Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s National Signing Day

Most years, you generally have a pretty good idea of about 95% of the prospects who are going to sign with Oklahoma State on Signing Day with one or two surprises sprinkled in.

That was not the case Wednesday.

With an eight-day runway while juggling two jobs, Eric Morris put together a 15-man signing class filled almost exclusively with surprises.

You can catch up on who the Pokes signed here. And here are five takeaways I had from a busy Wednesday.

1. All Things Considered, It Was a Successful Day for OSU

With the dust still very much settling, OSU’s class, as of writing, ranks 86th nationally in 247Sports’ rankings, which is 14th (of 16) in the Big 12. 

From the surface, that’s far from ideal. But take the following into consideration:

— OSU entered the day with three known commits
— OSU hired a coach eight days before Signing Day
— That coach isn’t in Stillwater yet because he’s trying to get into the CFP

Again, the calendar is the main issue, so for Morris and his staff to pass some Big 12 teams (that aren’t going through coaching transitions) over the span of eight days is rather impressive.

If OSU is in the 80s next year, it’ll be an issue. But given the circumstances, this was a solid day.

2. OSU Secures the Fan Favorites

Back before Gundy’s dismissal when the class was relatively blossoming, the two guys OSU fans were most excited about were probably Braeden Presley and KD Jones.

Despite the ups and downs of the past three months, both put pen to paper on Wednesday.

Presley, the younger brother of Brennan and Braylin, never backed off his pledge despite all that was going on. And he gave a reasoning that will only further endear him to the fanbase.

“Going down there even when we didn’t have a coach, the fans just always showing up, always being loud,” Presley said. “Just great teammates, great energy down there. I feel like you don’t find that anywhere else. Some other teams don’t have coaches, fans aren’t showing up. The fans being loyal and true to the players, and I feel like we’re giving back to them, just trying our best.”

Jones decommitted and was pledged to Kansas up to signing day, but just before he signed the dotted line, he announced that it would be to OSU.

Bixby might be catching up quick, but Jenks is perhaps the most recognizable high school football brand in the state. Jones is the program’s all-time leading rusher. Him getting out of the state would’ve just felt wrong.

3. Morris and Co. Stuck with Their Evaluations

Of OSU’s 15 signees seven were committed to Morris at North Texas.

Others had been offers by Morris and UNT before committing elsewhere. That tells me that Morris and his staff stuck to their guns on evaluations rather than chasing recruiting ranking numbers to try to fill.

Those evaluating skills have worked out for Morris in the past (especially at quarterback), so I thought it was a measured approach for a guy stepping up to the Power Conference level.

4. Jani Weir’s Highlights Are Fun

How will any of these guys (many of whom we just learned about today) pan out? I have no idea.

What I do know is watching Jani Weir’s highlights from Fullerton College is a lot of fun.

I’m a tiny bit skeptical of Twitter-bio stats, but his state he’s ran a 10.6 100 meters and a laser-timed 4.38 40-yard dash. By looking at those highlights, it’s hard not to believe it. He absolutely flies.

5. That’s A Lot of Beef

Based on the offers that were getting announced over recent days and the fact that a third of the signees were offensive linemen, it very much seems OSU had an emphasis on the offensive trenches.

In total, the Cowboys gained 1,440 pounds of offensive line support Wednesday.

The most surprising OL signee was probably Kobe Seaton. Seaton had been committed to Baylor for more than a year, and OSU was able to flip him in a week. He’s the No. 770 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.

Again, how do any of those guys work out? Tough to say, but it’s never a bad thing to have a lot of bodies up there.

More from Signing Day

Blurbs on all of OSU’s signees 

QB signee Broderick Vehrs discusses his busy week

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