Robert Allen - Pokes Report publisher
Cowboys Make Offers, Entertain Prospects with First of Back-to-Back Junior Days
STILLWATER -- The momentum swing for Oklahoma State football with the return of running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace, as well as keeping receivers coach Kasey Dunn and promoting him to offensive coordinator and adding quarterback coach Tim Rattay, continued on Saturday inside Boone Pickens Stadium and the West End Zone. Head coach Mike Gundy and the recruiting and coaching staff hosted some 40 prospects for the first of back-to-back Junior Days.
Some of the prospects on hand included standout Aledo, Texas safety Bryan Allen Jr., who is a ferocious tackler that had 122 tackles this season for the powerhouse Bearcats and was named a second-team Sophomore All-American; Denton Guyer speedster and cornerback in the 2021 class Duece Harmon; talented Mansfield Timberview defensive back Landon Hullaby, who has a plethora of scholarship offers ranging from the Cowboys to Southern Cal; and massive offensive lineman Jaedden Roberts from Galena Park North Shore, the two-time Texas Class 6A-I State Champions.
One of the top targets for Oklahoma State is running back CamRon Valdez of Rickdale High School in Texas. The 5-9, 180-pound speedster had 1,699-yards and 26 touchdowns last season in earning the Offensive MVP award for District 10-3A-1.
From Oklahoma stellar sophomore wide receiver Talyn Shettron of Edmond Santa Fe was there as well as speedster junior Bryce Stephens from Oklahoma City John Marshall.
There are two new offers that we know of in linebackers, both in the 2021 class with Morice Blackwell of Arlington Martin in Texas and Kolbe Fields of Archbishop Rummel in Louisiana.
Oklahoma State taking advantage of the "mo" held the earliest Junior Day that I can remember and I've been covering Oklahoma State and the recruiting process for 35-years.
There were some really good players in Stillwater on Saturday that arrived early and took in the first half of the Cowboys basketball game in Gallagher-Iba with second-ranked Baylor.
The players and their guests then paid for a lunch back in the training table in the West End Zone before a series of meetings and tours that highlighted the Cowboys academics, football facilities, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and quality time with the coaching staff including head coach Mike Gundy.
Oklahoma State has strengthened their staff in recruiting with the addition of former assistant coach and a defensive coordinator in Todd Bradford as he joins forces with Mike Groce and the five prospect analysts on staff.
Getting offers during the day that we know of were Blackwell, who adds this offer to four others. He was the unanimous overall MVP in District 4-6A this season. The 6-1, 190-pound outside linebacker for Arlington Martin had 128 tackles, 13 for loss, two sacks, four fumbles forced, three recovered, two returned for touchdowns, and two interceptions. He is a 2021 prospect.
Kolbe Fields was an All-State player for Archbishop Rummel this season and the 6-1, 205-pound linebacker had 98 total tackles, 66 unassisted, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions. He is also a member of the class of 2021. Oklahoma State has had excellent history with linebackers from Louisiana.
One of the best, if not the highest-rated recruit present today was massive offensive lineman Jaeden Roberts of North Shore. The 6-4 1/2, 338-pound guard that can mash with anyone has 22 offers including the Oklahoma State, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Oregon.
Others confirmed attendees included Bryan Allen with his 122 tackles and three interceptions at Aledo, offensive line commitment Kelvin Banks as he is pledged in the 2022 Cowboy class, Utah standout Jeffrey Bassa of Kearns that plays wide receiver and outside linebacker, corner Duece Harmon of Guyer that has a 4.33 forty time, Landon Hullaby of Mansfield Timberview with 21 total tackles as a sophomore last season, and Zhighill McMillan of Frisco Independence, who scored 12 touchdowns last season at wide receiver.
Safety Isaiah Nwokobia of Dallas Skyline High School is a top 2021 prospect in the DFW. He already has a bunch of offers including Oklahoma State, Colorado, Duke, Georgia Tech, Houston, and Minnesota. The 6-1, 180-pound safety has cover corner skills to team with safety power.
It was a good day for Kasey Dunn as he had a number of prospects for his position there including Shettron and Stephens from Oklahoma.
Another prospect we can verify in attendance was Danny Stutsman of Foundation Academy in Florida. The versatile 6-2 1/2, 197-pound Stutsman has offers from the likes of Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech.
Another player that we need to mention is D.J. Withers of Robinson High School in Arkansas. The 6-4, 245-pound defensive end had 75 total tackles and eight sacks last season.
Two players we learned about after this story was first published that were in attendance at the Junior Day were Frisco Independence tight end Elijah Arroyo and Reserve (East St. John), La. linebacker Jackie Marshall.
Marshall is a 6-1 1/2, 230-pound linebacker in the 2021 class that had 82 total tackles and 72 of those were unassisted. He also had 11 sacks and has three offers, all from schools in Louisiana.
Arroyo is a 6-4, 210-pound tight end, big wide receiver that has an offer from Oklahoma State and Houston, Miami, LSU, and UConn. Last season he had 47 receptions for 648-yards and five touchdowns.
We will continue to update our story and have more profiles on Junior Day. Next week, the Oklahoma State staff will do it again on Saturday, Jan. 25.