Position Coaches Give Updates on In-State Freshmen KD Jones and Braeden Presley

STILLWATER — When the Cowboys’ 2025 recruiting class started to fall apart last season following Mike Gundy’s dismissal, the two guys Cowboy fans probably wanted to keep the most were Jenks running back KD Jones and Bixby safety Braeden Presley.

New Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris was able to keep Presley in the fold and got Jones back on board after he decommitted and pledged to Kansas.

Both of those in-state standouts left high school a semester early to join the Cowboys in the spring and are going through their first set of college practices. And both of their position coaches met with the media Tuesday and gave updates on the up-and-coming freshmen.

Being from Oklahoma, OSU running backs coach Patrick Cobbs was familiar with Jones before he got the job in Stillwater. In fact, Cobbs knew Jones’ dad, Kejuan, going back to their high school days.

“KD, being a young kid, I’ve seen that kid when he was a sophomore playing ball,” Cobbs said. “So, I was familiar with him. I actually all-stated out of high school with his dad, so I had a long relationship with him. Just being around and getting to reach out to other Oklahoma coaches.”

That prior relationship helped Cobbs bring Jones back into the fold following his decommitment ahead of the new staff coming in.

“Just reaching out and talking to him,” Cobbs said. “At North Texas he kind of got big time on me. You kind of get to circle back with him after all said and done, but having a relationship always helps. KD is growing up. The kid should be in high school right now. So, things moving a little fast, and that goes for everybody. So, excited about all of them.”

Jones won’t be the Cowboys’ featured back this season. That honor will go to the nation’s reigning touchdown leader Caleb Hawkins, but there will still be carries on the table. Last season, four UNT running backs had at least 45 carries. The year before, five running backs had at least 20 carries.

Although Jones obviously doesn’t have any college experience, there isn’t a ton of FBS experience in the running back room. Outside of Hawkins’ standout freshman season, Ayo Adeyi is the only other back in the group to take an FBS handoff. All of Tre Page’s and Dennis Moody’s carries came at the FCS level while UCO transfer William Mason was a standout in Division-II before making the move to Stillwater.

Listed at 6-feet, 190 pounds, Braeden is the biggest of the Presley brothers and the only one who is playing on the defensive side of the ball in college.

Like his brothers, Braeden played both ways as a Spartan, recording 82 tackles, nine picks, 21 PBUs, 59 receptions, 986 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns, 288 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in his Bixby career.

But that was in high school, and as safeties coach Jordan Malone put it, there is a big reset when it comes to this high a level of college football.

“He’s coming to the point where he knows that he’s not at prom right now,” Malone said. “With any freshman, he’s supposed to be in social studies class and going to prom and those things, and he’s here working and getting better. So, it’s changing from learning to practice, learning the language. In high school a lot of times, if one thing moves, it might change for one or two people. In college, if one person moves, there might be seven things that change in that defense. So, he’s continuing to get better.

“I think the biggest thing for a player like that when you’ve been very touted, you just have to – and I think he’s been great about this – just learn to reset. I’m a freshman. You know, it’s like walking back in high school all over again. So, I try to remind him of that, just like, remember what it was when you walked in there as a ninth-grader. Things are moving fast. They’re starting to slow down. He gets extra help and stuff like that, so I think he’s going to continue to progress. Where he’s at and where he’ll be come the end of spring, I think he’s on track to continue that progress.”