Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Football 1997 Recruiting Class
April 07, 2003 | Cowboy Football
Bryan Blackwood, TE/DE, 6-5, 235, 4.7, Tulsa (Union), Oklahoma All Conference and All District performer out of Tulsa Union High School. As a senior last season, he caught 12 passes for 283 yards and scored three touchdowns. His longest reception of the season was 57 yards.The number one ranked tight end in class 6A has excellent size and speed. His sister Angi is pitcher for the University of Nebraska softball team.
Tanner Bruce, TE/DE, 6-4, 235, 4.6, Garland (South Garland), Texas Has the size (6-4) and the speed (4.6) that make him one of this year's recruiting prizes. He was recruited by Baylor, Texas Tech, Arkansas, Missouri, Wyoming, SMU and TCU but will come to Stillwater. After a stellar senior season at South Garland High School, he was named All Metro and All District.
Andre' Butler, DE, 6-3, 230, 4.8, Lawton (Eisenhower), Oklahoma Outstanding defensive end at Lawton Eisenhower and projected at the same position at Oklahoma State. He finished his prep career with an outstanding senior season during which he had 91 total tackles, six sacks and 15 other tackles for minus yardage. His senior-season exploits were rewarded by being named All State by the Daily Oklahoman, Tulsa World and Coaches as well as All Conference, All District and generally regarded as one of the top 25 recruits in the state. The Cowboys won his services over Oklahoma and Tulsa.
Sean Clavelle, DL, 6-5, 260, 4.9, New Orleans (Walker), La., (Fresno City College) Transferred to Oklahoma State at mid-year and will definitely fit into plans on defense. Talented player who has the size and speed and was All Conference after his last season at Fresno City College. Other schools that recruited Clavelle included Washington, Arizona and UCLA. He is the brother of former Colorado standout Shannon Clavelle who was a three year starter for the Buffaloes in the mid 1 990s when current OSU Head Coach Bob Simmons was on the CU staff.
B.J. Tiger, QB, 6-3, 195, 4.6, Tulsa (Washington), Oklahoma Another in a long line of great prospects from Tulsa's Booker T. Washington High School to opt for Oklahoma State. He played on both sides of the football and was impressive each way. As a quarterback, he passed for 1,785 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions. He was named All State by the Tulsa World, Daily Oklahoman and Coaches as well as All District. In addition to OSU, Tiger was recruited by Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.
Ricky Thompson, DB, 6-1, 185, 4.5, Hubbard, Texas (Trinity Valley CC) Oklahoma State dipped into the junior college ranks for this outstanding defensive back. He will provide immediate help in the secondary. At Trinity Valley he started every game of his sophomore season at free safety and led the team with six interceptions. At Hubbard, Texas High School, he was All State and All Conference and led the team in interceptions two straight seasons.
Chris Tyler, DL, 6-2, 275, 4.9, Killeen (Ellison), Texas Defensive line prospect who enjoyed a tremendous career at Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas. He was All Central Texas after his senior season and was also first team All District, and first team All Killeen area. In addition to Oklahoma State, Tyler was recnuited by Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU.
Alton Weaver, DL, 6-5, 275, 4.9, Houston (Sharpstown), Texas (Kemper Military) Defensive lineman and a good one. He transferred to Oklahoma State at mid- year from Kemper Military in Missouri and should make an immediate impact on the OSU defense. At Kemper last year he was a first team junior college All American after leading the team in tackles. Was recruited out of Houston's Sharpstown as a basketball player by Oklahoma State. In high school, he was All State, All District and All Metro. Along with Oklahoma State, he was recruited by Oregon, Missouri, Baylor, Illinois and Texas A&M.
Reggie White, RB, 6-2, 195, 4.4, Uberty (Liberty), Texas One of the top runningback prospects in the state of Texas. Has tremendous speed (4.4) and ability. Rated by one service as the 29th best player in Texas. As a senior at Liberty High School, he rushed for 1,209 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. He was named All State, All Greater Houston, All District and was the District Offensive Player of the Year. He was also all district in basketball as a junior and was two-time all state and district MVP. Oklahoma State recruited him along with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, LSU, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Houston and Michigan.
Tarrick McGuire, TE, 6-3, 225, TE, 4.7, Dallas (Carter), Texas Outstanding prospect even though he missed his senior season because of a knee injury. Has great speed (4.7) to go along with his 6-3 frame and he comes from tradition rich Dallas Carter High School. McQuire chose Oklahoma State over Kansas, Memphis and New Mexico State.
Bryan Phillips, OUDL, 6-5, 285, DL, 4.9, San Antonio (MacArthur), Texas Promising line prospect who runs a 4.9 and can squad 560 pounds. Had an outstanding senior season and was rewarded by being named All San Antonio Are and All District. Phillips chose Oklahoma State over Baylor, Texas Tech, Arkansas and TCU.
Jason Rannebarger, OL, 6-6, 315, 5.4, Garland (Lakeview Centennial), Texas Truly one of the outstanding line prospects in the state of Texas. Great size and strength. Last season at Garland's Lakeview Centennial High School, he had 60 pancake blocks and over 100 takedowns. He started 31 times in high school, including a state playoff game in 1995 when he had 52 blocking assignments and took his man to the ground 26 times. Following his senior season, he was named All Metro, All District, and one of the top 100 recruits in Texas. In addition to Oklahoma State, Rannebarger considered Texas Tech, TCU and lowa State.
Jake Riffe, LB, 6-2, 225, 4.6, Sand Springs, Oklahoma Generally considered one of the top 30 recruits in Oklahoma, he will come to Oklahoma State after an outstanding career at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs. As a senior, he registered a team-high 130 tackles and an incredible 17 quarterback sacks. He also had one pass interception which he returned for a touchdown. Tulsa World All Stater as well as All Metro and All District. He also considered Tulsa and Missouri.
Marcellus Rivers, TE/DE, 6-4, 225, 4.7, Oklahoma City (Douglas), Oklahoma Highly sought-after prospect from Douglas High School, Rivers follows another Douglas great, Alonzo Mayes, to Oklahoma State. He had a fabulous high school career that was capped off by a senior season that saw him haul in 27 receptions for 625 yards and six touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he had 91 total tackles and 13 sacks. He was named All State by the Daily Oklahoman, All Big City, All District and one of the top 20 recruits in the state. He chose Oklahoma State over UCLA, Missouri and Kansas State.
Jarmaine Jones, DB, 6-2, 175, 4.5, Dallas (Carter), Texas While injuries kept him out of action during a lot of his senior season, he was still a highly-recruited defensive back prospect out of talent-rich Carter High School in Dallas. Last year he was among his team's leaders in tackles and led the defense with five interceptions. His honors included being named All Metro, All District and one of the Top 100 recruits in Texas. He was recruited by Texas Tech, Texas A&M, lowa and Missouri with OSU winning a head to head recnuiting battle with Tech for the talented Jones.
Marcus Jones, WR/DB, 5-9, 175, 4.4, Stillwater, Oklahoma The Cowboys stayed at home to get this talented prospect. It marks the second straight year that the top local talent has opted for OSU (Denshio Cook signed with OSU last year). Has great speed and tremendous ability, evidenced by his senior season at Stillwater High School. He had 39 receptions for 912 yards and a 38.9 yard average on kick returns. He was All State, All conference, All District and the District Player of the Year as well as being ranked one of the top 25 recruits in the state. Jones chose OSU over Oklahoma, Kansas State, Notre Dame and Tulsa.
Paul Jones, WR/DB, 6-2, 185, 4.5, Wewoka, Oklahoma One of the 1997 recruiting goals was to shore up the receiver position and the addition of Jones certainly does that. Generally considered one of the top 30 recruits in the state, Jones will come to OSU with outstanding credentials. Last year at Wewoka High School, he 878 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. For his career had 50 catches for more than 1,000 yards. On the defensive side, he had 103 total tackles and five interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He was consensus All State, All Conference and All District and chose OSU over Tulsa and Missouri.
Dwayne Levels, TE/OLB, 6-3, 220, 4.7, Richardson (Richardson), Texas Good looking prospect on either side of the football. Has great speed for his size and was heavily recruited by Big 12 schools Texas Tech, Kansas and Missouri c well as Arkansas, TCU and New Mexico. Last season at Richardson High School, Levels played offense defense and on special teams and was one of the team's top tacklers. And, according to his high school coach, he was a great blocker and leader. Following his senior season, he was named All District. Extremely strong, evidenced by a 320-pound bench press and 440-pound squat.
Jeff Machado, OL, 6-3, 275, 5.0, Cedar Rapids (Regis Catholic), lowa Considered one of the top 15 overall recruits in the state of lowa, Oklahoma State won Machado's services over the University of Illinois and lowa State. Following his senior season at Regis Catholic, Machado was named All District and All Area. Played on both sides of the ball in high school, registering 50 tackles and forcing three fumbles on defense. He was named Who~s Who Among American High School Students and a member of the National Honor Society.
Simeon Colbert, DL, 6-5, 240, 4.9, El Reno (El Reno), Oklahoma This name should be very familiar to Oklahoma State football fans. He is the younger brother of Brandon and Shannon Colbert, who both played football for the Cowboys. He was named All Conference and All Big City after his senior season. He was also named All Star by the Oklahoma Football Coaches Association. His season stats included 18 solo tackles, 22 assists and four tackles for loss.
Terrance Gaines, RB, 5-10, 220, 210, 4.4, Frederick, Oklahoma Outstanding nunningback prospect out of Frederick. He will come to Oklahoma State after being named the class 2A Player of the Year following his senior season. He was All State, All District the District Offensive Player of the Year and rated one of the state's top 25 recruits. He had 2,222 yards and 32 touchdowns during his high school career. He chose Oklahoma State over Miami, Tulsa and TCU.
Robbie Gillem, OLB, 6-1, 200, 4.5, Lewisville (Marcus), Texas Outstanding athlete who had a great two-sport career at Marcus High School in Lewisville, Texas. He was a three-year starter as a linebacker and was first team All District. His senior season statistics included three blocked punts, five interceptions and one fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown. He was also a two-year starter in baseball. Gillem was recruited by Oklahoma State, Baylor and Stephen F. Austin.
Jason Howard, DB, 6-2, 175, 4.5, Kenner (Curtis), Louisiana With 4.5 speed and a 6-2 frame, Howard is one of the top defensive back prospects in the region and will come to Oklahoma State. He had a team-high six interceptions last season and reaped a bevy of honors that included All State, All Metro, All Parrish and New Orleans-Area Player of the Year. He was an integral part of two state championships claimed by Curtis High School, including one last season. In addition to OSU, Howard was recruited by Tulane, Louisville, Memphis, California and Louisiana Tech. In addition to his football accomplishments, Howard was an All-State selection in baseball.
Jason Johnson, OL, 6-3, 275, 5.3, Honey Grove (Honey Grove), Texas Offensive line prospect who will bring a lot of talent to Stillwater this fall. At Honey Grove High School in Texas, Johnson was a two-year starter who was named first team All District after his senior season. Versatile athlete who lettered and currently starts for the Honey Grove team averaging 16 points per game. He also throws the disc in track. Johnson chose Oklahoma State over Texas Tech and Sam Houston State.
