Pat Kinnison
Depth Chart: WR Is Stacked
We’ve heard about Tylan Wallace’s kitty-litter rehab from a serious knee injury, which is a fun story, although not exactly confirmation that he’s back and better than ever. Still, all signs point to a strong return by OSU’s superb wideout, who when healthy should be tagged as one of the nation’s elite receivers.
We know, too, about many of the supporting pieces, like Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf and even Braydon Johnson, who still has some proving to do when it comes to consistency.
Prepare for some fresh faces, too, like Brennan Presley, Langston Anderson, Rashod Owens and perhaps Tay Martin, the Washington State transfer still waiting on a waiver that would make him eligible this fall.
That’s a stout stable of receivers, especially if Wallace is right, restoring the big-play, go-to element that went missing when Wallace was lost halfway through the conference schedule a year ago.
Wallace has long left behind the kitty litter, his makeshift lifting device, and continued to push himself to a full return in advance of the Sept. 12 opener against Tulsa.
“Coming in and actually going into the training room and actually doing rehab stuff where they have the right equipment,” Wallace said, “and everything that I need was definitely a big boost from a cat litter box, but I think that definitely was a big help with me and my rehab process.”
So far, so good.
“I’m excited, obviously, to get Tylan back,” said OSU offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn.
And there’s excitement to go around. Stoner returns for another season of reliability, with 149 career receptions. Stoner extended himself a year ago, taking the lead role when Wallace went down, with solid production.
Wolf works well in the slot. And Johnson has deep-threat speed, valuable in keeping defenses honest in their approach to Wallace. Johnson can go when he gets it. Now he just has to prove he can go get it, win competitive situations against DBs and become an even bigger threat in OSU’s passing game.
Johnson led the Cowboys with eight catches of at least 30 yards a year ago, with many coming after Wallace went down. He could be in line for a bigger role, even with Wallace back.
“I would say my biggest focus was just my releases and just practicing catching the deep ball because I feel like that’s my strong suit,” Johnson said. “Those are my two main focuses and over the offseason. I’ve learned a lot more just from being in the meetings and learning from coach Dunn, so it’s coming along very well.”
As you surely read on Pokes Report earlier, Presley is ready, as a true freshman, to produce, possibly in a big way. The youngster from Bixby always seemed likely for some role, but with his impressive play in the preseason, it could be a significant role.
Anderson, who redshirted last fall after arriving as a premium recruit, could set himself up to be the heir apparent on the outside. Owens offers size and athleticism. And Martin offers both proven receiving skills, as well as strong reputation as a blocking wideout, an aspect always valued by Dunn.
So it appears OSU’s receiver group is talented, and deep.
“I feel really good about where we are as a receiving corps right now,” Dunn said.
