Recapping a Monster Stretch of Oklahoma State Football Recruiting

The Cowboy football staff provided a nice firework display over the past week and some change to prelude this Independence Day weekend.

The stretch culminated Thursday evening when Braeden Presley picked Oklahoma State over a final four that also included Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. If you haven’t kept up with all the moves, here’s a recap.

The Latest Additions

Across eight days, OSU added three of their top four players in their 2026 class, according to 247Sports’ rankings.

Danny Beale III, DL: Beale, listed at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, kicked this thing off when he picked the Pokes on June 25 over offers from Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Oregon, Mississippi State, USC and others.

247Sports considers Beale the No. 115 player in all of the 2026 class and OSU’s highest-rated commit. He’s the No. 1 player from the state of Arkansas. He’s an athletic big man, as his coaches at Cross County in Cherry Valley threw him the ball on a few occasions.

Tajh Overton, DL: OSU followed up getting the top player from the state of Arkansas by getting the top player from the state of Oklahoma, according to 247Sports. Another massive D-line prospect, Overton is listed at 6-3, 275 pounds out of Owasso. 247Sports considers Overton the No. 174 player in the class.

Overton picked OSU over offers from Oklahoma, Miami, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and others.

Over the span of two days, OSU brought in two players from 247Sports’ Top 247. The last time OSU had two of such prospects came in the 2022 class when Talyn Shettron and Braylin Presley came to town … which leads to the final piece of this impressive stretch.

Braeden Presley, DB: The brother of OSU’s all-time receptions leader (Brennan Presley), Braeden saw that the Cowboys went 3-for-3 in landing Presley brothers when he pledged Thursday. He’s taller than his brothers, listed at 6-foot-2, and he projects to play defense at the next level, unlike Brennan and Braylin.

Braeden is the No. 598 player in On3’s Industry Ranking, and 247Sports, On3 and Rivals all consider Presley a top 10 player in the state of Oklahoma.

Like his brothers before him, Braeden plays both ways at Bixby high school, where as a junior he amassed 356 receiver yards, 245 rushing yards, 55 passing yards, 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, four interceptions, a forced fumble, four receiving touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, a passing touchdowns and a fumble return touchdown.

There Were Also Some Decommitments

These three latest additions quickly put to bed any worry that was caused from some earlier defections. Jaylen Stewart (a defensive end from Pearland, Texas) flipped from OSU to Illinois in mid-June. Jason Bradford (a corner from Temple, Texas) flipped from OSU to TCU not long after. And then Victor Lincoln Jr. (a corner from Lancaster, Texas) flipped from OSU to Arkansas.

Those three are solid prospects, particularly Bradford — a 6-foot-3 four-star with speed. But, the three defections had a combined 247Sports rating of 265, and the three newest additions have a combined 247Sports rating of 271. OSU lost two defensive backs and a defensive lineman but gained two defensive linemen and a defensive back. Seems like a solid trade.

State School

Overton and Presley became Okies No. 5 and 6 to join the Cowboys’ 2026 class, and all of them are coming from the Tulsa area:

KD Jones, RB — Jenks
Aiden Martin, OL — Berryhill
Tajh Overton, DL — Owasso
Trey McGlothlin, LB — Bixby
Braeden Presley, DB — Bixby
Carter Langenderfer, DB — Owasso

OSU’s 2026 Commits