3 Oklahoma natives who just rightfully made their mark in the Red River Rivalry

The Oklahoma Sooners are known for importing talent from the state south of the Red River, but keeping the best talent from the Sooner State is still vital in the program accomplishing feats like the Sooners did on Saturday.

The Sooners upset No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry, and it wouldn't have been possible without a few Oklahomans representing the premier college football program in their home state. In a day of constant transfers and conference realignment ruining the importance of rivalries, what the Red River Rivalry means will still never fade for an Oklahoman who was raised to hate Texas and grew up dreaming of being part of moments like Saturday.

These Oklahomans made their mark in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday:

CB Trystan Haynes, Carl Albert High School, Oklahoma City

OU head coach Brent Venables obviously thinks highly of the powerhouse program that’s been built at Carl Albert High School because he keeps going back to that same well for more. Guys like sophomore cornerback Trystan Haynes are why. 

“The selflessness, the blue-collar mindset, the consistency, the depth of development, preparation, being on a big stage in the high school space, understanding the value of high standards and expectations, and then showing up every day, willing to compete, to create value for yourself and to outwork people, I could probably go on and on,” Venables said back when OU signed Haynes and two of his Titan teammates.

“I just watched them for the last few years, since we've been here together. And those are the qualities I think a lot of the guys who come from that program are going to have in their tool belt.”

Haynes was considered the fourth-string corner ahead of the Sooners’ last game against Georgia, but after injuries to Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson, he had to make his first career start in the Red River Rivalry. Good thing he had all that big-stage experience at Carl Albert. 

He could have been a weak spot that Texas could have exploited with standout receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, but Haynes not only held his own, but was a big-time contributor in making the upset possible. 

Haynes tied for the second-most tackles on the team with seven, plus had a pass breakup on Arch Manning’s first throw of the game to prove he wouldn’t be an easy target. 

LB Owen Heinecke, Bishop Kelley High School, Tulsa

Linebacker Owen Heinecke represents most recruits out of Oklahoma as an overlooked player for whatever reason who took full control of the lone opportunity he eventually got with his home-state program.

It's a story everyone knows by now: Heinecke had little opportunity as a football player out of Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, so he spent a year playing lacrosse at Ohio State before walking on at OU. Now, he's a star for the Sooners after breaking out last season.

In his final Red River Rivalry, Heinecke led the Sooners with nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a quarterback hurry. He also rubbed in the victory afterward, as every Oklahoman should.

DL Danny Okoye, NOAH Homeschool, Tulsa

Defensive end Danny Okoye, who played for NOAH Homeschool in Tulsa, will be featured on Red River Rivalry hype videos for the rest of his life. 

It had been two years since the Sooners  had scored a touchdown against Texas before Okoye powered through blockers and blocked a punt in the end zone that Dakoda Fields jumped on for OU’s first points of the game in the second quarter. 

It wasn’t one of the clutch plays in the fourth quarter, but those opportunities likely wouldn’t have been possible without Okoye’s punt block. It gave the hope that maybe the Sooners could actually pull this off. 

“I’m never going to forget this for the rest of my life,” Okoye said after the game.

This right here shows how much this rivalry means to the Oklahomans in it:

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