Oklahoma State’s early-season surge is already showing up where it usually matters most: on the recruiting trail.
After opening 3-1 and 1-0 in the Big 12, the Cowboys spent last week making the rounds on the trail. Head coach Eric Morris was in Edmond, Okla., to evaluate four-star quarterback Nash Henry of Edmond North High School.
Elsewhere, some of his assistants were in East St. Louis, Ill., watching wide receiver Ronnie Gomiller, a Cincinnati commit who could be a flip target.
Another group of Oklahoma State assistants was in Georgia at Buford High School, where defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity led the charge. According to 247 Sports, 11 prep players there received offers.
That kind of activity fits the moment for the Cowboys, who are trying to turn a hot start into real traction after going 1-11 last season and 4-20 over the past two years. Morris said last month that Oklahoma State was “behind” on the Class of 2027, with only 12 commits.
One upcoming visitor for the Texas Tech game on Nov. 14 shows how much the Cowboys’ start may be helping.
Per Rivals, Oklahoma State has invited three-star wide receiver Tay Ellis to campus for that game. The timing stands out: the visit comes less than a month before the early signing period, and Ellis is still uncommitted.
Ellis had previously been committed to Nebraska before backing off that pledge. He’s from Texas but is finishing his final prep season at Omaha (Neb.) Millard South after previously playing at Crowley High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
There’s also some built-in familiarity here. Morris and his staff recruited Ellis heavily when they were at North Texas, building a relationship with him going back to his freshman year. Now Oklahoma State gets a chance to lean on that connection while the Cowboys’ season gives the pitch more weight.
They’ll need it. Rivals reported that Alabama and Oklahoma have also reached out, so Oklahoma State is competing with a couple of SEC programs for Ellis’ attention.
He’s the kind of prospect who may need time once he gets to college, but the upside is part of the appeal. Rivals has him as the No. 6 player in Nebraska and the No. 97 wide receiver in the country. At 5-11, 190 pounds, he would arrive in Stillwater with a profile similar to current leading receiver Wyatt Young.
If Ellis develops that way, Oklahoma State would gladly take the wait.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Just Added A Familiar Name With Something To Prove
Braylin Presley is back in the picture for Oklahoma State after a winding college path that took him from Stillwater to Tulsa and now back to the Cowboys. The former OSU player and Tulsa standout has been granted a fifth year of eligibility, giving him a chance to return to the program that first brought him into the Big 12 spotlight.
The move comes as Presley and several other athletes continue to challenge the NCAAs new age-based eligibility rule in court, and that legal fight has kept his status in motion. For now, though, his return still appears to be in limbo on the school side, since he has not yet been formally announced by Oklahoma State and was not on the teams electronic roster Sunday evening. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Gets A Real Week 6 Test Coming Out Of Bye
Coming out of its bye week, Oklahoma State heads into Week 6 with a conference game that has a little more intrigue than a standard early-October matchup. The Cowboys are set to host UCF in Big 12 play, and the timing gives them a chance to build on the momentum they carried into the break after putting together a strong start to the month.
UCF arrives with some uncertainty under center and a road profile that has not been encouraging so far this season, which only adds to the sense that this is a real test for both sides. For Oklahoma State, the game offers a chance to measure whether its recent turnaround has some staying power as the Big 12 schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Heads To Oklahoma State With One Huge Availability Question
UCFs trip to Stillwater comes with more uncertainty than usual, and Scott Frost spent part of the week sorting through the injury ripple effects before the Knights face Oklahoma State. The list already includes several key players, and Frost has tried to stress the next-man-up approach as UCF leans on its depth and waits to see who can make it back in the near future.
One of the bigger questions hanging over the matchup is the offensive line, where center Jacob Maiava is dealing with a lower-body injury and remains questionable. The Knights also appear set to be short on offense and in the middle of the defense, with the availability of quarterback Alonza Barnett III and linebacker Lewis Carter shaping up as a major storyline as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]