Early April Cowboy Recruiting Notebook
It has been quite a busy week for Oklahoma State football recruiting. Several offers have been handed out and the Cowboys cracked the top eight for a 4 star in state linebacker.
There were a total of four offers handed out throughout the week, two skill players and two lineman.
The first of the offers was Frisco Lone Star running back Jaden Nixon. Nixon’s father was a two year letterman at Oklahoma State in the 90’s and now has the chance to follow in his footsteps. Nixon is a 5’10 170 pound slash style back that exhibits elite speed and game breaking potential in the open field. As a junior he had limited touches due to one of the top wide receivers in the country also on his offense taking most of the attention. Even with only 90 touches, Nixon managed 821 yards and 14 touchdowns. The passing game is also in Nixon’s arsenal catching 18 passes for 262 yards with 2 touchdowns. The Lone Star offense is often explosive and in 2021, Nixon will be the primary weapon used. Although Nixon holds almost 20 offers, he is still very under the radar with most of his offers being mid majors. Oklahoma State already holds high ground in Nixon’s recruitment.
The second offer of the week was to a low profile 2022 prospect out of St. Thomas Aquinas (KA) defensive lineman Jalen Marshall. This week was a big one for him, picking up his first three offers. Oklahoma State was his second offer with Arkansas and Kansas coming before and after. Marshall is a 6’4 260 pound defensive tackle. In his sophomore campaign, Marshall totaled 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Marshall visited campus for Bedlam this past November and has finally earned his offer. With Oklahoma State being an early participant in his recruitment, the Cowboys should be a major player for the current sophomore.
The third offer of the week was handed out to La Mesa (CA) Helix high school two-way lineman, Josh Simmons. The 6’6 280 pound lineman is a recent decommitment from Oregon, opening his recruitment to the country. He is a 4 star prospect and can play at an elite level on both offense and defense. Simmons has some very big players in his recruitment including Michigan, LSU, and Texas which means his recruitment will be a dog fight. I will say though if there is one position Oklahoma State is recruiting along with the best, it is the offensive line due to Charlie Dickey being one of the best in the country at his job.
The final offer of the week was handed out yesterday to Opelousas (LA) Catholic receiver Keon Coleman. This is one of the most intriguing offers the staff has handed out and for good reasons. Coleman holds 30 total offers and is a unanimous 4 star prospect. Last year, Coleman only had 35 catches but had a ridiculous 1,143 yards and 22 touchdowns. With those numbers you would normally expect 70+ catches but Coleman did it on 35, showing his skill with the ball in his hands. At 6’4 185 pounds, Coleman possesses an excellent frame to be an elite target at the college level and beyond.
One of the bigger developments of the week came when in state 4 star linebacker, Collin Oliver released his top 8 which included Oklahoma State.
Along with the Cowboys was Texas Tech, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa State, TCU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. Oliver, who attends Edmon Santa Fe would follow the path of former wolves and current Cowboys Calvin Bundage and Trace Ford if he were to choose Oklahoma State. His recruitment will carry on into the summer with a high chance of extending into the season, giving Oklahoma State plenty of time to remain close with Olliver and build that relationship. If the Cowboys could land Olliver, they would be getting one of the top linebackers in the country and a special talent on defense.