The Reload: Five-star Contacts OSU, Hubbard Bulking Up, 2017 OL Scholarship Count

The Reload is PFB’s recruiting recap, catching you up to speed on the latest news and rumors surrounding Oklahoma State recruiting, with an ear to the ground for what to expect in the future.

OSU Seeking Commitment from two receiver transfers?

Oklahoma State is pushing hard for former five-star receiver Tyron Johnson, who is leaving LSU and will pursue another school with a more wide open offense. According to Gopokes.com, Johnson has officially made contact with OSU. He’s expected to make a decision within the week, so don’t be surprised if he pulls the trigger on a school within the next few days. Especially if he wants to enroll this fall.

Another transfer receiver to keep an eye on is Carlos Strickland, a former Cal receiver who announced early August his intention to leave the program. Strickland was a four-star prospect from Dallas Skyline who, at one point, was seriously considering OSU among his top schools before opting to move to the West Coast. He announced on his twitter he’s looking for a place “closer to home,” and although he is a former Texas Tech commit, his recent twitter follows suggest he may be looking at OSU seriously. He’s followed receivers coach Kasey Dunn, Mike Groce and Johnny Barr — the assistant director of recruiting and the director of recruiting for OSU. So keep an eye on him, too, especially if Johnson pledges elsewhere. Strickland is a 6-foot-4 (!) pass catcher who would be forced to sit the upcoming season, but would be eligible to play in 2017.

(Update: Strickland committed to play for K-State on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 16)

Chuba Hubbard Bulking Up

The Canadian speedster and future running back is, according to Coach Marcus Arroyo, now up to 210 lbs after having been 190 not long ago. Hubbard is prepping for his last year in Canada and will be at OSU next summer, and although there was chatter he may be keeping his options open, I’m told Hubbard’s commitment with OSU is still “solid” and there’s no real reason to worry about him flipping at the moment.

?When u get a call from my man ??Coach& the ? weighs 210lbs & is primed to GO OFF ? this fall- then to Stilly‼️⚫️? pic.twitter.com/2KoYZjoTu0

— Coach Arroyo?OREGON® (@coacharroyoTheO) August 15, 2016

Deiontae Watts releasing top 5

Plano East four-star defensive tackle Deiontae Watts is planning to narrow his list to 5 sometime around the start of football season, according to Scout analyst Greg Powers. Here’s what he said about whittling down his top options:

It was very hard to get down to five schools and kept me thinking do I want to leave far from family or do I want to stay closer to family and my list kind of shows a split between schools that are far and close. And also the education opportunities. What programs are there for me, because I want to major in Pre-Med, so I had to find schools that had that program.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound tackle has 17 listed offers. At the moment, 247sports has Oklahoma as the favorite in his recruitment, with Baylor and Texas A&M hot on the Sooners trail. Joe Bob Clements has done a nice job recruiting the d-line for OSU and they’ve been in the mix for a year now. So I wouldn’t be surprised if OSU ends up landing in his final choices.

Larry Boyd picks Illinois

Three-star Missouri offensive lineman Larry Boyd, a longtime OSU target announced last week that he is committing to play for Lovie Smith and Illinois. Many believed Boyd was considering Mizzou and OSU among his top choices, but a recent trip to Champaign apparently was enough to tip the scales for the 6-foot-5 mammoth. Boyd has stated his intentions to visit Stillwater this football season before committing to Illinois, so I would suspect OSU and Greg Adkins will keep Boyd close. My suspicion is that OSU will take at least one more offensive lineman in this class to go with Dan Moore and Derek Kerstetter.