High School Football's Most Athletic Kicker Is Backflipping His Way To Mississippi State, But For Track & Field

Cruz Oğuz is the most athletic high school football kicker in the country. And yet, he is committed to run track at Mississippi State.

Oğuz, of Turkish decent, resides in Cleveland, Miss., a town of just under 12,000 on the westernmost border of the Magnolia State. It sits right in the heart of the Delta.

Cleveland, Mississippi

Although the rising freshman has yet to make the move to Starkville, Oğuz is already making waves. There is no way to define him.

Oğuz competes in track and field, yes, but he is also one of the top specialists in the college football recruiting Class of 2023, swims competitively, and is an impressive tumbler. Not one box truly fits.

To put Oğuz in a singular category as an athlete is virtually impossible, which is why he self-describes himself as a "hybrid athlete." That is probably the best way to put it.

The 18-year-old is up to 200 pounds ahead of his freshman year and is at the leanest he's ever been. To say that he is the most athletic kicker in the country is true and he may be the most jacked.

As a runner, Oğuz has career-bests of 10.89 seconds in the 100-meter sprint, and 22.24 in the 200.

He also finished second in the shot put at the Mississippi 5-A state meet.

Meanwhile, Oğuz is a 4.5-star kicker as rated by Ray Guy Prokicker.com and was named the MsHSAA 5-A Kicker of the Year in 2020, 2021 and 2022. His leg is no joke!

If Oğuz's kicking wasn't impressive enough, he continuously ups the difficultly level by throwing a few backflips together before booting the ball away. Totally casual.

And if he's not doing the flips before the kick, he's doing them while kicking.