How Three Top Recruits from the 2021 Class Ended up at the Same Position for Oklahoma State

STILLWATER — At some point on Saturday, Nick Martin will look to his left and right and see two classmates who used to be elsewhere.

Martin, Collin Oliver and Kendal Daniels were all part of Oklahoma State’s 2021 recruiting class, but when they got to Stillwater, they all went to different rooms — Martin to Jim Knowles’ linebacker room, Daniels to Dan Hammerschmidt and the OSU safeties, while Oliver was under the tutelage of Joe Bob Clements and Greg Richmond as a defensive end. But now those three classmates are each listed at the top of the depth chart in the three linebacker spots the Cowboys have. They could be the three most talented linebackers the Cowboys have ever housed at one time.

“It’s definitely cool because we all came in together, playing different positions, and now we’re gonna be playing together,” Martin said. “All three of us are gonna be on the field at the same time. It’s definitely a unique thing, and it’s a blessing to play with players like that, for sure.”

That 2021 recruiting class was deep with defensive talent for the Cowboys. According to 247Sports, the top six signees in OSU’s 2021 class played defense, with Aden Kelley, Ty Williams and Lyrik Rawls joining Martin, Oliver and Daniels.

Of the group, Daniels was held in the highest regard. A four-star prospect, Daniels donned a 97 rating from 247Sports. He was the No. 42 player in the country, initially signing with Texas A&M before staying closer to home (Beggs) to attend Oklahoma State. Oliver had a 91 rating, also making him a four-star recruit. The Edmond Santa Fe standout turned down the likes of Arkansas, Georgia, Oregon and others to head up I-35. Although Martin didn’t have much of an on-field role until last season, he was also considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports. With a 90 rating, Martin had offers to Arkansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and others.

Their three paths varied further than the positions they initially played, though.

Oliver made an immediate impact at OSU. As a true freshman, he led the Cowboys in sacks with 11.5 during the Cowboys’ Fiesta Bowl-winning 2021 campaign. He entered OSU lore when he army crawled to Caleb Williams’ ankles in Bedlam that season, taking the future No. 1 overall pick to the turf on a fourth down to ice the game. Oliver has made a large impact in every season since, playing at defensive end again in 2022 before moving to linebacker last season.

Start your Bedlam week right with this @cloliver25 sack 🤠#GoPokes | @Phillips66Gas pic.twitter.com/xEByGR2xxK

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 31, 2023

Despite being a stalwart recruit, Daniels redshirted during that 2021 season, as OSU was deep in the defensive backfield with the likes of Kolby Harvell-Peel, Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Jason Taylor, Tre Sterling, Tanner McCalister, Thomas Harper and others. But the towering defender (now listed at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds) couldn’t be kept off the field long. In 2022, Daniels was the Cowboys’ fourth-leading tackler, bringing down 71 ball carriers. He also had 6.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. Then he eclipsed the century mark in tackles last season as a redshirt sophomore, recording 105 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, another two interceptions and forcing a pair of fumbles.

“He’s just real versatile,” Oliver said of Daniels. “[Moving from safety to linebacker] shows just how versatile he can be.”

But while his classmates were making impacts elsewhere, Martin was waiting his turn. He redshirted in 2021, playing in three games while the Cowboys won the Fiesta Bowl. He played in all of OSU’s games in 2022 but primarily played special teams as the Cowboys struggled to a 7-6 record. He sat behind the likes of Malcolm Rodriguez and Mason Cobb. But with the former in the NFL and the latter finding a new home at USC, 2023 was Martin’s time. He didn’t let the opportunity he waited on go to waste. Martin led the Big 12 in tackles in 2023 with 140 (the most of any Cowboy since the 1980s). His teammates voted him a team captain. Now he enters 2024 on just about every preseason watch list that applies to him when 12 months before only people who followed OSU recruiting knew his name.

“At the end of the day, it’s just watch lists and preseason,” Martin said. “It don’t mean nothing if you don’t make it real.”

Just as there will be times the three classmates stand together behind the OSU defensive line, there could be others where they are on the field at their original positions. OSU coach Mike Gundy has talked this offseason about moving Daniels between linebacker and safety. And OSU’s coach has noted his defense will show some more four-down fronts in 2024, utilizing Oliver off the edge.

But regardless of how it looks, the engine of OSU’s defense in 2024 will be a group of classmates who will all enter the season in their fourth year at the same school. That seems rare given the transfer portal’s prominence in the sport. It seems even more rare that despite their different paths in terms of their positions and initial impact on the field, the three are as good as they are.