Oklahoma State 2020 Commitment Class: Offensive Line
(As Oklahoma State announces the signing of each player, we'll be going in and marking them as signed. We'll also be posting graphics on our Twitter and Facebook accounts!)
STILLWATER -- The December signing period is finally upon us! All throughout the day, Oklahoma State will be receiving the signatures from their 2020 commitment class. So, we're going to be taking a look at the most in-depth recruiting profiles you'll find anywhere on the Cowboys 19 commitments.
Rather than release several articles, or two large offensive and defensive articles, we'll be breaking them up into their respective position groups, so it'll be easier for you to find info on all the players.
Next up is the group tasked with protecting Oklahoma State 2020 quarterback Shane Illingworth, the offensive linemen.
The past two offensive line classes have been solid, and this one is no different. This is a great looking group of guys that are from all over the country. It's a group that consists of Cade Bennett, Monroe Mills, Trent Pullen and Eli Russ.
Cade Bennett, OL, 6-5, 300, Scottsdale (Notre Dame Prep), Ariz.
Let’s start with Bennett having played on teams in high school that went 37-4 over his three seasons on varsity for Notre Dame Prep. Bennett is a mauler of an offensive lineman, very physical with excellent feet. He gets off the ball quickly and into his target. He is outstanding at run blocking and can block on the run, generally taking his defensive target off his feet. You can see a little “nasty” in Bennett as he shows some of his defensive attitude while playing offense. He is good on pass protection too. Bennett was 13-1/4-0 as a sophomore in 2017. He earned both first-team 5A All Northeast Valley and first-team All-Arizona from the Arizona Republic newspaper as a junior. The Saints went 13-1/6-0 that season. This past season he has already repeated as a first-team 5A All Northeast Valley offensive lineman and likely will repeat as an All-Arizona team member. He blocked for a 1,854-yard rusher in Dominick Mastro, who also scored 22 touchdowns. The team finished 11-2/5-1 and had 3,249-yards rushing and 1,742-yards passing while averaging 41.2 points per game. Oklahoma State got Bennett over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Purdue, Iowa State, Syracuse, BYU, Army, Boise State, San Diego State, Georgia Tech, UNLV, Vanderbilt and Colorado State.
Monroe Mills, OL, 6-7, 295, Columbia (Father Tolton Catholic), Mo.
Mills missed his entire senior season when he tore his ACL in the preseason. Mills had committed just three weeks prior to the injury and he should be fully recovered and going full speed in time for spring football as he is going to enroll at Oklahoma State for the spring semester. Mills is long with long arms and is a devastating blocker, especially at the Class 2A level in Missouri. Those long arms make him a really impressive pass protector. He has good feet and good athleticism and you have to credit some of that to wrestling. He finished third in state as a junior with a 41-8 record. His junior season, his team went 4-7 and had a lot of success on offense. He earned All-State Class 2A honors, All-District, All-Area in the Columbia Daily Tribune newspaper. He was also named Academic All-State for the second season in a row. Mills is strong, as mentioned, with a 350-pound bench press max and a 450-pound max in the squat prior to his knee injury. Mills has started on the varsity at Father Tolton Catholic since his freshman season.
Defensive Statistics from his Junior season
62 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, 3 fumbles recovered, 2 fumbles forced.
Trent Pullen, OG, 6-3, 285, Waco (Connally), Texas
Pullen is a beast of a lineman that is capable of playing tackle, guard or center. He has played tackle in starring for Connally and this season the Cadets finished with a 12-1 record and were perfect at 6-0 in district. Cadets running back Jay’Veon Sunday and quarterback Kavian Gaither combined with more than 3,600-yards rushing and 50 rushing touchdowns. Impressive numbers running behind Pullen and an accomplished offensive line. He has excellent feet, blocks well on the move and often blocks multiple defenders at more than one level on rushing plays. He has not had as much experience in pass protection, but his fundamentals lead you to believe that will not be a problem. In his junior season, Pullen helped Connally to an 8-4 record and 4-2 in district. The Cadets averaged 272.1-yards a game rushing the football. He was named the Outstanding Offensive Lineman and first-team 8-4A All-District lineman. He was also named a second-team All-State lineman on the Padilla Class 4A-II All-State team. He is said to be one of the most popular players on the team and a real leader on and off the field. He chose Oklahoma State and Cowboys offensive line coach Charlie Dickey over offers from Baylor, Boston College, Colorado, Houston, Kansas State, LSU, Purdue, SMU, and Texas A&M.
Eli Russ, OL, 6-5, 310, Ardmore (Plainview), Okla.
Russ was first-team All-State last season by The Oklahoman and he is a shoe-in to repeat. He also repeated at the Offensive Lineman of the Year in his district. Plainview went all the way to the Class 3A State Championship before losing to Lincoln Christian 42-21, but they finished with a 11-2 record and Russ was a big part of that. He played more defense this season and was sensational in the State Championship running down ball carriers and putting pressure on the quarterback. He is still best at blocking and it is so hard to tell how good he has become because he rarely sees competition that can challenge him. He is usually able to put his assignment on the ground and either bury him or go on to block a second or third defender on the play. He has excellent athletic ability and can run a 5.2 forty, which is good for a 6-6, 310-pound force. His vertical is 26 inches. That is also very impressive. He has the strength with a 320-pound bench max and he can do the 185-pound rep test 25 times. He has a 530-pound squat max and can deadlift 585 pounds. The best news is he will be on campus and in school at Oklahoma State this spring to get a head start on his career. He might be gifted enough to push for the two-deep as a freshman. The first commitment in the 2020 recruiting class back in April of 2018, you can’t get enough Eli Russ-type players in your program. He was a four-star when he committed to Oklahoma State and then somehow was downgraded to a three-star by those “experts”. Shame on them. Russ is clearly a four-star and will prove it throughout his college career. I’m sworn to call out those bozos as often as I can.
