The Oklahoman's Super 30: Inside Trystan Haynes' quick rise, commitment to OU football

Trystan Haynes wasn’t always a blue chip recruit out of Carl Albert High School.

It wasn’t until after his sophomore season that major college football programs began showing interest and offering him scholarships. Haynes wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming process but handled it like a professional.

“It was a lot early on,” Haynes said. “It really exploded going into my junior season and dealing with all that stuff, going on the visits, it was a lot for me and my family, but it’s calmed down a lot since I committed. It was a fun process, though. It was good getting experience at those things with my family and go to other places.”

Despite his whirlwind recruitment, Haynes turned in perhaps his best season in 2023 , recording 51 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. He also caught 45 passes for 1,009 yards and 12 touchdowns, while returning three kicks and one punt for touchdowns. He even earned an invite to the All-American Bowl .

The four-star cornerback ranks No. 1 on The Oklahoman ’s Super 30 list of the state’s top recruits in the 2025 class . He committed to OU in May over Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Haynes joined fellow Titans linebacker Marcus James and tight end/safety Trynae Washington as Sooners commits.

More: A look at The Oklahoman's 2025 Super 30 high school football recruiting series

“It was about the vibe of the people around there,” Haynes said. “Every time I went up there, they're like family, they treated me and my family well. That, and they're playing football in the SEC and they’ve got a lot of good things going on so I definitely wanted to be a part of that.”

James, who came in at No. 17 on the Super 30 list, and Washington, who ranked No. 9 , also did some recruiting when it came to Haynes. Since he made his decision, James and Washington have offered him guidance.

Haynes is also ecstatic to continue playing with James and Washington beyond high school.

“Ever since I committed, we've been able to talk about what is going to be like, we’ve been up to OU a couple of times on visits,” Haynes said. “It's been really good being able to have somebody that is going through the same thing as you and that is going to be able to go through the same thing as you whenever you get out there.

“It’s like having a brother for a long time and it’s going to be really good whenever we get out there because we already have that built in chemistry.”

Carl Albert has been the dominant program in Class 5A the last several years. Led by five eventual OU commits, including quarterback Kevin Sperrry, who transferred to Denton Guyer in Texas, and Sooners signee Xavier Robinson, the Titans clinched their seventh state title in eight years last season.

Haynes said being around so much talent each day has helped him grow.

More: The Oklahoman’s Super 30: Why Weatherford's versatile star CJ Nickson committed to OU

“Practice is a lot harder than it would be anywhere else, it's a lot more competitive,” Haynes said. “Being able to compete with the guys gets everybody on the team better. Even the people that aren't as recognized, everybody's getting better every single day. … That's why we're able to do all the things that we've been able to do so far.”

Washington concurs, noting Haynes often puts the team on his back during practice.

“During sprints, Trystan is always running, you’ll never see him in the back,” Washington said. “That definitely pushes everyone and makes them want to go faster.

“He doesn’t get tired, he can run forever. He’s going to be really successful because he’s always working and he’s always looking for extra work. If he’s at the house and you call him and you’re like, ‘Yo, you want to go to the field?’ He’s there, he always shows up and gets work in.”

While he was a late bloomer as an elite prospect on his way to this year’s No. 1 ranking, Haynes’ full potential has yet to be realized. His lone goal for himself is to do everything he can to improve in order for his team to repeat as state champions.

Haynes also wants Sooner fans to know they’re getting a genuine person who’s going to work hard from Day 1.

“I'm chill in person, I'm not like Hollywood or nothing,” Haynes said. “I'm a really easy person to be around and the kind of player they're getting is somebody that's going to compete every day, day in and day out and try to get playing time as much as possible early on. I’m going to compete for the starting spot as soon as I get there.”

More: The Oklahoman's Super 30: Checotah's Elijah Thomas' confidence, dedication led to OU

The Oklahoman’s 2025 Super 30

• Name: Trystan Haynes
• School: Carl Albert
• Super 30 ranking: No. 1
• Height: 6-foot-2
• Weight: 175 pounds
• Position: Cornerback
• Committed to: OU

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 concluded Sunday with No. 1, Carl Albert’s Trystan Haynes. Here is the the complete list of players we’ve featured:

• No. 1: Trystan Haynes, CB, Carl Albert
• No. 2: CJ Nickson, DE, Weatherford
• No. 3: Elijah Thomas, WR, Checotah
• No. 4: Nate Roberts, TE, Washington
• No. 5: Jaden Nickens, WR, Douglass
• No. 6: Dakotah Terrell, TE, Pocola
• No. 7: Alexander Shieldnight, DE, Wagoner
• No. 8: Broderick Shull, OL, Bixby
• No. 9: Trynae Washington, DB, Carl Albert
• No. 10: Antoni Ogumoro, OL, Elgin
• No. 11: Shaker Reisig, QB, Tulsa Union
• No. 12: David McComb, QB, Edmond Memorial
• No. 13: Blake Cherry, OL, Owasso
• No. 14: Matrail Lopez, WR, Idabel
• No. 15: Caden Knighten, RB, Pauls Valley
• No. 16: Josiah Hammond, DL, Tulsa Union
• No. 17: Marcus James, LB, Carl Albert
• No. 18: Ryker Haff, OL, Owasso
• No. 19: Javion Antai, OL, Jenks
• No. 20: Grady Adamson, QB, Deer Creek
• No. 21: CJ Simon, WR, Moore
• No. 22: Demarius Robinson, RB, Edmond Santa Fe
• No. 23: Ryan Grayson, CB, Beggs
• No. 24: Eric Harris, CB, Owasso
• No. 25: Deante Lindsay, CB, Ada
• No. 26: Ravian Larry, RB, Idabel
• No. 27: Jon Grimmett, TE, Pauls Valley
• No. 28: Jamarian Ficklin, QB, Muskogee
• No. 29: Brayden Knox, LB, Putnam City
• No. 30: Xzavier Thompson, WR, Millwood

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: The Oklahoman's Super 30: Inside Trystan Haynes' quick rise, commitment to OU football