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Recruiting 2025: Talent at Dekaney, Hastings & Hightower

Gerry Hamiltonby:Gerry Hamilton•01/05/24•

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(Joe Cook/Inside Texas)

Houston, Texas – The Houston area has a very strong 2025 cycle with an emphasis on skill players and on the defensive line.

Three of the schools that will be part of supplying Power 5 schools in the 2025 cycle are Dekaney High, Hastings High and Hightower High.

On3 made stops at all three schools Thursday to take a look at some of the top prospects in Houston area.

Hastings High defensive line combo

Hastings High is home two a pair of defensive linemen with Power 5 offers. Both prospects are far from finished products physically and technically. The upside of both will attract more Power 5 offers in January, and the spring evaluation period.

Smith Orogbo, EDGE, Houston (Texas) Alief Hastings – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R
Offers: 8, including six Power 5’s
Smith is a legit 6-4.5/6-5 and weighs 217 pounds per a visit to Hastings High Thursday. He wears a size 16 shoe. He doesn’t turn 17 until May of 2024. Orogbo has offers from Big 12, Big 10 and ACC schools. TCU is the latest to extend an offer earlier this week. He’s also receiving interest from
Quote on TCU: “It came as a surprise, and I love it. I went to a TCU game this year (vs. Nichols State). I liked the way their defense flied around.”
College games attended this season: Texas Tech, Houston (2), Baylor and TCU.
Junior Day plans: Texas Tech January 13

Ikechukwu Okafor, DL, Houston (Texas) Alief Hastings – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R
Offers: Pittsburgh, California and Arkansas State
Okafor is a shade over 6-foot-3, and weighs 256 pounds. Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and a number of others are showing interest. Okafor talks to Cowboys defensive line analyst D.J. Linton the most. College coaches see a future 290+ pound interior lineman.
Okafor on the Pittsburgh offer: “Coach Bates told me they liked my size, and that I can be a great fit for their D-line.”
College games attended this season: Baylor and Houston (2)

Two four-stars headline Dekaney High talent

Dekaney High has a handful of future FBS players in the program. Included in those is a trio of 2025 prospects that are among the most talented in the Lone Star State.

Tanook Hines, WR, Spring (Texas) Dekaney – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 261 (4-star)
December offers: USC, Baylor and Notre Dame
Junior Day plans: Texas January 20
Hines on the December offer by Notre Dame: “That was big. It really blew my mind. Coach Mike Brown came up here and chopped it up. He told me that it’s not just about football, but it will be setting yourself up for life.”
Hines is one of the top playmakers in the Houston area. He has 75 receptions for 1,158 yards and 12 touchdowns in 19 games the last two seasons. The 6-foot, 175-pounder will play both wide receiver and safety as a senior.

Nick Townsend, TE/LB, Spring (Texas) Dekaney – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R (4-star ranking by 247Sports and Rivals)
December offers: Texas, USC, Tulsa, Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame
Junior Day plans: Texas January 20 and Texas A&M January 21
The 6-foot-3.5, 220-pounder is one of the top two-way players in the state of Texas. He posted 76 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks at linebacker, and caught 18 passes for 431 yards and seven touchdowns at tight end. He’s being recruited as a tight end or outside rush linebacker dependent on the school. The schools closest to home have an advantage early on.

Jamal Frilot, LB/EDGE/TE, Spring (Texas) Dekaney – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R
Offers: Eight, including Power 5’s Nebraska, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Syracuse
Junior Day plans: Baylor January 13
College games attended this season: Nebraska, Baylor, Houston and UTSA
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Frilot racked up 54 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a junior. Linebacker is where most schools are recruiting him to play. Baylor is showing the most interest of the schools that haven’t offered.

Calvin Carter, LB, Spring (Texas) Dekaney – 2026
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R
Offers: Nebraska, Colorado, Maryland, Texas Tech and Baylor
Carter, 6-foot-3 and 215-pounds, posted 23 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack as a sophomore battling through injury that kept him out of four games. Carter said he hopes to hear from USC and Oregon.

Hightower High four-star Kade Phillips headlines talented trio

The Hightower Hurricanes always put three or four future FBS players on the field on an annual basis. The junior and sophomore classes at the Missouri City school will be more of the same.

Kade Phillips, S/DB, Missouri City (Texas) Hightower – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 315 (4-star)
Offers: 17, including 13 Power 5’s.
SEC offers: Texas A&M, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss
Junior Day plans: Texas January 20, Texas A&M January 21 (likely)
The 6-foot-0.5, 170-pounder also stars in track and field. He posted a personal best of 23’7″ in the long jump and a 21.9 FAT 200 meters in the spring of 2023. Phillips was tabbed First-team All-District at cornerback as a junior after playing safety as a sophomore. He’s the younger brother of former Texas A&M signee Kenneth Phillips III.

Michael Amey, DB, Missouri City (Texas) Hightower – 2025
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R
The 6-foot, 175-pounder backed up 2022 District Newcomer of the Year honors with a First-Team All-District selection at safety as a junior. He’s receiving interest from a number of area programs.

Devyn Phillip, LB, Missouri City (Texas) Hightower – 2026
On3 Industry Ranking: N/R
The 6-foot-2.5, 195-pounder is a run and hit defender with closing speed. He was named the District Newcomer of the Year and First-Team All-District in 2023 as a sophomore. Arizona State and Texas State have already offered, and they are expected to be joined by others in January and the spring.