When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Jordan Crook committed to Oklahoma State in March, and while it went under-the-radar a little bit in terms of national prominence the three-star linebacker racked up more than 90 tackles last season and the Cowboys had him as a top target.
Everything was going along well, but in June the Duncanville, Texas, standout also visited Texas Tech and Arkansas and it was in Fayetteville where Crook had the best experience.
Recently, Crook backed off his pledge to Oklahoma State and now it looks like the Razorbacks are in the driver’s seat when it comes to his commitment.
Crook will visit Arkansas again the last weekend of July during another open period and it wouldn’t be a complete shock if the Razorbacks landed his pledge.
Oklahoma State targeted a sleeper linebacker and got his commitment, but like it often happens in recruiting the Cowboys could not hold on through the month of June when every recruit was back on the road seeing schools.
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LOCAL REACTION
“Oklahoma State offered Crook all the way back in June of 2019. From that time forward, he was one of Cowboys defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' top targets at the inside linebacker spot. When he committed in March of this year, it was long-awaited and more or less a foregone conclusion. He visited officially in early June and all was well until it wasn't. Given all of those things, the Sting Factor here is more than Crook's ranking might warrant.” - Jeff Johnson, OStateIllustrated.com
Sting Factor: 7
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NATIONAL REACTION
“This one does hurt because Oklahoma State had targeted Crook so early, landed his commitment and had him locked up, only to see him visit an SEC school and then back off his pledge. That formula has worked so well for coach Mike Gundy and his staff over the years - focus on undervalued but talented guys, get them to sign and then develop them in your system to be superstars.
"Crook is a tackling machine and the Cowboys had the right idea but could not keep his commitment. There are other inside linebackers out there that could fill Crook’s spot, but they wanted the Duncanville star and it looks like they’re going to end up missing out on him.” - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting Factor: 6
