The Oklahoman's Super 30: Why Del City's Rodney Fields Jr. is 'on a different level'
Jacob UnruhOklahoman
DEL CITY — It takes approximately six seconds for the twin 10-year-old boys to marvel at the video playing on the screen.
In that short amount of time, Rodney Fields Jr. takes a handoff inside Lawton’s Cameron Stadium. He runs slightly to his left. Seven yards later, he delivers his first punishing move in an impressive highlight reel.
The Lawton Eisenhower safety had no chance.
Fields, even with his 5-foot-9 frame, ran right through him.
“Dang RJ, you ran him over,” Fields’ little cousins say nearly on cue and throughout the near seven-minute Hudl video.
Fields and his family can only sit back and laugh each time.
“It just makes us all happy,” Fields’ mom, Chiquita Richards, said.
She paused to describe the emotions.
“I don’t know. I’m just always ready for gameday,” she added. “It’s amazing.”
Superlatives flow fast when describing Del City High School’s new star running back on and off the field. His play can be dazzling. His humbleness is respected.
And his talent is starting to burst off the charts.
“He’s a dog,” said Del City receiver LaDainian Fields, who is Rodney’s cousin. “He’s a quiet dog.”
That type of player can be dangerous.
Entering his first fall at Del City after a huge junior season with Southeast, Fields has more spotlight on him than before. He’s now committed to Oklahoma State. He’s a member of a team expected to contend for a Class 5A state championship.
And everyone believes huge things are coming.
“You can tell he’s on a different level,” Del City coach Robert Jones said. “He’s pretty special. He’s soft spoken and he works hard.”
Fields, now 5-9 and 188 pounds, is ranked No. 12 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 rankings for the 2024 recruiting class.
The three-star recruit is coming off a breakout season at Southeast, rushing for more than 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns on 107 carries. He also caught 23 passes for five touchdowns and 480 yards.
In Southeast’s first five games, Fields rushed for a whopping 15 touchdowns on 45 carries. He averaged 107.8 yards per game.
Fields plays the numbers off, though.
“I wouldn’t say it was a breakout,” he said before a long pause. “I was just playing.”
He’s an incredibly fast running back who runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. He doesn’t shy from contact but can also drop a spin move in a split second before out-running the rest of the defense.
He squats 485 pounds, too.
“He’s just a ball of muscle and he’s uniquely strong,” said Jones. “His speed from 1 to 5 yards, I hadn’t seen that kind of burst yet.”
Jones, who played at OSU, said he has not seen that burst since he played with Cowboys running back Vernand Morency. Jones compared Fields’ open-field speed to Tatum Bell.
Jones said the Eagles haven’t had a running back like Fields since Josh Scobey in the late 1990s.
“We’ve had some great backs here,” Jones said, “but we hadn’t had a back that can open up and go that can take one of the house anytime since.”
That’s part of what led OSU to Fields.
A lifelong Cowboys fan in part to honor his late father, he received a scholarship offer in January. It was his first offer. A day later, he committed and shut down his recruitment.
“It’s my favorite school,” he said. “The only school I want.
“I was feeling good for the rest of the day.”
Not long after, his family moved to Del City. Richards said her son was not getting enough help academically. She initially feared moving to the new district.
But now, everyone is thrilled.
Fields fits right in. Gamedays are going to be quite special.
That’s when new highlights will be made for his younger cousins to admire.
“The way he runs, it’s like he’s trying to hurt the defender,” new Del City quarterback River Warren said. “It’s crazy, especially because he’s so fast. He can out-run them but he’ll run straight through.
“He’s a phenomenal running back.”
The Oklahoman’s 2024 Super 30
Name: Rodney Fields Jr.School: Del City
Super 30 ranking: No. 12
Ht.: 5-foot-9 | Wt.: 188 pounds
Position: Running back
Committed to: Oklahoma State
