The Oklahoman's Super 30: Why Pauls Valley's Caden Knighten underwent a year of change

Caden Knighten was only 14 when he received his first Division-I football offer.

Coming from SMU in March 2022, it arrived just after Knighten’s performance at his first high school track meet with Wynnewood High School.

After later claiming the Class 2A title in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.92 seconds and running wild during his sophomore football season, it was clear Knighten was the state’s top running back prospect in the 2025 class, and his offer list ended up reflecting that.

Schools such as Colorado, Texas A&M and USC extended offers, with Knighten ultimately committing to Vanderbilt last year.

But a lot of things have changed since.

Knighten decommitted from Vanderbilt in January and then committed to Baylor the following month.

And in April, he made another big move, announcing he was transferring from Wynnewood to nearby Pauls Valley .

All in all, it’s been an eventful year for Knighten, who lands at No. 15 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 list of the state’s top recruits in the 2025 class , and the 6-foot, 215-pounder is ready for his senior season and beyond.

“I just want to keep my peace, my cool, my mental, everything collected,” Knighten said. “God is going to give me the opportunity and ability to go out there and play. But I just got to be smart, make the right decisions about it.”

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Pauls Valley is a natural fit for Knighten, the oldest of four boys in his family.

Wynnewood is less than 10 miles from Pauls Valley, and Knighten grew up playing with a lot of Pauls Valley players.

He also likes the idea of competing in Class 3A after being in Class A during his first three years of high school.

“It’s been great so far,” Pauls Valley coach Dusty Raper said. “Obviously he’s an unbelievable talent. But what had jumped out at me … he’s been a great teammate and a great leader. At team camp and stuff, if other guys are making plays he was super excited. He’s a willing blocker, and he does all the little things right.”

Knighten, a four-star prospect according to 247Sports Composite, had a tough junior season as he dealt with a Lisfranc injury in his foot.

His junior year was also rough when it came to his recruitment.

Knighten had committed to Vanderbilt but started to have second thoughts following staff changes.

“They got rid of the whole offensive side," Knighten said. "The running back coach (Jayden Everett) that was recruiting me, he got fired, and that was the main thing. He was a real connection guy. He was real big on relationships, and that’s what we had.”

Knighten turned to a familiar face after that.

“My first offer my freshman year was at SMU with coach Khenon Hall,” Knighten said. “And then he moved to Baylor, and I texted him. I was like, ‘Yo, what’s up, Coach? How is everything going?’ Still wanted to get into the program, see how he’s doing, get the relationship with him because at 14 he was the first person that took a chance on me.”

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Hall visited Knighten when Knighten was training at C4 Sports Performance & Fitness in Durant .

Hall offered a scholarship to Knighten during the visit.

“I’m going to commit to you,” Knighten recalled saying to him. “I trust you. We’ve been through a lot.”

Knighten has overcome his share of obstacles leading up to this point, including his injury last season.

But one of his main struggles offers a glimpse into his psyche.

“I compare myself to a lot of people,” Knighten said. “Why can’t I do those things or why don’t I have that? Just stuff like that. Just always comparing myself to people.”

Knighten doesn’t let that sort of thing slow him down.

He’s relentless, and that’s part of what has made him a special player.

“It’ll either make or break you,” Knighten said. “And a lot of times it breaks people. But me, I’m still going to keep going. I don’t care who you are. I’m going to work even harder than you. ...

“Just do whatever I can because that’s the promise I made to myself and my mom.”

Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis . Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .

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The Oklahoman’s 2025 Super 30

• Name: Caden Knighten
• School: Pauls Valley
• Super 30 ranking: No. 15
• Height: 6-foot
• Weight: 215 pounds
• Position: Running back
• Committed to: Baylor

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 Saturday with No. 15, Pauls Valley’s Caden Knighten. Here are the last five players we’ve featured:

• 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

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: The Oklahoman's Super 30: Why Pauls Valley's Caden Knighten underwent a year of change