Oklahoma State adds commitment from 3-Star CB JayVeon Cardwell

Oh, what a difference a great visit makes.

Such was the case for three-star cornerback JayVeon Cardwell following his recent visit to Oklahoma State last weekend. So impressed with he after his visit to Stillwater that he chose to end his recruitment and commit to the Cowboys on Monday evening.

Heading into the visit, Cardwell felt strongly about the program, but after seeing things in person, he was sure that he wanted to be a part of it.

“Coming up there, Oklahoma State was one of my top schools, but I hadn’t seen it yet,” he said. “I wanted to get up there and see it and it was better than I thought it would be and it just felt right to go through with it.”

Both the staff and campus made a huge impression on Cardwell, who was also strongly considering Ole Miss and Vanderbilt coming out of the spring. He said that he knew once he was out there, however, that the feeling he had wasn’t one that could be replicated by the others that have offered.

“When I was out there, it really just felt home to me,” he said. “The facility was great and the coaching staff really just took me under their wing and just really made me feel like I was part of that family. I got to interact with a bunch of the players as well and they were all just really respectful and it just urged me to want to play there.”

Cardwell said his mother couldn’t join him on his recent visit, but he would like to make a return trip with her. He said his father joined him last week and was just as impressed with what he saw.

“I’d love to get back up there,” he said. “I’d have to talk to my parents about it, but I think they would love to get back up to Stillwater as well.

"My father really enjoyed it up there on the visit. The way that everyone up there prides themselves on being an Oklahoma State football player, they really value that. Everyone is close, everyone is familiar with each other … it’s like a real family up there and that’s what we love about it.”

In the secondary he plays in for his high school at Cibolo-Steele, he is joined in the secondary Rivals100 safety Caden Sterns and fellow three-star J.T. Woods, who is committed to Baylor. Playing for a state championship contender in a defensive backfield with so much other top talent has helped breed his desire to continue working with an elite cast of teammates in college.

“Oklahoma State is coming off of a great season,” he said. “And I think that they have one of the best wide receiver groups in the nation so for me getting to work against those top guys just helps me add to my craft and helps with what I need to get better at.

“From what I saw, just watching all the DB’s out there, they’re all performing great and doing well,” he added. “I just like the coaching staff and Coach (Tim) Duffie that they have out there and I just want to be a part of that.”

Cardwell said now that he’s made his mind up, that’s how he’d like to keep it. He has no plans to further anything with the other teams that have offered him thus far and already sounds like he’s enjoying having a place with the Cowboys.

“From this point forward, I’m mainly focused on Oklahoma State,” he said. “The way they treated me was just a perfect fit for me and I’m just really sold on them.”