Three summers ago, Javion Antai had never stepped onto a football field. Now, he is just days away from announcing his commitment to play the sport collegiately.
But after successfully shoving a decade of experience into a handful of years, Antai faces one more challenge before he wraps up his high school career. When he suits up on in August against Edmond Santa Fe for the first game of his senior year, it will no longer be the sport that is unfamiliar to Antai, instead, it will be the high school he is playing for.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive tackle was a star for Tulsa Hale. However, after looking for a school that would prepare him for college football, he decided to recently transfer to Jenks under the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association's new rules.
“I am transferring for more competition and to get ready for the next step of my life as I got to college,” Antai said. “Here, the conditioning is different, working out is different, and I feel like it is getting me more ready for the college level than if I would have stayed at Nathan Hale.”
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Antai is ranked No. 19 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 list of the state’s best football recruits in the 2025 class. He has received offers from Oklahoma State, California, Kansas State, North Texas, TCU, Tulsa and UTEP and will announce his commitment on Thursday. But with one year left to play at Jenks, he has set several goals to aim for.
Not only does he want to familiarize himself with his teammates and coaches, but he also hopes to improve in the weight room by increasing his already 370-pound bench press while maintaining his 455-pound squat. Although he has goals for this next season, Antai is also thinking about what he wants for his future.
“I want to get 50 pancakes a game, go to state and get all A's and B’s in my classes,” Antai said. “But when I think about next year, I want to start my freshman year and be an All-American, and before I declare for the NFL Draft, I have to finish my aeronautical engineering degree.”
Jenks lost to Bixby 49-21 in the Class 6A Division I state championship last season, and although Antai recently transferred, Jenks’ head football coach Keith Riggs, knows what a force on the offensive line can do for his team in 2024.
‘I’ve only been there for a couple of workouts he’s been involved in,” Riggs said. “But I have heard of the type of player he is. The thing that stood out to me, when I got to see him practice, he’s an extremely hard worker. He came in and really got after it. He seems like a great young man, very polite, very respectful and his hard work really stood out during running and lifting.”
Even though football is relatively new to Antai, being an athlete and prioritizing activity is not. From fishing to football to basketball and golf, he has always enjoyed the art of learning the sport and creating a challenge for himself.And as he moves to Jenks, he is carrying that with him.
“For me, it is all about mindset,” Antai said. “Having a tough mindset is important in football and in life.”
The Oklahoman’s 2025 Super 30
- Name: Javion Antai
- School: Jenks
- Super 30 ranking: No. 19
- Height: 6-foot-4
- Weight: 300 pounds
- Position: Offensive line
- Recruited by: Oklahoma State, California, Kansas State, North Texas, TCU, Tulsa and UTEP
The Oklahoman’s 2025 Super 30 feature series
The Oklahoman’s Super 30 feature series will spotlight each high school football player on the Super 30 recruit rankings for the 2025 class through July 21. The series continued on Tuesday with No. 19, Jenks’ Javion Antai. See No. 18 on the list in Tuesday's edition of The Oklahoman. Here are the last four players we’ve featured:
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