Mike Gundy Says De'Zhaun Stribling Has 'Enough Ability to Play Beyond This Level'

The Cowboys wide receiver has sky high potential heading into the 2024 college football season.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are carrying some incredible experience into the 2024 college football season. Plenty has been made about the return of Ollie Gordon -- the nation's best running back a season ago -- or even the offensive line that helped him get there returning as well. An underrated piece of the Cowboys' upcoming season is a strong wide receiver corps coming back to Stillwater.

Brennan Presley, who has been a star in Stillwater, headlines the position group among the returners. Rashod Owens stood out in the Texas Bowl. Still, De'Zhaun Stribling, who missed a good portion of last season with an injury, could be the most underrated returner.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound wide receiver transferred to Oklahoma State an offseason ago after two seasons with Washington State. Appearing in just four games before injury, Stribling caught 14 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown.

Stribling had that level of production while the Cowboys were cycling through three quarterbacks each game and the offense was only a shell of what it would be just weeks later. He didn't get the benefit of being a part of the season turnaround, but his potential has been shown. Stribling caught ten touchdown passes in two seasons at Washington State, and he can have a huge impact for the Cowboys when healthy for a full season.

During spring football training, Mike Gundy has been complimentary of Stribling, citing his pro potential on Tuesday when speaking with the media.

“He’s got enough ability to play beyond this level if he continues to work and practice and take care of his body and all the things that are important to get to the next level,” Gundy said. “He’s willing to put the work in. We’ll get him ready. We’ll train him. We’ll put him in that position. He does have enough of that ability to go to the next level.”

Alongside Presley and Owens, Stribling is going to be able to show his big play potential and ability to make a strong impact in the red zone for seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman. He's going to play a big part in what could be an incredible season for offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn and Oklahoma State's offense.

If and when Stribling is able to show his high impact play, he's surely going to be on the radar of pro teams if the Cowboys play to their potential and top their 2023 season, which saw them make the Big 12 title game.

Want to join the discussion? Like All Pokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.