Oklahoma State spent Saturday doing more than beating Colorado 57-24. The Cowboys also played host to a heavy dose of future talent, with the stadium packed with recruits who already belong to the program and others who are still in the pipeline.
Nine of the 13 players in Oklahoma State’s current recruiting class were on hand for the win, a clear sign the staff is working to keep that group solid. The guest list went well beyond the Class of 2027, though. Recruits from the classes of 2028, 2029 and 2030 were also in Stillwater, including several quarterbacks Eric Morris and his staff have already started tracking for the future.
That backdrop matters because signing day for the Class of 2027 is coming on Dec. 2, and Oklahoma State is still looking to strengthen that group. The Cowboys aren’t just trying to protect what they have. They’re also trying to flip commits, which is where one visitor became especially important.
According to Rivals, Crean Lutheran wide receiver Braylen Ross made an official visit to Stillwater. Ross, who plays in Irvine, Calif., committed to Arizona in May, but he has also picked up offers from Arizona State, TCU and Oklahoma State. Among those four schools, Arizona and Oklahoma State are the ones sitting in the best position right now, with both in the AP Top 25 and both in the Big 12 Championship game race.
From Oklahoma State’s perspective, Ross checks two boxes at once. He would give the Cowboys another receiver in the class, and he would also take a prospect away from a conference rival. That’s the kind of move programs like to make when they can.
The Cowboys currently have two wide receiver commits: Ake O’Neal of Argyle High School in Argyle, Texas, and Cooper Hooker of Pryor High School in Quapaw, Okla. Ross brings something different to the table. At 6-4 and 200 pounds, he offers length that stands out on Oklahoma State’s roster and in its recruiting class.
The closest comparison on the current roster is Justin Bowick, who is 6-5 and in his final season of college football. The only other receiver near that size is freshman Dayvon Standard, listed at 6-4. Otherwise, the Cowboys’ receiver room and incoming class are built around smaller options for quarterback Drew Mestemaker, or whoever is under center in 2027 if Mestemaker heads to the NFL Draft.
Ross would give the Cowboys a different kind of target, and he brings production to match. Through nine games at Crean Lutheran, he has 72 catches for 988 yards and seven touchdowns.
That’s the profile Arizona wanted, and it’s exactly why Oklahoma State went after him. Whether the official visit pushed the Cowboys closer to a flip, though, is something that won’t be clear right away.
In Other News...
Steve Lutz Has An Early Oklahoma State Guard Decision To Make
Steve Lutz has spent the early stretch of preseason trying to figure out how his newest Oklahoma State team will come together, and the guard rotation is one of the first real decisions on his desk. Lutz believes he has his best offensive group yet as he works toward getting the Cowboys back to the NCAA Tournament, but after a pair of scrimmages, he is still sorting out how much responsibility to hand true freshman Anthony Felisi. The young guard has already flashed the kind of defensive energy that can make a coach lean in, while also contributing enough on offense to stay in the conversation.
The bigger question is how Felisi fits once the roster is fully available and the experienced guards settle into their usual roles. Oklahoma State has depth at the position, which makes every minute a little harder to win, and Lutzs choice will depend as much on health as it does on trust and timing. Felisi has given the staff reasons to keep watching closely, and the early read on his role could say a lot about how Lutz wants this team to play once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces One Last Chance To Answer A Growing Concern
Oklahoma State gets one more preseason test before the games start counting, and it comes in a tough setting against Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Cowboys have already worked through two exhibition tuneups, and they have at least seen encouraging production from guard Kashie Natt as they continue sorting out roles and rhythm ahead of the regular season.
Wisconsin brings its own momentum into the matchup after winning both of its preseason exhibitions, though this will be its first chance to see a power-conference opponent this fall. For Oklahoma State, the backdrop is simple enough: another live look at where the roster stands, another chance to sharpen the details, and a final exhibition spotlight that will be easy to follow on B1G+, the Cowboy Radio Network and the Varsity Network app. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Has New Names Pushing For Bigger Roles After Colorado
Oklahoma States rout of Colorado did more than keep the Cowboys in the Big 12 race, it also gave a few lesser-known names a chance to show where they fit as the season gets late. The win was big enough to strengthen the teams standing for the conference title chase, but the more interesting follow-up has been how the staff can now sort through who earned a larger say in the rotation after that performance.
Braydon Nelsons rise is one of the cleaner examples of that momentum, and William Mason added to it by scoring his first touchdown while carving out more snaps through his special teams work. LaDainian Fields helped the defense with interceptions, Lawson came up with a key play, and the depth chart still has a few questions attached to it, including the status of Ayo Adeyi, making this one of those weeks where the box score only tells part of the story. [Read more 🡒]