Oklahoma State University Athletics
Signing Day Central 2008
February 06, 2008 | Cowboy Football
Your 2008 Cowboy Recruiting Class
Noting The OSU Signing Class
The Atlas
OSU's 2008 class includes recruits from the states of Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas.
Position Ratings
Perhaps no part of the roster got a bigger boost than running back. Two of OSU's signees, Kye Staley and junior-college transfer Beau Johnson, were designated as All-Americans. The lone newcomer not named All-American, Travis Miller, is one of the fastest members of the new class.
Safety First
The Cowboys inked three heavily-decorated safeties. Victor Johnson and Markelle Martin were among the top 100 recruits in the state of Texas. Junior-college transfer, Lucien Antoine, was a junior college All-American. Martin and Antoine are already on campus and attending class at OSU.
Oklahomans For OSU
Three of the top 10 players in the state of Oklahoma signed with Oklahoma State. All three, tight end Cooper Bassett of Tuttle, receiver Justin Blackmon of Ardmore Plainview and running back Kye Staley of Guthrie, were all SuperPrep All-America selections. A fourth Oklahoman, Andrew Mitchell of Choctaw, arrives at OSU after being named a junior-college All- American at Snow Junior College in Utah.
Super Texans
Three of OSU's signees were named to the Super Team as chosen by Texas Football Magazine. Those honorees include linebacker Alfred DuPree, offensive lineman Patrick Hoog and safety Markelle Martin.
SuperPrep Picks
Among the new Cowboys honored as all-region or All-Americans by SuperPrep are running back Kye Staley of Guthrie, receiver Justin Blackmon of Ardmore Plainview, tight end Cooper Bassett of Tuttle, safety Victor Johnson of Waco, safety Markelle Martin of Wichita Falls, Dallas linebacker Alfred DuPree, receiver Adrian Richards of Mesquite, offensive lineman Patrick Hoog of Castroville, Tex., tight end Justin Horton of Henderson, Tex., and Nigel Nicholas of Rossville, Ga.
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy has announced that 27 student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to join the Cowboy program. The new class includes 19 high school players and eight from the junior-college ranks.
The incoming class includes eight prospects (seven junior college players and one from the high school ranks) that enrolled at OSU in January and are attending classes in Stillwater during the spring semester. Four of those players were junior college All-America selections and three were rated among the top 30 twoyear players in the country.
The newest group of Cowboys features eight players who were named a prep or junior college All-American, eight players who were among the top 100 in the state of Texas, three members of Texas Football Magazine's Super Team and the nation's top-rated kicker. All four Oklahomans who signed with the Cowboys on Wednesday were All-America honorees.
“Obviously it's a large class with a large number of mid-year enrollees,” Gundy said. “We are expecting the players on campus now to come in and have an impact, especially on defense. Because we were able to count three scholarships toward last year, we were still able to sign a very big (19) high school class. We would not have signed eight junior-college players if our class size had been smaller.”
Oklahoma State picked up the most help in the trenches with nine of the newcomers classified as offensive or defensive linemen. OSU also loaded up on secondary help with six defensive backs inking with OSU. The skills set also increased with three new running backs (including two All-Americans) and three speedy receivers signing national letters. OSU signed three heavily honored tight ends and two linebackers.
“We feel like we've addressed some needs,” Gundy said. “We brought in some quality people. We've brought in some guys that can run. I really like what we've done with the secondary.”
The national honors are spread throughout the class with All-America awards bestowed upon tight end Cooper Bassett (Tuttle), receiver Justin Blackmon (Plainview High), running back Kye Staley (Guthrie), and kicker Quinn Sharp. Among the junior college players, linebacker Donald Booker, safety Lucien Antoine, running back Beau Johnson and offensive lineman Andrew Mitchell were all designated All- Americans.
Offensive Players
Running Backs - 3
Beau Johnson :: Lawrenceville, Ga.
Travis Miller :: Marlin, Texas
Kye Staley :: Guthrie, Okla.
Wide Receivers - 3
Isaiah Anderson :: Wichita Falls, Texas
Justin Blackmon :: Ardmore, Okla.
Adrian Richards :: Mesquite, Texas
Tight Ends - 3
Cooper Bassett :: Tuttle, Okla.
Justin Horton :: Henderson, Texas
Jamal Mosley :: Memphis, Tenn.
Offensive Linemen - 4
DeJuan Davis :: Fort Worth, Texas
Patrick Hoog :: Castroville, Texas
Andrew Mitchell :: Choctaw, Okla.
Lane Taylor :: Arlington, Texas
Kickers - 1
Quinn Sharp :: Mansfied, Texas
Defensive Players
Defensive Ends - 3
Jeremy Gray :: Sherman, Texas
Nigel Nicholas :: Rossville, Ga.
Jeremiah Price :: Collins, Miss.
Defensive Tackles - 2
Chris Donaldson :: Anderson, S.C.
Swanson Miller :: Alachua, Fla.
Linebackers - 2
Donald Booker :: Houston, Texas
Alfred DuPree :: Dallas, Texas
Defensive Backs - 3
Brodrick Brown :: Houston, Texas
Maurice Gray :: Kathleen, Ga.
Johnny Thomas :: Texas City, Texas
Safeties - 3
Lucien Antoine :: Coral Springs, Fla.
Victor Johnson :: Waco, Texas
Markelle Martin :: Wichita Falls, Texas
| Recieved LOI | ||||||
| WR | 6-0 | 175 | Fr. | Wichita Falls, TX (Wichita Falls) | Reported to have run a 4.34 40-yard dash | |
| TE | 6-5 | 235 | Fr. | Tuttle, OK (Tuttle) | SuperPrep All-American as a senior | |
| WR | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | Ardmore, OK (Plainview) | No. 20 wide receiver prospect nationally by SuperPrep | |
| LB | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. | Houston, TX (Klein Forest/Navarro JC) | NJCAA All-American as a sophomore | |
| DB | 5-8 | 165 | Fr. | Houston, TX (Westfield) | Finalist for Houston TD Club Player of the Year award | |
| OL | 6-4 | 295 | Fr. | Fort Worth, TX (Crowley) | Class 4A first-team all-state honoree | |
| LB | 6-2 | 215 | Fr. | Dallas, TX (Skyline) | No. 11 strongside linebacker in the nation by Rivals.com | |
| DE | 6-6 | 250 | Fr. | Sherman, TX (Sherman) | 70 tackles and five quarterback sacks as a senior | |
| OL | 6-4 | 295 | Fr. | Castroville, TX (Medina Valley) | Squats 660 pounds, SuperPrep all-region | |
| J | TE | 6-4 | 220 | Fr. | Henderson, TX (Henderson) | Considered as one of the top 10 tight ends in Texas |
| S | 6-1 | 175 | Fr. | Waco, TX (Waco) | 75 tackles as a senior, SuperPrep all-region | |
| RB | 5-11 | 185 | Fr. | Marlin, TX (Marlin) | Reported to have run a 4.36 40-yard dash | |
| TE | 6-4 | 230 | Fr. | Memphis, TN (Kingsbury) | Offer list included Tennessee, Ole Miss, Michigan State | |
| DE | 6-3 | 260 | Fr. | Rossville, GA (Ridgeland) | SuperPrep all-region could play on either side of ball | |
| WR | 6-4 | 190 | Fr. | Mesquite, TX (Mesquite) | Reported to have run a 4.45 40-yard dash | |
| K | 6-1 | 185 | Fr. | Mansfield, TX (Summit) | Nation's top-ranked kicker by Rivals.com | |
| RB | 6-0 | 215 | Fr. | Guthrie, OK (Guthrie) | Offensive Player of the Year in the state of Oklahoma | |
| OL | 6-2 | 300 | Fr. | Arlington, TX (Martin) | Class 5A all-state, largest member of OSU signing class | |
| DB | 6-1 | 175 | Fr. | Texas City, TX (Texas City) | District MVP, two time all-district honoree | |
| Mid-Year Enrollees | ||||||
| S | 6-2 | 210 | Jr. | Coral Springs, FL (Ft. Scott CC) | Second-team junior college All-American | |
| DT | 6-1 | 285 | So. | Anderson, SC (Coffeyville CC) | Posted 15 tackles for loss as a redshirt freshman | |
| DB | 5-9 | 180 | Jr. | Kathleen, GA (Warner Robins/Butler CC) | No. 27 juco prospect in the nation by Rivals.com | |
| RB | 5-11 | 210 | Jr. | Lawrenceville, GA (Cen. Gwinnett/Butler Co.) | MVP of juco national championship game (4 TDs) | |
| S | 6-1 | 180 | Fr. | Wichita Falls, TX (Rider) | Four-star prospect by Rivals.com | |
| DT | 6-4 | 300 | Jr. | Alachua, FL (Santa Fe/Butler County CC) | No. 36 juco prospect in the nation by Rivals.com | |
| OL | 6-5 | 300 | Jr. | Choctaw, OK (Snow Community College) | First-team juco All-American was a former tight end | |
| DE | 6-2 | 245 | Jr. | Collins, MS (Jones County Junior College) | Posted 10 sacks as a sophomore in junior college | |
| Press Conference |
Press conference video is available .
| Recruiting Roundup 2008 |
THURSDAY, FEB. 7, 2008 • 7 PM • PAYNE COUNTY EXPO CENTER
Don't miss one of the most entertaining events of the year, as the POSSE hosts the 2008 Cowboy Football Recruit Roundup.
OSU will celebrate its talented class of signees on Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Payne County Expo Center (located 3 miles east of Stillwater on Highway 51). Doors will open at 6 pm, with the program starting at 7 pm. Admission is just $10 (payable at the door) and includes tailgate-style brats and beverages.
Cowboy Head Coach Mike Gundy, along with members of his staff, will talk about the team's bright future and share colorful stories from the recruiting trail. In addition, fans will see exclusive video highlights of the recruiting class.
