Loaded Defensive Recruiting Roundup: Oklahoma State Hits the Recruiting Trail Hard in January

Continuing our recap of the copious amounts of work the Cowboy coaching staff has put in on the recruiting trail over the past month, let’s take a look at some defenders.

On Monday, we looked at a lot of the offensive players who announced Oklahoma State offers during the month of January. In early January, we already recapped 10 players who announced OSU offers (you can look at those guys here), but here are some 2026 defensive prospects who have announced since.

Defensive Line

Marcus Almada (Cranston, Rhode Island): Listed at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, Almada plays on the defensive line at Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. He has also announced offers to Syracuse, Kentucky, Buffalo, Old Dominion and others. OSU also offered Almada’s Tabor teammate Carter Gooden in January.

Landon Barnes (Duncanville, Texas): A 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge rusher at Duncanville High School, Barnes is a three-star prospect, according to Rivals and 247Sports. According to MaxPreps, he made 43 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and four sacks as a junior this past season. Barnes has also announced offers to Georgia, Washington, Texas Tech, Arizona State and others.

Danny Beale III (Cherry Valley, Arkansas): A four-star prospect, Danny Beale is the No. 90 player in Rivals’ national rankings for the 2026 class. At 6-4, 300 pounds, Beale plays at Cross Country High School in Arkansas. He also plays on the offensive line for the Thunderbirds. He has announced offers to Oklahoma, Georgia, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Oregon, Florida, LSU, USC, SMU and others.

Daryl Campbell (Katy, Texas): A three-star prospect out of Paetow High in Katy, Texas, Campbell is listed at 6-3, 315. Along with his OSU offer, Campbell has announced offers to North Carolina, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Houston and others.

Julian Hugo (Cibolo, Texas): Listed as a 6-4, 240, edge rusher at Cibolo-Steele, Hugo is a three-star prospect, according to Rivals, which has him as a Top 100 prospect in the state of Texas. He has also announced offers to Arizona, Kansas State, North Carolina, Michigan State, Texas Tech, UCLA and others.

Jake Johnson (Prosper, Texas): A 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle at Prosper High School, Johnson is a three-star prospect, according to 247Sports and Rivals. 247Sports lists him as the No. 77 player in the state of Texas. He also has offers to Baylor, Kansas State, North Carolina, Houston, Kansas, SMU, Texas Tech, TCU, USC and others.

Simote Katoanga (Oceanside, California): Listed at 6-5, 250 pounds, Katoanga is a four-star prospect who comes in at No. 173 in the 2026 247Sports Composite ranking. 247Sports actually lists him as the No. 59 player in the entire class. He also has offers to Georgia, Miami, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, USC, UCLA, Texas and others.

Lopeti Matai’tini Moala Jr. (Kaysville, Utah): Moala is a 6-4, 240-pound edge rusher who recorded 79 tackles and seven tackles for loss as a junior at Davis High School, per MaxPreps. 247Sports lists him as a three-star prospect and the No. 52 edge rusher in the class. He has also announced offers to BYU, Iowa State, Arizona, Arizona State, USC, UCLA, Utah and others.

Alister Vallejo (Liberty Hill, Texas): Vallejo recorded 51 tackles, nine tackles for loss and seven sacks as a junior at Liberty Hill, according to MaxPreps. Listed at 6-3, 295 pounds, he also has announced offers from Houston, SMU, Kansas and others.

Linebacker

Dejon “DJ” Ackerson (Putman City): Oklahoma State became Ackerson’s first offer Jan. 17. The Cowboys have since been joined by Oklahoma, Kansas State, Boston College, Tulsa and others. Mike Gundy went and visited with Ackerson in January. Listed at 6-2, 195 pounds, Ackerson had 71 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior, according to MaxPreps.

Reilarean Phillips (Houston, Texas): Listed at 6-2, 200 pounds, Phillips plays at Alief Elsik High in Houston. Rivals and 247Sports consider him a three-star recruit, and he has also announced offers to Baylor, SMU, Ole Miss, Houston and others.

Calvin Thomas (Houston, Texas): A 6-3, 215-pound linebacker at Cypress Ranch High School, Thomas recorded 69 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a junior, according to MaxPreps. Rivals lists him as a four-star recruit and the No. 51 player in the state of Texas. He has also announced offers to LSU, Arizona, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech and others.

Defensive Backs

Jermaine Bishop Jr. (Willis, Texas): A 6-foot, 165-pound corner from Willis, Bishop is the No. 36 player in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports, making him the No. 5 player in the state of Texas. He plays both ways at Willis High (and plays basketball and runs track). As a junior, according to MaxPreps, Bishop caught 83 passes for 1,565 yards and 18 touchdowns while intercepting three passes and recording six pass breakups. He has offers from Michigan, Penn State, Baylor, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, TCU, SMU, Texas Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and others.

Braylon Edwards (Duncanville, Texas): A 6-foot, 187-pound defensive back, Edwards is a three-star prospect, according to Rivals and 247Sports. As a junior at Duncanville, he was credited with 43 tackles and seven pass breakups, per MaxPreps. He has also announced offers to Arkansas, Houston, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Michigan State and others.

Jamarrion Gordon (Jackson, Alabama): A four-star prospect, Gordon comes in at No. 178 in Rivals’ national rankings. Listed at 6-feet, 190 pounds, Gordon plays both ways at Jackson High. He caught 19 passes for 358 yards and six touchdowns as a junior, according to MaxPreps, and as a defender, he made 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and intercepted three passes. He has also announced offers to Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Miami, Oregon, Penn State and others.

Brody Jennings (Jacksonville, Florida): A Michigan commit, Jennings is a four-star prospect in the 2026 class who also has offers to Alabama, Georgia, Florida and others. The 247Sports Composite ranking lists him as the No. 314 player in the class, making him a top 50 prospect in the state of Florida.

Brock King (Beaumont, Texas): A 5-10, 178-pound corner, King plays his high school ball at Memorial High in Port Arthur, Texas — the same high school OSU pulled Michael Riles from in the 2025 class. King is the No. 578 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking, making him a top 50 corner in the class and a top 75 player from the state of Texas. He has also announced offers to Houston, Arizona State, Baylor, Louisville, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon and others.

Carter Langenderfer (Owasso): Langenderfer, a 6-2, 190-pound safety, had 66 tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception a a junior at Owasso, according to MaxPreps. OSU was his second offer, following Iowa State. He has since also announced offers to Tulsa and Yale.

Victor Lincoln (Lancaster, Texas): A 6-foot, 167-pound corner, Lincoln is a three-star prospect, according to Rivals, which lists him as a top 100 player in Texas and a top 40 corner in the class. He has also announced offers to Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU, Pitt, Purdue, Arkansas, Nebraska and others.

Jamarion Vincent (Waco, Texas): A Baylor commit, Vincent is a 6-2, 165-pound athlete who plays at Connally High, the same high school Korie Black came from. He committed to Baylor after receiving his OSU offer and also has offers from Texas, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, Houston and others. Also the Cadets’ quarterback, Vincent threw for 818 yards and nine touchdowns, ran for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns, and made 34 tackles, two tackles for loss and intercepted a pass as a junior, per MaxPreps. He’s a four-star prospect and is listed as the No. 346 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.