Defensive Ends Winning Practice Midway Through Spring, Two Familiar Names Stand Out

STILLWATER — Ask anyone associated with OSU football about the defensive ends, and you’ll hear the same story.

The Cowboys have depth.

And not just the kind where there’s a bunch of players close together, but none of them are overly impressive. When asked to name his surprise of the spring, coach Eric Morris focused on the position.

“The edges right now have been really pleasantly surprising to me,” Morris said. “It’s been tough for us to block them on the edge at tackle at times. It’s a sign of good things.

“The pass rush aspect of it, Coach Richmond has done a phenomenal job with that whole group. We have some guys who were here in the past that have been injured, and we’ve gotten them back. Like Jaleel (Johnson) and DeSean Brown, but having the speed on the edge — it might be the deepest room we have at the time. Defensive end in particular, more so than the interior.”

Oklahoma State fans might feel like they hit the transfer portal themselves when they see the newcomer-heavy Cowboys in the spring game on April 18th. That might not be the case at defensive end, considering Morris’ comment last week wasn’t the first time Johnson and Brown came up this spring.

In fact, excluding quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the pair of returning Cowboys is threatening to be the most discussed players this spring among the coaching staff.

“We wanted them to be here, we wanted them to be Cowboys, and we were fired up when they chose to stay,” defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity said on March 9, when asked about returning Cowboy defenders.

Although that question wasn’t so specifically tied to Johnson and Brown, Cassity made a point to single out and name those two players later in his response. He then doubled down on it during a later question.

“Jaleel Johnson and DeSean Brown are guys that have been here for a long time, and they know what it’s supposed to look like,” Cassity said. “They’ve been here and won a lot of football games. They were a part of those teams. And we expect the same thing from them. This is their team, and they’re the one that chose to stick around and want to fight this thing out with us, and they’ve done a great job.

“I think that’s the biggest dynamic of it. Our guys are truly starting to bond and hang out with each other and learn each other and getting to meet all these new people that we’re trying to pull in the same direction. I think those guys are just an example of some of the guys that have done a really good job up front of leading the group.”

Last week, defensive line coach Greg Richmond spoke highly regarding how his 9-man room of defensive ends has handled the spring.

“They come out here and attack it,” Richmond said. “And the best thing I like about it is they’re high-fiving, and they’re cheering for one another. Because in that room, we gotta be selfless. It can’t be a one-man show or a two-man show. We got to have a number of guys that can rotate in and go play ball at a high level.”

Although Richmond praised the depth at the position, he ended up naming five players specifically. Florida State transfer James Williams, Troy transfer DJ Jackson and Keviyan Huddleston, whom he coached last season at North Texas, all got a shoutout.

Of course, two guys got a little more airtime from Richmond.

“A couple of guys I inherited, I recruited them when I was previously here,” Richmond said. “It was a pleasure. … Just seeing DeSean Brown when he was a redshirt freshman or a high school senior, and going off into his house and sitting down with his family. And the same thing with Jaleel Johnson, going to his house and sitting down with his family and doing all those things.

“And now I see those guys. The guys are men, now. They grown men, you could say they done experienced life. They been through some things, and what I love about them, they both don’t hesitate to come talk to me about any questions or concerns, about anything, which I like, which gives you automatic comfort level.”

Richmond didn’t just recruit them. He coached those guys in 2022 when each of them redshirted. Johnson didn’t see the field, but Brown played 24 snaps in two games.

Johnson finished last season as the highest-graded defensive player (78.2) on the roster according to PFF, although he only played 150 snaps in the first four games before missing the rest of the season.

Brown finished 10th with a grade of 67.2, but he only played 112 snaps after an injury held him out for almost half the season.

Johnson was seen at practice last working with what appeared to be the first-string defense while Brown rotated in with the twos. The other defensive end seen with the ones was Williams, the FSU transfer.

He didn’t single out any of his teammates by name, but did praise the competition and attitude of the other guys at his position.

“Like nobody is jealous of each other,” Williams said. “I think everybody in the room wants to see each other succeed. You know, we have fun, we hang out, and stuff like that. Because, you know, it’s not an easy transition. … I could go over with the scouts, or I could be with the ones. It doesn’t matter, because I’m just getting reps. Like, then that’s all he (Richmond) cares about. And I think that’s why we all like each other.”