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The Oklahoma high school football season is back — and it’s bringing more intrigue than usual this year.
From east to west, the state’s coaching landscape has undergone dramatic changes over the past nine months. Several powerhouse programs will take the field in 2025 with new leaders for the first time in years — and in some cases, decades.
Practices are set to open Monday across the state, so it’s time to take a closer look at the most notable offseason coaching moves. While coaching changes are nothing new, this year’s shifts have the potential to reshape the competitive balance across multiple classes.
Here are 10 of the most intriguing hires to watch as the season unfolds:
Lance Manning, Blanchard
Manning has returned to the coaching ranks for the first time in over a decade and will succeed Jeff Craig at Blanchard. He built his early résumé in the 2000s with head coaching stops at Deer Creek and Norman North, where he compiled a combined 56-53 record and secured four playoff berths over nine years. His most recent tenure came at Edmond Santa Fe from 2011 to 2014, producing a strong 31-14 record and guiding the Wolves to three straight playoff appearances. Now, Manning aims to keep the Lions firmly in championship contention in Class 4A.
Jacques Washington, Midwest City
Midwest City is in a new era following the resignation of 12-year coach Darrell Hall. In comes Jaques Washington, the former Owasso defensive coordinator who took the Midwest City job less than six months after taking over as Jenks’ defensive coordinator. Washington helped shape Owasso’s 12-1 season and state runner-up finish in Class 6A-1 a year ago. A former Iowa State safety, he brings a wealth of experience from 11 years as an assistant at Broken Arrow, Iowa State, Division II Northeastern State, UCLA and Western Illinois.
Cameron Bennett, Moore
A new era has begun for Moore with the arrival of head coach Cameron Bennett. He brings 22 years of coaching experience, while most recently spending eight seasons at Norman North as an assistant offensive line coach and strength and conditioning coordinator. He takes over for former caoch Greg Bryant, who resigned after posting a 16-18 record in three seasons.
Brian Lockart, Putnam City North
Lockart replaced Derek Lane as the head football coach at Putnam City North in March. He previouly spent six years on the Panthers staff serving as the special teams coordinator and quality control manager while coaching running backs and tight ends. Lockart succeeds Lane, who resigned from the role and joined Yukon coach Brent Barnes’ staff after leading the Panthers to its first playoff win in 20 seasons in 2024. In addition to football, Lockart has also spent several seasons as an assistant for the Putnam City North baseball team.
Dale Condict, Muskogee
Anyone who says they had Condict leaving Wagoner on their bingo card is stretching the truth. His departure stunned Oklahoma high school football fans, given his nearly two decades of dominance. Condict built Wagoner into a perennial powerhouse since taking over in 2005, capturing six Class 4A state championships. His long résumé includes a spot in the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024, a ninth-place ranking on the state’s all-time wins list with 277 victories and an 11-man state record 48-game winning streak set in 2017 that was later passed by Bixby.
Bill Blankenship, Owasso
Blankenship’s return to the sidelines just a year after retiring in December 2023 sent shockwaves through Oklahoma’s high school football community. Widely regarded as one of the most polished head coaches in state history, Blankenship has captured six state championships across three programs — Tulsa Union, Owasso and Fayetteville High School in Arkansas — during his storied 40-year career. Blankenship returns to Owasso with an all-time record of 310-114 and was enshrined as a member of the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009.
Antonio Graham, Tulsa Union
Graham returns to his alma mater after leading Owasso to a 12-1 record and a Class 6A-1 runner-up finish in his sole season as head coach of the program. He succeeds longtime Tulsa Union coach Kirk Fridrich, who led the program to four straight state titles from 2008 to 2011 and another in 2016. Graham played at Tulsa Union throughout its state title runs in 2004 and 2005 as an All-State linebacker and was a four-year letter winner. He later joined Bill Blankenship’s coaching staff in Owasso, where he won two state titles as an associate head coach and defensive coordinator.
Travis Hill, Broken Arrow
Hill returns to Broken Arrow after four seasons leading Muskogee, where he was 35-13 and where he won the 2023 Class 6A-II state title. Before that, he spent three seasons as Broken Arrow’s defensive coordinator, a stint highlighted by a state championship in 2018. Hill was The Oklahoman’s 2023 All-State Coach of the Year. Now back with Broken Arrow, Hill inherits a roster loaded with talent — including four-star defensive back Semaj Stanford and three-star standout Bryson Brown in the secondary.
Jeff Craig, McAlester
Similar to other moves, Craig’s switch to McAlester also shocked many. Craig built the culture and a standard in his 18-year career at Blanchard. He led the Lions to Class 4A state titles in 2012 and 2023, and posted a 145-68 record in his time with the program. Craig now steps into the top job at McAlester, as the program reached the Class 5A state title game in both 2021 and 2022 under former coach Forrest Mazey.
Adam Gaylor, Jenks
Replacing longtime Jenks coach Keith Riggs isn’t simple. Even Adam Gaylor is aware of that. But promoting a man into his seat who has had success alongside him for the past few seasons is likely the next best thing. He served as Jenks’ defensive coordinator since 2018 and also spent time as defensive coordinator at Broken Arrow and Mustang. Gaylor also served as the head coach at Westmoore for two seasons. The sky is the limit for Gaylor at Jenks this year with several key starters returning, including four-star Oklahoma State commit Kaydin Jones in the backfield.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
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