The Oklahoma State Cowboys hosted scores of recruits for their 57-24 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.
The stadium was filled with players that have already committed to the Cowboys, including nine members of their 13-player recruiting class. There were also players from the classes of 2028, 2029 and even 2030, including several quarterbacks that head coach Eric Morris and his staff have targeted to keep tabs on for the future.
But on Dec. 2 the Cowboys will begin signing players for the Class of 2027. Part of last weekend was making sure to keep those nine recruits warm. But with a little more than a month to bolster the class, the Cowboys are trying to flip committed players. That’s part of the game, too.
That's why this recruit that made the trip to Stillwater mattered a great deal.
The Cowboys’ Latest Flip Candidate
Per Rivals (subscription required), Crean Lutheran (Irvine, Calif.) wide receiver Braylen Ross was in Stillwater on an official visit. He committed to the Arizona Wildcats in May. He’s been offered by a host of schools, including Arizona State, TCU and Oklahoma State. But the Wildcats and the Cowboys are the two teams among those four that are having good seasons. Both the Wildcats and Cowboys are in the AP Top 25 and in the Big 12 Championship game race.
It's a scenario that would appeal to the Cowboys. First, it would bring another receiver into the class. Second, it would damage a conference rival. There's nothing wrong with a double whammy like that.
Right now, Oklahoma State has two wide receiver commits. One is Ake O’Neal, who plays for Argyle High School in Argyle, Texas. The other is Cooper Hooker of Pryor High School in Quapaw, Okla., Ross has something the other two don’t have — length.
Ross is 6-4, 200 pounds. It’s a body type that profiles closest to Justin Bowick on the current roster, who is 6-5. It’s also a body type that Morris and his staff have precious little of on the current roster. Bowick is playing his final year of college football. The only other receiver close to Bowick’s height is freshman Dayvon Standard, who is 6-4.
The roster and recruiting class are filled with players who are smaller targets for quarterback Drew Mestemaker, or whoever replaces him in 2027 should he go to the NFL Draft. Adding a receiver like Ross, with his kind of length, would be a value add to the program.
Plus, he’s put up huge numbers this season. In nine games with Crean Lutheran he’s caught 72 passes for 988 yards and seven touchdowns. It’s easy to see why the Wildcats want him — and The Cowboys want to flip him.
Did OSU do enough on Saturday? Only time will tell.
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