Head Coach Mike Gundy is rising like a phoenix from the ashes for Oklahoma State football’s recruiting run in 2025. Nearly every analyst in the nation is betting against the Cowboys this year. So, while all eyes are elsewhere, Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys are quietly rebuilding.
Oklahoma State Football Recruiting Big Names This Spring
McGlothlin Commits Early
Just like their counterparts in Dallas, the Oklahoma State Cowboys couldn’t stop a fierce wind last year, let alone an opposing offense. This all culminated in an ugly 52-0 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes where the team, basically, didn’t bother showing up. Gundy is doing his best to rectify this.
The transfer portal wins have been huge, and Gundy is continuing that streak in recruiting. An All-State linebacker from Bixby is one of the most recent verbal commitments, and his name is Trey McGlothlin. He was a key factor in the Bixby Spartans taking home the state championship last year.
McGlothlin stands at 6-3 and 195 pounds, making him pretty light for a linebacker, but that’s also a strength. This lighter build gives him a 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds. Additionally, McGlothlin is already proving adept at predicting when and where the opposing quarterback is passing. In the state championship, he McGlothlin came away with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and two pick-sixes.
State Champions Flocking to Oklahoma State Football
In the old days of professional wrestling, when promotions were still ‘territories’, the National Wrestling Alliance was king. A key factor in their dominance was that they could bring every territory’s heavyweight champion under their banner and, eventually, offer them a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Gundy seems to be putting that same tried and true method to the test.
Gundy is giving the best across the nation the chance to challenge for a starting spot on the Cowboys roster. McGlothlin is just one of those names, but he’s not the only one. Landon Bland, one of Missouri’s top ten players, is another. Jaylin Stewart, an edge rusher and multi-class athlete from Texas, is another.
Bland is already showcasing the extraordinary ability to cross the entire field in seconds. Stewart comes in with a background in track and field and fifty-two tackles in his junior year. Of course, we can’t forget to mention that Oklahoma State football also just earned the commitment of the state’s number one offensive tackle, Aiden Martin.
Which Freshmen Could Gundy Send Out?
One of the biggest storylines for the Cowboys going into this next season is that of position battles. Primarily, we’ll see this at quarterback. But, with Oklahoma State football spring training beginning this week, there’s likely to be some surprises just waiting to happen. After spending a year in the wings, which of these freshmen is most likely to get an opportunity in 2025?
Kam Powell is a name topping the list currently. With a background in track and field, Powell is one of the faster receivers on the team. During his high school career, Powell was able to showcase an impressive physicality and pose a serious threat as a short-to-medium range receiver. Carrington Pierce, a JUCO safety and former all-league basketball player, could also be given the opportunity for a few reps.
Of course each of these guys will have to fight for that opportunity. The swathes of transfers that the Cowboys picked up are all going to be higher on the totem pole, even if they didn’t start here, and they all come in with more experience. Kalib Hicks, Oscar Hammond, and Shamar Rigby will all be given a better opportunity than the freshman.
It All Starts In Spring Football
While many teams are curtailing their spring football schedule, at least publicly, amidst fears of exploitation, Oklahoma State is chugging right along. The opportunity for poaching is high, but Gundy doesn’t appear to have too many concerns about that. The worst part, for his detractors at least, is that he’s probably right.
The Cowboys are a tight-knit program. Whether they win or lose, they do so together. The Oklahoma Sooners did better, win-wise, this year, and yet saw a deluge of talent rushing to the transfer portal. Oklahoma State bottomed out of the Big 12 Conference and only lost twelve players. You have to admit that it’s a potential testament to just how strong this team can be.
While everyone is focusing on the historic upset by OSU’s Wyatt Hendrickson over Olympic gold medalist Gable Stevenson at the NCAA Heavyweight tournament, or the Big 12 softball championship, Gundy and the Cowboys football team are dialing in on the rebuild of the century. At the end of the day, with all the chaos going on around this team of misfits and stars from Stillwater, I have just one thing I’m sure of.
Main Image: NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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