De’Zhaun Stribling is making plenty of noise in San Francisco, and that’s a reminder of how much talent Oklahoma State has sent through the receiver pipeline over the years.
The Cowboys’ wideout tradition runs deep, stretching from Hart Lee Dykes in the 1980s through names like Rashaun Woods, Adarius Bowman, Dez Bryant, Justin Blackmon, James Washington and Tylan Wallace. Stribling now belongs in that conversation for a different reason: he’s turning heads in an NFL training camp after a college path that included two seasons in Stillwater and a final stop in the SEC.
San Francisco made him a second-round pick in this year’s draft after he posted 55 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns last season at Ole Miss. Now, one 49ers beat writer has gone as far as saying Stribling is “already the best wide receiver on the team. Full stop.”
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner also pointed to the traits that are pushing Stribling up the depth chart. “Stribling continues to produce at a high level regardless of who he is on the field with and against. The size and speed are obvious but there’s a maturity and understanding of the game that his teammates and coaches continue to notice that are helping him adapt quickly.”
Kyle Shanahan echoed that confidence on Tuesday, while also stressing that Stribling is still working through the growing pains that come with a new offense and a new level. “The more he’s out there, the more he’ll get confident,” Shanahan said.
“We truly believe he’s made of the right stuff. We know his ability and now it’s about him going through a lot of situations that he hasn’t been through, that I expect him to fail a number of times in practice, but he’s good enough and made of the right stuff, that he’ll eventually get through it.
You seen a lot of those today and hopefully we can keep doing that more and more so he’s ready in Week 1.”
Stribling’s college road took him from Washington State to Oklahoma State ahead of the 2023 season. His time in Stillwater showed flashes early, but his biggest season there came when the quarterback room was in flux and the offense had trouble finding steady footing.
He appeared in only four games in 2023 before a thumb injury ended that stretch. In 2024, he came back and led the Cowboys with 882 receiving yards on 52 catches while Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel and Maealiuaki Smith all logged meaningful snaps at quarterback. Oklahoma State finished 3-9.
One of the defining images from that season came against Texas Tech, when Stribling caught a touchdown from Smith - the first scoring pass of Smith’s career - and then punted the ball into the stands, apparently out of frustration with how the year was unfolding. He later had to use social media to try to track down the ball so he could give it back to Smith.
With the way that season played out, and with the benefit of hindsight from 2025, it’s easy to understand why Stribling chose to keep moving and play for Lane Kiffin in Oxford. Still, seeing him thrive now in the NFL can leave a familiar tug for Oklahoma State fans wondering what might have been.
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