Four Cowboy Seniors on What They’ve Learned in Their Time at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER — Saturday will mark Senior Day for some of the most experienced Cowboys of all time.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said on Monday that 26 players will walk as part of Saturday’s Senior Day festivities before the Cowboys host Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m. in Boone Pickens Stadium. Four of those seniors met with reporters after their Monday practice. Brennan Presley, Jake Springfield, Korie Black and Collin Clay all came to OSU under different circumstances, but each has been at the program since at least the 2020 season. PFB asked each what they’ve learned about themselves in their time at OSU. Here is how each answered.

Brennan Presley

Brennan Presley came to Stillwater as an undersized, under-recruited receiver out of Bixby High School.

A member of the 2020 recruiting class, Presley didn’t have any power conference offers aside from his offer to play for the Pokes. Heck, Tulsa didn’t even offer him. And all Presley went on to do was become the all-time leader in receptions in program history. He enters his final game in Boone Pickens Stadium with 297 career receptions for 3,218 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also has 160 rushing yards, six rushing TDs, 1,667 return yards and a kick return touchdown.

“The thing I’m most proud of, I’ve made a lot of friends,” Presley said. “A lot of relationships and stuff here that will last me a long time — guys that have left that I still talk to, guys that are still here that I still talk to. Even when we leave, I’ll still talk to them, even guys that will still be here after I leave that I’ll probably still talk to. I think that’s the biggest thing.

“I learned a lot about myself just going to college. Honestly, it’s the first real life test to me because you’re on your own, away from your parents. You get to do what you want to do, choose what you want to do. It’s kinda like how you want to be remembered and stuff. I’m not thinking about this stuff when I’m a freshman and sophomore and stuff like that. It just happened to trickle along.

“I just learned that I’m stronger than what I think I am, and every single day I learn something new about myself. Every single experience I’ll learn something new. I’m just very proud of the time here and sad it’s coming to an end.”

Jake Springfield

Jake Springfield joined the program ahead of the 2019 season, and he was even less recruited than Presley.

Springfield walked on at OSU before earning a scholarship going into the 2020 season. He went from walk-on to a player who has now started 46 games on the Cowboys’ offensive line.

“I just kinda learned to keep fighting no matter what,” Springfield said. “If you get knocked down, get back up. Keep fighting no matter what happens. There’s no guarantees in life, so just the will to just kinda keep going and keep improving and being able to set goals and keep track of your goals and keep that progress is something that I’ve kinda learned that’ll help me for the rest of my life.”

Korie Black

Korie Black’s on-field impact started in his true freshman season in 2020. Since the start of the 2022 season, Black has started every OSU game but one (because of injury).

Black even made some big plays as a sophomore in OSU’s Fiesta Bowl-winning 2021 season, recovering three muffed punts, which all led to OSU scores.

Black enters Senior Day with 90 career tackles, three tackles for loss, four interceptions and 19 pass breakups.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, both physically, mentally,” Black said. “Learning the game a lot. I learned a lot from people that were ahead of me when I first came in until now, just learning day by day and helping people under me now at this point. I’ve grown a lot since I’ve been here. It’s been good. …

“You gotta keep faith in God. Really, you’re gonna have ups and downs throughout the season and stuff like that. It’s really just staying the same. Just trying not to be too highly emotional, you know what I’m saying? Just keep everything that same. That’s what I’ve learned (from this season), really.”

Collin Clay

Out of Putnam City High School, Collin Clay initially chose to leave the state to play college ball, but he later found a new home in Stillwater.

Clay was a four-star recruit in the 2019 class and chose Arkansas over an impressive list of offers. He played in 11 of the Razorbacks’ 12 games as a true freshman in 2019 before transferring to Oklahoma State. Injuries plagued his first two years in Stillwater, as he didn’t see the field. Since 2022, though, Clay has played in 36 of OSU’s 37 games. He’s made 46 total tackles as a Cowboy, including eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

“Just how resilient I am,” Clay said. “It’s not easy coming off two surgeries. I felt like after my second one, I was ready to just hang it up. I just feel like I’m strong enough to go out there and persevere from that stuff. I feel like I did. I feel like that’s a story for anybody else that may be going through the same thing, that was in the same boat as me or is in the same boat that I was in right now. If you feel like your faith is there, just trust and believe God that everything will work out the way that it was supposed to. I felt like everything went the way it was supposed to. That’s how I feel about it.”

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