Oklahoma State makes top schools list for three top recruits

The heat on the crootin’ trails is rising faster than the temperature in the month of March in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State has made the cut down to 10 schools for in-state safety Myles Slusher and Texas defensive back Ryan Watts. The Pokes also made the top five for Texas linebacker Prince Dorbah. Jim Knowles is putting in work and it is paying off. The list of schools that didn’t make Dorbah’s top five would make other recruits jealous and OSU is battling several of the nations top schools in the recruitment of Slusher and Watts.

Dorbah included Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and LSU among his final five schools in addition to OSU. Dorbah has formed a camaraderie with a handful of other recruits throughout the state of Texas and landing his commitment could mean more to follow.

The 6-foot-2 linebacker holds offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon and Ohio State among schools that did not make the cut. Obviously things can change, but proximity to home seems to be the top priority. It is nonetheless impressive for Knowles and the Pokes to beat out schools of that caliber.

Dorbah finished with 16 sacks and 20 quarterback pressures in the regular season alone as a junior and Highland Park won its third consecutive Texas Class 5A Division I State Championship.

The Dallas, Texas, native frequently tweets at several other highly rated recruits in the state. One of those recruits is four-star defensive end Landyn Watson, who announced that he will visit Oklahoma State in mid-April recently. Landing Dorbah could go a long way in the recruitment of several other top talents in the state of Texas.

Check out Dorbah’s junior year highlights below.

Making the top 10 list for Slusher is a good sign, but Oklahoma State will still have an uphill battle to fight when it comes to his recruitment. LSU, Oregon, Alabama and Texas A&M are just some of the schools that join the Pokes on Slusher’s list.

Similar to Dorbah, Slusher helped lead Broken Arrow to a state title in 6A Division I last season and pulled off an undefeated season in doing so. Getting either recruit would be huge for Oklahoma State to help jump start this defensive recruiting class. OSU did not have a top 250 recruit on defense in last years recruiting class.

Landing Slusher would be a huge get to help replace AJ Green and Rodarius Williams. Slusher is a safety but can play corner as well and both current starters at corner will be entering their last year of eligibility when he enters college.

Check out Slusher’s junior year highlights here.

Whatever they’re putting in the water over at Little Elm is the water I want to be drinking. Watts hails from the same high school as hoops prospect R.J. Hampton, a top five basketball player from the same class as Watts.

Listed at 6-foot-2, Watts is a rangy defensive back with long arms. This makes him a lockdown man-to-man corner, perfect for Jim Knowles defensive scheme. Most of the defensive backs that OSU has offered measure out at 2-3 inches shorter than Watts, making him a unique offer for the class.

Just like Slusher, Watts has narrowed his list to 10 meaning that OSU still has some work to do. Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and the other OSU (no, I’m not talking about Oregon State) are the top competition that Gundy and the staff will have to battle in Watts recruitment.

His recruitment has exploded since January after allowing just one catch (to Frisco Lone Star wide receiver Marvin Mims, also an OSU target) all season as junior. Watts received his first Division I offer on Jan. 13 from Illinois State after impressing at the Next Level Athlete Top 100 Showcase. Since then, he has added offers from 30 schools and has now narrowed that list to 10.

His junior season highlights have over 11,000 views on hudl, check them out. ⬇️

This is an important time in recruiting for the class of 2020. Most guys are starting to take their unofficial visits and some will commit over the summer. While Slusher still has some thinking to do with narrowing his list down, Dorbah is a potential candidate for a summer commitment with his list standing at five.