The Reload: Big Recruiting Weekend Nets Two Commits and More Offers

Oklahoma State hosted dozens of juniors on campus this weekend for junior day and several official visitors.

All around, the weekend was a success. The staff addressed major needs on the defensive line by taking commitments from Mater Dei’s Samuela Tuihalamaka and junior college prospect Amadou Fofana, hosted a number of other important targets, and made offers to plenty. Let’s recap it all.

Official visitors

Only three official visitors were on hand this weekend. To go along with the two who committed — Tuihalamaka and Fofana — was 2018 defensive end commit Braden Cassity, who apparently had a case of the Spencer Sanders’ and didn’t want to leave.

“Yes, Braden didn’t want to go home,” his mom, Colleen Hartman, told GoPokes.com. “I think he just wanted to drop a fishing line at Coach Gundy’s place and just stay up in Stillwater and start school. I think that is all he and Spence (Spencer Sanders) are going to want to do is drop a line and fish.”

Cassity, the Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year in Texas for Westlake, Texas, certaintly looks the part. At 6-2, 240 pounds, he’s got as much upside as any in the class.

I’m a Cowboy through and through‼️ #GoPokes #PistolsFiring pic.twitter.com/8v0eFNNmmM

— Braden Cassity (@BradenCass) January 21, 2018

Junior day visitors

There were dozens on campus this weekend, so I’ll limit this to a short list of notables. That list starts at No. 1 with 2019 DE Marcus Hicks out of Wichita, a four-star edge rusher who is no stranger to campus.

Hicks, who has an OSU and OU offer, made the haul to Stillwater first before jetting down to make another unofficial visit to Norman.

Another notable on campus this weekend is blue chip offensive tackle William Putnam. As our wrestling writer Seth Duckworth astutely noted, Putnam has a brother who wrestles for OSU. The Pokes offered back in November and are in the mix along with Ohio State, Miami and a handful of other bluebloods.

Class of 2020 defensive end (sophomore) Jamal Ligon also made a visit. Although he’s got zero offers to date, he’s a name to watch. Intriguing, versatile talent who earned first-team all-district honors as a fullback in 2017 and as a second-team OLB.

McGill, a 2019 safety, doesn’t yet have an offer but might be a target soon. With offers from Stanford, La. Tech, Nevada and others, he’s quietly buzzing among second-tier programs, likely because of his listed height of 5-foot-9. But he’s a baller who OSU has a connection with, as the staff reeled in teammate Gabe Lemons in the 2018 cycle. He’s an all-state DB and special talent.

New offers

OSU offered Higgins, an Austin, Texas product, during his unofficial visit this weekend. The three-star receiver who stands at 6-3, 215 pounds, now holds 14 offers and counting from the likes of Duke, Louisville and a slew of others. He earned first-team all-district honors as a junior.

The only offensive line offer of the weekend went out to one of the best who made the haul to Stillwater in four-star guard Brannon Brown. It’s the first offer for Brown since TCU — the presumptive favorite — extended one last June. Texas Tech, Bowling Green and Toledo have also offered.

Word is spreading quickly about three-star DE Tauren Carter, a standout from Mansfield Legacy who has now garnered offers from Michigan State, Southern Miss and OSU within the last month. He was offered during his visit for junior day.

Lufkins’s best, Carl Williams, added his 9th offer to his option sheet from OSU this weekend. OU, Arkansas, TCU and SMU have all offered, and the Sooners appear to be the early leader in the clubhouse.

Earlier this week, Oklahoma State became offer No. 1 for 2020 defensive end (sophomore) Prince Dorbah out of Highland Park. The 6-4, 210 talent from Dallas was the District 15-5A Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore, and is a rising star out of the area with more offers coming.