Who are the Highest Rated Recruits to Sign with OSU?

Oklahoma State is recruiting at a high level nationally in the 2017 class, with the current ranking sitting at No. 30 nationally, and No. 2 in the Big 12 behind OU. They seem to fly just below the top tier schools nationally overall, but have had some good luck signing top prospects in years past on occasion.

So who are the highest rated prospects to sign with OSU? Here are the top 11: (Note: These rankings all based on the 247sports composite.)

11. Tyreek Hill. Hill was a high four-star junior college transfer from Garden City Community College, who as most know only spent one season in Stillwater. He had 31 receptions for 281 yards and a touchdown, to go with more than 500 yards on the ground. He shined for OSU in the return game, though, averaging more than 24 yards per kick return and three total return touchdowns, including an iconic Bedlam moment in Norman. -KB

10. J.W. Walsh. Walsh was a major college recruit out of Denton Guyer High School, who was one of the first commitments of a major 2011 recruiting haul for Mike Gundy and Co. He had an up-and-down career in Stillwater with several quarterback battles and injuries that derailed some of his precious time. He ended it on a high note with his senior year rushing for 359 yards and 13 touchdowns, and was a major reason why the Cowboys won 10 games in 2015. -KB

9. Tramonda Moore. Moore picked the Pokes over several other big-time offers, but is a freshman at a community college and will be once again a top OSU target next year, when he’s eligible to pick a school to attend in 2018. I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks elsewhere for his future signing destination. -KB

8. Shaun Lewis. One of the biggest contributors on this list, Lewis was a two-time All Big 12 linebacker who finished his career with 248 tackles, and 7 forced fumbles. He was a major reason for OSU’s success on defense, and was a key cog in OSU’s Big 12 title team in 2011. -KB

7. Dexter Pratt. *Googles Dexter Pratt.* April 29, 2010: “Redshirt freshman running back Dexter Pratt has decided to leave the Oklahoma State program after one redshirt year, officials said on Wednesday. Pratt came to Oklahoma State as the No. 15 running back in the country according to Scouts Inc., and No. 139 on the 2009 ESPNU 150. The team didn’t release the reason for Pratt’s exit, but it seems pretty simple. Perhaps personal reasons are involved, but my best guess is he doesn’t want to play in new coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s offense.”

Yep! -KB

6. Tatum Bell. Bell finished his career at OSU with 3,500 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns. He’s No. 7 on the all-time leading rusher list in total yards just ahead of Joe Randle, and was drafted in the second round by the Denver Broncos. He bounced around in the NFL between the Broncos, Lions, and Broncos again, before finishing his career in the UFL in 2010. -KB

5. Herschel Sims. His career didn’t last long, but Sims was an Army-All American before picking OSU over a plethora of other options. He finished his freshman year with 240 rush yards, but was dismissed from the program before his sophomore season. He then bounced to Lamar, and left there to play his final years at Abilene Christian. Overall a pretty disappointing story of “what if” with Sims. -KB

4. Richetti Jones. Richetti is a great example of an elite HS player who was just all right in college. At Alabama or Ohio State this is not a big deal because you have 10 other elite HS players, four of whom hit it big in college. At OSU, it feels like a bigger disappointment than it actually should be. Plus Jones won a B12 title his senior year. He had 81 tackles and 11 sacks during his four years in Stillwater. -KP

3. Dez Bryant. This turned out pretty well [tries to forget end of 2009 season and Zac trying to make do with Hubert Anyiam]. -KP

2. Xavier Lawson-Kennedy. This might have been our football program’s version of “wait, Butch Pierre got WHO to come here?” XLK was always the poster boy for players who we were always told were going to be better in the future than they ever actually were in the present (a poor man’s Marcell Ateman in that sense). He was all right as a player, but you would expect more from the No. 2 recruit in school history.

“There always are going to be players that come in highly regarded that don’t quote perform up to the national consensus,” Gundy told the Oklahoman in 2006. “Then there are guys who come in that aren’t (highly regarded) and play better like Barry Sanders.”

Still, XLK loved Stillwater.

“I was sad we didn’t get the victory, but I was also sad it was my last game at Boone Pickens (Stadium),” he told the Oklahoman. “I still remember my first game. It goes by so fast. It’s been great despite all the trials and tribulations I went through.” -KP

1. Bobby Reid. Bobby Reid was a big deal for this program in a number of different ways. He sort of bridged the gap from the Les Miles Era into the Mike Gundy Era before The Rant made way for Zac Robinson which was the gateway into the program we know today. There will always be controversy surrounding Reid’s time in Stillwater, but his commitment to OSU and subsequent exit were both symbolic for the last 20 years of the Oklahoma State football program. -KP