Oklahoma State’s 2018 Recruiting Class Falls out of Top 25 Rankings

Because of the December 20-22 early signing period this year, recruiting classes are more solidified than normal, but that doesn’t mean there won’t still be a little wiggle room. After showing up inside the top 25 before a heavily-trafficked first day of the period, OSU slipped outside of it late on Wednesday.

The primary reason for this is that schools like Tennessee, Florida, USC and Mississippi State leapfrogged OSU by getting commitments from big players who were previously not committed. Also, OSU lost one of its more solid prospects in Israel Antwine at the last minute to Colorado.

As you can see, the rankings are based on total points so a school like Texas A&M should easily surpass OSU by the final signing day in February. It’s sort of jarring that USC, which only has eight guys signed and three more commits, is well ahead of the Pokes.

It’s even more jarring that Baylor, which won one game in 2017, is firmly ahead of OSU in the recruiting rankings and will likely stay that way throughout the rest of the signing period.

Regardless, this class is still on pace to be the best of the Gundy era from a per-player standpoint, depending on who OSU fills their final two spots with.

A good measuring stick here is OSU’s “worst player,” Gabe Lemons. The 3-star athlete from Texas graded at 82.36, according to 247. In 2005, Gundy’s first year, he would have been a middle-of-the-pack recruit. Now, he’s not even close.

“Oklahoma State football continues on the rise,” said Gundy on Wednesday. “It gets easier for us to recruit every year.”

The problem, as always, is that OSU still isn’t snagging program-changers. They’ve been incredible for the past decade with 3-star guys, but is that enough to win a Big 12 title (barring a 28-year-old ex-minor league pitcher miraculously walking on to your football team?) Maybe, but with the way OU is recruiting right now, I think the answer is more like probably not.