Five Dominant 2025 Performances That Highlight Oklahoma State Defenders to Watch in 2026

STILLWATER — There’s no denying that Oklahoma State’s defense is a bigger question mark headed into fall camp. Although there’s some degree of certainty over much of the starting lineup, the success of the unit overall is harder to predict given how important chemistry is on defense.

Plus, many of these guys will be playing meaningful snaps at the power conference level for the first time.

The Cowboys offense is filled with players who put up eye-popping numbers last season. The defense doesn’t have quite as many guys who just went crazy in any one game last season, but most of the ones who did have familiarity with OSU’s defensive assistants since they followed them from North Texas.

Here are the five best individual performances by defensive players last season and what these guys might mean for the Cowboys this fall.

LB Jack Puckett

2025 vs Fort Hays State: 11 tackles, eight solo, three for loss and two sacks

Advanced stat: No PFF numbers for Puckett.

Last time an OSU player recorded double-digit tackles and multiple sacks: Malcolm Rodriguez vs Oklahoma on Nov. 27, 2021.

Based on media sessions during spring practices, the transfer from Central Oklahoma isn’t in the mix for serious reps this fall. However, he was one of 10 Cowboys to get three-plus tackles in the spring game, a stat which looks much better considering only four guys tied for first place with four tackles. Although there’s a lot of competition at linebacker, depending on how OSU handles its secondary rotation, this could be the best spot on the defense for a guy trying to crack the rotation.

LB Ethan Wesloski

2025 at Rice: 17 tackles, 10 solo

Advanced stat: Wesloski led the team in both total pressures (three, all hurries) and stops (six) defined by PFF as “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense”

Last time an OSU player recorded 10-plus solo tackles: Trey Rucker vs Arkansas on Sept. 7, 2024.

Wesloski is a tackling machine, and that figures to remain true this fall. Even last season’s struggling defense had those. What the Cowboys lacked from the true linebacker position was a pass rush.

Against Rice, Wesloski rushed four times and hurried the quarterback three times. He also finished the season third on UNT with 19 total pressures (sacks, hits and hurries), which would have put him seven ahead of second place on last year’s Cowboy team.

LB Isaiah Chisom

2025 vs Utah: 17 tackles, five solo

Advanced stat: Chisom finished the game with a 79.9 grade as a tackler, his fifth-highest mark of the season.

Last time an OSU player recorded 17-plus total tackles: Trey Rucker vs Arkansas on Sept. 7, 2024.

Chisom could be the guy on this list with the largest range of outcomes this fall, as he might be one of the main guys or find himself a bit lost in the rotation. PFF didn’t love his tape against Utah despite the fact that 17 is just a silly amount of tackles.

Although not historically someone who impacts the game as a pass rusher, he was the only Bruin to record two pressures (both hurries) against Utah last season. He is also one of the few defenders with significant power conference experience after playing 546 snaps last season at UCLA. His season-long tackling grade of 80.5 would have put him sixth on last year’s Cowboy team overall but second among defenders who played at least 300 snaps.

DT Saadiq Clements

2025 vs South Florida: 7 tackles, two for loss and 1 sack

Advanced stat: Team-high four stops

Last time an OSU lineman recorded 7-plus tackles and 1 sack: Collin Oliver vs Kansas on Oct. 14, 2023.

PFF has Clements as North Texas’ highest-graded defensive tackle last season (66.4) by nearly five points. He also led the position in total pressures (11) and stops on the season (17) and ranked ninth or higher on the team in both stats. It also helps his case that arguably his best game of the season came during one of the team’s two losses.

DT Fatafehi Vailea

2025 vs Army: 10 tackles, forced fumble

Advanced stat: Vailea played 60 of his 155 snaps last season (39%).

Last time an OSU lineman recorded 10-plus total tackles: Obi Ezeigbo vs Utah on Sept. 21, 2024.

Vailea started the first four games for UNT before getting injured against Army. He’s a name that is starting to come up more within the program as a guy the Cowboys could lean on this fall.