8/21/2018 football Edit

Texas Mid-Term Recruiting Report: Oklahoma State

Allen, Texas, defensive linemen is one of the Cowboys top DL commits in recent memory (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Nick Krueger • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

Nick Krueger joined Rivals.com as a multimedia producer in 2011 and has covered recruiting in the state of Texas since 2016. He also co-hosts and produces Rivals' weekly podcast, Commitment Issues.

Football prospects looking to make their college football commitments before the start of their senior season is nothing new in Texas. However, in the first full cycle of changes made to the NCAA football recruiting calendar, many players took advantage of the opportunity to knock out many - if not all - of their official visits from the end of spring through early summer. Many top programs in-state, as well as those out-of-state teams that frequently recruit Texas, have seen their classes fill at an advanced pace with a higher likelihood that products from the Lone Star State will remain committed with an eye on signing their letters of intent in December.

In 2016, 258 players from Texas ranked as 5.4 two-stars or higher signed with Power Five or Group of Five programs. In 2017, that number grew to 297 and again in 2018 to 334. Currently, 216 players in that demographic are committed to Power Five or Group of Five programs in the 2019 class. While the number of signees at the very top of the rankings has remained relatively consistent since 2016, the growth in total players signed during that time is an indicator that the overall quality of talent in the state has grown as well.

With that in mind, and the start of football season just around the corner, now is as good of a time as any to take stock of which teams have recruited Texas most successfully this year. Here is a look at the job Oklahoma State has done with the fall approaching.

PERFORMANCE TO-DATE

Relative to the other programs that have recruited the state of Texas hard so far in 2019, Oklahoma State might not have the most ballyhooed class, but half of the Cowboys’ commits come from the state to the south and the potential is strong for many of those players to make one final push in the rankings before the end of the season. Jayden Jernigan has the look of a player that could ultimately be the most crucial player in Oklahoma State’s class this year as an explosive player that could line up in multiple spots along the defensive front. The Cowboys haven’t signed an interior defensive lineman ranked as high - or higher - than Jernigan since 2015.

Both Texan offensive lineman commits, Cole Birmingham and Preston Wilson caught fire on the recruiting trail at the beginning and end of spring respectively. Birmingham is a big mauler that chose the Cowboys over several SEC programs, while Wilson quickly exceeded double-digit offers and is a versatile and nimble pass-blocker and could end up playing anywhere on the offensive line.

None of Oklahoma State’s commits saw any real change to their status in the most recent release of the Rivals Rankings, but there is a reasonable expectation that many of them could take a step forward this fall. Xavier Player is a bit undersized for a top cornerback, but is a tricky defender. Defensive end Isreal Isuman-Hundley showed a lot of raw ability last season, but if he comes into this fall a little more filled-out and a touch quicker off the line, he is a prime candidate for a bump as well.

So far as remaining targets from Texas are concerned, some interesting prospects are still available. The most exciting target at this point could be Newton, Texas, running back Darwin Barlow. If the Cowboys can land him, they will have beaten out a number of other programs for a refreshing recruiting win in a race for what may be their first four-star prospect in this class. Oklahoma State also hasn’t gone overboard recruiting linebackers in recent years, but Myles Jernigan would give them one of the more versatile linebackers in the state this year and could play well in space. Some talk out of the spring suggested that the Cowboys were making a move on Colorado commit Kamryn Farrar who is a similar sort of player, but Jernigan is a bit bigger wouldn’t have to be wrestled away from an existing commitment.

MID-TERM GRADE: C

Through this offseason, there just wasn’t the same kind of feeling that Oklahoma State was making the same sort of effort to land recruits from Texas as other conference programs. Even recruits that aren’t necessarily in the top tier of prospects that the staff was making legitimate plays for, like quarterback Grant Gunnell and offensive guard Marcus Alexander, ultimately ended with those players committing elsewhere. The complexion of this class could certainly be far more positive by the end of the season if Oklahoma State ends up landing either - or both - Barlow and Jernigan, and adds a few more pieces like defensive back Jonathan McGill, who will take an official visit to Oklahoma State in September. The book is far from closed on the commits in the fold having the opportunity to better their rankings, but it’s not unfair to think that the job is ongoing when it comes to this recruiting class.