UTEP Transfer Edge Rusher Kyran Duhon in Awe of Oklahoma State Opportunity

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State defensive end Kyran Duhon can pinpoint the moment his life started to change.

While playing for UTEP, Duhon recorded nine tackles, two sacks and a pass breakup in a double-overtime win over Kennesaw State on Nov. 9. It was the kind of performance that blows up a phone with text messages from friends and family and puts a freshman in front of reporters for his first-ever post-game interview as a college player.

“It was a crazy experience,” Duhon said.

And Duhon was anything but a one-hit wonder. He added four tackles and another sack at Tennessee the next game before capping the season with another two-sack performance at New Mexico State.

The UTEP transfer recorded 43 total tackles last season and finished second in the Conference USA with seven sacks. All seven of his sacks came in the final seven games, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering Duhon’s average snap count of 16.8 plays during the first six games more than doubled to equal 49 snaps per game during the final six.

“After getting that college experience of getting on the field learning how the guys I go against play, it was just like I can play these dudes,” Duhon said of his late-season breakout.

UTEP was one of four FBS programs, including Washington State, Marshall and UAB, to offer Duhon out of high school. When he entered the portal, Duhon said he was shocked by some of the schools that reached out to him.

Despite reported offers from Virginia, Boise State and others, Duhon said he reached out to Oklahoma State first because it’s closer to home (he played high school ball outside Fort Worth) and because of the increased resources available.

“It is unbelievable,” Duhon said of OSU. “I never imagined myself really being somewhere this big because I knew I was overlooked out of high school because I was 6-1, 230, 240. So I never expected to get to a place like this.”

The now 265-pound defensive end said his relationship with several defensive coaches, including defensive line coach Ryan Osborn, helped seal the deal, but it sounds like defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s experience might have made the biggest impact on Duhon.

“The DC told me that he had players my size and my height that got paid the most money in the league ever before, like not ever, but most money in the league at that point in time,” Duhon said. “So if he could do that to them, why can’t he do that with me? It is not even just about the money, but just what he produces shows (he can do it).”

Duhon said Grantham is asking him to drop back into coverage some now, which will mark the first time he’s done that at the high school or collegiate levels. Working on that has certainly become a focus for Duhon outside of practice, but his biggest impact will likely come rushing the passer this fall.

Oklahoma State will likely need him to build on his late-season surge at UTEP if the Cowboys are going to get back to the good old days when they regularly terrorized opposing quarterbacks.

“I heard Boone Pickens is lit every game day,” Duhon said. “So I’m excited, and I can’t wait to get out there and show Oklahoma State what I can do.”