Putnam City Linebacker DJ Ackerson Includes Oklahoma State in Top 3

The Cowboys have already landed a quartet of in-state 2026 commitments, and they could be in line for another.

Dejon “DJ” Ackerson released his top three on Monday: Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Tulsa. Ackerson is a three-star prospect, and Rivals lists him as the No. 8 player in the state. He has also announced offers to Oklahoma, Maryland, Boston College, Pitt and Nevada.

Final 3️⃣ #AGTG#ReignCane #EMAW#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/8K8K5Rm4uB

— Dejon “DJ” Ackerson Jr. ✯ (@DejonAckerson11) April 21, 2025

Ackerson accounted for 71 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior at Putnam City, according to MaxPreps. He also forced three fumbles, recovered one and had a trio of pass breakups.

The Putnam City Pirates went 7-5 last season. They made it to the second round of the 6A-II playoffs before falling to eventual state finalist Muskogee.

He announced his Oklahoma State offer back in January, shortly after OSU prospect analyst Cameron O’Neal went out to visit him at school. Ackerson made it out to campus at the end of January. More recently, he was out at the Cowboys’ spring game this past weekend. Ackerson also visited Kansas State last week.

The Cowboys have nine pledges in their 2026 class after jumbo corner Jason Bradford (Temple, Texas) announced his commitment on Monday. As far as in-state commitments go, the Cowboys have running back KD Jones (Jenks), linebacker Trey McGlothlin (Bixby), offensive lineman Aiden Martin (Berryhill) and safety Carter Langenderfer (Owasso).

OSU recently added a former Putnam City defensive standout in Taje McCoy. A member of the 2023 recruiting class, McCoy spent his first two seasons at Colorado before entering the transfer portal this month and committing to the Cowboys.