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It might not take too much more schooling for the Cowboys’ offensive line to leave the program as doctors.
Oklahoma State returns a highly experienced group of starters up front in 2024, and the Pokes’ O-line room is up next in our three questions series.
Need to catch up? Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends
1. Was 2023 the Ceiling?
There’s a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and OSU’s offensive line has a lot of old dogs on it.
The Cowboys return seven starters from last season. Six of those guys are in their sixth season of college football, the other is in his fifth. Five of those guys are entering their sixth year just at OSU, which is remarkable given the landscape of the sport right now.
Was 2023 as good as the group will be? Or is there still more to untap? That’s a question I asked throughout the spring. Here is what Mike Gundy said on the matter:
“If a backer moves over here and stacks, they know they’re gonna do this instead of that,” Gundy said. “Just things that you really never get enough of. When you have a veteran offensive line, you can do so many more things — integral parts of offense that are really detailed that you can do, that young guys, it spins there heads. These veteran guys, they can work on things that can make you much better.”
And though the group might be old for college players, there are older NFL linemen out there getting better. So perhaps the real question should be how much better can the group get? They’ve got some high expectations entering 2024. The group kept Alan Bowman mostly upright for much of last season while also paving the way for the nation’s leading rusher and a 10-win season. A 247Sports article even named the Cowboys’ O-line as the top group of blockers in the nation.
If this group can take steps forward in 2024, whether those steps be big or small, it could unlock a new gear for the Cowboys.
2. How Will Isaia Glass Play into Things?
On top of all those returning starters, the Cowboys are also bringing in another player with Power Five starting experience in Arizona State transfer Isaia Glass.
Listed as a 6-foot-4, 305-pound redshirt junior, Glass started all of the Sun Devils’ games in 2022 and made three starts last season before sitting out the remainder of the year with an injury and transferring.
Stating the obvious, offensive line is a highly physical position, so it’s good to have depth there. At this point here in June, I’d expect OSU’s starting group to look something like this:
LT — Dalton Cooper
LG — Cole Birmingham OR Jason Brooks Jr.
C — Joe Michalski
RG — Preston Wilson
RT — Jake Springfield
But I’d expect Glass to get some run somewhere in 2024, especially considering my next question.
3. Do the Cowboys Sprinkle in Some Young Guys?
With all the Cowboys have returning this season, next season is going to be an almost entirely new group.
Glass would be able to return, and Cole Birmingham might be able to get a medical hardship, but aside from that, OSU could be relying on a lot of fresh faces.
With the portal’s existence, OSU could easily dip into it and grab some experience, but there are a handful of seemingly solid prospects on the roster already. Austin Kawecki has been highly talked about since stepping on campus. JaKobe Sanders’ work in the weight room has become stuff of legend for as young as he is. Calvin Harvey is listed at 6-foot-9, 345 pounds — enough said. Noah McKinney, Davis Dotson, Jack Endean — the list goes on.
It would be great if OSU could storm through a noncon game or two and let that young group stretch its legs out because after this season, the Cowboys are going to need to do some retooling up front.
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