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Former Oklahoma State commit and Millwood star Israel Antwine has transferred from Colorado to OSU, reports Scott Wright of The Oklahoman, who says Antwine is already on the Cowboys’ campus.
Antwine announced he would be leaving Colorado on his twitter account.
“Huge thank you to the University of Colorado and the amazing people that I met in Boulder. Mike MacIntyre, Mel Tucker, D.J. Eliot, (Kwahn) Drake, CU teammates and all the great CU fans,” Antwine wrote in a message on Twitter. “A very special thank you for the love and support of Charlie and Terri Trafton, and Katie Bason. I can certainly say that my life has been enhanced by the experience. For family reasons I have decided to transfer to (a) University closer to home. I would really appreciate your support of my decision.”
Antwine, a talented defensive lineman, was originally committed to OSU in the class of 2018, but flipped to the Buffaloes one day before signing day in late 2017. It was a move that surprised OSU coaches and left them with a hole to fill in the class.
Antwine started in 11 of the 12 games he played for Colorado in his freshman season. Working primarily at defensive end, he racked up 16 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and nine quarterback pressures. For his efforts, he was named The Lee Willard Award winner as Colorado’s most outstanding freshman.
With six departing defensive linemen from last season, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Antwine could fill a big hole on the OSU roster for 2019.
“Because of the major overhaul of the coaching and support staff at Colorado, OSU has informed Antwine that he could possibly be granted a hardship waiver from the NCAA to be eligible immediately, rather than having to sit out a season, as required with a typical transfer.” [NewsOK]
OSU has real need for depth on the defensive line next season. They are currently pursuing JUCO DE Soni Fonua with one of their remaining 2019 scholarships. If that doesn’t work out, landing Antwine — especially if he is granted the hardship waiver — would add immediate experience at a position that needs it.