have told you from
03:52 the day they stepped on my football field, they were next level talent.
03:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]
03:59 You're top five.
04:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]
04:03 Man, it's amazing to see you come to this level.
04:11 I'm proud of you.
04:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]
04:14 Town of Coyles proud of you.
04:17 Go do your thing.
04:20 Keep your head in them books, leave them girls alone.
04:22 >> [LAUGH]
04:24 >> Get that degree and make your money.
04:28 Love you, Jayden.
04:30 >> Hey, Jayden, Coach D here.
04:34 You probably don't recognize me when I'm not yelling and screaming, but
04:39 I wanna tell you how excited I am for you and your future.
04:42 And excited for your family.
04:46 I know that this has been one heck of a ride for you and them.
04:51 And just so neat that you put yourself in this position with all the hard
04:56 work that you've put in and the God given ability that you have had.
05:01 Since I was able to coach you, and that was a pleasure coaching you.
05:05 You always made me laugh, even if you did something wrong,
05:09 which was few and far between.
05:11 You always had a smile on your face.
05:13 And again, congratulations, you earned this.
05:18 And I am so excited to follow you in the future.
05:24 Good luck and thank you for letting me be a part of this.
05:29 It means the world to me.
05:31 >> Hey, brother, just wanted to reiterate, I'm so proud of you.
05:36 >> I know.
05:36 >> I'm so excited for you.
05:38 But if it ain't, then I take back everything I said.
05:44 >> [LAUGH]
05:46 >> Nickens, what's up, my man?
05:50 First of all, congrats.
05:51 This is a monumental moment for you, for your family.
05:56 I'm proud of you since the day I met you.
05:58 I've always knew you were special.
06:00 And I'll tell anybody, this kid's special.
06:03 This one, you're one of the ones that makes it.
06:06 So I'm proud of you, proud of everything you've accomplished to this point.
06:10 I know there's a lot more for you to achieve, and
06:13 I wanna be right there with you as you do so.
06:16 So congrats on your decision.
06:19 I do wanna say that every time I see you, you give me the biggest hug.
06:24 You always tell me you love me.
06:26 I just want you to know I love you too, and I'm happy for you.
06:30 And you don't have to worry about getting any tickets to the game.
06:34 You are worth the price of admission.
06:36 Congrats, player.
06:38 >> Jarrett John Lucas, congratulations on your commitment.
06:43 And I'm so proud of where you've come from and where you are and
06:46 where you're headed.
06:47 Congratulations, continued success.
06:51 I thought it was gonna be basketball.
06:53 >> [LAUGH]
06:56 >> Whatever you do, go be great, and congratulations.
07:00 >> Hey, what up, baby?
07:00 What up, J. Nick, man?
07:01 This is Coach Brown, Coach Jesse.
07:03 I just wanna say I'm proud of you, man.
07:05 I love you, been rocking with you since the third grade.
07:07 Hey, man, big things on the way.
07:09 God gonna be with you, God gonna bless you, continue to bless you.
07:13 Keep your head up and do your thing, boy.
07:15 >> What up, Tom?
07:17 Hey, man, I'm gonna be watching you, boy.
07:19 Hey, do your thing.
07:20 I know you're gonna put on for the city.
07:21 I know you're gonna put on.
07:23 Hey, let's go.
07:23 Go give me a ring at the net.
07:26 >> Let's go, we love you, boy.
07:26 >> Let's go.
07:31 [MUSIC]
07:41 [MUSIC]
07:51 [MUSIC]
08:01 >> [APPLAUSE]
08:19 >> [INAUDIBLE]
08:29 >> James, tell us about when you made your final decision,
08:34 what it all came down to for you.
08:36 >> I can't really, I wanna say I was on my way back from a vacation in Cancun.
08:47 And I took that vacation to really think to myself and
08:50 really wanna weigh on my options, see what I really wanted to do.
08:52 And I prayed about it, I prayed a lot.
08:55 And some just told me I wanted to commit to OU.
08:59 I was talking to Coach Emmett, Coach Venables, and I had told my mom and my dad.
09:04 I told them, I'm ready to commit.
09:07 And they already knew it was OU, cuz the first impression was everything.
09:11 And I just felt like it was very genuine from the coaches.
09:14 I just felt like everything that they did and said was toward me.
09:17 And they helped me be a great black young man outside of football.
09:20 So that's really, yeah, that really stood out to me.
09:23 They're just great people, man.
09:25 And I just feel like it's really genuine.
09:26 >> Talk about Coach Jones, just your relationship and
09:31 how he will develop you as a receiver.
09:34 >> Man, I feel like he's, just off the work I've seen, he's developed a lot of
09:39 people and how many people he's getting again.
09:41 And just from our recruiting class and on up.
09:43 So I feel like he's gonna develop me in a very good, positive way.
09:47 As being a coach from Texas and knowing how to handle a young black man like me.
09:53 So I feel like he's gonna develop me very well.
09:56 And throughout the process, it's gonna be a great three to four years.
09:58 I just feel like that's where home is.
10:00 >> What about your relationship with Kevin?
10:02 He's here today and just- >> Yeah.
10:03 >> Be around him and kinda grow over the next two years before you guys get down
10:07 to the office.
10:07 >> He had a scrimmage with all people.
10:09 He was here.
10:09 >> He was here?
10:10 >> He was here.
10:11 >> Yeah, yeah, that's my, man.
10:13 See, I see how he showed up, man.
10:16 I could have committed to anywhere else.
10:18 I didn't even tell Kevin.
10:18 So him just showing up and really shows what a brotherhood really means at
10:22 the University of Oklahoma.
10:24 And it shows.
10:25 So just growing, I had seen Kevin at, I wanna say at camp.
10:30 And they had told him to throw to me.
10:32 And I just had two good balls that I caught from him.
10:36 And then he had text me and he was just telling me how he wanted me to be one of
10:40 his receivers in that committed 2025 class.
10:42 So me, him, and Elijah definitely talked and talked about it.
10:46 And then when I told them that I'll be committing, and
10:50 he told me he was gonna try to show up and stuff, really means a lot to me.
10:53 So just me telling him that I committed to University of Oklahoma with him and
10:57 then he's ready to get started.
11:00 >> Jaden, we heard Coach Lucas say he thought it was gonna be basketball first.
11:04 When did you know it was actually gonna be football?
11:08 >> When I stepped back onto that football field at Millwood High School, for sure.
11:12 Just being in front of those coaches at Millwood, and
11:16 that my freshman year I didn't even play.
11:18 And so my friends had friends on the football team that played there before me.
11:22 So I was front row every game, every game, every home game I'm front row.
11:26 And it was like a soul bowl.
11:28 After the game, I walked up to Coach Haney, and I was like,
11:31 I'm back out there next year.
11:33 He was like, nah, nah.
11:34 So spring ball came around, I started working out.
11:38 Six days a week, only had one day off, and
11:42 in there on Sundays with Coach Haney and just getting work in.
11:44 So just finding the love back for
11:47 the very first sport that I really, really played, that was contact, really.
11:51 And just finding my love back for that sport really means a lot.
11:53 So that's when I really knew that it was gonna be that.
11:56 >> Why now?
11:58 You've got a whole junior season ahead of you.
12:01 You could have waited until this time next year.
12:03 Why commit this early?
12:05 >> Why not?
12:05 >> [LAUGH] >> Committing now was really my choice.
12:16 I did it, there's no reason why.
12:19 God told me to do it, so I did it.
12:20 So I prayed about it a lot.
12:22 He told me that's where he wanted me, and that's where I told myself that's where I
12:24 wanted myself to be at.
12:25 So there's really no explanation for that.
12:29 It was just God said do it, I wasn't gonna second guess it, so I did it.
12:34 >> What does it mean to you to be able to stay in the state and play college football?
12:38 >> Man, playing in front of Oklahoma, I get to have everybody come and watch me.
12:44 And I also have family come from hometown, LA come down.
12:47 So just playing in front of the whole state of Oklahoma and
12:51 then playing for the Eastside community really means a lot.
12:53 Millwood has some guys that went to OU, Marcus Major and stuff like that.
12:58 So Oklahoma is always in a loop no matter what.
13:01 And so just playing for OU, I've been seeing OU all my life.
13:06 You can see it's always been a Sooner since I was a kid.
13:09 So man, I'm really lost for words, I don't really know, man.
13:13 Just playing for OU, why not OU?
13:17 Why not? >> Do you talk to Marcus at all?
13:20 Just like Bill?
13:22 >> Marcus is a grown man, so I try to talk to him and stuff like that.
13:26 But when I went to practice, he was in workouts, so
13:28 I'm not gonna interrupt his grind and stuff like that.
13:30 But I definitely will give a text and call and show him cuz I was in a locker room.
13:35 He wasn't there, he was out there conditioning and stuff.
13:37 So he just had to do his own thing, I did mine.
13:41 >> And a follow up on what Bob asked you about basketball.
13:43 I assume you're gonna keep playing basketball.
13:45 >> Yeah, for sure, I'm gonna go get another ring and another one.
13:48 >> [LAUGH] >> And go get one for football too.
13:51 So just being a kid and being happy, I'm getting the commitment out the way,
13:58 able to enjoy high school, enjoy the rest.
14:02 Ready to start the season with my guys, ready to just focus on the main thing,
14:06 that goal ball, gotta run it back.
14:08 >> Do you think basketball's gonna feel different now that you know it's not-
14:11 >> Never. >> Your future future?
14:13 >> No, never, that's back in my head.
14:16 Basketball comes real natural to me.
14:18 I have great support system from all over the middle of campus everywhere.
14:22 So Coach Frank just told me the other day, or I wanna say yesterday,
14:27 he was, that don't mean you're gonna stop playing basketball.
14:30 You're gonna finish what you started.
14:32 So no, I'm not second guessing basketball at all.
14:36 I'm gonna still play high school basketball, still gonna do what I like to do.
14:41 And so hopefully, if OU let me play basketball at the next level, I can do it.
14:46 And I will be able to do it if they let me.
14:49 >> What do you think about getting to play in the SEC?
14:52 >> Man, that was a real big reason on why I committed to OU.
14:57 The SEC, great, y'all know what it is over there.
15:01 So that's great football.
15:04 And so having Oklahoma a part of that, and having the Alabamas and the LHUs,
15:09 when I get there, those games are gonna be home games.
15:12 So just playing those games in Oklahoma is very big for me, it's very big.
15:18 >> What was that moment like, tell me, Coach, that you were gonna-
15:22 >> The smile on their faces was crazy.
15:24 Coach Jones, when he told me that I was top priority,
15:29 he really wanted me and stuff like that.
15:32 And so when I called him and I was like, Coach, I'm ready to commit,
15:37 they both told me, they were like, we're not gonna rush you to commit.
15:41 We wanna still be able to recruit you, to show you what we really can do for
15:45 you and stuff like that.
15:47 But I told him, I'm all in, Coach, he gave me the all in chip, and
15:51 I told him I was all in.
15:52 So just telling them I'm committing and stuff like that, man,
15:56 the smiles on their face was crazy, it's crazy, very good positive vibes.
16:01 >> You're one of the early members of OU's 2025 class,
16:05 is there any players that are on your mind trying to help recruit into that class?
16:11 >> Not really, not my, really, so if you know me, I hang around a lot of older guys,
16:16 so I have a lot of older friends in the class of 24.
16:20 I'm really trying to get Kaden, I'm really trying to get David Stone over,
16:25 try to commit to OU too, but out of my 2024, out of my 2025 class,
16:30 I'm really going after Nate from Washington, I really want Nate.