Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Open Football Signing Day
April 07, 2003 | Cowboy Football
OSU's 2000 class features players from eight states. Eight of those players are included in their state's list of top 100 prospects. Coach Simmons and his staff signed 11 players from Oklahoma, including Blue Chip prospects Ben Buie from Broken Arrow and Johnny Bizzell from Midwest City.
The Cowboys also went south of the Red River and came away with 10 players, including running back Tatum Bell from DeSoto, one of the most sought-after recruits in the Lone Star State. Two of OSU's newest football class will come to Stillwater from Florida. Ahmad Denson, a linebacker from Jacksonville, is rated one of the top 24 players in Florida and Georgia.
"We have a lot of speed in this class," Coach Simmons said Wednesday afternoon. "We felt like we met our needs in the offensive line and we were able to get a couple of linebackers to replace some of the players we're losing. Overall, I'm really pleased about this class."
The overall speed of the 2000 class is highlighted by Bell, who has been timed at 4.34 in the forty and 10.26 in 100 meters. He had 19 rushing touchdowns last year for DeSoto and added three passing touchdowns and a kick return for a touchdown.
Chris Wright, a defensive back from Austin, Texas, was a member of the national championship 4 X 100 relay team and his been clocked at 10.6 in 100 meters.
The Cowboys also went back to Colorado to gain the services of running back D.D. Cox, a Top 20 Colorado prospect who was his high school's offensive MVP and all-state in track. Cox was actually a ball boy at Colorado when Coach Simmons was an assistant at CU under Bill McCartney.
This is the final and official list of the 2000 football signees. Players grouped in order of signing notification.
2000 Oklahoma State Signees Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/Last School Ron Able LB 6-2 237 East St. Louis, Ill. (East St. Louis)/Kemper Military Tatum Bell RB 5-11 190 DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto Johnny Bizzell RB 6-2 222 Midwest City, Okla./Carl Albert Ben Buie DL 6-2 280 Broken Arrow, Okla./Broken Arrow Cashan Clark DB 6-0 200 Alvarado, Texas/Alvarado Clay Coe DL 6-3 260 Edmond, Okla./Deer Creek Michael Cooper DB 5-10 182 Oklahoma City,Okla.(John Marshall)/Northeastern A&M Clint Gillispie OL 6-4 320 Arp, Texas/Arp Derek LaFargue OL 6-3 255 Springdale, Ark./Springdale Andre McGill QB 6-1 180 Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers Richard Murphy DL 6-4 282 DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto Chay Nease ATH 6-1 190 Thomas, Okla./Thomas Jed Newkirk OL 6-4 290 Independence, Kan.(Independence)/Ft.Scott CC Derrius Whitehead TE/DE 6-3 235 Waxahachie, Texas/Waxahachie Chris Akin OL 6-3 265 Weatherford, Okla./Weatherford Fath' Carter LB 6-4 210 El Reno, Okla./El Reno Marcus Craig DL 6-1 290 Oklahoma City, Okla./Millwood Ahmad Denson LB 6-1 235 Jacksonville, Fla./Raines Sam Mayes OL 6-5 325 Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch Anthony McCloud DB 6-0 170 Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie Mark Milosevich TE 6-5 240 Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville Brandon Williams DB 5-11 175 River Ridge, La./Curtis D.D. Cox RB 6-1 200 Broomfield, Colo./Boulder Fairview Reggie Promise FB 5-10 230 Fairfield, Texas/Fairfield Kyle Williams TE/OL 6-5 245 Ardmore, Okla./Plainview Chris Wright DB 6-0 180 Austin, Texas/Hyde Park Richard Moton ATH 6-3 190 Tulsa, Okla./McLain Lawson Giddings WR 6-3 205 McAlester, Okla. (McAlester)/Northeastern A&M Pete Howard TE 6-6 250 Garland, TX (Rowlett)
Oklahoma State Football 2000 Recruiting Class
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Ron Able, LB 6-2, 237, 4.6 East St. Louis, Ill (East St. Louis)/Kemper Military
Talented junior college linebacker who is already on campus and going through off-season workouts. Started two years for coach David Ross at Kemper Military. Has great speed (4.6) and should provide immediate depth at the linebacker positions. PrepStar Magazine ranked Able as one of the top junior college linebackers available after the 1999 season. His 1999 statistics at Kemper included 110 total tackles, five fumble recoveries, one interception and four fumbles caused. He was a pre-season All-American out of East St. Louis High School and an honorable mention All-American after his final season at Kemper. Also excelled in the classroom, finishing with a 3.2 GPA at Kemper.
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Chris Akin, OL 6-3, 265, 5.1 Weatherford (Weatherford), Okla.
Akin played both ways at Weatherford and earned all state honors (Daily Oklahoman & OCA) in helping the Eagles to the Class 4-A State Championship. On offense he graded out at a 90-percent average, and on defense he had 101 total tackles. Recruiting services have described Akin as a hardnosed blue-collar kind of player. His versatility at the prep level would suggest he might play on either side at Oklahoma State. His high school coach was Tom Cobble. Also a talented wrestler and one of the top in the state in his weight class. Has been selected to play in the Oil Bowl and was an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.
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Tatum Bell, RB 5-11, 190, 4.34 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)
Oklahoma State won the services of this highly recruited running back over Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma. He is touted as one of the fastest high school players in the nation. He was timed at 4.34 in the 40 and has been clocked at 10.26 in the 100, making him one of the fastest players on OSU's roster. He was hampered by a hip pointer and sprained ankle as a senior but still rushed for 1,225 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is also an effective kick and punt returner. In addition to his 19 rushing touchdowns, he hadthree touchdown passes and returned one kickoff for a touchdown. He was listed as a Top 100 Texas player by First Down Recruiting, PrepStar, Dallas Morning News, and David Garvin. He was a two-time all district selection at running back. Bell was a dynamic high school player and could make an immediate impact at OSU. His high school coach was Ben Dial.
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Johnny Bizzell, RB 6-2, 222, 4.6 Midwest City, Okla. (Carl Albert)
Bizzell is a three-year starter who has helped Midwest City Carl Albert to three consecutive Class 5-A State Championships. He played both ways and earned all state honors (Daily Oklahoman, Tulsa World, and OCA). He also earned all-state honors as a junior. He was rated as a Top 20 Oklahoma prospect by First Down Recruiting, and was also named to the Daily Oklahoman's Big All City Team. As a senior Bizzell rushed for 1,458 yards and 12 touchdowns. On defense, playing defensive end and linebacker, he had 66 tackles and three sacks. His defensive efforts earned him Player of the Year honors in his conference. Bizzell chose Oklahoma State over Kansas State and Nebraska. His high school coach was Gary Rose. He was one of 11 players named to the Daily Oklahoman's Blue Chip list and was ranked the 33rd-best running back in the nation by at least one recruiting service. His cousins are Elbert Craig and Tim Burrough, already at OSU and Marcus Craig, another member of this year's class. Also runs track in high school and was timed at 10.38 last year.
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Ben Buie, DL 6-2, 280, 4.9 Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow)
Outstanding prospect who chose Oklahoma State over TCU, Missouri and Colorado State. Buie earned all-state honors from both the Tulsa World and Oklahoma Coaches Association. Had a spectacular senior season, during which he was credited with 84 tackles and nine sacks. He also returned one fumble recovery for a touchdown. A Top 20 prospect in Oklahoma by recruiting services, he played high school football for coach Rick Jones. Buie was one of 11 players named to the Daily Okahoman's Blue Chip list and generally regarded as one of the best defensive line prospects in Oklahoma. Additionally, he is ranked as the 52nd defensive tackle nationally by one recruiting service. Has been selected to play in the Oil Bowl.
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Fath' Carter, LB 6-4, 210, 4.55 El Reno, Okla. (El Reno)
Promising prospect who will join his brother (Chris) at Oklahoma State. Carter is an extremely versatile athlete that is also a standout in basketball. He has another brother (Wahhab) who is playing basketball at the University of Denver, and his uncle is former big league slugger Joe Carter. He played wide receiver and defensive end at El Reno, but also stepped in during the playoffs at running back. In a semifinal win over McAlester, he rushed for over 200 yards. He was third-team all state by The Daily Oklahoman and also named on the second team of the Big All City Team. All of the postseason honors were on the defensive line, where he registered 15 sacks. Carter was also recruited by Kansas. Played for coach Rocky Carter at El Reno. He was a team captain.
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Cashan Clark, DB 6-0, 200, 4.3 Alvarado, Texas (Alvarado)
Clark will come to Oklahoma State after a stellar high school career for coach Mark Cunningham at Alvarado. He was a true all-purpose performer last year and was rewarded with all district honors on both sides of the ball. He was also named to the Class 3-A All-State team. His senior statistics included 1,759 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns, all coming from the tailback position. He established school records for most points in a season (141), most rushing touchdowns (21) and most return touchdowns (2). On the defensive side, he had seven interceptions. He also averaged nearly 47 yards per punt and led the state in that category. In addition to OSU, Clark visited TCU and Kansas State.
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Clay Coe, DL 6-3, 260, 4.7 Edmond, Okla. (Deer Creek)
One of the top prospects in Oklahoma and a major part of Edmond Deer Creek's success last season. Coe played both ways for coach Ron Smith and helped his team to a 12-1 record, the best season in Deer Creek history. Coe earned all state honors (Daily Oklahoman and OCA) and was also named the Daily Oklahoman's Little All-City Defensive Player of the Year. Coe was also an Oklahoma Top 20 prospect according to First Down Recruiting. He finished with 101 tackles and 14 sacks as a senior and for his career he had 274 tackles and 22 sacks. Oklahoma, TCU and Tulsa were among the other schools that recruited Coe.
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Michael Cooper, DB 5-10, 182, 4.3 Oklahoma City, Okla. (John Marshall)/Northeastern A&M
After an outstanding high school career at Oklahoma City's John Marshall, Cooper spent two seasons at Northeastern A&M in Miami. He started last season for the Golden Norsemen for coach Dale Patterson. His first season at NEO was 1997, when he had 11 tackles and five assists. He missed the '98 season with an injury but came back in '99 and had an outstanding year. He had 45 solo tackles and 18 assists. He also had 12 passes broken up and one interception. He was All-Southwest Junior College Conference as a sophomore. He played both ways in high school (running back and defensive back). He has great speed (4.3) and should make an immediate impact for the Cowboys.
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D.D. Cox, RB 6-1, 200, 4.43 Broomfield, Colo. (Boulder Fairview)
Oklahoma State went to the Rocky Mountains for another outstanding prospect. Cox was an all-state and all-Denver performer after rushing for over 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. He was rated as a Top 20 Colorado prospect by First Down Recruiting and was an all-regional prospect by Prep Star. Cox served as a ball boy at Colorado games when current OSU Head Coach Bob Simmons was an assistant coach for the Buffaloes. His high school coach was Tom McCartney, and he was also recruited by Colorado, Kansas and Iowa State. Cox was his school's offensive MVP, and he was also all-state in track.
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Marcus Craig, DL 6-1, 290, 4.9 Oklahoma City, Okla. (Millwood)
The younger brother of current OSU defensive back Elbert Craig, Marcus was a three-sport standout at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City. On the football field, he was credited with 75 tackles and 10 sacks during his senior season. Craig was an all-district selection after his final prep season. He also excelled in basketball and track. In addition to Oklahoma State, Craig visited Missouri, Kansas and SMU. He has excellent quickness for his size and could be an impact player. His high school coach was Don Willis.
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Ahmad Denson, LB 6-1, 235, 4.7 Jacksonville, Fla. (Raines)
One of the top players in talent-rich Florida will bring his football prowess to Oklahoma State. Denson played at Raines High School in Jacksonville and turned in an outstanding senior season. His numbers from last year included 90 tackles, four fumbles caused, five sacks and two pass interceptions. He returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown. After the season, Denson was named first-team Florida All-State and was listed on the prestigious Florida Times Union Top 24 list, which features the top 24 players in Florida and Georgia. In addition, he was named on various Florida Top 100 lists. He is a tantalizing prospect as a middle linebacker and has great size and speed. His father, Alfred, played for the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos.
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Lawson Giddings, WR 6-3, 205, 4.45 McAlester, Okla. (McAlester)/Northeastern A&M
Will come to Oklahoma State after two seasons at Northeastern A&M. Originally committed to the Cowboys out of high school. Giddings started last season at NEO after seeing some playing time as a freshman. Last season at NEO, he had nine catches for 251 yards and led the team with an average of 28 yards per reception. A dangerous kick returner, Giddings had 21 returns for 423 yards and six punt returns for 44 yards. He was an honorable mention all-conference player in 1999. After a tremendous career at McAlester High School, he was the number two prospect in Oklahoma according to First Down Recruiting. He was also a PrepStar All-American, and all-state from every source in Oklahoma. He was recruited by Arkansas, Miami and Oklahoma before signing with OSU. His senior season at McAlester he had 51 receptions for 1,210 yards and 18 touchdowns. Giddings could make an immediate impact for the Cowboys as a receiver.
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Clint Gillispie, OL 6-4, 320, 5.1 Arp, Texas (Arp)
There's a lot to like about this OSU prospect. He will come to Oklahoma State after a tremendous prep career and with a lot of potential. Has great size and strength and can move well for a big man. He can bench press 465 pounds. Gillispie earned Class 2-All-State honors and was also named to his all district team on both sides of the ball. He was listed as a Top 100 Texas player by The Dallas Morning News, First Down Recruiting and PrepStar. Gillispie is a powerlifting state champion and is considered one of the strongest, if not the strongest, high school player in Texas. He was also recruited by Baylor, Texas A&M and Colorado. Also lettered in track and was Class 1-A state champion in the shot and placed in the state meet in the discus.
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Pete Howard, TE 6-6, 250, 4.75 Garland, Texas (Rowlett)
Tight end prospect will come to Oklahoma State after an impressive high school career for coach Tommy Watkins at Garland Rowlett. Earned all-district honors a year ago. Has the ability to catch the ball and is an excellent blocker. Was on the Dallas Morning News' Top 100 Area and Texas lists.
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Derek LaFargue, OL 6-3, 255, 5.2 Springdale, Ark. (Springdale)
LaFargue earned all-state honors in Arkansas last season on a team that finished 11-2 and was state runner-up. He also made the Top 50 list of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. LaFargue was also spotless in two seasons as the deep snapper on punts and placements. His father was a standout center at Arkansas in the late '70s. LaFargue is a Top 20 Arkansas prospect according to First Down Recruiting and listed as one of the top offensive line prospects in the southeast region by PrepStar Magazine.
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Sam Mayes, OL 6-5, 325, 5.2 Austintown, Ohio (Austintown Fitch)
Oklahoma State went to Ohio for this outstanding prospect who got a lot of recruiting attention late. Had an outstanding career at Austintown Fitch High School for coach Brian Fedyski. One the highlights of his senior season was a dominating performance against the defensive player of the year in Ohio. Mayes was credited with pancaking his opponent 15 times during the 1999 season. His postseason accolades included honorable mention all state, all-district and All-Steel Valley. He was also recruited by Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Indiana and Temple but chose the Cowboys.
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Anthony McCloud, DB 6-0, 170, 4.4 Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand Prairie)
Defensive back prospect who had an outstanding career for coach David Thompson at South Grand Prairie High School. After his senior season, he was named all-district and was included in the Dallas Morning News Top 100 list. He was second-team all-stater. Also lettered in track and was a member of the 4 X 100 team.
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Andre McGill, QB 6-1, 180, 4.6 Fort Myers, Fla. (Ft. Myers)
This talented quarterback was rated by at least one recruiting service as the sixth-best quarterback prospect in Florida. His senior-season numbers at Ft. Myers High School would back up that claim. He threw for over 1,700 yards and had 25 touchdown passes to go along with just five interceptions. McGill was on most Top 100 lists in Florida. Syracuse, Iowa State and Central Florida were among the other schools that recruited McGill. His father is a coach at Fort Myers High School. His high school coach was Sam Sirianni, Jr. During his prep career, he threw for 4,045 yards and 58 touchdowns. He completed better than 65 percent of his passes and broke nearly every school passing record. He was first team Class 4-A All-State and the area Player of the Year. He won the prestigious John Kerrigan Award given annually to the top player in the Fort Myers area. Has been invited to play in the Florida-Georgia All-Star game.
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Mark Milosevich, TE 6-5, 240, 4.8 Lewisville, Texas (Lewisville)
Ranked in preseason as the 68th-best prospect in Texas by SuperPrep Magazine. Has outstanding size and blocking ability. Can also catch the ball, evidenced by junior- season statistics that included five catches for 117 yards. He was all-district after his senior season playing for coach Ronnie Gage. Not only excelled in football, but was outstanding in baseball as a first baseman and had several outstanding academic achievements, including being named Scholar-Athlete of the Week in October. He was named to the Ft. Worth Star Telegram's All-Area team and was a member of the Texas All-State Academic Team.
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Richard Moton, Ath. 6-3, 190, 4.5 Tulsa, Okla. (McLain)
A tremendous athlete who was a four-year starter in football. As a defensive back, he recorded 42 tackles and had seven interceptions. He returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown. On the offensive side, he had 338 yards rushing, 508 yards passing and 320 receiving yards. He scored 11 offensive touchdowns and averaged 46 yards net punting. Moton was the Defensive Back of the Year in his district. He was also selected all-district, all-metro and all-state by the Tulsa World. Moton was a three-year starter and state qualifier in track, participating in the 400, 200 and 4 X 100 relay. He is a two-year starter in basketball and received all-district honors last season as a center.
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Richard Murphy, DL 6-4, 282 4.9 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)
First-team all-district performer for coach Ben Dial at DeSoto and one of two DeSoto players in OSU's 2000 recruiting class. Not only excelled in football but lettered in basketball and track. Had back-to-back seasons with sensational numbers. As a junior at DeSoto, he registered 86 tackles with seven sacks and four fumbles caused. Ahead of the 1999 season, he was ranked the 97th-best player in the Southwest region by SuperPrep Magazine. He proved more than worthy of that ranking by logging 117 total tackles as a senior to go along with eight quarterback sacks.
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Chay Nease, Ath. 6-1, 190, 4.4 Thomas, Okla. (Thomas)
Nease was named all state by the Oklahoma Coaches Association and was second-team according to The Daily Oklahoman. He was a high school standout in football, basketball, baseball, and track. In football, he had 1,177 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns, had five interceptions on defense, and punted for a 38.5-yard average. He also was a spectacular kickoff and punt returner. He is a state champion in track specializing in the sprint events. He also played on a National Champion AAU baseball team last summer. Nease was also recruited by Purdue, Colorado State and Tulsa. His high school coach was Mike Tyson. He played a lot of positions in high school, including running back, wide receiver, quarterback, cornerback and free safety.
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Jed Newkirk, OL 6-4, 290, 5.0 Independence, Kan./Fort Scott CC
One of three junior college transfers who are already on campus and going through off-season workouts. Newkirk earned All-Jayhawk Conference honors at Fort Scott. According to his junior college coach, he was equally talented at run and pass blocking. Newkirk helped lead Fort Scott to its first bowl game in 13 years. PrepStar Magazine included Newkirk on its Super Juco 75 list, and he was one of the top 13 junior college offensive linemen in the country by the same publication.
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Reggie Promise, FB 5-10, 230, 4.6 Fairfield, Texas (Fairfield)
This OSU prospect is a four-time all district selection for coach Randy Angel at Fairfield. Last season he carried for over 1,200-yards and 14 touchdowns. He also made 83 tackles playing linebacker on defense. A state champion in powerlifting, he is one of the strongest players at his position in Texas. His high school bench press was 420 pounds. While he was all-district four times as a running back, he was a two-time all-district performer at linebacker. He was also All-Central Texas as a linebacker and a state champion throwing the shot. His excellence wasn't limited to the football field. Promise was named to the academic all-state team after his senior season.
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Derrius Whitehead, TE/DE 6-3, 235, 4.7 Waxahachie, Texas
Talented player from tradition-rich Waxahachie. Whitehead is on several Top 100 Texas lists including First Down Recruiting and Prep Star. He made all district on both sides of the ball and is an all region recruit according to PrepStar. As a senior he had 18 receptions for 270-yards and four touchdowns. His high school coach thinks he'll stand out more on defense and compares him to former Waxahachie and Texas Tech star defensive end Montae Reagor, who is now playing for the NFL's Denver Broncos. Whitehead also competes in basketball and track. He was recruited by nearly everybodyin Texas and the Big 12 before committing early to OSU.
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Brandon Williams, DB 5-11, 175, 4.4 River Ridge, La. (Curtis)
Williams started as a wide receiver as a sophomore and junior. He started both ways, adding cornerback to his resume' as a senior. His senior season, he had 12 receptions and two touchdowns. On defense he had 40 tackles but no interceptions. He was part of a defensive effort that held the number one high school team in the nation, Shreveport Evangel Christian, and its all-american quarterback to a 14-point offensive output. Williams is a track standout that competes in the 400 and 800 meter relays. He has beenclocked at 10.4 in the 100 meters.
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Kyle Williams, TE/OL 6-5, 245, 4.8 Ardmore, Okla. (Plainview)
When the Cowboys landed Kyle Williams, they landed one of the top high school prospects in Oklahoma. He played tight end and defensive end for coach Eddie Paul at Plainview. He was all-state by the Oklahoma Coaches Association and second-team all-state by the Daily Oklahoman. As a senior, he helped lead Plainview to a 12-1 record and Bi-District championship. Williams was a versatile, two-way player in high school and will represent Oklahoma in the Oil Bowl. He also lettered in track, throwing the shot 59 feet and the discus 182 feet.
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Chris Wright, DB 6-0, 180, 4.4 Austin, Texas (Hyde Park)
Talented player who had a versatile career at Austin Hyde Park for coach David Wetzel. He had over 1,000 combined yards of rushing and receiving. On the defensive side, he led the team with five interceptions. His 4.4 speed was utilized in track as well. He was a member of the national championship 4 X 100 relay team and was clocked at 10.6 in 100 meters. Some of Wright's other track numbers included being clocked at 21.5 in the 200 and 48.5 in the 400. He was an All-American AAU track performer. For his football accomplishments, he was named first-team all-district as a defensive back and second-team all-state at the same position. Wright chose Oklahoma State over Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
