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Gundy Likes Recruiting Class, but I Think This is More Than Lip Service

Mike Gundy talks about his 2020 football recruiting class at Oklahoma State
Robert Allen|
Gundy Likes Recruiting Class, but I Think This is More Than Lip Service
Gundy Likes Recruiting Class, but I Think This is More Than Lip Service

STILLWATER -- I can hear the detractors and it all started a few years ago. However, the fact of the matter is Oklahoma State is one of just 10 programs that have had winning seasons and gone to bowl games in each season of this past decade. The recruiting classes have been good enough to consistently win and last time I checked, there aren't any media outlets that consider the Cowboys a college football blueblood.

On Wednesday morning in the Boone Pickens Stadium press box, head coach Mike Gundy spoke about his latest class and said he feels "good like he always does." I think deep down he might feel better than that. There may be one or two slow reveals in this class, which is becoming a fad around the nation with this December signing day. You have prospects that want to announce at All-American games and want to hold off for a ceremony later. 

The 18 being counted today include 10 on offense, eight on defense. There are four big offensive linemen, three linebackers, and three receivers to head the position numbers. 

There are six from Oklahoma, four from Texas, and five from out West with a pair from Utah and Arizona and a quarterback from California. There is one junior college player in defensive end Tyren Irby from Northwest Mississippi C.C. and then one player each from Missouri and Kansas.  

Honestly, I feel like every one of the 18 players that signed has a legitimate chance to contribute and I haven't always felt that way about past classes. There were a couple last season that I did not feel good about and, actually, one we now know won't ever play a down at Oklahoma State. Of course there is another player that recently went into the transfer portal out of the same class that I was really high on. 

My first attention this morning was the last addition of the westward expansion of Cowboy football recruiting and Provo, Utah linebacker Mason Cobb. Cobb visited last weekend and this is a 6-1, 225-pound linebacker that averaged 118.5 tackles and three interceptions the past two seasons along with filling up numbers on about every defensive statistical category you can. He announced this morning wearing a black OSU hoodie and looked good doing it. 

"He’s a tough guy, comes from a great family, grew up with a bunch of brothers in the same house," Gundy said describing Cobb. "We’re hoping that his nature and demeanor – he’s a little bit of a throwback – with his toughness and his willingness to strike people, I think he’s very committed to himself and to the organization that he’ll be involved in. So we’re really excited about him being a part (of the program)."

There was another late inclusion in the class before signing day and it is one of the three guys that will play receiver and be coached by Kasey Dunn. Dunn is one of the best evaluators that I've ever been around. James Washington, Tylan Wallace, Dillon Stoner, Landon Wolf (as a recruited walk-on), and Langston Anderson are some of his brilliant decisions. He really liked this triple jumper (best of 49 feet and 10.75 inches), and that is good enough for me.

"With Rashod (Owens), he’s a football player, he’s a basketball player and he’s a triple jumper. That’s been a good combination for us in the past. Not as heavily recruited, but we’ve liked him for a while," Gundy said of the San Antonio Roosevelt High School 1,400-yard rusher last season. "The more you watch him as he finishes up, you like his demeanor, the way he handles himself. He’s been a quality person, and he does a lot of things that we like, athletically."

He will be a wide receiver, Gundy made that clear.

"Triple jump guys are usually very athletic," Gundy added. "He’s shown to have really good hand-eye coordination. I think he’ll be a good fit for us."

In my opinion, and the opinion of our young recruiting aficionado in Marshall Levenson, the highest ranked player in the class is the quarterback in Shane Illingworth of Norco, Calf.

"We did a good job picking up Shane. He (Gleeson) stayed on him," Gundy said of the quarterback recruited in June by new offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson. "He’s a big-armed, raw athlete that his best years are ahead of him. He’s got size, he’s got strength. I was out there to see him a few weeks ago and he’s actually thinned up a little bit. He’s lost about 12 pounds." 

Illingworth is one of seven players we believe will be reporting for the spring semester. We know that offensive linemen Monroe Mills and Eli Russ will be reporting. Irby will check in from junior college and cowboy back Quinton Stewart will report as well. I believe safety Nicolas Session from Salt Lake City (East High School) is reporting too.

"He’s (Illingworth) coming in two weeks from now, whenever we start the next semester, and he’s all football," added Gundy. "That’s what he does. He’s been doing that for years and years. I think that when you bring guys in that are all football, and they’re serious about it at that position, it’s a good sign."

In Oklahoma, the Gatorade Player of the Year out of Bixby, Brennan Presley heads the group and Gundy said it was an advantage for him as a coach to be a dad of an All-State quarterback that played seven-on-seven with all those kids and he saw all of them a lot. He also saw them in the Class 6A-II State Championship Game where Bixby downed Gunnar Gundy and Stillwater 40-36 in a barn burner of a contest.

"The bittersweet part of Presley and (cornerback Jordan) Reagan, when the game was over, I walked over and hugged ‘em and said, ‘I’m glad y’all are on our team now.’ They’re quality people. Really good football players," Gundy said of the Bixby duo. "They come out of a great organization over there in Bixby, just like Stillwater now. Stillwater has become a powerhouse in football. But I’m glad they’re on our team, and there’s a good group of Oklahoma kids that are in our program that we’re very excited about."

Gundy said he can't wait to see a 40 time on Presley.

"So we can make a comparison to him and Tyreek (Hill)," Gundy said in a wowser comment. "I’m not saying he’s that fast. Tyreek is a whole different level, but if you think about what they could do, Tyreek can return, Tyreek catches passes, Tyreek can run the ball. That’s the same thing this guy does. In the state championship game, he had, like, what, 19 rushes and 17 receptions and a kick return for a touchdown in the same game? Well, that was kind of like Tyreek, right? I'm not saying he’s that fast. I’m just saying there’s some similarities.”

The four offensive linemen are all big. The four average 6-5, and 291.25 pounds. That's good size and it is another solid four man offensive line class that makes three good ones in a row after some really tough depleted classes.  

"We went years where we were struggling, and so, once we get out there in August, we’re gonna have a number of offensive line guys," Gundy said. "And coach Glass is starting to churn them through the program, and you’ll start to see the benefits of that, probably within this year or the next year, where you get young guys that are developed. When our threes get a lot of practice — like in the bowl right now, our threes get more reps than our ones, which are the guys who aren’t playing much in the games — and they can line up and function on both sides of the ball" 

There is still work to do. No confirmed running back in the class, although Zach Middleton, a jack-of-all-trades kind of player could start out there. They will look for more defensive linemen too in January.

"We still have a few spots that we could fill, maybe, over the next few months. It just depends on what’s out there, depends on positions, a lot of different things. It’s really hard to say what that would be at this time, but we do have some spots," Gundy said. "There’s a couple of guys that we’ve been on for a long, long time that have chosen to make a decision in February, so when when that happens, we’ll continue to recruit them. But overall, I think this is a really, really good class – like I do every year. I’m excited about what they bring to the table. They’ve been with us a long, long time, so can’t wait to get them here and get them started."

Pokes Report Grades on the 2020 Oklahoma State Football Early Signees

Players listed in alphabetical order. Grading scale is 1-100 

Cade Bennett, OL, 6-5, 310, Scottsdale (Notre Dame Prep), Ariz. - 92.5  

Korie Black, CB, 6-1, 170, Waco (Connally), Texas - 87

Mason Cobb, LB, 6-1, 226, Provo, Utah - 92

Shane Illingworth, QB, 6-6, 228, Norco, Calf. - 96

Tyren Irby, DE, 6-3, 235, Northwest Mississippi C.C./Lake Cormorant, Miss. - 76

Grant Mahon, DT, 6-4, 280, Denton (Guyer), Texas - 83

Zach Middleton, Ath., 5-9, 180, Tulsa (Bishop Kelley), Okla. - 83

Monroe Mills, OL, 6-7, 295, Columbia (Father Tolton Catholic), Mo. - 71.5

Rashod Owens, WR/Ath., 6-1, 190, San Antonio (Roosevelt), Texas - 77

Matt Polk, WR, 6-4, 205, Scottsdale (Saguaro), Ariz. - 84

Brennan Presley, WR, 5-8, 170, Bixby, Okla. - 94

Trent Pullen, OG, 6-2, 280, Waco (Connally), Texas - 84.5

Jordan Reagan, CB, 6-2, 175, Bixby, Okla. - 80

Jeff Roberson, ILB, 6-2, 215, Choctaw, Okla. - 77

Eli Russ, OL, 6-5, 310, Ardmore (Plainview), Okla. - 88.5

Nicolas Session, Saf., 6-1, 190, Salt Lake City (East), Utah - 84

Quinton Stewart, CW, 6-4, 230, Salina (Central), Kansas - 83.5

Cole Thompson, ILB, 6-2, 215, Norman, Okla. - 71

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Robert Allen
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