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STILLWATER — Steve Lutz’s first Oklahoma State roster is coming together, but it’s still missing a few big pieces. Lutz has had to rebuild the Cowboy roster almost from the ground up. OSU fired Mike Boynton after seven seasons. Only three scholarship players from Boynton’s final roster have stayed on to begin the Lutz era, meaning Lutz had 10 scholarships to fill. Seven transfers have joined the Cowboys since Lutz’s appointment, meaning he has just three scholarships left open. But of the 10 guys now on the roster, only Xavier transfer Abou Ousmane is a true big man at 6-foot-10, 244 pounds. At 6-7, 240, Texas Tech transfer Robert Jennings II could also play a frontcourt role, but Lutz said in a small media gathering Wednesday at one of his camps that the Pokes still need to add some size. “I definitely wanna get two more bigs — whether they’re forwards or centers or a combination of both,” Lutz said. “You can’t go into the Big 12 with a lack of size and physicality because you’ve gotta be able to rebound the basketball in this league. So, for sure two of those. Then what I do with the third scholarship, again, kind of dependent upon your NIL budget, you kind of go after it and see who you can get from there. I don’t know what I’ll do with that 13th and do I even use it, right? “We’ve been fortunate that we’ve added some good walk-ons this summer. I think that provides depth in practice and hopefully a couple of those guys can transition into a game.” Lutz said the Cowboys have been in talks with “several” players about OSU’s open spots. He wasn’t able to talk about who those guys were, but four-star forward Sammie Yeanay has been on a visit in recent weeks. Georgetown transfer Supreme Cook is rumored to be another guy the Cowboys are interested in. Cook, listed at 6-9, 229 pounds this past season, spent three years at Fairfield before spending last season with the Hoyas. He has averaged 10.1 points and 7.6 rebounds a game throughout his career. “It’s still a work in progress,” Lutz said. ” I feel comfortable with where we are in the guards and the wings. We’ve certainly gotta add some more size, and I hope to do that here in the next couple days or the next couple weeks. You just don’t know with the availability of who’s out there right now, and who you can get. It’s progressing nicely.” As for the guys Lutz has assembled to this point, they recently got on campus. Lutz said they’ve had seven workouts thus far but all have been split. He said the first full-team workout is scheduled for Thursday. The group has a lot of high motors. Jennings is the type to get on the offensive glass and do some dirty work. FIU transfer point guard Arturo Dean led the nation in steals last season — something that doesn’t happen by accident. Arkansas transfer Davonte Davis is another do-it-all type, as he averaged 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals a game in his best year with the Razorbacks. The returning Jamyron Keller also fits into that mold. The list goes on. All of those guys collectively should fit into Lutz’s up-tempo style. Lutz’s Western Kentucky team last season ranked first nationally in KenPom’s adjusted tempo. That starts on the defensive end, where the Hilltoppers held teams to 17.1-second possessions on average, per KenPom. That was the 76th quickest in the country. Then the Hilltoppers’ offensive possessions averaged 14.6 seconds, the fourth fastest in the nation. So, as long as Lutz sticks the landing with his last few pieces, the group he has assembled should fit nicely into his playstyle. “We’d like to play with a pace offensively and be aggressive defensively, and I think that we’re building a roster that can do that,” Lutz said. “Obviously the size and how well they can move and how fast they can run, that’ll dictate it a little bit more, but I think that we’ve recruited to our system for sure.” Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. There were three Cowboys on the list when the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released its All-America teams on Wednesday, as Carson Benge, Brian Holiday and Nolan Schubart were all named to the NCBWA All-America Second Team. This was the second time Schubart was deemed an All-American after receiving several honors last year. He’s just the 13th player in program history to be named an All-American in multiple seasons. This season, Schubart was selected as an outfielder after hitting .370 and leading the Big 12 in home runs (23), RBIs (68), on-base percentage (.513) and slugging percentage (.838). He did all that after missing 12 games because of injury. Schubart was also named to the Perfect Game All-America Second Team. Benge made the team as a utility player after excelling as a two-way star this season. At the plate, Benge had a .335 batting average, a Big 12-leading 165 total bases, 72 runs, 64 RBIs, 83 hits and 18 home runs. On the mound, he posted a 3-2 record and 3.16 ERA in 18 appearances after beginning the season as the Cowboys’ closer before finishing the campaign as a starter. As the closer, Benge tied for a team-high three saves. Overall, he recorded 44 strikeouts and opponents hit just .186 against him. The NCBWA All-American honor just added to Benge’s stack of accolades this season. He also earned All-America Second Team honors from Perfect Game. He was an All-Big 12 First Team outfielder, one of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Most Outstanding Player at the Big 12 Championship. Benge is also projected by most outlets to be a first-round pick in the upcoming MLB Draft as an outfielder. For Holiday, he garnered All-America status in his first season in Stillwater after transferring from Central Florida Junior College. The right-handed starter had a 2.95 ERA in 16 appearances. He pitched at least six innings in 15 of those 16 outings, resulting in a Big 12-leading 113 innings pitched. His ERA was second-best in the conference. Schubart, Benge and Holiday gaining All-America status as a trio gives OSU three or more All-Americans in a single season for only the ninth time. The Cowboys also now reach 142 total All-Americans. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. STILLWATER — Steve Lutz has been on the job for about two and a half months now. He’s hosting basketball camps this weekend after taking over the Oklahoma State program in April. Lutz on Wednesday met with a small group of reporters in Gallagher-Iba Arena to give updates on how he’s adjusting to Stillwater, the roster and more. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. We’re nearing the end of our three offseason questions series for each of the Cowboys’ position groups. Here’s a look into Oklahoma State’s linebacker room before we round it out with the defensive line. Need to catch up? Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line | Safeties | Corners 1. Can Nick Martin Get Any Cooler?Nick Martin is incredibly cool. For starters, he had 140 tackles last season. That’s the most of any Cowboy since 1984. On top of that, he’s covered in tattoos. But the coolest thing about him is how dang tough he is. He suffered a wrist injury in the third game of OSU’s season, saying it hurt the worst when he’d grab and twist, fall on it wrong or take on a block — ya know, normal linebacker things. And he did all of that last season while giving quotes like this: “It definitely comes down to who wants it more,” said Martin after OSU’s win against Cincinnati. “This is a violent game played with aggression based on war. Bo down, batten down the hatches and just take it to them.” It has to be impossible for Martin to get any cooler than he was in 2023. He was a relative unknown entering last season who excelled immensely in the middle of the Cowboys’ defense. 2. How Does Justin Wright Factor In?Justin Wright was one of the transfers most talked about entering last season, but he played in just two games because of injury. Well, he’s back in 2024 after receiving a medical redshirt. Wright spent four seasons at Tulsa. In his final two seasons with the Golden Hurricane, Wright wracked up 183 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a trio of interceptions. Despite having played just two games last season, Wright might have as much in-game experience as the rest of the room put together. With guys shifting around and Xavier Benson no longer holding down a spot, Wright will surely be a contributing piece to this defensive puzzle, but where exactly he fits remains to be seen. 3. Who Else Fills a Role?There are snaps to be had at linebacker in 2024 with Benson exhausting his eligibility last season and Collin Oliver perhaps spending a bit more time on the edge of a four-man front. So the guys on either side of Martin could be new contributors. Wright is obviously one to keep an eye on, as is Oliver when the Cowboys are using a three-man front. Then there are the talks of Kendal Daniels spending more time closer to the line of scrimmage, so he is also in contention there. How much he plays linebacker vs. how much he plays safety remains to be seen, though. Other names we’ve heard a lot over recent seasons include Jeff Roberson and Gabe Brown. Roberson missed 2022 with injury but came back to play in all 14 of the Cowboys’ games last season, making 10 tackles. Brown is only a redshirt sophomore, but he played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman last season. Martin in the middle is an elite starting point, but with Oliver and Daniels flipping between positions, there should be room for a few other guys to make an impact in OSU’s linebacker room in 2024. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Of the several reasons to be optimistic about the Cowboys’ offense this fall, No. 0 has to be No. 1. Ollie Gordon — the nation’s leading rusher in 2023 — is back, and that gives the Pokes a game-changer and a chance against anyone they play. So, since it’s the #OFFszn ahead of what very well may be Gordon’s final year in Stillwater, let’s take a look at what’s on the line for him as far as his legacy at Oklahoma State. After his explosive 2023 season, Gordon’s return campaign is as highly anticipated as any running back under Mike Gundy, but he’s also poised to etch his name all over the record books in Stillwater. Last year he became the first Cowboy since Chuba Hubbard to lead the nation in rushing. This year he could become the first since Justice Hill to reach 1,000 rushing yards in consecutive seasons. And a landing spot among the Top-10 career rushers is almost an afterthought if he remains healthy. Let’s take a look at some of those career marks that are well within Gordon’s reach. Career RushingFirst off, the aforementioned career rushing list. At 2,040, Gordon is 1,045 yards shy of making this list. If he picks up at the pace he left off last year, he could have that by the midway point of the season.
Total CarriesBy the start of conference play last year, Gundy and his staff learned that when they fed Gordon, good things happened for OSU. I find it unlikely that they forget that lesson over the summer. Gordon’s 285 taken handoffs last year was the eighth-highest in OSU history. Thanks to that hefty workload, Gordon needs only 211 to make it into the top 10 of carries in OSU history, which would, ironically, box Barry out of the list.
Rushing ScoresGordon is also poised to knock another GOAT out of the Top 10. Sitting at 23, he’ll need just six rushing TDs to move to No. 10 for the Pokes, edging Bob Fenimore out. If he replicates last year’s total of 21, he’ll be within reach of the Top 3 ever at OSU — and that would be with less than two full years as the featured back.
Yards Per CarryAgain, when he gets the ball, he tends to make something happen. Gordon is already in the Top 10 in yards per carry over a career (min. of 200 handoffs). His career average is 5.88, and he sustained a 6.08 mark over 14 games last season. So, there’s reason to believe he’ll remain on this list long after his time at OSU.
A Lighter Load?Of course, the one thing that could keep a healthy Gordon from graffitiing No. 0 all over OSU’s hall of records is a conservative workload. But I’ll believe that when I see it. This spring, Gundy stated that he’d like to limit Gordon’s carries this fall to around 20, from the 30 handoffs he alluded to that the nation’s leading rusher took last year. Gordon actually averaged 20.4 carries per game in 2023. To be fair, if you throw out the first three games in which he totaled only 19 carries, Gordon averaged just over 24 carries in Big 12 play. But he reached 30 carries only twice last year — 33 against OU and 34 against BYU. Either way, in the perfect world according to Gundy, if we project Gordon’s numbers based on 20 carries per game in 2024, at his six yards-per-carry average from last season, that still puts him at 120 yards per game. If we assume he does that over 13 games, that’s 1,560 yards, easily enough to put him on the Cowboys’ Top 10 career rushing list and safely in several sections of the record book. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell draft players from the Mike Gundy era and discuss the potential return of Bedlam basketball in Oklahoma City. You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud. As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit and Yuengling. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. The Cowboys’ most experienced defender is in their corner room, and that’s where we’re headed next with our three offseason questions series. To the uninitiated, I’m pondering on three questions for each of Oklahoma State’s position groups this offseason. Need to catch up? Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line | Safeties 1. Will Anyone Throw at Korie Black?According to Pro Football Focus, Korie Black played 350 coverage snaps in 2023, and in all of those snaps, he was targeted just 35 times. That’s tied for the seventh-fewest targets among corners with at least 300 coverage snaps in the nation, according to PFF. It was tied for the fewest targets in the Big 12 with Texas’ Malik Muhammad. Among the 35 times Black was thrown at, he allowed just 16 catches. So that begs the question — will anyone throw at Black now that he is even another year wiser? With as youthful as OSU was elsewhere in the secondary last season, it made little sense for opposing teams to throw Black’s way. Now that those young pups have a little more experience, maybe teams will worry less about trying to exploit the Cowboys’ youth and give Black some action. But at the same time, Black enters his super senior season having 50 games of experience under his belt and 26 starts. 2. Where Do DJ McKinney’s Snaps Go?The Cowboys didn’t lose a ton in the portal this offseason, but they did lose a stellar, young corner in DJ McKinney. McKinney played in all 14 of OSU’s games this past season, making 38 tackles and five pass breakups. Among the four OSU corners who played at least 125 coverage snaps, McKinney’s PFF grade of 70.3 was second to only Black, and McKinney’s 44.9% catch percentage was the best of those four. The most likely to pick up McKinney’s workload are Cam Smith and Kale Smith (no relation). Cam actually started all 14 of the Cowboys’ games despite playing 93 fewer coverage snaps than McKinney did. In 238 coverage snaps, Cam was targeted 37 times and gave up 22 catches. He finished the year with 26 tackles and four PBUs. Kale played 126 coverage snaps, where he was targeted 11 times and gave up eight catches. He had 22 tackles and a PBU. De’kelvion Beamon is now in his fourth season with the program after reclassifying to get to Stillwater a year early in 2021. He played in eight games last season and physically looks the part at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. The Cowboys also have some tweener corner-safeties — like Dylan Smith, who is Cam’s brother but still isn’t related to Kale. OSU took this big haul of DBs in its 2024 recruiting class: Landyn Cleveland Cleveland, Kabongo and Nelson all enrolled in the spring but were listed at safety, but all spent at least some time at corner as high schoolers. 3. Does Kenneth Harris Factor In?Kenneth Harris was a bit of a forgotten man in OSU’s massive haul of transfers last season. A 6-foot, 190-pound corner from Arkansas State, Harris played four games and redshirted with OSU in 2023. But before that, Harris amassed 18 starts with the Red Wolves. He started all 12 of Arkansas State’s games in 2022, recording 36 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception and 10 PBUs. Similar with Kobe Hylton in the safety room, if Harris can be serviceable for the Cowboys this season, it could ease the burden on some of those more inexperienced guys. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. |
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