New Staff Has Cowboys Recruiting Oklahoma’s Best Talent

STILLWATER — For the first time since 2021, Oklahoma State officially owns the state from a recruiting standpoint.

The Cowboys have seven commitments from the top 23 in-state prospects in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. 

That’s a stark departure from the recent past. In the past three seasons combined, Oklahoma State finished with 11 in-state commitments ranked by 247Sports.

2026 in-state recruits

1. DL Tajh Overton (Owasso)
6. RB KD Jones (Jenks)
9. DB Braeden Presley (Bixby)
10. DL Landen Anderson (Santa Fe)
14. LB Trey McGlothlin (Bixby)
16. OT Aiden Martin (Berryhill)
23. DB Carter Langenderfer (Owasso)

Tulsa is the only other program with three in-state commitments in the 2026 class, ranked 12th, 26th and 27th, according to 247Sports. Oklahoma has none of the state’s top 29 in-state commits.

Arkansas is the only other program with more than one top 10 commit. The Razorbacks currently have pledges from the third and fifth ranked commits in Oklahoma.

In a PFB+ exclusive, Langenderfer recently discussed how the new coaching staff prioritized the state’s top talents which resulted in a commitment from his teammate Overton.

In the last two years, the Cowboys have found themselves looking up at OU consistently both in quantity and quality (in terms of rankings at least). In 2024, they even fell behind Tulsa with regards to in-state recruiting.

Oklahoma commits ranked by 247Sports

As with most schools, defending the state should be a priority for the Cowboys. 

From 2021-25, the Cowboys recruited 29 in-state players ranked by 247Sports. That ranks second in terms of state behind only Texas, which is responsible for 43 recent Cowboy commits. Utah ranks third over that stretch with seven commitments. 

Those pipelines show up in the current recruiting efforts for 2026. Seven of OSU’s 15 commitments are in-state while four are from Texas. The others are spread out between four states including tight end Bryton Niu, who continues the recent trend of dipping into Utah for talent.

In the age of the transfer portal, high school recruiting isn’t the same program builder it once was, but Oklahoma State’s efforts in-state carry over to the portal.

This offseason the Cowboys added the following Okies:
– OLB Taje McCoy (Putnam City) 7th in 2023 class
– DT De’Marion Thomas (Union) 10th in 2023 class
– WR Terrill Davis (Choctaw) unranked in high school
– TE Oscar Hammond (Collinsville) unranked in high school

This list doesn’t include receiver Gavin Freeman, a Heritage Hall alum, who joined the Cowboys in 2024 after initially signing with the Sooners in 2022.