Brennan Presley is the Future of OSU’s Receiver Position

Coming into Tuesday’s Cheez-It Bowl, Brennan Presley, the Bixby standout who signed with Oklahoma State last recruiting cycle, had just one career catch and seven career receiving yards.

Coming out of Tuesday’s Cheez-It Bowl, Presley looks to have solidified himself as the future of the receiver position at Oklahoma State.

Presley caught six passes for 118 yards and three scores in the win over the Hurricanes, turning in an unlikely breakout — one all the more unlikely after he injured himself in the Baylor game.

“He actually had a pretty significant injury in the Baylor game — one that in the past has kept players on the sidelines for as few as three weeks and up to four weeks,” Mike Gundy said Tuesday. “We actually encouraged him to maybe not play in this game based on his injury. And a week later he just basically said, ‘I want to play in this game.’ He started practicing and played.”

With Tylan Wallace moving on to the NFL and Dillon Stoner’s eligibility expiring, Presley’s impressive star turn couldn’t come at a better time for OSU as it searches for answers at the position ahead of next season. But OSU offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said after the game that Presley’s breakout wasn’t a surprise to him at all. He’s seen the work he’s put in — heck, he helped recruit him! — and he knows firsthand that Presley’s just … different.

“Brennan’s always been really from the beginning, from early on, we knew that he was really going to be a good player for us,” Dunn said via 247Sports. “He stuck behind at the time at the beginning of the year, and now injuries forced Dillon outside a little bit and today Landon got hurt, so he ended up playing some more.”

His day started with a bang out of nowhere. OSU went for it on 4th-and-6 just minutes into the game, and Presley rewarded OSU with a score on what was essentially a scramble drill.

Presley scored again just before the end of the first quarter — this one from 32 yards out — then put a bow on his big day with a fourth quarter score that all but put the game out of reach for Miami.

Transfer receiver Tay Martin showed flashes in the game as well, catching six passes for 73 yards. And there’s a glut of talent at the receiver position. But Presley’s big day put him in the driver seat to roll into 2021 as perhaps the future of the position in Stillwater.

“He’s a great player,” said Dunn. “I’m looking forward to working more the next couple years with the kid. He’s got some things about him that are different.”