Live from the Gundy-Copter

So, if the United charter flight is Air Cowboy One, does that give the Gundy-Copter the moniker, Poke One? Pete One? We’ll hold a poll later and figure out what to call it when Gundy’s in a helicopter.

Anyway, Gundy took to a helicopter and traversed the backlands of Oklahoma, to mysterious places like… Owasso. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure why you would like a helicopter to Owasso, but he did it. And, he got a preferred walk-on commitment out of it, so I guess that’s why he coaches the Cowboys and I write blog posts. Regardless, Gundy got in a helicopter to talk to recruits in December because the early signing period is next week from Dec. 20-22, which means that we need to talk about recruits far earlier than we previously have.

What does the early signing period mean for us?

Damnit, reader, I love it when you engage the text. Really just fills the hole where loving parents were supposed to be. The (new) early signing period means that high school seniors who previously held a verbal commitment now have the option to sign a letter of intent in December, not next Spring. It means that a lot of uncommitted players will be making their decisions next week, and just as many will be holding out until February. Some will hold out to bring up test scores, some will hold out for better offers, and some will hold out to see where Sally goes.

What it also means, is that you have an idea of what the recruiting class looks like dramatically earlier. Right now, the top three recruiting classes in the country are Ohio State, Texas, and Miami. Three of the biggest brands in college sports are the top three recruiting classes; but that can change very quickly. See, the rating weighs 5-star recruits higher than 3-star, and of the top 50 recruits in the Class of 2018, 23 of them are uncommitted. That means we could, hypothetically, see 23 top 50 recruits sign next week.

When all’s said and done, this new signing day also creates an arms race for the last few recruits. When the last sheet of paper is signed on Dec. 22, everyone in the country will know who is going where, and who is still deciding. Those kids that are still deciding will become extra important.

Which recruits do the Cowboys have?

Great question, gold star for you, reader. Well, at the moment OSU is ranked 27th, tucked in between Minnesota (26th, eh?) and USC (28th). Not an unreasonable place to be. Ranked 5th in the Big 12 (behind UT, OU, TCU, and WVU) the Cowboys have 22 current commits, with two 4-star, and twenty 3-star. The Cowboys lack a 5-star athlete, but in the Big 12, only Texas has a commitment from a 5-star athlete; they are few and far between.

Here’s the full list of OSU verbal commits:

WR CJ Moore 4 stars, Union HS (Tulsa, OK)

QB Spencer Sanders 4 stars, Ryan HS (Denton, TX)

WR Jonathan Shepherd 3 stars, Kilgore HS (Kilgore, TX)

CB JayVeon Cardwell 3 stars, Steele HS (Cibolo, TX)

G Bryce Bray 3 stars, Bixby HS (Bixby, OK)

ATH Jaelyn Nolan 3 stars, Brownfield HS (Brownfield, TX)

DE Michael Scott 3 stars, Trinity Valley C.C. (Athens, TX)

C Tyrese Williams 3 stars, Cy-Ridge HS (Houston, TX)

OT Jacob Farrell 3 stars, Sulphur HS (Sulphur, OK)

S Jason Taylor 3 stars, Carl Albert HS (Oklahoma City, OK)

DE Tyler Lacy 3 stars, Sachse HS (Sachse, TX)

RB Jahmyl Jeter 3 stars, William J. Brennan HS, (San Antonio, TX)

DT Israel Antwine 3 stars, Millwood HS (Oklahoma City, OK)

OT Hunter Woodard 3 stars, Tuscola HS (Tuscola, IL)

S Kanion Williams 3 stars, South Oak Cliff HS (Dallas, TX)

S Kolby Peel 3 stars, A&M Consolidated (College Station, TX)

T Hunter Anthony 3 stars, Tuttle HS (Tuttle OK)

LB Blake Barron 3 stars, Rockwall HS (Rockwall, TX)

S Jarrick Bernard 3 stars, Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, LA)

TE Jake Ross 3 stars, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (Miami, OK)

ATH Gabe Lemons 3 stars, Coppell HS (Coppell, TX)

“Spencer Sanders, I know that guy!”

If there’s anyone on this list that you’ve heard of before, it’s probably Spencer Sanders. He has been hailed by recruiting-enthusiasts with OSU affiliation as the next coming for Cowboy football. He may not quite be that, but he is a very talented QB out of Denton Ryan with a knack for making Manziel-like plays. Originally a running back, Sanders transitioned to QB in high school, and has developed an arm that (with some weights) will do some serious damage in the Pokes’ vertical passing game. He possesses the ability to make throws like this…

And, honestly, the ability is what matters. It can be fine tuned and honed, but being able to make that throw at all shows enough potential to mold and create something. It’s the decision making and form that are impressive. But this isn’t the impressive part of Sanders’ game. It’s when he does video-game stuff, like this…

That’s read option like we haven’t seen an OSU QB do before. They have a tradition of using a pro-style QB in a spread offense, but I think Yurcich and Gundy may have seen enough of Mayfield and Hill running all over them, creating plays and using a dual threat to gash up and down the field. I don’t know if Sanders will enroll early or not, but if he does, I genuinely believe he has a good shot at starting. This prediction is totally unfounded, but I think the Cowboys are in a transition period: I’d bet they’re moving toward a mobile QB-driven offense. The departure of Rudolph and arrival of Sanders ushers in, in my mind, a new brand of OSU offense that I’m particularly excited to see.

Who’s impressive? Who am I going to see in TBP next year?

JayVeon Cardwell

Reader, it’s like you can read my mind. Good questions. Well, beside Sanders, I’m really high on JayVeon Cardwell. The 5’11” CB from Steele HS runs a 4.44 and has some of the best decision making I’ve seen from a high school CB in a long time. Steele runs a basic Cover 2 (Sky/Cloud) concept, which leaves him in the flat a fair bit of the time. Watch his whole highlight video, because it’s pretty great, but this clip is a fantastic highlight of his ability.

The kid is gone, if you couldn’t tell. What’s impressive about this is the decision that he makes right as the frame freezes. Yes, it’s a mistake by the QB, but a really really understandable one when you consider how athletic Cardwell is. The ball should go to the flat because that’s the read, but the QB thinks he can deliver the corner route (he can’t) and Cardwell reads the upfield shoulder and breaks on the ball. His whole tape is similar; Cover 2, reading the QB and taking advantage of it. This won’t happen as much in Big 12 ball, but he’s got enough speed, quickness, and football IQ to see the field, in my opinion.

Jake Ross and Mike Scott

Jake Ross is a sophomore at Northeastern, and is getting his big shot. The 6’7″ TE is a fantastic get for the Cowboys. He’s enormous, and is both a passing threat and a fantastic blocker. He absolutely demolishes opponents at DE, and really looks like he’s in a different class than his competitors. They’ve flexed him out to the slot at Northeastern, which they will definitely do in the Yurcich spread. I’d like to see him get a little faster when he gets to OSU, but just having a 6’7″ target is good enough for me.

Mike Scott plays DE at Trinity Valley C.C. right now, and like Ross, blows away the competition. He’s explosive, powerful, and will make a great college DE. He’s a little bit rush happy and gets upfield faster than I might like, but that’s an easy fix. You can teach patience even though you can’t teach Big 12 level explosion. Look for both Ross and Scott to see the field next year, depending on how the Spring goes.

Who could the Cowboys get before signing day?

The Cowboys currently have offers out to 24 prospects, but I’d narrow the list down to 3 players that they truly have a shot at committing in the next week.

DE Azur Kamara

The weak side DE from Phoenix is currently at Arizona Western, and has received many offers, but has his list down to a top 5: Iowa State, Louisville, Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. If I was a betting man I’d say Ole Miss and Oregon State are not as legitimate as the other three. Kamara isn’t projected to choose OSU, but I’ve seen Gundy do weirder things than pull a recruit out of a hat. Keep an eye out for where this guy goes; he might be worth a twitter follow for the next week or so.

CB Haki Woods

The 6’3″ Euless, TX native is currently at Trinity, and has his list down to four: Cal, Arizona, Utah and OSU. He attended an official visit to Utah on the 15th, and to Cal on the 8th. It doesn’t seem that Woods has made his mind up yet, and we may see him take until February to make a final decision. The largest detractor in Woods’ recruitment is the depth at CB. In the 2018 class there are 4 commits, and Woods may end up at Utah with an easier path to the field.

DE/OLB Izaih Filikitonga

Another Arizona native, Filikitonga is at Pima C.C. playing Weak-side DE, but will more than likely transition to OLB when he gets to D1 FBS ball. Currently in the race are OSU, TCU and Utah. Filikitonga hasn’t visited OSU, but he’s still considering his offers and reportedly hearing from Tom Herman and Texas. Filikitonga feels much more like a guy who’ll make up his mind during this early signing period. The Cowboys have 0 commits in the 2018 class at OLB, so Filikitonga would be a good get.

How the Pokes are making out:

Honestly, pretty well. After a year like 2017, you’d hope for us to do slightly better than usual, but a loss to K-State, the Gundy coaching question, and facilities still not necessarily graded at an A+ level, I’m happy with 27th. What I’m not super thrilled by is 5th in the Big 12, but I’ll be honest, I disagree with some of the evaluations in terms of “stars.” I’m happy with the Pokes recruiting class on the whole, and you should be too. We’ll have this conversation again once the 22nd comes to a close and we know who’s coming to Stillwater for certain, but for now, the Pokes have a good class. If we can steal one recruit, I think 2018 goes from good to great.