Future Units: A Look at the Future of the Cornerback Position at Oklahoma State

A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at the future of Oklahoma State at the safety position. Here we look at the forecast for cornerback, a position that is getting a much-needed boost in age and experience in 2018.

A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams manned the sidelines for the Cowboys in 2017, but who sits behind them on the depth chart? Who are the prospects in line to fill those roles in the future? We’ll answer some of those questions here.

All numbers are via 247sports.com

Offers out (2019)

Jeffery Carter – Carter is a four-star corner from Aledo, Texas. He’s the 20th-ranked cornerback in his class and the 28th-best recruit in Texas. Prognosticators have him landing at Texas A&M or Texas. It would be surprising to see OSU land Carter, considering the long list of elite programs looking for his services.

Also received offers from: Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State.

Offers out (2020)

RJ Mickens – Mickens is another player OSU would be incredibly lucky to land. A five-star recruit from Southlake, Texas, Mickens has received offers from Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M. He’s the No. 1 corner in the country and is the second-best prospect in the state of Texas. He has six forced fumbles and five picks during his two-year career at Southlake Carroll.

Also received offers from: Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee, Oregon.

Lorando Johnson – Standing at 6-foot-1, Johnson fits the size Gundy has tended to recruit at cornerback. He’s a four-star recruit, is the second-ranked cornerback and is a top-10 player in Texas. Oddly enough, only four schools have offered him, per 247sports.com.

Also received offers from: Baylor, TCU, Tulsa.

Dwight McGlothern – McGlothern is the third-best cornerback prospect, so the Cowboys offered each of the top three guys at that position in this class. Landing one of these three would be a huge victory for Gundy and Co. He also stands at 6-foot-1 but weighs only 166 pounds.

Also received offers from: LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State.

Jabbar Muhammad – Muhammad and the remaining three cornerbacks on this list haven’t garnered a star rating yet. Muhammed is, relatively, a bit undersized at 5-foot-10. OSU should be the favorite here given the list of current offers.

Also received offers from: Colorado, Oregon State, Tulsa.

Korie Black – Black is a 6-footer who goes to Connally High School in Texas. There isn’t much info on him yet, but only two other schools have offered him.

Also received offers from: Baylor, Tulsa.

Jaylon Jones – Jones is a monster at cornerback, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 185 pounds. He was an All-District Honorable Mention at Steele High School in Cibolo, Texas (home of the Sterns bros.). He looks even taller than that on tape.

Also received offers from: N/A

Myles Slusher – Perhaps the owner of the coolest name of all-time, Slusher is a 5-foot-10 cornerback from Broken Arrow. He has more offers than any of the aforementioned no-star recruits, however. Maybe it’s because of all the sponsorship opportunities with a name as epic as Myles Slusher.

Also received offers from: Arkansas State, Baylor, Nevada, Arkansas

Commits in (2019)

Demarco Jones — Jones fits the common height for cornerback at OSU, standing at 6-foot-1. He’s a three-star prospect from Booker T. Washington and also picked up an offer from Notre Dame.

PFB Crootin’ expert Kyle Boone talked to him in February, and it was a pretty interesting listen.

Incoming (2018)

JayVeon Cardwell — Cardwell, a three-star prospect, goes to Steele High School in Cibolo, Texas. Cardwell racked up 11 interceptions in his first two seasons. He ranks just outside the top 50 for cornerbacks nationally and just outside the top 75 in the state of Texas.

Tanner McCalister — Rockwall-Heath High School’s Tanner McCalister is the second three-star cornerback coming to OSU in 2018. He’s 5-foot-11, weighs 182 pounds and is the 51st-ranked cornerback in the country.

Also received offers from: Arkansas, Colorado State, Washington State, Baylor, TCU

Current Depth Chart

A.J. Green (Junior) 6-foot-1, 180 pounds

•  Played all 13 games last season
• Totaled 47 tackles, 4.5 of which were for loss
• Had four interceptions, one forced fumble and five pass break-ups

Rodarius Williams (Sophomore) 6-0, 180 pounds

• Played all 13 games last season
• Totaled 44 tackles
• Had 10 pass break-ups

Bryce Balous (Redshirt junior) 5-foot-11, 185 pounds

• Made an appearance in all 13 games
• Totaled six tackles (four of which were on special teams)
• One of the fastest players on the roster, according to the team website.

Lamarcus Morton (Redshirt freshman) 6-foot-1, 185 pounds

• Named to the APSE Class 4A all-state second team as a senior at Gilmer High School in Texas

Bryce Brown (Redshirt junior) 5-foot-9, 180 pounds

• Played in three games
• Recorded one tackle

Kris McCune (Redshirt freshman) 6-foot-2, 200 pounds

• Played running back, wide receiver and defensive back in high school
• Named MVP of Blue-Grey All-American Bowl following his senior season

Taoheed Karim (Redshirt freshman) 5-foot-11, 165 pounds

What the future looks like

The future at cornerback looks bright considering the Cowboys should get another couple of years from A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams. Those two will only improve as their careers progress. There aren’t many highly touted prospects coming in the next few years, at least not yet. I wouldn’t expect a drastic improvement at this position but I’m expecting an improvement, nonetheless.