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The Top 5 Wide Receiver Recruits of the Mike Gundy Era

Dez highlights included.

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During the Mike Gundy era at Oklahoma State, there probably isn’t a position the Cowboys have been more consistently great at than receiver.

From highly sought after recruits like Dez Bryant and Tylan Wallace to diamonds in the rough like Justin Blackmon and James Washington, Oklahoma State has produced some of college football’s best receivers over Gundy’s tenure. Here is a look at the five highest rated receiver recruits of the Gundy era, based off 247Sports composite scores.

The Top 5 Quarterback Recruits of the Mike Gundy Era

1. Dez Bryant — 0.9783

Dez Bryant played only 28 games at the college level, but it was premier viewing when he took to Boone Pickens Stadium.

A member of Gundy’s 2007 recruiting class, Bryant was the No. 48 player in that cycle. He chose Oklahoma State over offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska (when Nebraska was good) and others.

He made an instant impact in Stillwater, catching 43 balls for 622 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman.

But his sophomore season is where things really started to take off. Bryant caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns that season. He also had a pair of punt return scores. In OSU’s history, that sophomore season ranks sixth in receiving yards, fifth in receptions and second in touchdown catches. He is one of four players to score off two punt returns in a season in program history.

Bryant’s junior year was cut short after not telling the NCAA about a meeting with Deion Sanders (classic NCAA stuff). He then declared for the NFL Draft and was taken with the 24th pick in 2010. In 119 career NFL games, Bryant had 7,506 receiving yards and 75 touchdowns.

2. Talyn Shettron — 0.9506

Talyn Shettron is an early enrollee on OSU’s 2022 spring roster. With how highly touted a recruit he was, Shettron has a lot of hype surrounding his college career.

Once committed to Oklahoma, Shettron flipped to Oklahoma State in June. He also had offers from Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Texas and others. As a senior at Edmond Santa Fe, Shettron caught 75 passes for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Shettron’s college story is unwritten, but he seems to be starting in a good spot.

“He’s gonna be great,” Brennan Presley said last week. “You can just tell by his work ethic and just the way he carries himself. We all knew coming in the hype and stuff around him, but at the end of the day, you gotta get out here and you gotta work. And he’s done exactly that.”

3. Tylan Wallace — 0.9442

The king of contested catches, Tylan Wallace was a highlight machine in four years at Oklahoma State.

The No. 121 player in the 2017 class, Wallace picked the Pokes, turning down offers from OU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Michigan and others.

Struggling through injuries throughout his career, Wallace still managed to finish in the Top 5 in program history in receptions and receiving yards, and his 26 touchdown catches rank sixth all-time.

As a sophomore in 2018, Wallace had 1,491 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, and he likely would’ve cracked the 1,000-yard mark in 2019 and 2020 had he not been injured.

The Baltimore Ravens selected Wallace with their fourth-round pick in 2021. As a rookie in 2021, Wallace caught two passes for 23 yards.

4. CJ Moore — 0.9388

Two of CJ Moore’s four catches as a Cowboy went for touchdowns, leaving him as one of the biggest “what could have been” in recent years.

The No. 147 player in the 2018 cycle, Moore was a 6-foot-5 pass catcher with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Miami and others. A cousin of former OSU standout Tracy Moore, CJ picked the in-state Cowboys, but it just didn’t work out.

Needing to add weight to his lanky frame, Moore redshirted the 2018 season. He played in three games in 2019, catching four passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. He scored in OSU’s first two games that season, catching an 11-yard touchdown against Oregon State before a 59-yard catch and run against McNeese.

But Moore transferred out, going to junior college route before landing at Washington State.

5. Ra’Shaad Samples — 0.9124

Another tale of injuries, Ra’Shaad Samples had just three college catches.

He was the No. 225 player in the 2013 class, turning down offers from OU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA and others to go to Stillwater. He caught his three passes in the 2014 Missouri State game, gaining 11 yards. Samples then transferred to Houston before injuries stifled his playing career.

But that hasn’t stop his coaching career. Samples was named assistant head coach at SMU last season, where he also coached running backs. He has since joined the Los Angeles Rams’ staff as the defending Super Bowl champions’ running backs coach.

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