Three Burning Questions for Oklahoma State’s Wide Receiver Group in 2020

I kicked off this series with three questions that were bugging me about the Cowboys’ QB group, now I’m moving on to Oklahoma State’s vaunted receiver corps.

Much like with the quarterbacks, we know who will be OSU’s No. 1 receiver, and probably its Nos. 2, 3 and even 4. But there are still plenty of things I’m curious about when this group hits the field (hopefully) this fall. Let’s jump in.

1. How Much of an Impact Will Dee Anderson Have?

On Wednesday evening, the expected became official when former LSU wideout Dee Anderson was tweeted out in a list of the 2020 class by OSU.

Anderson is a former four-star prospect and No. 26 player out of the state of Texas who played three seasons at LSU before missing 2019 due to suspension (apparently due to conditioning concerns).

But the most intriguing thing about Anderson is his size, conditioning notwithstanding. At 6-foot-6 and 229 pounds as of last season, Anderson could fill in for 6-foot-6 Jordan McCray, whose eligibility is exhausted, and 6-foot-5 C.J. Moore, who exited via the transfer portal. Neither McCray at 187 nor Moore at 175 boasted near the physical presence that Anderson could on the outside.

Alongside Braydon Johnson, a big body like Anderson could become a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries opposite Tylan Wallace.

Speaking of a certain former Biletnikoff snub?

2. Will Tylan Wallace Take Home the Hardware in 2020?

While including Tylan in the preseason Biletnikoff convo is a given to folks in orange country, missing the final four games of 2019 was enough for most of the country to forget about the Big 12’s leading returning receiver.

Even I tend to remember 2019 as the year of Chuba (it most definitely was) and forget the fact that Tylan was well on his way to matching the nearly 1,500 yards and 12 TDs that made him a Biletnikoff finalist. In his eight games, he still led the conference in yards per game in 2019 and came in T4th in receiving scores.

Tylan will have some stiff competition, namely last year’s winner, LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase. But while Tylan will benefit from the return of his starting QB and the nation’s leading rusher to take pressure off the passing game, Chase will be without both his QB in Joe Burrows and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Each has moved on to the NFL.

3. Does OSU Have a Breakout Star?

There won’t be a ton of targets up for grabs behind the likes of Tylan, Braydon Johnson, Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf. But is there a youngster who can impress enough in fall camp to garner legitimate reps?

Langston Anderson is a former four-star talent who could be ready to make his push, as well as redshirt sophomore Jonathan Shepherd. OSU also adds a pair of true freshmen in Matt Polk and the undersized, but dynamic speedster Brennan Presley.

Again, it’s unlikely that any of that group makes a major contribution in 2020, but Tylan, Stoner and Wolf will be gone next year and OSU will be in need of a reload. It would be nice if we could see a spark from one or more of the underclassmen.