Football Recruiting: OSU on Announcement Watch

Oklahoma State is on Recruit Watch

Two of Oklahoma State’s 2020 running back targets are set to make some big announcements later this week.

We start with Isaiah Jacobs, three-star back out of Owasso, Oklahoma, who is set to announce his top-five schools on Friday.

Jacobs is the younger brother of Josh Jacobs, former Alabama running back now running for the Oakland Raiders. OSU is one of 15 schools to have offered Jacobs, including Michigan, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Iowa State, Nebraska, Kansas, and Kansas State.

If I had to venture a guess based on what I’ve seen, I expect OSU, Arkansas, Michigan, and Ole Miss to be in the top-five, along with one school that has yet to offer; Alabama. It’s felt for a long time as though Jacobs would commit to the Tide if they ever offer. They haven’t yet, and might not considering they already have two running backs committed in the class. But it’s still something to keep an eye on.

Jacobs is the No. 11 ranked player in the state and the No. 59 ranked running back nationally according to 247 Sports’ composite.

The bigger announcement regards four-star all purpose back Daniyel Ngata out of Folsom, California, who will announce his decision this coming Sunday.

Oklahoma State was among the five final schools in contention for Ngata, along with Texas A&M, Clemson, Arizona State, and Utah. Ngata made official visits to A&M, and ASU, and unofficials to Clemson and Utah.

For a long time, A&M was considered the favorite, but according to 247 crystal balls, it’s a little more murky. Arizona State is now the favorite with five of the nine votes leaning Sun Devils. Three of the picks are now undecided.

Oklahoma State, A&M, and Arizona State have been pushing the hardest, according to Ngata in an interview with Brandon Huffman of 247Sports. For the Cowboys, it’s not just the coaches who have been involved with his recruitment.

“Everybody at Oklahoma State hits me up, all the recruits and commits,” said Ngata. “I met Shane (Illingworth) on my visit and he is hitting me up all the time. I enjoyed my time there. It was a college town and everybody loves it there. They have a good atmosphere there.”

I haven’t felt good about OSU’s chances for awhile, and to be honest, with him making his decision this week, I feel even less so. Had he made the decision after Under Armour All-American Game, of which he and Illingworth are both participants, I might have felt better.

I’ll lean with the “experts” at 247 Sports and say ASU or A&M are the landing spot here. But it’s still important to keep an eye on it.

What’s going on with Offensive Line Recruiting?

Oklahoma State became the first D1 school — that includes Group of 5 and FCS teams — to make a scholarship offer to class of 2020 offensive guard Jake Henry.

Henry is an unranked prospect out of Tulsa, Oklahoma that plays left tackle for Union.

Henry is the second offensive lineman to pick up an offer from Oklahoma State in the month of October, joining JUCO offensive tackle Jeremy Flax from Independence CC in Kansas.

When OSU landed their fourth offensive line commit for 2020 back on August 2nd, it felt like the coaches landed their fill of lineman for the class. Yet here we are with offers going out late to an unranked guy and a JUCO.

It makes me wonder if something is going on. Are the guys on the roster not up to snuff? Not developing fast enough? The position is loaded with underclassmen, with 13 of the 20 offensive linemen are all redshirt sophomores or younger.

Do they expect guys to leave early? Two guys — Marcus Keyes and Johnny Wilson — will for sure run out of eligibility at the end of the season. The five juniors and redshirt juniors. Do the coaches think some are gone?

Or does the coaching staff think one of the four lineman currently committed for 2020 — Eli Russ, Trent Pullen, Cade Bennett, Monroe Mills — might decommit? Mills did tear his ACL and will miss his senior season. Is there reason to think he might never play again?

I honestly don’t know the answer. Maybe the decided they just wanted to add a fifth guy. But it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward.

New Offers

Let’s run down Oklahoma State’s two latest offers, both the wide receiver prospects.

First up is class of 2021 pass catcher Hal Presley.

Oklahoma State joins Arizona, TCU, Virginia, Kansas, Illinois, Tulsa, and Liberty in offering the Arlington, Texas prospect.

As a junior, Presley leads Mansfield Summit in catches (31) and receiving yards (546) and has five touchdowns. He also completed one pass attempt that went for 43 yards and a TD. That’s after a sophomore season where Presley nabbed 24 passes for 407 yards and five TDs.

The other offer went to class of 2022 receiver Jordan Hudson out of Garland, Texas.

Hudson doesn’t have a 247 Sports profile that we can find, but here’s what we could find about him.

Oklahoma State and Kansas are the first schools to offer.

As a sophomore, Hudson is the Garland Owls’ leading receiver. He’s caught 56 passes in seven games for 865 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s also got 99 return yards on two kick offs and two punts.

Check out his highlight reel here.