Scoping Defensive Tackles for Oklahoma State Recruiting

It is a tough position to recruit because of the thin numbers always and the high demand. Oklahoma State needs one for sure, maybe two.

STILLWATER -- Defensive tackle is a position that Oklahoma State is in pretty good future shape with. That is a good thing because it was just a year ago that there were fears over the depth and the talent at defensive tackle. Young players like Israel Antwine, Jayden Jernigan, Samuela Tuihalamaka, red-shirt Xavier Ross, and transfer Collin Clay, who will be a sophomore the next time he plays, have made the situation pretty solid. Add incoming freshman Grant Mahon to the mix and there are six players that will be sophomores or below. 

The Cowboys will lose starter Cameron Murray and back-up Amadou Fofana as seniors after this season. They need to add one or two to the mix. 

So far, we only show five offers at defensive tackle and one Gabe Rubio is committed to Notre Dame. The other offer is legacy Solomon Wright of Vian, the son of former Oklahoma State and NFL linebacker Kenyatta Wright. The Cowboys did not offer the older of Kenyatta's two boys, linebacker Elijah Wright. That may have caused some frustrations and Solomon is holding steady at 6-0 and 280 pounds. Some schools may be wanting to see if he will grow some more and stack on some more muscle. 

I would divide the three defensive tackles that I listed here as a good chance, a curious situation, and a long-shot.

We'll start with what I think is a good chance in Thomas-Fay-Custer small school, big potential prospect in Aden Kelley. 

The Facts: Kelley is 6-4 and close to 275-pounds, so while he will need to put on some weight he easily has the frame to do it. He plays both ways and at that level is a dominant player, which causes issues as coaches would love to see him against some bigger and more advanced competition. That hasn't caused many that have seen him to pause as Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Syracuse, TCU, and Tulsa have all offered with all three service academies as well as New Mexico, Memphis, and North Texas in there from the Group of Five.  

The Stats: Not many stats available from Thomas-Fay-Custer, a single A school in classification in Oklahoma, He did finish third last season in the shot with a personal best of 49 feet and 2 inches on the throw. As a sophomore, he had 14 tackles in the first two games.

Our Take: I love Kelley. He plays both ways, so he will jump up a bunch when he focuses on one side over the other. I could see him playing offensive line at the next level too. He has great feet and is really quick. He comes in bursts, but that is okay. he'll get better with overall explosion. Very physical, especially in the upper body. Kelley plays too high, like most linemen his age, but he has torque and when he catches another lineman too high he can simply screw them into the ground and does. The arms and hands are weapons and he will maul a blocker or runner or quarterback with them. Biggest improvement is overall technique and keeping his pads lower, especially at the line of scrimmage. 

The Facts: I need to see Swindle in his senior campaign. I do know this, there are linebackers and defensive backs that should send Swindle thank you letters because he helped them to get scholarships. The 6-1, 290-pound Swindle played both ways this season for Class 3A powerhouse Heritage Hall. He has offers from Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Memphis, Kansas, and Iowa State. 

The Stats: Numbers aren't blow you away good, but when you watch him on video and see a linebacker and a safety slipping by holes and gaps he pries open to make plays you realize he is responsible for a lot more plays than he gets credited with. He had 29 total tackles with two tackles for loss and two sacks.  

Our Take: He plays too high, but he easily gets away with hit because of his strength. Like Kelley, he is a mauler that is destructive when he is loose. He is gap sound and does a great job of tying up multiple blockers to give he teammates a chance.L Like I stated above with Kelley, I could see Swindle being a guard or center in college and he is a powerful blocker.

Maason Smith is as good a defensive tackle prospect as I have seen. 

BLESSED TO SEE 17....🖤 pic.twitter.com/SemPyzPTL1

— MAASON SMITH (@maassoonn_) October 13, 2019

The Facts: The fact is Maason Smith is a long-shot for Oklahoma State. Most recruiting analysts think he is a slam dunk to stay close to home at LSU, but stranger things have happened. You can see on his Twitter message above that he cut schools a long time ago, but he hasn't quit talking to schools including Oklahoma State. He has 29 offers and the run the list of who's who including LSU, Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Penn State Nebraska, USC, Virginia, and more. He is 6-5 and a very muscular and solid 316-pounds. He runs a 5.34, quick for that size and he can bench a house. 

The Stats: Last season he had 82 total tackles with 24 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. As a sophomore he had 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and a pair of sacks. He should increase his production as a senior because he is getting better and more physical.

Our Take: He is the proverbial "man among boys." He has leverage power, quick feet, plays with good technique, which for him should be illegal, He can beat anybody with bad technique because he is so overwhelming physically. I see him on tape beating triple teams. You can go on and on, but he has a hard time finding somebody to A) challenge him and a team that B) will actually try to run at him or not roll their quarterback away from him.