Three Ways Oklahoma State Can Land a 2018 Running Back

Five months into the 2018 recruiting cycle, Oklahoma State has yet to land a commitment from a running back in the class, causing concern moving forward as the Pokes put their finishing touches on the group before December’s signing period.

The immediate future of the position is brighter than ever. OSU returns Justice Hill, who earned All-American honors as a freshman, and also brings in highly lauded freshmen Chuba Hubbard and J.D. King to compete for the backup job along with L.D. Brown and Jeff Carr. Although the group appears set for the foreseeable future, though, the staff won’t choose to intentionally skip out of trying to land a commitment in this class.

Since 2000, when commitment information began being collected by 247Sports, OSU hasn’t gone one recruiting cycle without adding at least one tailback to its group. That won’t change this cycle, either. At least it won’t by choice.

After missing out on big names like Keaontay Ingram and Lyn-J Dixon already, though, it’s fair to worry a little bit about the position and whether OSU could be on the verge of potentially missing on a back in this cycle altogether. Fortunately, OSU has options. Here are the three most likely the staff will pursue this summer.

Flip a name already committed

OSU already started digging this tunnel when it offered San Antonio native Jahmyl Jeter a scholarship earlier this spring, and that trend could continue. Jeter is a 6-foot tailback who is committed to SMU, but has picked up offers from OSU and Texas A&M of late as schools try to raid SMU’s class, which ranks third in the AAC. Expect OSU to continue recruiting Jeter moving forward until he gives a hard pass.

More already-committed names could be added to this bucket. Tennessee pledge Lyn-J Dixon could be a name to watch moving forward as the season progresses, depending on the warmth of Butch Jones’ coaching seat.

Keep chasing big fish

This would be status quo for OSU, and it wouldn’t be surprising. Whether OSU is a sexy school to running back recruits or not, the lure of playing for Barry Sanders’ alma mater – and playing for a program that consistently competes for Big 12 titles – is enough to draw recruits that can help Gundy continue on that path. OSU is still squarely in the mix for Georgia athlete James Graham and all-purpose back Craig Williams at the moment, which are big enough talents to significantly stifle any concerns.

One name to watch that will likely be added to this list is Texas running back Ta’Zhawn Henry, who is set to commit August 8. He’s not as big of a fish as those above, but Henry is the No. 17 all-purpose back in the country according to 247. He has a final 3 of TCU, Iowa State and Texas A&M, and despite not landing an offer from OSU, continually put the Cowboys in his list of top schools before a final cut. Should OSU change its tune and extend an offer, it could shake up his recruitment.

Wait for the late bloomers

This is a route OSU has been forced to go recently, and it’s panned out with a decent success rate. After losing Ronald Jones to USC late in the process in 2015, OSU gave the full-court press to junior college tailback Chris Carson and landed his commitment late in the game. That same class also netted OSU a late commitment from Temple’s Jeff Carr, who was forced into action as a frosh after a highly productive high school career.

To be clear, Carr was the late bloomer that OSU pounced on to fill a scholarship. It’s easy to fill your class with productive high school players, specifically at the running back position, but it’s a risky strategy that doesn’t always pan out. There’s a reason big names are identified early in high school careers for the most part, but there are always late-bloomers that fly under the radar. And Mike Gundy usually has a way of unearthing that talent.